Shanghaiist

Follow Team Shanghaiist on Twitter

Kenneth Tan — 2009-11-20T21:43:05+08:00

If there's one thing that we at Shanghaiist would like to thank the Net Nanny for, it's that she's totally reunited Chinese microbloggers with the one big happy family that is Twitter again. You see, previously, everyone was distributed across a plethora of local microblogging services, but now with the demise of the two kingpins of the Chinese twitter clone world, Fanfou and Jiwai, everyone's just decided to collectively show the GFW their middle finger by signing up for a damn VPN and rejoining the conversation on Twitter. Now Chinese microbloggers and their foreign counterparts are finally talking directly to each other, while news and stories and translations of anything remotely China-related are spreading faster than you can say H1N1! So, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you Net Nanny!

But we digress! What we meant to tell you in this quick update is that now you can follow Shanghaiist's super awesome team — yes, all of them — with one click of a single button. Here's where you will find us:
http://twitter.com/shanghaiist/team

And, oh, if you love us, won't you please click on the 'Retweet' button you see on the top left corner of this post.

Extra! Extra! Swine flu shots, press corps history and the almighty yuan

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-20T19:00:00+08:00

Wow, that's a huge amount: 1.5 million people per day are getting innoculated with the swine flu vaccine. [AP]
This year's Chinese Blogger Conference was held in an ancient cave in Lianzhou, Guangdon. Why? You'll have to watch this video to find out. [WSJ]
A government report has said that China's Three Gorges Dam has doubled in cost and has been plagued with multiple problems. Here's a summary of them. [Al Jazeera (on Youtube)]
Back in 1972, when the first U.S. press corps visited China, they got rashes from the toilet seats. This year's press corps got thirty-seven-inch flat-screen televisions and three-hundred-thread-count sheets. [New Yorker]
China is desperately trying to lure back scientists into its fold, and at least so far, it seems like its methods - grants, fat salaries, generous lab funding, but mostly the thrill of building something from the bottom up - are working. [Business Week]
Obama's trip this time around didn't have the hard-hitting aggressiveness some people wanted towards China's human rights record. But will his softball method of confronting the PRC actually work? [New York Times]
We always love a little crazy in our links section, so here's one - a Russian columnist thinks that China can train almost its entire population into a super army, which will then kill 1/3 to 2/3 of Americans, take over their property and use the remaining Americans as servants. [World Tribune]
Paul Krugman recently wrote something about how China severely undervalues its currency and needs to strengthen the yuan to reduce America's trade deficit and spur worldwide recovery. Forbes disagrees. [Forbes]
Bad English is apparently one of the main factors holding Chinese peacekeeping forces from completing their missions well overseas. We say if the world wanted to be peaceful, it'd just learn to speak Chinese already. [Reuters]

Presented By:

2009-11-20T19:00:00+08:00

We actually quite like this Shanghai Eat & Drink Guide

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-20T18:00:28+08:00

We were sent Silk Guides: Shanghai Eat & Drink Guide a couple weeks ago, but it took us a little while to get off our lazy butts and actually take a look inside... Which is a shame, because the guide, about a size that would fit handily into a purse if not really a pocket, is actually a pretty decent look at what restaurants you ought to try in the city right now.

The guide is the creation of Gary Bowerman, Amy Fabris-Shi and Tina Kanagaratnam - three people who've lived in Shanghai for a combined 25 years and spent that quarter-century of experience eating (and writing about eating). As they put it:

The guide is designed as a concise compilation of the best in the city - from dumpling kiosks to fine dining -- encompassing all moods, times of day and circumstances, written by people who live here, are totally immersed in the food scene and have eaten out a lot! In each mini review we have highlighted the reasons why these are the places Shanghai people-in-the-know return to again and again. Of course there's more to Shanghai eating than top restaurants - we also tell you where to get great breakfasts, what’s open 24 hours, where to order groceries and find specialty chocolates, and much more.

There's the usual suspects of restaurant/bar recommendations - M on the Bund, Bar Rouge, Sasha's - but we were surprised and delighted to find some of our favorites (Exit, Guyi Hunan, Old China Hand Reading Room, Anar) and the newer players in town represented as well (including shout outs to restaurants we haven't gotten a chance to try yet, like Restaurant Martin).

And their blurb doesn't overstate what they do: there are separate little guides for where to get Chinese breakfast, what sites to order groceries from, cooking schools, places with views on the river. At 75RMB, it's not too expensive for you to pick up one for your relatives or friends abroad (because you know as soon as they get here, they're going to ask you where to get some grub).

Our only gripe: the glue that holds the guide into its little booklet shape probably needs to be reapplied or switched for something that isn't glue. Our Silk Guide kept on bursting apart.

Philanthropist: Rockin' with Roots & Shoots

Batul Abbas — 2009-11-20T17:00:00+08:00

In Shanghaiist's Philanthropist feature, we highlight individuals and groups doing interesting things to make the world a little bit of a better place. This week we talk to one of the organizers of the third annual Rock for Roots & Shoots concert.

Rock for Roots & Shoots is a charity concert benefitting the Million Dollar Tree Project.
Where: Yuyintang, 1731 Yanan Xi Lu, near Kaixuan Lu. 延安西路1731号(凯旋路) 中山公园小白楼
When: Saturday, November 21, 6PM to late
Cover: Donation of two trees, 50 RMB
Featured Bands: Boys Climbing Ropes, Resist Resist, Varde, Booji, Duck Fight Goose, Triple SmashRoots & Shoots Website

Do-gooders can go wild sometimes too... as long as it's for a good cause, of course. Rock for Roots & Shoots is an annual Indie rock concert held by Shanghai's branch of the non-profit Roots & Shoots, and it's coming up this year on November 21st. We chatted with one of the upcoming concert's organizers, bubbly high school student Jessica Tsu.

Roots & Shoots is a global network of organizations lead by the Jane Goodall Institute that teaches youths about environmental and humanitarian issues. The Shanghai branch has several projects going on, including a widely successful educational organic gardening program... and of course Rock for Roots & Shoots.

Rock for Roots & Shoots is now in its third year, with each year devoting its proceeds to an environmental project within China. Revenue this year will go towards the Million Tree Project, whose goal to plant one million trees in Ku Lun Qi, Inner Mongolia, by 2014. The trees will help offset the social and environmental damages of desertification in the region, caused by excessive-farming and overgrazing. One tree costs 25RMB to plant, and tickets to the concert cost 50RMB (simple math: one ticket = two trees). Each tree is calculated to clear the air of 250 kg of carbon dioxide over a 45-year period.

Jessica, a 17-year-old senior at Shanghai American School is at the helm of this year's Rock for Roots & Shoots, inspired by her involvement with the last concert and a planting trip she took with the Million Tree Project, where she saw for the first time the conditions in Inner Mongolia. She won't take all the credit though: Jordan Small, the leader singer of Boys Climbing Ropes, helped getting all the bands together and organizing the venue.

So why a concert? Jessica had so much fun at the last Rock for Roots & Shoots that she didn't want to see the tradition fall through. The concert brings together two things that China has just started to really develop in the last two decades: a non-profit sector and a local rock scene. Shanghai's branch of Roots & Shoots was only granted a non-profit organization status by the Shanghai city government in 2004, despite being founded in 1999. A concert that brings together a bunch of Indie bands AND boasts a good cause is definitely something to kick and scream about.

Roots & Shoots chose to launch the Million Tree Project in Inner Mongolia because revitalizing the soil in that region will help out farmers with few other options to earn a living.

As for what you can do in Shanghai, besides joining in on a night of music: Recycling is great, Jessica explains, but a better way to help is reducing and reusing stuff, which people in Shanghai don't really do. Since it's a bit impractical to plant a million trees on concrete, Roots & Shoots is focusing on educating and spreading awareness to the youth population so they understand the importance of curbing lifestyles that put the environment at risk.

The Million Tree Project has also set up this neat Carbon Calculator at the Million Dollar Tree website to let you know how many trees you can buy to offset unavoidable travel options that may not be environmentally friendly.

So we asked Jessica what her plans for the future are. Saving the world one tree at a time? She gave us an unlikely answer: hotel management. The URBN Hotel in Shanghai serves as a source of inspiration, she said: a successful business model that is also China's first carbon neutral hotel, right here in Shanghai.

As a final word, Jessica wanted to remind everyone that the last concert was super packed, and Yuyintang - as everyone who's been to a show there knows - can fill up real fast. So come early and feel good about donating to a worthwhile cause. Jesscia will be manning the ticket/merchandise booth.

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Cleaner water coming to Shanghai?

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-20T16:30:00+08:00

Besides all the subways and road renovations, one of the things we can look forward to come Expo time is... cleaner water? According to officials from the local water bureau, the city is about to fulfill a three-year water-purification plan that will produce cleaner rivers and lakes by the end of next year. Since 2000, the city has established 50 sewage plants capable of processing 672 tons of water each day and earlier this year, they began an anti-pollution drive targeting 33,000 local small rivers. All of which means: we might actually be able to touch Suzhou Creek's water one day without turning into slime.

Nuclear fallout Beijing: Mao's underground city

Esther Young — 2009-11-20T15:30:00+08:00

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What's lurking underneath Tiananmen Square? It ain't just rats. In 1969, at the height of the Cultural Revolution, Mao commissioned the construction of an underground city, built right under Beijing. Fearing an imminent nuclear attack from the U.S.S.R, Dixia Cheng (地下城 the underground city) was meant to be a safeguard, designed to house 40% of the city's 7.5 million in case of catastrophe. It was meant to have apartments, stores, and even a skating rink: all the comforts of above-ground home.

The nuclear bombs never came, but the remnants remain, a ghostly testament to what-could-have-been. Although part of it was opened as a tourist attraction, most of Dixia Cheng is officially unused (and officially forgotten) -- and no one is even sure how far these underground caverns go.

It hasn't prevented some enterprising individuals from illegally using the largely hand-dug structures (for storage, extra space, hide and seek).

Viceland visited the less-visible parts of the Beijing underground, complete with Communist propaganda, with vaguely creepy results.

P.S. Here's a little factoid: The material used to build the tunnels? Beijing's ancient city walls, dismantled during the Cultural Revolution.

Weekendist: Wig party, pub crawl, art openings and more!

Naomi Tudhope — 2009-11-20T14:30:00+08:00

Yet another jam-packed weekend hits Shanghai. In case you're looking for something to do that's not related to all the live music choices available this week, we present you with some sweet alternatives. Ranging from a wig party, to a pub crawl, to yet another new art exhibit, we're sure you'll find something to keep yourself occupied.

Friday: Wig out at Dada, boogie nights at Bar Rouge
Find the craziest wig you can (Taobao anyone?), and head over to Dada to show off your new 'do and impress the crowd. According to the organizers, "studies have shown that wanton debauchery becomes over 75 percent easier to achieve while wearing a wig." So go listen to the STD DJs play electro and techno and see if you can prove the theory.
10pm Dada 115 Xingfu Lu Between Fahuazhen and Pingwu Lu 幸福路115号近华山和法华镇路 No Cover.

Or, if you're more of a Studio 54 type person, head over to Bar Rouge to help them kick off a week of celebrations in honor of their fifth birthday. Tonight is disco night and they promise free entry if you're dressed in 70s attire. We wonder how many Andy Warhols and John Travoltas we'll see. Be creative, break out your platform shoes, and hustle to the Bund to get your boogie on.
10pm Bar Rouge 7/F, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu,near Nanjing Dong Lu, 中山东一路18号外滩18号7楼近南京东路, 地铁2号线南京东路站. 100RMB after 12:30

Saturday: Liliane Williams book talk, CJs pub crawl, Stardust at Barbarossa
Dr. Liliane Williams is holding a talk based on parts of her new book Stateless in Shanghai: A Memoir of a Turbulent Era. She will describe her experience growing up as a 'stateless' Russian Jew in Shanghai until 1951 when her family fled to Japan. You can imagine she has some pretty interesting stories. Following the talk will be the chance to buy signed copies of her book.
4-6pm Glamour Bar 6/F, 5 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong Lu 中山东一路5号6楼近广东路 65RMB includes one drink

And just to prove how much Shanghai has come since then Saturday marks the 15th anniversary of the first China Jim Pub crawl. So muster up your energy, and lug your inebriated arse around the city. It starts at Malones and ends at the Big Bamboo with old favourites and new joints along the way. . We're sure by the end of the night you won't even feel the cold. They have tons of give-aways too. We're sure it's going to be a ~~debaucherous~~ hilarious night.
Starts at 7pm at Malone's 255 Tongren Lu, Nanjing Xi Lu near Nanjing Xi Lu 铜仁路255号近南京西路100RMB. RSVP to cjchgo@hotmail.com or send CJ a SMS at 1380-196-6714.

Or if you're looking for a temporary escape from the Middle Kingdom, there is yet another theme night. This one at Barbarossa who's hosting "Stardust", a themed night filled with gypsy dancers, fortune tellers, snake charmers, and free "stardust shots". We're sure those shots will fuel many-a-belly dancing competitions.
10pm Barbarossa (inside People's Park) 231 Nanjing Xi Lu,南京西路231号人民公园内近黄陂南路, 地铁1, 2, 8号线人民广场站

Sunday: Silk Road opening

To wind down the weekend, Art Scene warehouse presents the opening of an exhibit called " The Silk Road - Contemporary Chinese Lithographs". It features contemporary Chinese artists, such as Zhu Wei and Liu Ye, using silk screen printing as they follow the 'Silk Road'.
10am-6pm. Art Scene Classic - 2/F, Bldg No 4B, 50 Moganshan Road, 莫干山路50号4号楼B 座2层. Runs until December 5th. Note: gallery closed Mondays.

'Stateless in Shanghai': Nov. 21 and 22

Derek Sandhaus — 2009-11-20T14:00:00+08:00

Stateless in Shanghai Cover

Shanghai-born Dr. Liliane Willens will be speaking twice this weekend about her newly published book, Stateless in Shanghai at several venues around the city. But first, a word of explanation about what "stateless in Shanghai" really means:

In the first half of the twentieth century, the cosmopolitan city of Shanghai contained the world's largest foreign population. They were, rather ironically, "stateless" persons: persons without citizenship in any country. Though most attention given to Shanghai's historical stateless population has been focused on 'stateless' Jewish refugees during WWII (ghettoized in Hongkou district by the Japanese), the longer-lasting Russian stateless population of Shanghai (as seen in "The White Countess") made a more significant impact on the city's cultural development.

Several of the city's leading artists and musicians in the 1920s and 1930s came from this group, and they outnumbered Europeans and Americans by so much that the area of the French Concession near what is now Central Huaihai Lu was known as "Little Russia". Many of these Russian refugees were White Russians loyal to the tsar, who became stateless after fleeing the Bolshevik Revolution. Others, like Dr. Willens' parents, were Russian Jews, fleeing persecution from both the Reds and the Whites.

Royal Asiatic Society Weekender
Where: Glamour Bar 6th Floor No. 5 The Bund, 20 Guangdong Road (中山东一路5号6楼近广东路)
When: Saturday, November 22, 4pm
Price: 65 RMB including one drink. RSVP at enquiry@royalasiaticsociety.org.cn. Books available at a special price of 100RMB for RAS members and 130RMB for non-members.

Shanghai Jewish Centre Author's Night
Where: Shang-Mira Garden Villa #1, 89 South Shui Cheng Road (水城南路89号美丽华花园1号别墅)
When: Sunday, November 22, 4:30 to 7:00pm, lecture to begin at 5pm.
Price: Lecture and planned activities for children are free. Taste of Asia buffet dinner starts at 6:15 and is priced 100RMB for adults, 50RMB for children with 20% discount for Shanghai Jewish Centre members. Books available for 100RMB. Event will also feature a High End Children's Clothing Sale with proceeds going to Shanghai Gan.

Dr. Willens' story is unique in many respects. Born in the 1920s, she lived through Shanghai's brightest and darkest moments, witnessing the rise of Shanghai as an international leader and the hardships of the Japanese occupation. Though her stateless status kept her out of the Allied internment camps, it also made obtaining emigration papers nearly impossible in the years after WWII. Unable to leave, Willens lived through the Chinese Civil War and caught a rare western glimpse of early Communist Shanghai.

All this and more can be found in her fascinating book. We won't ruin it for you and will instead encourage any and all interested parties to come see her speak this weekend.

On Saturday, Dr. Willens will be at Glamour Bar to speak about early Communist Shanghai to the Royal Asiatic Society. On Sunday, Dr. Willens will speak at the Shanghai Jewish Centre about Jewish migration to Shanghai and her family's experiences while living here. Both events are open to the public.

"Haibao is coming"

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-20T13:45:00+08:00

A Shanghai-based English copywriter has discovered some hilarious Chinglish slogans, including a new one for Haibao that explains the Shanghai Expo mascot's consistently happy visage. Since we've previously determined that Haibao is a boy mascot, all we can think of say to his slogan is... "Really? So soon?"

China: Nine nations in one?

Marta Cooper — 2009-11-20T12:45:00+08:00

Anyone who’s been trawling through the China-related web this week will surely have stumbled across the ‘Nine Nations of China’ map that surfaced on Atlantic Monthly. Patrick Chovanec, from Tsinghua University, posted his map amidst the inescapable excitement of Obama’s visit to China, reminding the US President that China is "a mosaic of several distinct regions, each with its own resources, dynamics, and historical character."

The regions Chovanec feels China could be divided into:

The Frontier, made up of Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, Qinghai, Xinjiang and Tibet represented the mysterious desert-filled and mountainous bulk China’s land, inhabited by only 6% of its population.
South of that lies the Shangri-La region of Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, a so-called paradise on earth consisting of kaleidoscopic forests, diverse ethnicities and, sadly, a front-door for illicit drugs, as it borders Burma’s Golden Triangle.
China's Back Door, meanwhile, holds on to Hong Kong, Macau, Guangdong, and Hainan for its lush jungles and economic successes
... whilst the neatly tucked-away Refuge on Sichuan, Chongqing remains an area with little investment but substantial brain drain.
The Crossroads, covering Anhui, Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan, remain China’s transport and communications hub, neighbored by
The Straits of Fujian and Taiwan.
Up along the eastern coast is the likely Metropolis of Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, followed by...
The Yellow Land, or China’s political heart (Beijing, Tianjin, Shandong, Hebei, Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi),
And finally, the elusive northeastern wilderness of Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang. A.k.a. The Rust Belt.

As blogger Jeremiah Jenne pointed out, the idea is hardly earth shattering; not only due to the wonderful Wikipedia age of enlightenment, but also thanks to the efforts of an anthropologist by the name of Skinner, who produced a similar map in 1977, and whom Chovanec failed to cite. Jenne shows here just how similar the ‘Nine Nations’ and ‘Nine Subregions’ of China are. Danwei’s Jeremy Goldkorn and Shanghai Scrap’s Adam Minter also responded with a gentle reminder that Chovanec could have cited his predecessor. Chovanec responded later to note that the regional descriptions were his own and that he had cited Skinner, but the citations were edited out by The Atlantic under space considerations.

Attribution/citation grappling aside, both Chovanec and Jenne’s (and even Skinner's) basic argument is that we still tend to view China as one giant power, irrespective of the obvious diversities within its borders. However, Dan of China Law Blog, took a slightly different view:

"My problem I see with this map is that it is exactly that. A map. And as a map, it distinguishes among regions geographically and that is not how I view many aspects of China. Just by way of an example, I see Beijing having commonalities with Shanghai just because they are two powerful and relatively sophisticated big cities."

Which leads us to an interesting question - this One China can definitely be carved up into various divisions in order to understand it better, but what divisions could or should be in the final map?

(Picture from http://granitestudio.org/2009/11/17/nine-nations-or-nine-macroregions)

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Shanghaiist Scrabble: Coming this Tuesday

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-20T12:00:00+08:00

Hey folks, remember our last Shanghaiist Scrabble night? You can win 250RMB of Cotton's vouchers and the title of Shanghaiist Scrabble champion if you come to the next one we're hosting: Tuesday, November 24th. Pit your vocab and scrabble strategy against the drinks you'll be getting in order to compete. It'll be a cold night, but with the copious amounts of alcohol and Cotton's warm fireplace (with real fire!), you'll be sure to feel as cozy as possible on a Tuesday night.

In case you needed a rehash of the rules:

Each Happy Hour drink now gets you five tiles. You can wait until you've got a couple orders under your belt - heck, we're not putting a limit on how many tiles you can come up to the board with - but just know that someone might take that triple word score from you if you wait too long.
We'll be using the SOWPODS dictionary. If you don't know what that means, don't worry too much about it.
You can come up to the board as many times as you like between 6pm and 10pm. But you can't make words consecutively, you'll have to wait until at least one other person has tried first.
Team up if you want. We don't have a limit for how many friends you can beg for scrabble tiles, though that 250RMB voucher gets significantly smaller the more people you rope in.
The person (or team) with the highest cumulative score at the end of the Happy Hour wins!

What: Shanghaiist Scrabble Happy Hour
Where: Cotton's on Xinhua Lu, 294 Xinhua Lu, near Fanyu Lu (新华路294号, 近番禺路)
When: Tuesday, November 24, 6 to 10 p.m.
Drinks: 2 for 1 on selected drinks
Entry: FREE!

Thanksgiving turkey conundrum? The solution: Taobao

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-20T11:00:00+08:00

"I think we're going to need to have chicken for Thanksgiving this year," our roommate told us, faces twisted in dismay. A Thanksgiving traditionalist, she had been adamant about cooking the meal at home for friends rather than head out to any of the many restaurant/take away options other people have outlined.

"What? Why?"

"Turkey's just too expensive! Everywhere I look - Cityshop, Carrefour, home delivery services - it's something like 400RMB for a measly 8 pounder. If I'm spending 400RMB on the part of the damn turkey I'm planning to eat, I won't have anything left for sides."

"Did you look on Taobao?"

"... No... they have turkeys on Taobao?"

"They have everything on Taobao," we smirked, before helpfully showing our poor tenderfoot friend to the Taobao Field Guide. "They've got 6 kilo Norbests for 365RMB, Jennie-o turkeys for 42RMB per kilo... and heck, if you think you can kill your own, they'll give you a live one for its weight times 18RMB."

She crinkled her nose. "That last option sounds fowl."

Around Shanghai: Globetrotters hit Shanghai, power overload around city, more on Obama

Batul Abbas — 2009-11-20T10:00:00+08:00

Get lost Yao Ming. Alright, stick around. But make room for the Harlem Globetrotters, playing at Yuanshen Sports Center on December 12! If you're not b-ball buff some quick stats: the Globetrotters were formed in 1926, have lost only two games between 1968 to 2000, and have a current winning percentage of 98.4%. Details on how to get tickets coming soon! [Urbanatomy]

Many were left a bit disappointed by Obama's Town Hall in Shanghai: we wanted chairs flying and Chinese students drunken on Baijiu yelling obscenities at the President... or maybe just something a little less programmed. But there are some positive things to take away from the visit, and what it means for China-US relations. [Huffington Post]

An interior-design company has been fined 40,000 yuan for employing a majority of foreigners without a work permits. Each of the 40 employees was fined 500 yuan. Ouch. Get your work permits before you start working in Shanghai. [Shanghai Daily]

Malone's American Cafe is turning 15, and they're celebrating tonight with drink specials, food specials, DJ specials, and a special lucky draw. The whole special thing starts at 9pm, and there's no cover. [Smart Shanghai]

Shanghai Electric Power Co scrambled to fix three of the city's five generators on Tuesday night after an overload in consumption that came along with the change in weather. But don't worry, "everything is stable, 'officials said.'" Thanks Shanghai Daily, we're still cold. [Shanghai Daily]

62 year old Guangzhou man is New York City's Sad Panda

Kenneth Tan — 2009-11-19T22:23:10+08:00

Since around March this year, a sad-looking panda has been spotted roaming the streets of New York City — on the subway, in Times Square, at various parks and around Wall Street's bull statue. Over the next few months, the Sad Panda has intrigued and fascinated New Yorkers — his short disappearance on Wall Street led a few concerned individuals to put up a missing notice, and his great makeover as Spongebob Squarepants did not go unnoticed. Turns out this Sad Panda is a 62 year old man from Guangzhou, Chen Jialing, who has now lived in the United States for many years. He confides in journalism student Michelle Tay the story of how he became Sad Panda after being forced to leave his former restaurant job. Read all about Sad Panda on Gothamist here, here, here, here, here, here and here Can't see the above video? Time to whip out your credit card and buy yourself a VPN!

Previously on Shanghaiist
How one Chinese mingong lives in Singapore's swanky Orchard Road district

Extra! Extra! Screwing over Guinea, climate change collaborations and poor ol' Microsoft

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-19T21:57:00+08:00

You could just call it good business, or you could call it a complete disregard for humanity - China's $7 billion resource deal with the African nation of Guinea (currently under a regime without legitimacy) has basically screwed Guineans out of their lifeline out of poverty. [The Independent]
Want an explanation of what the Obama-Hu collaboration for clean energy and climate change really means? So do we. So here's one. [Green Leap Forward]
Want to see a Chinese interview of President Obama? Here's the one Southern Weekly did. [Southern Weekly]
Speaking of presidential visits, Time has a lovely showcase of U.S. Presidents in China. Funny. Ulysses S. Grant isn't included. [Time]
Microsoft has been hit with a software sales band in China, after a Chinese court found that the Redmond giant had plagiarized certain fonts in its operating systems. [CNET]
China's aggressive push for water distribution and wastewater treatment regulations has created a great opportunity... for Canadian companies. [NY Times]
At least it seems that China's anti-corruption chief seems to understand how openness on the internet could help China - He Guoqiang has asked discipline authorities to collect and use public comments to help stamp out corruption. [China Daily]
The day after Obama leaves the country is the day certain dissidents are then put on trial. Sigh. [Reuters]

Interview: Rich Medina funks up the Shelter

Naomi Tudhope — 2009-11-19T19:30:00+08:00

Rich Medina, a veteran of the New York music scene, is tearing up the Shelter on Friday night - a party you definitely don't want to miss.

Who is he? Besides being the resident DJ at New York's super-hip APT club on Wednesday night, he also holds it down with Q-tip, of a Tribe Called Quest, at Santo's Party House.

This past summer he and Bobbito Garcia hosted "Happy Feet" at New York's Le Poisson Rouge to celebrate the release of their joint compilation 'The Connection Vol.1: Modern Exploration in Afro-Beat and Afro-Latin'. He's also been touring his set "Jump N Funk", which honours Fela Kuti, for the past eight years.

We got a chance to hear first hand from Rich Medina and find out just what to expect tomorrow night (a mix of afro-electro funk and will get you moving your body in ways you didn't know were possible).

Back to the Roots with Rich Medina and support by Jay Soul and the Lab Crew.

Where:The Shelter, No. 5 Yongfu Lu, near Fuxing Xi Lu 永福路5号，近复兴西路

Starts: Friday November 20, 10pm
Cover60 RMB
For more local events, visit the Shanghaiist Calendar

You credit the first time you heard Diana Ross's "Love Hangover" as when you knew you wanted to be a DJ. When did you actually start mixing? How has your style evolved since then?

I started mixing at the age of 10 actually. I was blessed to be allowed to spend time with some older boys in my neighborhood who were real DJs. My sister is also 18 years older than me and her first husband was a local DJ, so I had a great deal of early influence in that department. I think that my style has continued to evolve over time to incorporate as many skills and musical perspectives as possible into my presentation, which has provided me with a very wide platform. I'm still learning though, and I've got a long way to go.

You've made a lot of albums in your time. Where would you say you draw your inspirations from?

I draw my inspiration from my many musical predecessors, my surroundings, my stresses, my happiness, my peers, family, and my weaknesses. Inspiration is all around us, we just have to allow it to speak to us.

Your biography says you always "aim to inject a universal notion of the need for change" into your music. What changes do you wish to see the most right now?

At the moment, the biggest change I'd like to see would be the rectification of America's relationship with the remainder of the world. We've pissed off a lot of people over the last 8 years of the Bush administration. President Obama has inherited a gigantic bowl of shit to repair. I eagerly look forward to seeing the light at the end of that particular tunnel in my lifetime.

Talking about change, you're a veteran of the New York music scene. How has it evolved since you first started? Where do you see it going in the future?

Man, New York has changed so so much regarding the clubs, live performances, and entertainment in general, it's difficult to pinpoint one specific change. The music industry itself has gone through a ton of changes just in the last 10 years alone that have totally affected the live music scene.

That, combined with the commercialization of hip hop, technology, and the age of the hobby DJ has made the scene more fertile and more sterile at the same time. I think that people want the old feeling of partying and learning about new music again. The pop world has saturated everything in life at this point, and people who live in that pop world are even getting tired of that world.

I predict that there will be a few new creative waves to hit New York City over the next few years that will all serve to rebuild the recording industry as well as the music scene in general.

You've obviously played a lot of shows in your time. Which one is the most memorable?
I think my most memorable show would have to be the DJ bar Dai in Morioka City, Japan. Small, nondescript spot, but Mary and her crew have an extremely intelligent crowd, and an incredible love for black music.

This is your first trip to China, what are you most looking forward to?
This is actually my second trip to China. I played at a Triple 5 Soul store opening in Hong Kong like 12 years ago. I am looking forward to a great party at Shelter, and looking forward to that party allowing me to travel to China more often in the future.

We've heard your shows are pretty mind-blowing. What can we expect Friday night to be like?

I'm going to follow the lead of the Jay Soul, a great friend of mine, and also the DJ who opens for me on November 20th. After he's done, I'm going to take Shanghai and The Shelter to places I don't think they've been musically in the club before. You can expect me to be aggressive playing many different styles of music.

You can expect to laugh, sing, and dance with hopefully more freedom than you've felt before. I'm really excited about this opportunity and I plan to make an impression on Shanghai for real.

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Limits set to control crowds on Chongming

Christine Tan — 2009-11-19T19:00:00+08:00

Last month, while we were still looking forward to the October 31st opening of the bridge and tunnel linking Pudong and Chongming, we professed excitement at the prospect of easier access to the island's famous rice wine and hairy crabs, but we also worried about the environmental effects of this increased tourism, and whether Chongming has the capacity to handle an influx of visitors.

It looks like our fears have come true. During the opening of the Changjiang Tunnel-Bridge Expressway, it was reported that crowds mobbed buses for access to the island. More than 100,000 visitors have been rushing into Chongming each weekend of this month, which is more than what the island can handle.

The Shanghai government has responded by setting a limit for the number of visitors allowed on to Chongming's scenic wetlands. The Xisha wetland will be limited to 10,000 visitors, while Dongtan wetland will be largely off-limits until a parking lot is built.

Limits on visitor numbers as well as current crackdowns on illegal tour agencies operating on the island are definitely right steps in the direction of environmental protection - after all, interest in heading to Chongming doesn't seem to be waning despite Shanghai's current chill. But we still don't know exactly how these limits, which could go into effect next week, will be implemented. Perhaps we'll check out the island soon to see for ourselves just how bad the situation has become, although we'll feel bad adding to the number of visitors present.

Electrolist: Berlin 8-bit retroblaster tonight

Shanghai Ultra — 2009-11-19T18:00:00+08:00

Electrolist, by Shanghai Ultra of the VOID crew, gives the lowdown on the Shanghai electronic music scene each week, with picks, tips, news, and other rumors.

Thanks to the Phreaktion Crew, Roni Size and his sidekick Dynamite MC packed a white-hot Shelter last weekend. Electrolist couldn't make it due to a football-related incident, so we asked the first person we could find who did.

City raver Orlando Crowcroft, from the UK Channel Island of Jersey, said "The Shelter was heaving, busier than I've ever seen it. The first half an hour was good but then he was mixing in all these indie tracks... I like my DnB (drum and bass) heavy... dare I say, it was a bit commercial, he looked like he was going through the motions."

He added however, "It was a crazy night, a great atmosphere and some good tunes for sure. Everyone in the place was moving, and he definitely had the crowd going, even if, personally, I wasn't convinced. Shelter should get Pendulum over - now that would be a DnB gig."

Indeed. So what's up this weekend? Standing on our green camouflaged observation tower in Xujiahui and peering through our electronic music binoculars reveals some interesting infra-red targets. Playing live tonight at Shelter is Doshy, courtesy of Antidote and Subculture. It's hard to describe his sound, but anything full of ZX Spectrum video-game type bleeps and zaps sounds good to Electrolist. Check out his music for yourself - its fresh out of Berlin and in the dubstep/chiptune vein.

Canadian DJ Andreas Franco is a name you may have heard of. He's thrown a number of tech-house type parties over the last couple of years, best known of which is his Minimal Therapy series of events. Something of a musical chameleon, Andreas is now championing a new night called Temple of House this Saturday, for those "fed up with minimal," according to the promotional blurb. Trends flow fast through the stylistic spectrum in this town.

It's at yet another new club, this one called Vogue, and its in Xiantiandi - a handy spot, as there are plenty of benches around there to pass out on under the stars after a heavy night's partying.

Also on Saturday, Magic Garden are beaming a ray of psy-trance at G-plus. These guys have been at it for a long time and have build up a dedicated following, are veterans of the old DKD, and are ahead of the game when it comes to visuals. If you like some colourful eye-candy whilst getting on down, skip merrily along to the rainbows end to a Magic Garden of toadstools, gnomes, mushrooms and sensory exhilaration.

That's the pick of what's what this week. Coming up in our next outburst, Electrolist's own ultra-violet crew VOID continue their quest for Shanghai domination as they gaze through the prism with "Spectrum" on November 28, the same night their nemisis, trance DJ / cheerleader Armin Van Burren is in town.

TONIGHT: Antidote & Subculture present Doshy @ The Shelter, No. 5 Yongfu Lu, near Fuxing Xi Lu 永福路5号，近复兴西路. 10pm-late, tickets 20RMB on the door.
SATURDAY: Magic Garden's "Trancending" at Club GPlus, 5/F, South Block Plaza, Lane 123 Xingye Lu, 新天地南里广场5楼, 兴业路123 弄. Free entry.
SATURDAY: Temple Of House @ Vogue, 159 Madang Lu 马当路159号. Entrance 100 rmb, includes two drinks.

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Presented By:

2009-11-19T18:00:00+08:00

Zhang Shuai and the future of Chinese tennis

Maggie Rauch — 2009-11-19T17:30:07+08:00

Zhang Shuai awaits the serve at the China Tennis Grand Prix in Nanjing, November 2009

Last weekend, the finals of the China Tennis Grand Prix took place in Nanjing. It was the culmination of a week-long event, which was actually the culmination of several months of tennis played at multiple levels in cities across China.

In its fourth year, and its second with Mercedes-Benz as title sponsor, this event is the training ground for the future stars of Chinese tennis—three, five, 10 years down the line. The program, put on by Beijing-based BIG International Group and the brainchild of its president, Tom McCarthy, for one week brings together three events under one roof: junior program Swing for the Stars, the University Tennis Challenge and the professional tournament, the China Tennis Grand Prix Mercedes-Benz Cup.

Tennis is in relatively good shape in China, thanks to recent success in majors by women like Zheng Jie and Peng Shuai, as well as the hosting of international tournaments and a decent supply of venues and recreational courts. The Chinese Tennis Association has also set itself apart from other national sports associations by experimenting this year with giving more freedom to top players.

After the tournament, sports blogger/Shanghaiist contributor Maggie Rauch sat down with Zhang Shuai, who'd just won 90,000 yuan with her doubles partner in the championship match of the Nanjing event. Zhang made history at this year's China Open by defeating Dinara Safina and becoming the lowest ranked woman ever to knock of a world No. 1.

Among other things, Zhang spoke about how different the situation is for young kids playing tennis today than it was for her:

The situation for kids playing tennis today is much much better. They have a lot of opportunities to play, they can watch us play at these events and they can watch international tournaments on TV. Kids playing tennis today also come from more wealthy families so their overall condition is better when they start. Plus they have more support from companies like Mercedes-Benz that are helping the growth of tennis in China.
They can go to international clinics and international tennis academies. They have less pressure than we did. The pressure is smaller than before because when I was younger, only the best could reach the provincial team, then only the best of the best could join the national team, then just a few could get the opportunity to play in international tournaments. Today the young kids can attend more tournaments, and enjoy the sport more.

Check out China Sports Today for the full interview and more observations on the state of tennis in China.

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China's military website attacked 230 million times in first month

Cary Hooper — 2009-11-19T17:00:00+08:00

These statistics are mind numbing: China's new military website, http://www.mod.gov.cn, was attacked 230 million times by hackers in the first month of operation. The site, which is the government's last attempt at providing a level of transparency regarding their immensely secretive military buildup, was never successfully hacked into. If the numbers are correct, then that means over 5,000 hacks were attempted every minute: if that was just in the first month, how much do you think it's increased since then?

Nanfang Daily: (Foreign) girls gone wild!

Cary Hooper — 2009-11-19T16:30:00+08:00

Oh god: we're not really sure how this is newsworthy, but apparently Nanfang Daily decided that a bunch of pictures of drunken foreign girls awkwardly passed out was good enough to at least make into a photo gallery. The pictures were taken from popular BBS site Huanqiu: we couldn't find the original post, though we did find pictures of another netizen getting a duck drunk, which are funny, and somehow more disturbing.

Nanfang Daily readers didn't seem to like this post too much: all the comments on the gallery are pretty angry with their decision to make this into news by putting it on their website. They're just outraged rather than outrageous in the way we've come to know and love our Chinese netizens' commentary. Beyond the multiple "lost face" and "you should have some standards for your news" posts, the funniest they get are "Foreigners, so open, how are they at all like China? Not only is this good, but China should strive to follow America!", and "They look like Russian girls".

We would love to see some awkward pictures from drunk people around China. Actually, no, we take that back: American college students have a monopoly on drunkenly embarrassing photos, and we're fine with letting them keep it.

Snowy morning in Shanghai, or so they say

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-19T16:00:00+08:00

Shanghai Daily tells us that earlier this morning, snow sprinkled Shanghai for the first time this winter... just days later than they thought it would. We must've missed it, since by the time we woke up and got out in the street, there was nothing for us but damp sidewalks and dreary clouds. Alas - if anyone took pictures, we'd love to see 'em. But with Shanghai's first snow comes news that the cold front should be passing - temperatures will be rising to 9C and hover at around 10C for the weekend. Yippee.

Midweek Music Preview: Free tickets to Au Revoir Simone, Gaslamp Killer

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-19T15:00:00+08:00

Shanghaiist lists all the live music performances you might want to check out from now to Sunday this week. For fun things that aren't live music, take a peek at our Pencil This In (out every Monday!)

You know what's even better than the live music acts gracing our city this week? The ability to get into them for FREE. That's right, this week, we're holding TWO mini-ticket giveaway contests - one for Brooklyn electro-dreampop trio Au Revoir Simone and one for FREE THE WAX's last Shanghai show (just for now, we hope): Gaslamp Killer - in collaboration with Subculture.

Au Revoir Simone is an electronic indie pop band from Williamsburg, Brooklyn whose musical influences could be "likened to a dutifully mined musical thrift store," according to them. Check out some of their songs here. We're offering two tickets to their show. Be the first to email us at contest.giveaway (at) shanghaiist (dot) com with "I Love Au Revoir Simone" in the subject, and your name in the body, and you'll get free entry when you head to the door of MAO Livehouse on Saturday.

Same deal goes for Gaslamp Killer, a DJ based in Los Angeles who is at the forefront of today's club music. According to sources, "his ridiculously energetic stage presence and his brain-smashing turntablist expertise... have become stuff of demented legend." Not sure what that means aurally? FREE THE WAX and Subculture have provided the mix to their party, done by Shanghai’s own killer-tastic Deville for your listening pleasure. They've also provided three tickets. Email us at contest.giveaway (at) shanghaiist (dot) com with "GASLAMP KILLER, GOODBYE FREE THE WAX" in the subject, and your name in the body for those.

Happy emailing! And now for the rest of the Midweek Music Preview:

THURSDAY

Hailing from Australia, the Tom Budge Band, described as honest, dirty folk playing honest, dirty folk music is playing at Glamour Bar. If you can't catch him this night, they'll also be playing on Friday. Tickets include one free drink.
Glamour Bar, 6/F, 5 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong Lu 中山东一路5号6楼近广东路, Cover: 150RMB, 9PM

Indie artist Cao Fang visits Shanghai in this one-night only stop on his nationwide tour. According to Wikipedia, "Her style has... drawn comparisons to The Cranberries and Faye Wong. Some of her songs show the influence of trip hop, bossa nova, and the music of China's ethnic minorities, such as the Jino people, whom she visited in Xishuangbanna as a child."
MAO Livehouse 570 Huaihai Xi Lu near Hongqiao Lu 淮海西路570号近红桥路, Cover: 120RMB, 9:30PM

Berlin's Dj Doshy, a master of 8-bit beats will be playing at The Shelter. It's great music to pretend you're in an old NES video game to.
Shelter, 5 Yongfu Lu,near Fuxing Lu, 永福路5号近复兴路, 地铁1号线常熟路站, Cover: 20RMB, 10PM

FRIDAY

MAO Livehouse formally celebrates its introduction onto the Shanghai scene (after a soft opening in August) by bringing Jason Falkner, Crystal Butterfly, Mushroom, and BIZ to a live concert venue. Further details are here, but like the soft opening, you can expect good music and cheap drinks for free entry.
MAO Livehouse 570 Huaihai Xi Lu near Hongqiao Lu 淮海西路570号近红桥路, Cover: FREE, 9:30PM

Owl City is bringing their dreamy indie synth pop to Zhijiang Dream Factory. We've described them as Postal Service for tweens, to which our sisters responded "yeah, but what's wrong with that?" Nothing, nothing really. Zhong Chi and Ben Houge will be opening.
Zhijiang Dream Factory 4/F, 66 Yuyao Rd (near Xikang Rd), Tickets: 120RMB presale / 160RMB at the door, 7PM

Rich Medina, a regular NYC DJ who's music leans towards hip-house afro beats will be laying down tracks at The Shelter. Check him out here.
Shelter, 5 Yongfu Lu,near Fuxing Lu, 永福路5号近复兴路, 地铁1号线常熟路站, 10PM

SATURDAY

The charity Roots and Shoots brings together an awesome line-up for their 3rd annual rock concert benefit. The bands this year include Booji, Duck Fight Goose, Resist Resist, Varde, Boys Climbing Ropes, Triple Smash, and The Youth and Destroyer. Come rock out and help a great case at the same time! Cover is 50 RMB (which is the same cost as the donation of two trees).
Yuyintang ,1731 Yanan Xi Lu, near Kaixuan Lu (entry on Kaixuan Lu, behind the Metro Station) 延安西路1731号(凯旋路), Cover: 50RMB, 6PM

Dreamy Brooklyn girl group Au Revoir Simone hit up Mao Livehouse catchy, beautiful electro indie pop. WIN TICKETS TO THEM... and subsequently read about them in the intro to this post.
MAO Livehouse, 570 Huaihai Xi Lu, near Hongqiao Lu. 淮海西路570号近红桥路 , Cover: 100RMB advance, 150RMB at door, 500RMB for VIP, 8PM

As part of the FREE the WAX and Subculture BRAINFEEDER Showcase, Gaslamp Killer is playing at the Shelter. WIN TICKETS TO HIM... and read more about him in the intro to the post.
The Shelter, 5 Yongfu Lu, near Fuxing Lu, 永福路5号近复兴路, Cover: 50RMB, 10PM

SUNDAY

An "acoustic guitar master," Roberto Colombo will be playing at Beedees to ease you into the workweek. "Applying his own style and artistry to writers from Eric Clapton to Merle Travis and Oasis to The Beatles, Roberto makes beautiful acoustic music that will move your soul and stimulate your mind," says Beedees. Also, you get a free drink if you go there in a bikini. Gender not specified.
BeeDees, 433 Dagu Lu near Chengdu Bei Lu, 大沽路433号近成都北路, No Cover, 8PM

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Barbie Megastore proves to be tough sell

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-19T14:00:00+08:00

Despite getting a ton of press when it first opened back in March, it looks like the Barbie Megastore on Huai Hai Road just hasn't been as popular as Mattel had hoped. The six-floor retailing monolith has been unable to make any of its "astronomical" sales targets.

According to Bloomberg, the store replaced its general manager, Laura Lai, with Mattel "retail specialist" Dann Murphy earlier this month, before revising its sales targets for the third time in its short life span. Overall, the sales target has dropped between 65% to 70% of original expectations.

Reasons include:

“Every retail store operates at a loss when it opens, but they’ve been open long enough that it should be working by now,” said Paul French, founder of Shanghai-based market research company Access Asia. “They overestimated their brand recognition in China. I just think the concept is wrong.”

and

“The restaurant hasn’t carved out its own separate identity,” said Murphy in a Nov. 16 interview in Shanghai. “Sometimes customers don’t even know the restaurant is there. So they get to the sixth floor and are like, ‘Where am I?’”

Speaking of the restaurant, we reviewed it a few months after it opened and found it to be generally satisfactory American fare.

Having not been fans of the color pink or Ms. Barbara growing up (we spent most of our time begging for LEGOS), we don't really know what to say about how the Barbie megastore can up its appeal in a country of dark haired, dark eyed younglings. Heck, and based on that twisting gut feeling we got when our little sister first wistfully told us how she would love to have been born a blond, we don't really even know if we want it to.

Man-made swine-bird flu supervirus: What's French for "apocalypse"?

Esther Young — 2009-11-19T13:00:00+08:00

Since up until now, we've only seen the third case of serious swine flu emerged in Shanghai, you may well be wondering, “how bad could all this hullabaloo get anyway?"

Pretty bad. Do you remember Avian Flu? The one that had a high mortality rate but was difficult to contract? What would you say about the creation of a supervirus that was as contagious as the swine flu and as deadly as the avian flu?

It may not be as far-fetched a scenario as you'd think, as French scientists at the Jean Mérieux/INSERM facility in Lyon are splicing genetic material from both viruses to see if the two could possibly recombine, and whether the resulting virus would be deadlier than either.

There's a reason for the madness: this scenario tries to anticipate pandemics, attempting to see what potential paths they might take. And at least according to the facility, chances of the virus leaving the lab and entering the world ala Outbreak are very, very low - they're categorized as Level-4 Biohazards, the same level as that freaky-scary Ebola virus - so they're being handled as such.

We've got Dustin Hoffman on speed dial, though, just in case.

Obama in China: News Roundup

Cary Hooper — 2009-11-19T12:00:00+08:00

Well, President Obama's first trip to China is now officially over. A lot of things happened, a lot of people talked about it, but nothing too groundbreaking occurred. Obama seemed to have a good trip: he visited famous Chinese landmarks, met with his brother, even talked a bit of politics along the way. But a lot of us were ultimately left with a feeling something like disappointment: for various reasons, the mythic qualities of the American president were overwhelmed by the totalizing nature of China and Chinese politics.

In any case, the media has been struggling to put it all together, trying hard to draw some sort of conclusion to the whole affair. We understand: now that it's over, it's time for some closure. Here's a breakdown of what's being said around the 'net:

The New Yorker's "Letter From China" correspondent Evan Osnos tried to see the light in Obama's pleas for human rights: "After a half-day of private meetings between Obama, Hu, and aides, Jeff Bader, the senior director for Asian affairs at the national security council took pains to stake his name on the fact that human rights did not get shortchanged. “I’ve been involved in the China relationship for over thirty years,” he said, “and I’ve been on previous presidential visits, visits by secretaries of state to China. This was as direct a discussion on human rights as I’ve seen by any high-level visitor with the Chinese.”
Mike Whitney of counterpunch.org saw through the formalities of economic discussions to the "real" reasons behind the trip. "Summary: Geithner and Co. see the US economy languishing in a low-grade Depression for the foreseeable future. Thus, Wall Street is planning a major shift in its base-of-operations to Asia. This is the real reason behind Obama's trip to China. There's no truth to the rumor that US policymakers give a hoot about "currency manipulation" or the ongoing trouncing of the American worker. China's "dollar-peg" essentially serves the interests of the giant multinational corporations and Wall Street speculators who own the media, the courts, the congress, the White House and most of the country."
The Dalai Lama was pleased with Obama's handing of the issue of Tibet, saying that he understood "that 'limits' existed beyond which the US is not able express itself on the Tibetan issue"
The American Chronicle has a hilarious satirical write up of the tensions between the two leaders, and the awkward, symbolic things that may or may not have happened: "Obama committed another faux pas during dinner when he told Hu "I like the Lama." Admiration for the Dalai Lama, Tibet´s spiritual leader, is strictly taboo in China. When Obama noticed the frown on Hu´s face, he quickly recovered, adding "I like the alpaca, too. My wife has an alpaca sweater."
NPR tries to assess the tricky balance between environmental and economic issues that punctuated Obama's trip, noting that the potential for progress at next month's climate change conference in Copenhagen seems slim. NPR also has a more overarching assesment of the trip from All Things Considered.
Time has an article on China's increasingly deft approach to getting what it wants from the United States while avoiding the responsibilities of international policeman that the US would like to thrust on it.
Finally, The BBC has some video coverage of Obama's trip, including a video of the president at the Great Wall. Frankly, we're distracted by their other videos, specifically "affectionate cat distracts policeman."

Photo from Time

Photo of the Day: Crinkled alleys

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-19T09:00:00+08:00

Photo by notti.at

More photos on the Shanghaiist Contribute page. To see your photos on our Contribute page, use Flickr and tag your photos “shanghaiist”. Or you can email your photos to photos@shanghaiist.com and they will automatically appear on our site (and here).

Extra! Extra! Obama eggs, 50cents fight back and other news

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-18T20:00:00+08:00

Haha, look - it's an Obama egg, made by egg artist Kang Yongguo in Liaoning Province. [Obamafoodorama]
Tao Weishuo (陶韡烁) defends a statement he made: "I strongly disagree with what Obama said about the Internet firewall... I think all Chinese people have Internet freedom - we can speak out freely on the Internet about current social affairs", which generated a wave of criticism from netizens. [China Digital Times]
Gosh there's a lot of green news coming out of China. Here's a summary of some of the biggest things to hit the wire and what they might mean. [NY Times]
Obama was able to have a mini family reunion, meeting up with his half-brother Mark Okoth Obama Ndesandjo for five minutes this time around. The last time they met was during the presidential election. [Reuters]
BusinessWeek has compiled a list of the most powerful people in China. First dude in the list (it's alphabetical): Bo Xilai, who's been in charge of rooting out corrupt officials (aka everybody) in Chongqing. [BusinessWeek]
The U.S. and China have agreed to explore space cooperation and start a "dialogue" on human space flight and exploration. [CNET]
You know what this Obama visit really demonstrated, at least according to one AP opinionist? A shifting balance of power as two giants move closer to being equals. [AP]

A list of 50 blogs about China

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-18T18:30:00+08:00

We're always on the lookout for lists of blogs to read and this site has done us the favor of aggregating 50 of the best blogs about China. We're on it (of course), but so are some of our perennial favorites (ChinaSMACK, Imagethief, Far West China), as well as a couple we hadn't heard of but mean to add to our own RSS feeds (China Movie Database Blog... what?!). Check it out.

New Shanghai metro subway cars

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-18T17:45:00+08:00

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Take a look at these suckers: these are going to be the newest subway trains to grace Shanghai's rails. Set to show up on the 7 line (whenever that opens), it's elegant curves, orange highlights and sexy golden dragon decor will be shuffling people to and fro from the Expo grounds.

Not pictured, according to Xinmin, is some of the other features of this train: green colored special "old, weak, sick, disabled, pregnant" people seats, a new fancy-schmancy door system that's meant to handle more people going in and out, and an all-electric braking system that will help save on energy costs. Oh yes, and like the public buses, these new cars will be able to stream live TV.

Ah, and to think just fifteen years ago, this city had just gotten it's first subway line.

Shanghai records serious swine flu patient No. 3

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-18T15:30:07+08:00

Shanghai has now recorded its third serious case of swine flu - a 43-year-old local man who is now in stable condition at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center. According to Shanghai Daily, the city has detected 1,538 cases of H1N1 since the first patient in the city was reported in May. So far, there have been no deaths directly related to the flu, but experts expect an increase in serious cases soon. Altogether, China has recorded 43 deaths and 67,000 infections related to H1N1 thus far, which actually isn't bad when compared to the toll the flu's taken on the United States.

Foreignness in Shanghai: Tales from an outsider

Cary Hooper — 2009-11-18T14:30:00+08:00

As foreigners in Shanghai, we understand the difficulties with assimilation: if you're not from Shanghai you are different, no matter where you're from. In all honesty, though, it may be easier to be a foreigner in Shanghai than it is to be an waidiren, an outsider from another part of China.

JF Daily has an interesting opinion piece written by a woman from another part of China who married a man from Shanghai, detailing all of the subsequent grief wrought from such an... inauspicious? arrangement.

Apparently, Shanghai families just don't know how to get along with people from other places, especially as in-laws. The poor woman was immediately made the scapegoat of the extended family's problems, and a host of sob stories follow: estrangement from the family, indifference towards her pregnancy, publicly embarrassing her every time they go out to dinner.

Of course, the woman bears it all with remarkable resolve, trying to break through their prejudices time and time again. This passage is most telling:

Shanghai's mother was in poor health, and there was a time when she had to spend a few days in the hospital. I worried that no one would look after his father, and so every week I would take a taxi to his apartment, child in hand, and clean up for him. Old people don't have water heaters: after cleaning in the middle of winter, my hands would be frozen stiff.
On one occasion, I went and found him just to chat. The result? He spoke to me in a very calm voice about his son: he had a good salary, good character, good conditions, and there were many acquaintances that had wanted to set up their daughters with him. My husband refused all of them, but his father just couldn't believe that it was me his son had chosen for a wife! He was certain that it was because I diligently pursued "success" with his son. Knowing we were to be married caused him to lose sleep, and he became depressed over worrying about what would happen to his son. When I heard all of this, I became really upset. But now that I make almost as much money as my husband does, I've unexpectedly come a step up in the eyes of his parents!

How Shanghai of him: unabashedly berate his son's wife about her personal failings, but make up for it by admiring her ability to make money. Sadly, these stories of in-law grief seem all too common. We have a friend from Shandong who happily married a Shanghai girl and had a baby, which naturally brought the parents directly into their relationship: it took less than a month after the birth of their daughter to start the divorce proceedings.

The question of foreignness is a pretty fascinating topic that hits close to home, for a lot of us. We truly marvel at the tension between xenophobia and the love of money: it seems scarily emblematic of many of the issues Shanghai will face in the upcoming years, as both foreigners and money flow into the city at breakneck speed.

Photo from Xinrenli

Video: The Enlivened Shanghai jump rope skippers

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-18T13:30:00+08:00

Did you know Shanghai had a jump rope enthusiast team? Neither did we until we stumbled upon this pretty awesome video on Youku. While we could've done without the silly soundtrack, we were mighty impressed by their jump roping shenanigans. Watch these kids share ropes, switch ropes, do double back flips between ropes and off each other without missing a beat.

According to their website, the "Enlivened" Shanghai Pattern Jump Rope Group (跃动·上海花样跳绳队) was begun in 2003. Since then, they've toured countless cities in China, even showing up on Hunan TV's "Happy Camp" and Heilongjiang TV's "Happy Friday" shows.

Google Translate: Now with Pinyin

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-18T13:00:00+08:00

Useful new feature alert: Google's Translate service now displays Pinyin results when translating into Chinese characters - which makes it that much easier for us to figure out what the heck a word is after we've changed it over from English. If you want to use the feature, hit "Show romanization" once the translation comes up. Thanks Google!

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2009-11-18T13:00:00+08:00

Around Shanghai: Pollution art, Turkey Day, and Bar Rouge blows out candles

Michael Sutich — 2009-11-18T12:00:01+08:00

A few weeks ago the metro stop at People's Square was turned from a bastion of commercialism into a moving display of environmental art. Check out the large installation, which featured work designed for the China Environmental Protection Foundation, and wish it was there instead of Haibao looming at you. [China Environmental Blog]
Famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma and longtime pianist partner Kathryn Stott come to Shanghai this week. They will be performing at end of the Shanghai International Arts Festival. Get your tickets now! [City Weekend]
For Americans, one of the most gluttonous days of the year is coming up next week, a.k.a. it's time to find a turkey! Save yourself the trouble of trying to deep-fry that bird on the street and enjoy the array of options available in Shanghai - from catering companies, to restaurants that offer takeaway dinners, to family dine-in options. [Urbanatomy]
We're always pushing and shoving on the train... but maybe we should be more careful. Apparently, an appeals court recently ordered a metro passenger to pay 80,000 RMB to a 75 year-old woman he bumped into. [Shanghai Daily]
Bar Rouge is turning five (gosh, how time flies!) and is celebrating with an entire week of events. The fun begins on Friday, with a disco party, and doesn't stop til next weekend, with BR Genuine and Benny Benassi coming to town. [Smart Shanghai]

Photo Source: ExploreMetro

Obama visits the forbidden city

Cary Hooper — 2009-11-18T11:15:00+08:00

Alright, we don't really have anything to say about this, we just love the picture. How can you not? It's one of the most beautiful places in China, and certainly one of the most haunting in the world (though, like Obama's trip, it's been hollowed out and stripped of any sort of deep significance, turning it into a mere symbol). Plus, the press has been following Obama around like lost fauns, waiting for him to make the right face or hand motion that will perfectly capture the essence of the president, in relation to his surroundings in China. It seems that the best thing that can come out of this trip for Obama is a bunch of good photo ops.

We're exited to see what sort of beautiful vistas come out of Obama's trip to the Great Wall today, and we're not even sure if that was sarcastic. Thanks, Sina, for giving us at least one bright spot in the endless, meaningless coverage you've devoted to the president's trip. We appreciate it, really.

And in looking for a copy of this picture that didn't have Xinhua emblazoned in the corner, we found an interesting article from the Christian Science Monitor on Obama's forced lack of charisma in China. Yep, we feel you.

Update: Shanghai Daily has some hard hitting reportage from Obama's honorary dinner last night:

Last night, a large, circular table draped in yellow was the setting for a state dinner China held in Obama's honor in the Golden Room of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
The guests dined on chicken soup with bean curd, Chinese-style beef steak, stir-fried wild rice stem and asparagus, and roast grouper - all washed down with red and white Chinese wine.

The playlist for a Chinese army band providing the entertainment included a curious mix of US and Chinese songs.

Among them: "America the Beautiful," "We Are the World," "I Just Called to Say I Love You," "In the Mood" and the Chinese folk song, "Embroidering a Pouch."

Sigh. At least they admit it was a "curious" playlist, though we might have stronger words to describe it.

Photo from Sina

Photo of the Day: Poor lil' princess

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-18T09:00:00+08:00

Photo by dbmboise

Extra! Extra! Obama, Obama, Obama... and some other news too

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-17T21:45:00+08:00

Who knew that one simple gesture, like holding your own umbrella, could mean so much? Obama made an awesome first impression by shielding himself from rain on Sunday evening, thanks partially to the habit of Chinese officials usually having a flukey to hold their umbrellas, P. Diddy style. [Wall Street Journal]
The LA Times has a great look at the story behild Jiyuan, a place known for manufacturing lead batteries where lead poisoning has gotten so bad that entire villages are being evacuated. [LA Times]
So should we be calling President Obama 奥巴马 (àobāmǎ) or 欧巴马 (ōubāmǎ)? Both have been used in press releases, though the U.S. Embassy said it was now standardizing the Chinese translation of Barack's last name and should now be using the latter exclusively. [Danwei]
A Three Gorges official has finally admitted that they can't fill the giant reservoir up to 175 meters, the maximum height at which the dam can operate and produce the most power. Without raising it to that height, power output will be unpredictable and the Three Gorges will fail to ever become the "world's largest generator of reliable power" like China had hoped. [Probe International]
A CNN correspondent said on Monday that she was detained by Chinese security guards for displaying one of those Obamao t-shirts. [AFP]
Suntech Power, China's largest solar panel manufacturer, is planning on opening its first American plant in Phoenix, Arizona. It'll begin production in Q3 2010... hopefully. [New York Times]
For what it's worth, Obama's trip to Shanghai was much more grand - and plenty more friendly - than Ulysses S Grant's back in the late 1800s. [China Rhyming]
Jottings from the Granite Studio talks about several maps that explore China's diversity by dividing the PRC into discrete "nations," each with their own "internal socioeconomic logic." [Jottings from the Granite Studio]

Shanghai puts out a lot of (CO2) gas

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-17T21:00:00+08:00

While we've already heard many times over how much carbon dioxide emissions China produces, but we were still shocked by how much comes just from Shanghai. Apparently, our city throws out 5,400 tons of CO2 equivalent a year - as much carbon as two Sydneys and three Tokyos. Granted, we've also got five times the amount of people as Sydney (and twice the amount of Tokyo), but geez louise. Experts from Tongji University's College of Environmental Science and Engineering said that restructuring industry would help lower our footprint, since over 60% of fumes are industry-based.

Awesome interview of the day: Zhang Yifang, physics professor and UFO enthusiast

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-17T17:30:00+08:00

Photo from Yunnan Daily

We've always found China's obsession with UFOs highly amusing, so this interview on GoKuming particularly struck our fancy. The site spoke to Zhang Yifang 张一方), founder and former director of the Kunming UFO Research Association, who recently organized the 2009 International Astronomy Year and Extraterrestrial Life Forum at Kunming's Dongfeng Plaza.

The event, which ran from October 31 to November 6, featured exhibitions of UFOs and other unexplained phenomena in China, as well as a host of UFO footage appraisers. In the interview, Zhang explains that he hopes the forum will help publicize UFO knowledge... and that he can one day make friends with extraterrestrials.

"I am convinced, because I am a physicist and an astronomer," he says at one point, possibly replying to the question about how a man of science (he teaches Physics at Yunnan University) can entertain ideas about aliens. "I am convinced that extraterrestrials exist."

At least he has the support of his family (a wife and son), who seem just as convinced as he is that the truth is out there. They even recount how all of them witnessed a UFO together. The family that seeks together, stays together, we suppose.

Check out the video on GoKunming.