Shanghaiist

New sex change rules for China

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-25T18:30:06+08:00

Here's some good news for people like Princess Phoenix and all the others in China who've ever felt like they were born the wrong gender, the Ministry of Health has released new guidelines for sex change operations.

As Chen Huanran, a renowned plastic surgeon and gender-realignment specialist, told the Global Times, the regulations are desperately needed:

"China finally has its regulations on sex-change operations. It's very significant since the legislation for transsexuals represents somewhat a nation's development in civilization," he said. "The situation that half of the surgeons currently in the nation are disqualified. The regulations offers more protection to patients."

Some of the new rules mentioned include:

Only upper first-class polyclinic or cosmetic surgery hospitals with approval from the health department can carry out sex change operations.

Surgeons need to have more than 10 years of plastic surgery experience, inlcuding five years with sex change operations and at least 10 independently performed operations on reconstructing reproductive organs.

Patients must be 20 or above with documented psychological reasons for wanting a sex change.

Unfortunately, there was no word in the Global Times article on whether previously proposed regulations - such as needing to be free of a criminal record, needing to have lived publicly as the other gender for over two years, needing to be single and needing police approval - made it into the new ministry guidelines. We've got our fingers crossed that they're not.

But at least they'll make cases like singer Li Ying's - whose botched operation caused a "recession" in his genital area and resulted in years of unsuccessful litigation against the hospital - hopefully more rare.

Midweek Music Preview: November 25 - November 29

Jessica Lau — 2009-11-25T17:15:00+08:00

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

WEDNESDAY

The Theo Crocker Sextet (headed by Theo Crocker, grandson of Jazz trumpet legend Doc Cheatham) will be playing New Orleans Jazz tonight. Formed in 2006, the group has released three albums to international acclaim since, including "Alive in Shanghai" this year.
The 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. No cover. Starts 9:30pm.

THURSDAY

Japanese band Butcher's Shop Band got real big in the late 80's, and you often hear them in Japanese TV shows. Check them at Yuyintang Thanksgiving night.
Yuyintang: 1731 Yan'an Xi Lu, entrance at Kaixuan Lu. 延安西路1731号, 入口在凯旋路.Cover: ¥50. Starts 9pm.

FRIDAY

Italian electro-disc jockey and producer of the famous "Satisfaction" song returns to Shanghai. Don't miss Benny Benassi (13th most popular DJ in the world) on the Bund, as he makes his rounds in the Bund in celebration of Bar Rouge's 5-year anniversary.
Bar Rouge: 7/F, Bund 18,18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Nanjing Dong Lu. 中山东一路18号7楼, 近南京东路. Cover: ¥300 at door, ¥200 pre-sale. Starts 8pm.

ASHURA (formed in 1998) is undoubtedly one of the biggest band in Chengdu, having played in almost all the big music festivals in China.
Yuyintang: 1731 Yan'an Xi Lu, entrance at Kaixuan Lu. 延安西路1731号, 入口在凯旋路.Cover: ¥40. Starts 9pm.

For the first time since forming ten years ago in Tokyo, experimental rock legends MONO will finally be making their way to China. Celebrating both their decade long anniversary and the release of their latest and highly praised studio album (Hymn To The Immortal Wind), MONO will be here to show us what the "post-rock" genre is all about. In support are Sugar Plum Fairy from Taiwan and HuaLun from Wuhan.
Mao Livehouse: 570 Huaihai Xi Lu, near Hongqiao Lu. 淮海西路570号近红桥路. Cover: ¥200 at door, ¥180 in advance. Starts 9:30pm.

Hailing from Tokyo, Tucker is a 5-in-1, managing to play guitar, live drums, jazz bass, keyboards (sometimes setting them on fire while playing) and turntables, all in the course of one live set. Quality Control has secured everything he needs to play live at the Shelter, and with Lab Crew providing a hip-hop backdrop, this is an event you do not want to miss.
The 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: ¥50. Starts 10pm.

SATURDAY
The long awaited compilation album from the 0093 collective, Rock Shanghai, drops this Saturday. This album release party will also feature performances from Bangbang Tang, Candy Shop, Pinkberry, Double Control Where, and Topfloor Circus. Tickets include a copy of the album!
Mao Livehouse: 570 Huaihai Xi Lu, near Hongqiao Lu. 淮海西路570号, 近红桥路. Cover: ¥50. Starts 8:30pm.

The Verse is the one and only old school, funk band in China (founded 1999). This year, they expanded their band to 12 people, including orchestral music and vocal. Check them out at Yuyintang.
Yuyintang: 1731 Yan'an Xi Lu, entrance at Kaixuan Lu. 延安西路1731号, 入口在凯旋路.Cover: ¥50. Starts 9pm.

SUNDAY
Sultans of Swing, formed in 2000, is the (probably the most famous) blues-rock cover band in Shanghai. If you haven't heard them play by now, there's no better night to check them out.
Yuyintang: 1731 Yan'an Xi Lu, entrance at Kaixuan Lu. 延安西路1731号, 入口在凯旋路.Cover: ¥50. Starts 9pm.

]]>

Shanghai Disneyland to be more "Minnie" than expected

Cary Hooper — 2009-11-25T15:00:00+08:00

Those grand plans we've heard for Shanghai Disneyland to be a whopping four times bigger than Hong Kong's seem to have gone the way of Bambi's mother. According to the National Development and Reform Commission, the park will initially take up 287 acres of land, which would make it the smallest Disneyland in the world, measuring up to just over half of the size of the flagship park in LA. We're a tad disappointed at the sudden shrinkage (did Mickey take a cold shower before the meeting?), but the park may expand as business grows. Then again, who's really surprised that the plan for Shanghai Disneyland has changed once again?

Shanghaiist Scrabble: We have a winner!

Cary Hooper — 2009-11-25T14:00:00+08:00

Last night's Shanghaiist Scrabble was full of warmhearted, frenetic spelling: players scrambled to push their way to the board to capture coveted double letter and triple word scores as others sat with old friends and new Scrabblemates, drinking and trying to think of words that could possibly combine two F's and a Q. In the end, Liz managed to blow away the competition with "PSEUDONYM," catching the elusive and coveted Quadruple Word Score, a Shanghaiist Scrabble exclusive, for a whopping 76 points. Congrats to Liz on winning a 250 RMB gift certificate to Cotton's, which, of course, you can use at the next Shanghaiist Scrabble night!

How AIDS in China is spreading

Cary Hooper — 2009-11-25T13:00:12+08:00

The World Health Organization and the Joint United Nations HIV/AIDS campaign, or UNAIDS for short (good acronym, right?), was formally released yesterday for the first time in China. Though the report only shows cases reported by medical facilities and could thus be far higher, the dissemination is a major step in understanding and fighting AIDS in the country.

First, the facts from Shanghai Daily:

By October 31, China had reported 319,877 cases of HIV/AIDS, including 102,323 AIDS patients.

The Ministry of Health and UNAIDS estimated that there will be up to 920,000 Chinese people living with HIV by the end of this year.

About 48,000 people were infected with the virus this year in China, according to official estimates.

Between January and September last year, the ministry reported 44,839 new HIV/AIDS cases.

While the report shows that heterosexual transmission accounts for forty perfect of all cases, there is still a tendency towards focusing on traditional conceptions of how the disease is spread, specifically through migrant workers, sex workers, and homosexuals. But the fact that even stable sex partners are now contracting the disease from unprotected sex seems to beg for a reevaluation of the way the disease is viewed in society.

Among the many startling facts of the report include the fact that AIDS has become the top killer among infectious diseases since last year, especially considering that the government announced that sex had become the main cause of transmission last year. The report called for better outreach services, including more access to testing facilities: only one in three people in China with HIV have been diagnosed. Considering the poor state of sex education in China, we worry that the government's battle against AIDS will be a hard won battle for the public's interest until it becomes a serious epidemic.

Presented By:

2009-11-25T13:00:12+08:00

Around Shanghai: Asia Uncut, pricey road signs, woks, and Chanel

Michael Sutich — 2009-11-25T12:00:20+08:00

Asia Uncut is coming to Shanghai to film its second season. The English-language talk show has featured A-list talent from Asia and abroad. To promote its new season the show is offering free drinks, tickets, and transportation. Free stuff and a chance to see celebrities? Sounds good to us! [Urbanatomy]
Way too wealthy people alert: Tomson Group unveiled it's first model Versace Home house today in Shanghai. The over 100 million RMB home would be the first of many in Asia. [People's Daily]
Standardizing highway signage around Shanghai is costing about 40,000 RMB a piece, which has caused many to wonder where all that money is going to really. [China Smack]
Another piece of Shanghai's cultural past nears its end: one of the city's last handmade wok shops nears iis getting ready to close down. Cen Rong Gen and his family have been constructing woks for decades, but Cen is about to retire. [CNN-GO]
Shanghai Jiao Tong University has launched a new business program in conjunction with the United States Military Academy at West Point and Cambridge University. The program will prepare the new generation of Shanghainese to take over family business. [Xinhua]
French luxury brand Chanel announced it is opening an iconic new store in Shanghai. The store will pay homage to Chinese culture with an exclusive collection featuring Chinese influences and will no doubt be a new source of inspiration for counterfeiters across the city. [ViewOnFashion]

Photo source: Asia Uncut

Beijing denies US spying allegations

Cary Hooper — 2009-11-25T11:00:00+08:00

The findings from last week's annual security report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission to congress has gotten China pretty angsty: the report states that China has been increasing cyber espionage attacks on the US in order to gain military information, and cites an increase in government involvement in these attacks. The foreign ministry department strongly denied spying, but as concerns over China's secretive military buildup grow we wonder if Beijing is sweating a little too hard from this extra pressure. Then again, we'd like to know how many of those 230 million hack attempts on China's new military website were conducted by American spies?

Photo of the Day: Let it grow

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-25T09:00:00+08:00

Photo by Sean Hanratty

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! Yang Xianyi, Howard French and Dong Jinyi

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-24T20:00:00+08:00

Photo from Showchina

Renowned Chinese translator Yang Xianyi has died at the age of 94. Yang, with his wife Gladys Taylor, translated such classics as the 18th century "A Dream of Red Mansions." [Associated Press]
According to a poll on the Economist, 88% of people believe that China is showing more leadership than America in fighting climate change. [Economist]
While David Brooks may have been impressed by China's strides into modernity, several New York Times readers were much less pleased. [New York Times]
Here's an advantage to being an old China hand: you could be up next for free inoculation against H1N1. [Global Times]
Columbia Journalism Review has been interviewing Howard French, former Shanghai bureau chief for the New York Times about the media's coverage of Obama's trip to China. Here's the first part, and here's the second. [Columbia Journalism Review]
Melissa Chan reports on how, despite the sweeping crackdown on criminal gangs in Chongqing, for some of the gang's victims, it's too little too late. [Al Jazeera]
GlobalPost interviews Dong Jinyi, the Chinese ambassador to Switzerland, about the Copenhagen Conference on climate change. [Global Post]

Two now executed over melamine milk scandal

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-24T19:30:00+08:00

Zhang Yujun and Geng Jinpin, who were both sentenced to death in January for their roles in the melamine milk scandal, are now executed. Both had tried to appeal their sentences, but had their appeals turned down in March. While the government has been gung-ho about throwing out harsh sentences against various players in the scandal - which sickened scores of infants across the nation and killed at least six - it's been less interested in investigating accusations that news of the tainting had been surpressed for fears of bad publicity during the Beijing Olympics.

Dear Slate, yes there are chocolate bars in China

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-24T18:30:00+08:00

Daniel Gross of Slate has been over here reporting on the controversial Three Gorges Dam project. And while we can't say anything too bad about his coverage of that - which, while it reads more like a disgruntled travel piece than actual hardhitting journalism, is generally close enough to what little facts we know about the dam that it makes it impossible for us to nitpick - we were surprised by one of his pronouncements:

Daniel Gross can't find chocolate bars in China. In fact, he asks WHY he has yet to see a chocolate bar in China.

Hm. Really? Granted, we're not in Wanzhou, which may be provincial enough to contain a Wal-Mart that doesn't sell a single chocolate bar (pretty surprising, but whatever). Even so, should Wanzhou actually be chocolate bar free, Daniel could always keep in mind that China's a large country and maybe head east to Shanghai.

And here, we guarantee, he'll not only find candy bars at every single convenience store in the city, he'll also find gourmet chocolate shops, housefuls of desserts and a frickin' HERSHEYS CHOCOLATE WORLD.

Photo by EnglishGirlAbroad

China's High School Musical actually College Freshman Musical

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-24T16:00:00+08:00

Thanks in part to the immense popularity High School Musical enjoyed whilst it was on the stage in Shanghai, Disney is now working with Shanghai Media Group and Huayi Bro.s on a Chinese-version of the made-for-TV movie - and it's based in our city! But those looking for a direct translation of the show will be pretty disappointed - it's being vastly adjusted to fit Chinese culture and sensibilities:

First of all, the Shanghai HSM will actually take place in college, because Chinese kids in China don't really have fun in high school - they're way to focused on trying to get their potential gaokao (college test) scores up.

As Jason Reed, GM of Walt Disney Studios Internationa Production points out to China Daily, "In China, students in high school are so focused on academics that it wasn't realistic to portray them singing and dancing in the way that American high school students have time for."

Instead, the tale of two kids who find love through singing will take place in the first year of college, where Chinese focus groups say they first felt the freedom to express themselves.

Second, the movie will feature all new songs and choreography, except for "We're all in This Together" from the original film (now in Mandarin). The storyline's also been changed to be about a singing competition rather than a musical production - probably because drama departments in colleges not dedicated specifically to drama is still a pretty rare occurance here. To reflect that it's no longer in "high school" or a "musical," the name has been changed to "歌舞青春 (Gewu Qingchun - Musical Youth)."

There might be a third change: According to China Daily, the guy filling Zac Efron's shoes will no longer be a basketball player. In a bizarre twist, Mr. Popular will be a poet... since Chinese kids are more attracted to "thoughtful, intelligent and studious" than say "team player, athletic and with a body like Adonis"? News to us. But Variety has Reed insisting that basketball will stay, despite attempts to "localize" the sport into kung fu at first. Ha.

All in all though, the movie will still be classic Disney, as Reed states:

"A lot of the themes in the HSM series, such as the sense of self-discovery, communal support, optimism and friendship are universal values that work in all countries," Reed says.

"Also, one of the fundamentals common to our two countries' strengths is people coming together to achieve greatness. That is a great affinity between the two cultures."

The film is expected to come out in Summer 2011.

]]>

China's auto industry booms as fuel demand drops

Cary Hooper — 2009-11-24T15:30:00+08:00

In some of the more baffling news we've heard in a while, it seems that China has enjoyed a large increase in car sales this year while the demand for gas has fallen. How does that work, exactly? Some experts imagine newer, more gas efficient cars are replacing older, less efficient ones, while other question whether the government is buying cars up to pump up the industry. Then again, it seems that national gas consumption statistics only focus on figures from the two major state refiners, which makes the whole situation even more obfuscating. We're wondering: as this trend continues, does this mean there will be more or less traffic jams?

Coming soon to a police checkpoint near you

Naomi Tudhope — 2009-11-24T14:30:00+08:00

Driving home late at night can be a scary experience: as drunk driving is on the rise, we find ourselves wondering: are those erratic cars weaving through traffic all drunk, or just reckless drivers? But fear not: Shanghai Daily informs us of a new invention in the works at Shanghai's Jiao Tong University that will help Shanghai's crackdown on drunk driving.

The invention is a little cap that can read a driver's brain waves, analyze them, and signal the police whether or not the driver is too drunk or tired to drive. If it works, it will revolutionize breathalyzers, and we're pretty confident it will quickly surpass its low-tech brethren as the ultimate party necessity.

Though it won't be completed for another two years, the police are down with the idea: it looks like it's difficult for them to get drunk drivers to take breathalyzer tests. Traffic cop Yu Dalei says "If drivers are unwilling to exhale in the alcohol breath tests, there's nothing we can do." We thought the police had a bit more power, you know, like at least being able to arrest people who resist them? Then again, a traffic cop is a traffic cop, but it's just silly to leave them powerless against drunk drivers.

There is an even grander idea in the works of installing this device into new cars, which could stop automatically if the driver was too impaired to drive. Hopefully these inventions will help todiscourage drunk driving around Shanghai and China, so we can all breathe a little easier on those late night cab rides, which are already life threatening enough as it is.

Shanghaiist Scrabble: Tonight!

Cary Hooper — 2009-11-24T13:30:00+08:00

Okay, let's get a few things straight. We love happy hours: you love happy hours. We love Cotton's: you love Cotton's. We love Scrabble: you love Scrabble, but probably not as much as we do. If we're off on any of that, you can take it up with us tonight as we spend the evening combining all three at our very own Shanghaiist Scrabble @ Cotton's!

As we've been graced with beautiful weather today, why don't you come on down, share a few drinks with us, and try and beat us at our own game of words? Plus, have we mentioned it enough times that you can win 250RMB of Cotton's vouchers? Better yet, you'll be crowned the king of Shanghaiist Scrabble champions??

In case you needed a rehash of the rules, click the jump. We'll see you there?

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!

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!

]]>

Garbage burning protests: The online life of dissent

Cary Hooper — 2009-11-24T13:00:00+08:00

Yesterday's protest against a plan to build a garbage burning plant in the city of Panyu has sparked a lot of interest all over the internet. A fair amount of people showed up, and it seems like Sina has given a pretty optimistic writeup of the town hall event that sparked the protest. Mostly, though, this whole affair has piqued our interest in how the internet has integrated itself into the protests.

First and most interesting is the viral nature of the protests: we were able to both watch live streaming footage and tap into a deluge of tweets from a vast network of Chinese users all intimately interested in the issue at hand. We watched hundreds of tweets and retweets of protesters, some coming it by the hundreds each minute. It's a testament to the incredible power of the Chinese online community to say the least.

Yesterday's protest is also an interesting example of the government's method of censorship. The various articles we've found on Chinese news sources are pretty frank, though anodyne, about the protest and the reasons behind it. At the same time, the government has blocked a number of Twitter interfaces as a result of yesterday's tumult, which has become the method of choice for circumventing China's Great Firewall.

When you look at it, both sides have used the internet to their advantage in a battle that constantly moves on to different battlegrounds: the government blocks social networking platforms only to force netizens to find new ways around the Great Firewall. The western media has a number of write-ups of how enviornmental protests are emblematic of a middle class that's increasingly aware of the power of its own voice. We agree, but we're more fascinated by watching the massive online community come together and use its collective power to voice its opinion as events unfold.

We've found a youtube playlist of footage from the event (which you can also access through the video above), so you can get an idea of the actual protest, and if you can get on Twitter you can follow the ongoing discussions at the related Twitter feed

Interview: Kerry Ann Lee, culture shock = inspiration

Esther Young — 2009-11-24T11:30:00+08:00

Meet Kerry Ann Lee, Kiwi cultural philosopher and rising artist, who confuses her neighbors with her I-like-Rockabilly style and inability to speak Mandarin Chinese (despite a Chinese ethnic heritage).

She's here in Shanghai for three months as part of the Wellington Asia Residency Exchange (WARE), an initiative developed by Asia New Zealand Foundation and Wellington City Council New Zealand, after solo shows in Dunedin and New York. She just unveiled two new pieces at the island6 Gallery at Moganshan, featuring her preferred theme of cross-cultural identity formation in urban spaces. You can see her art there until December 22.

Kerry Ann's work is featured in Placebo at island6.
Where:island6, 50 Moganshan Road, Building 6, 2F
Starts: November 21st to December 22nd
Cover: FREE
For more local events, visit the Shanghaiist Calendar.

Kerry Ann chats with Shanghaiist about punk rock, communication, and buying the cheapest art materials in Shanghai.

One of your pieces, Electric Warrior, features life-size recreations of familiar Shanghai trademarks and domestic items - brushes, soup dumplings, brushes - made completely out of wire. Explain!

This piece was inspired by my time in Baoshan Villa, which is where I live now, and I wanted to represent transitions - the small actions that people take to make themselves comfortable in a completely foreign environment. They are inspired by familiar domestic items at home, while taking on the traits of their surroundings.

All of these pieces are made out of wire, for example, inspired by all the construction work being done around Shanghai. I was first thinking of doing full body armor, as a form of personal protection in a foreign environment, but then I liked this evolution - doing small, fun, playful domestic objects, making sense of your surroundings.

Did the wire have anything to do with the “warrior” portion of the work title?

No! (laughing) It was like therapy to me! The name actually comes from (British Glam Rock group) T-Rex’s album; I liked it very much.

You just came from New York’s Chinatown, exploring similar themes of cultural identity and integration. How has Shanghai built on that?

New York was just an amazing experience. It had everything that you could find - restaurants, bars, clubs - I found it amazing that you could feel at home immediately, because there was such variety, even if you haven’t been there long at all. You could and couldn’t be considered a local.

New York was also interesting because it was a binary as well - you find pockets of completely foreign elements, congruent cultures existing next to each other. I could hang out with the Chelsea art crowd, but when I was in Chinatown, I lived in this strange balance, where I couldn’t speak the language (Cantonese) and couldn’t necessarily integrate myself in the inner workings of the neighborhood. Shanghai is similar - but increased exponentially!

How so?

Chinatown was just a pocket, but here, I’ve immersed myself completely, giving me an energy that I find extraordinary. Again, I am challenged by the language, and people’s reactions to me, who have, in equal parts, accepted and remained wary of me.

But Shanghai has a unique eclecticism - I find myself meeting a huge range of people, and attending punk rock and heavy metal shows - and being inspired. I’m also integrated enough that now I know how to buy the cheapest wire for my art! Me and the store owner communicate quite well (laughing). I’ve just integrated any challenges into my art, playing with the ideas of home and space, identity and symbols.

What message would you like to deliver, to entice viewers to visit island6 Arts Center?

If you’d like to meet a rare combination of cultures in an artist, displaying her works in Shanghai, who engages in a language of identity, who tries to understand what identity IS, who engages in a little punk rock, who has a little bit of a playful edge…then the exhibit might offer something meaningful to you.

Kerry Ann is featured in Placebo, island6, 50 Moganshan Road, Building 6, 2F(November 21-December 22)

]]>

Lot o' Hotpot: Three Travellers

Eric Hu — 2009-11-24T10:30:00+08:00

Hotpot season is upon us, and the first in our series of hotpot reviews this upcoming winter is Three Travellers [sic] (三人行骨头王火锅), a chain that recently opened its newest baby smack dab in the middle of the fantastic restaurant corner that is Fumin/Julu Lu.

Unlike other Sichuan style hotpots, the specialty here isn’t of the numbing ma la variety. People flock here for the rich pork bone stock, a thick and fragrant broth that comes in a massive communal pot filled with cabbage, mushrooms, and taut and delicious meatballs. The bones are then served on the side, ready to be dropped back into the pot and re-simmered before you don plastic gloves and happily gnaw on them and suck out the marrow with a straw (or not, if you’re not into bone gnawing or sucking). On a freezing winter day, especially when you haven’t made a reservation before 6 pm and choose to dine on the outside terrace in order to avoid the 45 minute wait, there is nothing better than steaming bowlful and bowlful of some of the most flavorful stew to be found in Shanghai.

The other hotpot accoutrements are there as well; plates of fat-streaked lamb and beef, dumplings, mushrooms, duck blood, spam, noodles. Everything is clean and well presented and tasty and affordable (96 RMB for a pot that feeds 4-6), but it’s the stock that’s the celebrity here: we’ve heard that diners can go and feast on the pot without ordering anything else. Service is spotty since there are so many patrons, but Three Travellers is one of our top hotpot hangouts in town.

Three Travellers Restaurant - No. 758 Julu Lu, near Fumin Lu (三人行骨头王火锅 -巨鹿路758号, 近富民路). Tel: 6289-3369. Price: around 75-100 RMB a person. Click here for more locations.

Eric Hu is Shanghaiist's Food Editor. Email tips, recommendations, and news and gossip about Shanghai's food scene to food at shanghaiist.com.

Big banquets should be against the law

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-24T10:00:00+08:00

China spends up to 200 billion yuan a year on public wining and dining, a fat cat feast that may soon see its end if one Chinese legislator gets his way. National People's Congress delegate Zhao Linzhong wants to make lavish banquets a crime, calling them a "squandering of public funds" and "a waste of social assets." Not only that, it's incredibly unhealthy for the poor officials who have to drink and eat themselves to near bursting every time something important happens. We say huzzah and hurray to any attempt to pass this new law. If Zhongnanhai thinks that four dishes and a soup are good enough for President Obama, there's no reason why any underlings should feel differently.

Photo of the Day: Amongst the rubble

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-24T09:00:00+08:00

Photo by hannah power

Extra! Extra! Bongs, booze and financial bubbles

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-23T18:30:00+08:00

Photo by kindsir

In one of the most hilarious pieces of news to hit the weekend, customs officials in Los Angeles stopped a shipment from China that was listed as Christmas ornaments but turned out to be... $2.6 million worth of bongs and pipes. Somebody hit that, man. [LA Times]
Daniel Gross waxes on about how companies in China have decided to solve their lack of export demand problem by *gasp* selling to the Chinese. [Slate]
Ooooh, the U.S. and China are getting cozier and guess what? India's getting J.E.A.L.O.U.S. [Financial Times]
The New Yorker recently profiled Donald St. Pierre Sr., who founded ASC Fine Wines in Beijing and became, "probably the single best-known businessman working in China." (Subscription only) [The New Yorker]
And Jim Boyce, Beijing blogger and drinks enthusiast, had a couple words to add on the subject of Donald. [Grape Wall of China]
Did the Chinese watch Obama's town hall in Shanghai? Apparently yes: of about 200,000 of the White House's live stream requests, 120,000 were from China. [The Atlantic]
Talk about Domino effect! The massive stimulus spending and easy credit lending to mainland Chinese has caused bubbles in its outlying neighbors. Hong Kong's housing prices have risen 30% this year and Macau gambling officials are trying their best to slow growth. [WSJ]
A Chinese dissident who tried to help parents protesting shoddy building practices in Sichuan has now been jailed for three years over allegations of "illegally possessing state secrets." [Reuters]

More tech companies supporting the GFW

Michael Sutich — 2009-11-23T17:30:00+08:00

Google and Yahoo have long been lambasted for the censorship policies they employ in China to appease the CCP, particularly when Yahoo handed over email information to party officials in order to convict a Chinese journalist. Now critics have shifted their attention to Microsoft's Bing search engine.

The site has been accused of sanitizing results - any searches in simplified Chinese are censored, not only in China but in the rest of the world as well. Microsoft first alleged that this was a glitch that has since been fixed, but now admits that it was a result of programmed search algorithms.

Funnily enough, Bing's not the only web app that's been hit with disapproval over its censorship collaboration policies. Just recently, alternative browser Opera has also been accused of kowtowing to the regime.

According to prolific China twitterer @mranti and Shanghai-based technology researcher Carsten Ullrich, Opera used to be a browser you could use to bypass the Great Firewall, since traffic runs over the company's servers. Not anymore. Now users in this country are greeted by a screen welcoming them to download a special China version. What adds insult to injury, at least according to Ullrich is:

...You don't even dare to admit it? No press release, no posting in a blog about that you are now blocking usage of the international version to your Chinese usage.

And the worst thing: you even pretend that this is a good thing! You dare to say that this was done for "better browsing experience". Bah, disgusting.

Indeed. We never really used Bing or Opera in the first place, but in light of these developments we highly doubt we'll be using it in the future.

Pencil This In: November 23-27

Edna Zhou — 2009-11-23T16:00:00+08:00

As most of the Americans around town are well aware, it's Thanksgiving week! Warm up for the fun with another round of the Shanghaiist Scrabble Happy Hour on Tuesday, stuff your face silly on Thursday, then emerge from a tryptophan coma in time to help raise money for The Library Project. Whatever you do, enjoy the time with your friends and family! Love, your friends at Shanghaiist.

Monday: Jazz Jamshow

It's time again for Jazzstars Jamshow, a monthly open mic of sorts where jazz musicians strut their stuff with the backing of the Shanghai Jazz Orchestra. Check out new sounds from some not-yet-discovered artists, or go and jazz out a bit yourself. Interested cool cats and Daddy-Os should email jazzstars.jamshow@gmail.com.

7:30-9 PM. Shanghai Concert Hall, 523 Yan'an Dong Lu near Longmen Lu (延安东路523号近龙门路)

Tuesday: Shanghaiist Scrabble Happy Hour, URBN photography exhibit, Charity Silent Art Auction

Show off your Scrabble prowess at this week's Shanghaiist Happy Hour, featuring a custom-made 31 x 31 Scrabble board! It's the same Happy Hour you know and love, with fun company and 2-for-1 drinks, but this time you'll get five Scrabble tiles to play with for every drink. Turn the tiles into words on our giant board and the person with the most points at the end of the night wins a ¥250 drink voucher at Cotton's! Which, of course, you could use at our next Shanghaiist Scrabble night....

6-10 PM. Cotton's, 294 Xinhua Lu near Fanyu Lu (新华路294号近番禺路) No cover

URBN is hosting "encounters and impressions," a photography exhibition by Kunal Sinha, executive director at Ogilvy & Mather Greater China. Despite his long career in advertising, Mr. Sinha is also a well-traveled author and photographer. We can get behind anyone who can escape the cubicle and appreciate the beauty in our surroundings, especially in China.

7-9 PM. URBN Hotel, 183 Jiaozhou Lu near Beijing Xi Lu (胶州路183号近北京西路)

Shanghai Sunrise and The Library Project are teaming up with local businesses in a charity silent art auction to raise money to build school libraries and provide three years' worth of tuition assistance for local students. For 88 RMB, you get two glasses of wine, complimentary appetizers, some good looking art up for silent bidding, and a nice warm feeling deep down somewhere. If you eat a sit-down meal, you get a 20% discount and a complimentary bottle of wine.

7-10 PM. New York Style Steak & Burger, No. 22, Lane 155 Jianguo Lu near Ruijin Er Lu (in Tianzi Fang) (建国路155弄22号近瑞金二路)

Wednesday: Twice Upon a Time

Ever wonder what would happen if puppets suddenly realized they were being controlled? Yeah, us neither. But if you're interested, Austrian theatre group Karin Schäfer Figuren has the answer in a performance where real puppets gain hypothetical independence in a surreal world. Like Pinocchio, mixed with Pan's Labyrinth. English with Chinese subtitles.

7:30-8:30. Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center, 288 Anfu Lu near Wukang Lu (安福路288号近武康路) ¥100-200

Thursday: Thanksgiving!

If you don't already have Thanksgiving plans with your friends and/or family, pretty much every restaurant in town has a meal for you. Unless you prefer turduckens or tofurkeys- then you're on your own.

Friday: Eurovision Karaoke Night, Library Project Charity Dinner

Le Cheile, the Irish community association in Shanghai, is taking over Paddy Wang's (formerly Dan's Old Farmhouse) and throwing a karaoke night to celebrate the spectacle that was 1980s Eurovision. That's right, the European competition that gave birth to Riverdance and was won by the Irish so many times that they eventually sent a turkey as their representative. We'll repeat that again: karaoke, Riverdance and turkeys.

7:30-11 PM. Paddy Wang's Irish Bar, 318 Julu Lu near Shanxi Nan Lu (巨鹿路318 号近陕西南路)

The Library Project is serious about reaching their funding goal of at least $15,000, so they're holding a second fundraiser this week: a charity dinner at the Hyatt on the Bund. Tickets cost ¥280 per person, with half the proceeds going to The Library Project, and includes delicious food, fun games, free giveaways and both silent and live auctions. Contact Tom Stader at tom@library-project.org to RSVP.

6:30-9:00 PM. Hyatt on the Bund, 199 Huangpu Lu near Wuchang Lu (黄浦路199号
近武昌路)

]]>

Obama in China: Long gone, and still headlinin'

Cary Hooper — 2009-11-23T15:00:00+08:00

It's been a week since Obama first arrived in our great city, and we've done so much coverage on his short trip to the PRC that we're thinking we should start marking our time in relation to the president's visit: you know, Before Obama and After Obama.

In week one A.O., we've watched the press capitulate and rage some more for and against the quickly formed recaps and opinion pieces of last week. It's been a lot more rehashing of the same opinions, just with more breadth and depth. Of course, we like SNL news best, but here's some of the other articles on Obama in China making their way around the internet:

Diplomatic words: US Ambassador Jon Huntsman criticized the press for not realizing the actual progress made in the visit.
Tish Durkin of The Bullpen suggests that the Chinese view Obama's visit as successful for a number of reasons, all of which the American press has slighted: "The irony here is that, although the Chinese are the ones who get their information through the twin filters of propaganda and censorship, they are also the ones who seem to have a firmer grasp than Americans on what constitutes a realistic expectation. People in the street — at least those in the malls and market-stalls of Dalian, where I have been living — are giving Obama real credit."
James Fallows of the Atlantic has a five part series on the various aspects of the press' reportage, coming from a range of sources and running the gamut on expectations before and after the visit. It's called "Manufactured Failure," which should give you an inkling about the angle Fallows takes.
Adam Minter has a great article on Shanghai Scrap about the press' strife in the whole affair, and his take is pretty even handed and circumspective: "So why the “new era” revisionism? I’m not a Bush defender. But I do believe that some of the coverage of the Obama trip - and its emphasis on a “new era” (best exemplified by this overwrought piece by Peter Foster in the Daily Telegraph - is motivated by Bush fatigue, and a sympathetic desire to embrace Obama’s unilateralist diplomacy. Fine and good. But let’s be straight about it and - at the same time - not dismiss as “horse race afficionados” those who wonder whether it’s reasonable to expect some immediate benefits for the effort."
The Columbia Journalism Review has an interview with former New York Times Shanghai bureau chief Howard French, who takes a more realistic approach to handling expectations surrounding a presidental visit: "And now you’re in China on a three- or four-day trip and all of a sudden you’re having to weigh in on in important things and you don’t speak any Chinese and you don’t know any Chinese people and you’re in the security bubble of the president and you’re traveling from stop to stop on a stopwatch with the guy and being pumped all the time by the president’s aides—and this is true of all presidents—and subject to their spin and you’ve got these short deadlines and you’ve got to write these things. So they operate within those constraints. It’s a very difficult process, so I’m being critical of the press but I don’t see any obvious ways around that particular piece of things"
Finally, Evan Osnos of the New Yorker's Letter From China Column has a great writeup of the funny follies of the foreign press in China while they weren't fuming about the President.

Concierge's 10 best Japanese restaurants in Shanghai

Eric Hu — 2009-11-23T14:30:00+08:00

Thanks to ShanghaiExpat user TrueNorth, we get a summary of free local Japanese rag Concierge's rankings of the top ten Japanese restaurants in Shanghai, supposedly voted on by 100 Japanese CEOs. "Top" in this case is apparently defined by where these voters would most likely treat their business guests. TrueNorth was kind enough to include links to each of the restaurants that includes addresses (albeit in Chinese) and phone numbers; just scroll down to see the post. UPDATE: D'oh, looks like Smartshanghai was on this one a month ago, complete with English info and short descriptiions. Our bad, Chris, thanks for doing the legwork.

Barbie Spa: For the cosmopolitan plastic beauty in you

Christine Tan — 2009-11-23T13:30:00+08:00

]]>

The overwhelming pinkness aside, we're going to throw this thought out there: Shanghai's ginormous Barbie store is actually pretty cool. After a few hours spent meandering through doll city (though our experience was not as intense as CNNGo's self-challenge) we decided that the awesome Barbie Spa is our favorite feature of the place. Yes, that's right - we are encouraging you to head on over to 550 Huai Hai Road to get beautified, Barbie-style.

But first: it’s no secret that the world’s only flagship Barbie store isn’t doing so hot at the moment. Sales targets haven’t been met, and each time we visit it feels like Barbie ghost town instead of Barbie metropolis. Since its March opening, we wondered whether a store devoted to the very non-Chinese plastic beauty should even try to up its appeal in this country.

Barbie fan Zhang Teng Mei, 24, from Tianjin was amused at our concern over the possibility of pink-infused doll-shaped cultural imperialism taking over the country (or at least downtown Shanghai). She loves the Barbie concept because it represents a fashionable, cosmopolitan lifestyle that could be lived in any major world city: “I don’t want to be blonde or blue-eyed or American, I want to be young and attractive and travel the world!”

Nowhere in the Barbie store shouts this lifestyle louder than the Barbie Spa. “I wasn’t designed to do house work” Barbie reminds us from one wall. “Turn on the Barbie glam!” she chirps from another.

Surprisingly, the spa area isn’t operating on pink-overload like the rest of the store. Bright, white, and spacious, it’s the perfect place to go into a state of Barbie relaxation and zen. We’ve gotten our hair and nails done there on several occasions and have always been treated like plastic royalty, from complete meticulousness over our cuticles to ensuring that each strand of hair is perfectly curled and in place.

If we are this happy over basic hair and nail services, how awesome would the more complicated treatments be? Flipping through the “Barbie Spa Menu”, we noted a few services that adventurous readers could perhaps try out (and tell us about):

Wonder Luxe facial, 90 minutes, RMB 680. Yes, it's a really pricey facial. But that's because it "hydrates, lifts, firms and smoothes the skin with protein rich Caviar". That kinda sounds delicious, except in reality the gunky goop on your face will never remind you of yummy fish eggs.
Shanghai Surprise body scrub, 60 minutes, RMB 380. Aside from the usual exfoliation of dead and dry skin cells, it also "encourages free flow of chi throughout the body". We could always do with more flowy chi.
Oh So Sweet body wrap, 60 minutes, RMB 580. Maybe we just like all the treatments that remind us of food. This one is described as a "Hot Chocolate Body Treat" that "stimulates circulation, helps breakdown fat deposits, improves skin tone and elasticity". Oh, and of course you will be covered head to toe in (inedible) chocolate.
Barbie Bust Firming, 45 minutes, RMB 380. Um. It consists of "a soothing peeling, a lymph drainage using aroma essence and highly concentrated active ampoules". We're not quite sure what goes on in this treatment, but Barbie certainly does have some perky assets we wouldn't mind having too.
Gentlemen's Facial, 75 minutes, RMB 280. This one is for you guys, a special treat just for the male complexion. Don't scoff - Ken was pretty plastic perfect too.
If individual services are way too pricey, consider the spa's monthly specials. Until November 30, the Barbie Escape Spa Package gives you a number of treatments (including facial and body scrub) for RMB 488, down from RMB 880.
...and last but not least: Barbie Face Painting, 15 minutes, RMB 38. Why not?

As Shanghai gets chillier, hibernating in the warm Barbie Spa wrapped up in chocolate doesn't sound like a bad idea. Spa manager Michelle Hu expects winter to bring in more customers: "Although visitor numbers have been low, things should pick up during the Christmas season." We also agree with her that there's just too little local publicity focusing on the Barbie Spa, since what news there is usually concerns the overwhelming 6-floor megastore as a whole.

On the other hand, international publicity seems to be working. We bumped into Jackie Liew, 55, from Singapore who came to the Barbie store after a phone call from her sister in Australia. "My sister lives in Sydney, she called me when she knew I was coming to Shanghai, told me she saw something on TV about a big Barbie store," laughed Jackie, who was attracted to the spa and ended up pampering herself with a pedicure. "I have to call her to tell her I'm actually here!"

With news traveling globally and visitor numbers slowly picking up, perhaps there's hope for a more vibrant Barbie Megastore, and subsequently the Barbie Spa. Until then, we will be the frequent customers swimming in chocolate, smeared with caviar, and our feet dunked in a green tea essence bath.

Win some cash by greenify'n your balcony!

Cary Hooper — 2009-11-23T13:00:00+08:00

In the latest and potentially greatest attempt by the government to spruce up our lovely Shanghai before the expo, the government has started a "most beautiful balcony competition." And the best part? The winner gets 3,000 yuan!

But in case you thought this was just like any other gardening competition, you're in for a surprise. That's right: they have standards. High ones.

From Shanghai Daily:

"It's going to be hard," said Liu Weiguang, official of the bureau. "Judges will be composed of the experts of the city's garden authorities."
Besides the judges' votes, Internet voting will count toward the final result, the bureau said.

In order to make the competition more professional, applicants can get instruction from garden experts.

The contest is open to everyone who lives in Shanghai from now until December 15 and the result will be announced in March.

We actually love the idea: what better incentive could the government give Shanghaiers to care about the facades of their homes than money? Although we sincerely doubt the competition will turn the city into an eco-friendly Eden, we'll take any little bit of greenery we can get

Families protest mine workers' deaths

Cary Hooper — 2009-11-23T12:30:00+08:00

As the death toll from a mine explosion this weekend in Heilongjiang rose to 104, relatives of miners killed have begun to protest outside of the mine entrance. Though China's Coal industry has gotten safer (only 1,175 people died in mines in the first half of this year, down nearly twenty percent from last year), the constant reoccurrence of deaths from poor safety conditions is nothing more than a tragic leitmotif.

Protest in Guangzhou: Why would you burn garbage?

Cary Hooper — 2009-11-23T11:30:00+08:00

As a testament to the increasingly daring nature of Chinese citizens, people have come out in mass to voice their vehement dislike of a recent government policy. Considering China's harsh treatment of large scale public protests and the potential ramifications participating could have on individuals, we figure only the most egregious of political moves could bring together so many people in harmonious dissent. So what happened?

Guangzhou's government announced yesterday that the city was besieged by garbage: every day, the city generates over 12,000 tons of waste, only 7,000 of which can be handled within the municipality. Plus, the Xingfeng dump is going to be full in only two short years, leaving a short span of time to figure out what to do with all that garbage.

As far as we can tell, the reasoning from here goes like this: politicians had heard a lot about going green; someone might have mentioned the word "recycling;" a logical link was ignored; everyone decided to kill two birds with one stone and recycle the garbage by burning it for energy.

As part of the "Eleventh Five Year Plan" for Pearl River Delta development, the government stipulated that no less that 35% of energy be created by burning trash. Apparently the public didn't know about the garbage burning part: with all the vague talk about economic and scientific development in the vein of Jiang Zemin's "three represents," it seems that the average person missed the details on how exactly that change would come about. Or nobody thought it involved burning garbage, at least.

Needless to say, people aren't happy: a massive, angered crowd has formed and is marching towards the municipal government building. Protesters are chanting things like "step down, Lu Zhiyi!" and demanding to speak with high officials. The government has responded, of course, by lining up armed policemen and arresting the head of the village, who we assume organized this protest. So far, our favorite image is the iconic protester wearing a gas mask and holding a sign that says "Oppose garbage burning, protect the environment instead." Click the jump for an incredible live stream of the protest.

We'll provide updates at the story progresses: you can follow the live twittering by searching for the tag #pylj on Twitter.

Image from LEMONed @ Twitter

]]>

Cinematheque: Mulan is finally Chinese again! (and other film news)

Kirsti Jönson — 2009-11-23T11:00:00+08:00

Mulan, the old Chinese tale that was made into a Disney movie in 1998, is finally finding its way back home to its original country. Under the direction of Jingle Ma and with Zhao Wei in the leading role, the movie about the female warrior goes up on cinemas starting Friday. Who can resist another epic costume drama from China?!

We guess it´s about time Chinese film makers took back their legendary woman-warrior Hua Mulan from the grip of the American animation giant. The story of Mulan is traced back to a poem told during the Tang Dynasty, around 600 AD, called The Ballad of Mulan.

A-lister Zhao Wei plays the brave Mulan, who joins the army in place of her aging dad. For those who doesn´t yet know the story, it goes like this:

When the country is threatened by invaders, a young girl defends her father by sneaking away from home and dressing up as a man to join an all-male army where she eventually assumes a historically critical role in defending the nation in a time of war.

The making of a feature movie about Mulan has actually been going on for years, with a number of actresses considered for the lead role, including Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi and Liu Yifei. Unconfirmed news have leaked that Zhao was been engaged in horseback and combat training in preparation for the role.

Zhao is best known for her supporting role opposite Stephen Chow in the hilarious martial arts comedy Shaolin Soccer. As an active Mandarin pop singer and actress, Zhao is one of mainland China´s leading female entertainers. She´s had some screen fighting experience in past film and television roles under the action direction of veterans like Corey Yuen and Ching Siu-tung.

Chen Kun (Painted Skin) will portray Mulan´s lover and battalion commander Wen Tai. Child actor Xu Jiao will play the young Mulan and Russian pop singer Vitas will make a cameo.

Director of this romantic drama is Jingle Ma, a prominent Hong Kong cinematographer-turned director with past action credits whose most recent work was Butterfly Lovers, from 2008.

Get a taste of what the new Mulan movie is all about by watching this teaser trailer that was showed at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. If it´s teasing enough and makes you want to know where and when in Shanghai the sword wielding will take place, we suggest you click here.

Check out what other movies are showing in Shanghai this coming week after the jump. Links lead to info about times and venues.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE MOVIES

The Twilight Saga: The New Moon (暮光之城): The supernatural tale of star-crossed lovers continues as the Cullen family flees Forks in order to protect Bella (Kristen Stewart), and the heartbroken high-school senior discovers that vampires aren't the only creatures in town.
G-Force (豚鼠特攻队): The story is about a team of trained secret agent guinea pigs that takes on a mission for the US government. A specially trained squad of guinea pigs is dispatched to stop a diabolical billionaire, who plans to taking over the world with household appliances.
2012: Ever get chills from the Mayan prophecy that predicts the world will end on December 21, 2012? Sony Pictures’ upcoming disaster drama 2012 simulates the catastrophic happenings of the last days of the earth with plenty of epic floods and destruction. The Day after Tomorrow director Roland Emmerich helms. John Cusack and Amanda Peet star. The film boasts a sky-high US$200 million budget and breath-taking special effects. In English with Chinese subtitles.
District 9: This sci-fi flick delivers an amazing story about extraterrestrials who come to live on Earth. Instead of being hostile attackers, these aliens are actually refugees from space who seek asylum. They get set up in the temporary “home”: District 9 in South Africa. The film’s special effects are jaw-dropping and the alien guns are simply ridiculous. In English with Chinese subtitles.
Michael Jackson´s This Is It (迈克尔·杰克逊：就是这样): Fans of Michael Jackson: get a glimpse of the King of Pop’s last days with this documentary. Pieced together from more than 100 hours footage of Jackson’s rehearsals of his comeback London concert tour, this highly anticipated film offers you a private look into the late superstar’s life through on-stage and behind-the-scene material. In English with Chinese subtitles.
Knowing (神秘代码): Nicolas Cage continues his action thriller career in Alex Proyas’ latest production. The plot focuses on elementary school student Caleb and his father John as they discover a string of numbers that match with dates of disasters over the past 50 years, including the numbers of people who died. In Mandarin or English depending on the cinema.
Astro Boy (阿童木): An origin story set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist, Dr. Tenma, in the image of the son he had lost. Unable to fulfill the grieving man's expectations, our hero embarks on a journey in search of acceptance, becoming part of a group of rowdy kids led by a girl named Cora, experiencing betrayal, and a netherworld of robot gladiators led by the greedy ring master, Ham Egg...
Rouge Crocodile (逃亡鳄鱼岛): Pete is an American travel writer on assignment in the Australian outback. While taking a river cruise he finds himself stuck with a collection of interesting characters, including Kate, the local tour guide. When their boat is rammed by something from below, the tour is thrown into disarray and they become stranded on a tiny mud island. As night falls and the tide starts to rise, the group slowly realise they are being stalked by a huge saltwater crocodile, beginning a terrifying struggle for survival in one of the most remote places in the world.

CHINESE LANGUAGE MOVIES

Mars Baby (火星没事): This is family entertainment, aimed especially at children. Mars Baby is about a boy from Mars who is adopted by a benevolent man on earth. With the name of "OK", the boy is unbelievably lucky. This is noticed by a greedy businessman who kidnaps the boy to make use of his superpower. The kidnapping opens the door to plenty of humor and action in the film.
The Robbers/Tang Dynasty Brothers (我的唐朝兄弟): A pair of amoral thieves end up defending a tiny village they initially came to pilfer in "The Robbers," a rambunctious black comedy in period duds that plays like a Chinese riff on "Seven Samurai."
Panda Express (熊猫大侠): In Panda Express, a flying dagger vendor is mistakenly contracted to ship a dancing panda to the capital city.
My Airhostess Roommate (恋爱前规则): Beautiful stewardess Ranjing meets Otaku Lu Fei after a night out on town and through a series of mishaps, they become roommates in her duplex apartment. And then they fall in love. Adapted from an ultra popular internet novel "Diary of Living with an Airhostess."
Stubborn Radish (倔强萝卜): An amateur scientist plans to dig a tunnel to steal back some money from his ex-best friend now worst foe. Starring Huang Bo.
The Message (Feng Sheng, 风声): "The Message" is set in Japanese-occupied China in 1942. It tells a story of a Japanese spy chief trying to identify a Chinese agent from a group of suspects. Produced by China's leading entertainment producer Huayi Brothers, the film is the company's tribute to the 60th birthday of the People's Republic of China. Riding the popularity of the TV series and play of the same name, this espionage flick features Zhou Xun, Zhang Hanyu and Li Bingbing. Mandarin only.
The Warrior and The Wolf (狼灾记, Lang zai ji): This costume fantasy drama is the latest production by China´s influential director and producer Tian Zhuangzhuang. Set in the Qing Dynasty, the plot follows a warrior and his foreign lover. Their romantic encounters lead to a supernatural event. Japanese star Joe Odagiri, Taiwanese actor Tuo Zonghua and American diva Maggie Q star. Mandarin only.

OTHER LANGUAGE MOVIES

Shanghai, The Roaring Twenties: This film screening is part of “The Month of the Documentary” by Alliance Francaise de Shanghai, and organised by the French National Centre of Cinematography. The event takes place every year in cultural centres across the globe. Now in its 10th year, Alliance Francaise Shanghai are proud to present the screening of Shanghai, The crazy Years, a film by Oliver Horn about life in 1920’s and 1930’s Shanghai. The documentary uses Chinese archive material, old feature films, period newspapers, police reports etc. to portray the fascinating and intriguing world of old Shanghai. The film reveals facts about the opium trade, the influential gangs that operated in the city etc. This film is a fascinating insight into Shanghai’s intriguing past and not to be missed by anyone interested in Shanghai’s history.
City On Fire: SubCinema at Dada presents: This classic Hong Kong action thriller shows the early days of Chow Yun-Fat. He stars as an undercover cop, Ko Chow, who is forced to choose between duty and friendship. Helmed by Ringo Lam, this flick earned Chow his second best actor award at the Hong Kong Film Awards and cemented his position in the Hong Kong movie industry. See it with music before and after by DJ Drunk Monk and Deville. In Cantonese with English subtitles.
Tulpan: On Thursday (26 November) Vienna Café will show a Central Asian film. The award winning Kazakh film Tulpan (2008) takes place in Kazakhstan and portrays the life of a man with too big ears and his pursuit of the only available girl for miles.
Scandal Makers (非常主播): Head over to watch this ubiquitous Korean romantic comedy featuring Cha Tae-hyeon and Park Bao-young. Cha stars as a show talk presenter whose program gains instant popularity from a single mother's story. However, Cha's life is turned upside down when the single mother shows up at his home with her six-year-old son. Language TBD.
Nepobedimyy (特工008): Chronicles the adventures of Russian special intelligence agent Yegor Kremnyov. It involves fugitive oligarchs, western crime syndicates and top-secret papers. Languages: Russian / English.

]]>

Interview: Coco Zhao, from jazz to M. Butterfly

Esther Young — 2009-11-23T10:00:00+08:00

Coco Zhao is a veteran jazz musician, and a great one at that - he has earned world renown for his smooth blend of Chinese tunes and Western elements, and is a fixture in international jazz festivals.

This week, he mixes it up, starring in David Henry Hwang's Pulitzer Prize winning M. Butterfly, directed by Daniel Roy Connelly, about a torrid affair between a French diplomat and a Peking Opera star, who... spoiler alert...happens to be a spy (among other things). Performances of the show are from November 25-28.

Directed by Daniel Roy Connelly, M. Butterfly is a play based on the true story of French diplomat Bernard Boursicot’s tragic and complicated love affair with the male Peking opera singer, Shi Pei Pu.
Where: The Ke Center for Contemporary Art No. 613-B, Kai Xuan Rd, Changning District 可当代艺术中心上海市长宁区凯旋路613号B座
Starts: Wednesday, November 25 to Saturday, November 28
Cover: 200RMB at the door or 170RMB pre-sale.
For more local events, visit the Shanghaiist Calendar.

We chat with Coco about the career change and how his life as a musician prepared him for this role.

Congratulations on M. Butterfly - we think it's the first time it's been performed in Shanghai. What pushed you do this project? You are usually a musician....

I think it is the first time for M.Butterfly to be performed in Shanghai, China, and yes, it'll be my first time doing theater as well. Very excited! I never knew I could do this actually, Zuloo was doing casting for M, and my friend Ben Denton from JZ school asked to try it, so I did go, and I got it!

I'm not even sure who had the initial idea to ask me. I guess it's fate, there are too many things in this world that can't be explained, we just have to go with the flow, and make the best out of it!

So fate inspired you to act?

I have appeared a few times in some friend's movies, but I was often playing myself as a jazz singer, and I didn't have to say any lines. I just sung. M. Butterfly is the first real acting experience I’ve had. And it came very fast. So, yes, I'd say this is FATE.

How has your musical background helped (or not helped) with this role?

I think all art forms are connected somehow, so my musical background has helped me with my first theater play indeed. And I am sure this theater experience will help me with my future musical development also.

Your parents were prominent members of the Peking opera -- have you channeled them at all in your role?

Yes, my parents are Chinese opera musician and performers, but they are in the Qi style, one of more than 150 different local opera styles. Very different. But yes, I grew up with a lot of Chinese opera elements around me, and that definitely helps me with my role as M. As I said earlier, I do believe that all art forms are connected, so all those little things, these feelings, can give big help!

What message would you like the audience to come away with?

Enjoy the monologue and dialogue, it's an excellent script! All messages are in the text. You tell me what messages you got by watching the play... I don't like to give messages before the performance, it's better to leave the space for the audience's own imaginations, don't you think so?

Before we go, we’ve got to ask: where do YOU go to listen to jazz?

JZ Club, Cotton Club, and The House of Blues and Jazz, and Melting Pot...

Watch Coco in Zuloo's M. Butterfly, 7:30PM, Ke Centre for Contemporary Art, No 613-B Kiai Xuan Rd, Changning District, Near Yan'an West Rd. Email tickets@zuloo.co.uk or call 138-1837-9554 for tickets.

]]>

Week Around the Ists

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-23T09:00:00+08:00

Gothamist was saddened after seeing why Sad Panda is so so sad.
DCist caught up with the dapper gents and ladies who took to the streets in high style for the D.C. Tweed Ride.
Torontoist Googled its city. Googled it hard.
Seattlest sputtered in disbelief at a grassroots campaign in favor of a proposal to dig the world's largest open-pit mine.
LAist wondered if the city's drivers are ready to go Dutch--as in be taxed based on miles driven instead of the current taxes levied on roads and new car purchases.
Bostonist interviewed Russell Ferguson of So You Think You Can Dance.
Shanghaiist rounded up all the news you'd ever need to read about Obama's town hall in their fair city.
Phillyist wondered if all the fun was on its way out of town.
Chicagoist focused on Oprah Winfrey's announcement that she plans on ending her show in 2011--which resulted in Mayor Daley blaming the media--causing Chicagoist to reflect on the Oprah of yesteryear.
SFist yearned for a McRib sandwich comeback.
Londonist mapped every London location that Sherlock Holmes visited. So now you know.

This week in Shanghaiist

Elaine Chow — 2009-11-22T18:00:00+08:00

We went to the Jimmy Choo launch at H&M's flagship Huaihai Lu store.
We read up on a physics professor in Kunming who's gung-ho about UFOs.
We oohed and ahhed at the antics of a really great jump rope team in Shanghai.
We talked to Rich Medina before he played to a killer crowd at the Shelter.
We found out that New York City's Sad Panda was a 62-year-old Guangzhou man.
We debated what kind of map could China really be divided into, culturally.
We chatted with a young Shanghai high school girl who was helping Roots & Shoots rock out for tree planting funds.

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 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 16-year-old junior at SMIC Private 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 Tree Project 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.

]]>

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

]]>

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.