Shanghai is a shopper’s paradise. Her streets are branded with labels in both boisterous plazas and glossy boutiques, but the blaring billboards and bright lights overshadow striking examples of real craftsmanship. The fabric market is popular destination ... Read More>>

One of the best ways of connecting with an unfamiliar city is reading what other people have to say about it. Of course, if you’re living in Shanghai but can’t read Mandarin you’d think that might be a problem. Fortunately, there are plenty of ... Read More>>

Xintiandi is one of Shanghai’s must-see sites. The renovated shikumen (stone-door) lanes offer a glimpse of Shanghai gone-by, and are teeming with boutique stores, upmarket restaurants and cool little cafés. Find out which are worth your time, with our ... Read More>>

Shanghai is a cosmopolitan city where chic western lifestyles compliment its timeless oriental heritage. On any given street, high-rise apartment buildings sit alongside authentic concession-era villas and old lane houses, and gleaming SUVs grace the same ... Read More>>

Indian restaurants are a bit like Irish bars: you’ll find one in pretty much every city you go to, from Sydney to San Salvador. Subcontinental cuisine is well known around the world thanks to its memorable flavours and dishes – samosas, creamy masalas, hot... Read More>>

The Shanghai scene changes so fast that the cute little Italian place you go to on a Friday could be serving sushi by Saturday. Check out the latest dining, drinking and dancing hotspots, with our regular round-up of new bars, restaurants and clubs. Read More>>

Late in the evening, after a busy day at work, you hit the gym. You find your same old treadmill and begin the routine; your Ipod is set to the same play list, drowning out the monotonous pounding of your trainers as you increase the pace on the ... Read More>>

In the wake of the national holidays millions of Chinese boarded the train networks and returned home to visit loved ones. Why trains, you ask? Read More>>

If there is one thing we Shanghai residents know, it’s shopping. Luckily, there are enough choices for every sort of mood. Feel like flexing your bargaining skills in a hustle and bustle atmosphere? Try the Fake Market. Prefer to pamper yourself in a more ... Read More>>

Shanghai is, without a doubt, a 24 hour city. There’s always something going on, be it a night market, a dawn t’ai chi session, an all night booze-up or a live jazz evening. And it’s not just the weekends when the fun happens. It’s possible to keep busy ... Read More>>

Life in Shanghai can get lonely sometimes. Coming home to an empty apartment is pretty depressing, which is why a lot of expats decide to get a pet. Of course, the advantages of having a pet are obvious, but owning an animal as in China isn’t as easy as ... Read More>>

Shanghai is a very French city. Back in colonial times, the streets of Xuhui and Luwan sounded more like boulevards in Paris (Avenue Petain, Rue Lafayette, Avenue Joffre – now Hengshan Lu, Fuxing Zhong Lu, and Huaihai Zhong Lu) and the Gallic influence is ... Read More>>

A big part of what makes China both daunting and interesting for expats is the language barrier. Mandarin has a reputation for being difficult to master, and not knowing any can make you feel out of touch with the local community. There are limits to what ... Read More>>

It’s hard to keep up with Shanghai’s ever-changing landscape. With new restaurants, shops, metro lines, and office buildings sprouting up all over the place, the city continues to grow at a breathtaking rate. In order to accommodate all the visitors and ... Read More>>

If you’ve just moved to Shanghai, you might be a bit overwhelmed by all the advertisements for “singles” – singles nights, singles bars, guides on how to hook up when you’re single… But what if you’re not? What is there to do in Shanghai when you’re ... Read More>>

Nanchang Lu sits quietly behind the busy and at times overbearing Huaihai Lu. This unassuming, inner-city street offers an enchanting glimpse into the real life of Shanghai’s French Concession. Read More>>

Having someone else do your washing, cleaning, tidying and even cooking for you is one of Shanghai’s great pleasures. Many an expat struggles to imagine what life would be like without their beloved ayi there to pick up after them. For new arrivals to the ... Read More>>

Looking for something new to do in Shanghai now that summer’s been and gone? Check out what’s new, and what you might have missed in the last few weeks, with our round-up of newly opened restaurants and bars. Read More>>

On a night out in Shanghai, you don’t always feel like blowing a crisp red hundred on a single cocktail. Sure, extravagance has its place, but sometimes it’s nice to leave the bar with enough change to pay for McDonalds delivery when you get home. So we ... Read More>>

September is our favourite time of year in Shanghai. The humidity that necessitates a change of clothes by the time you arrive at the office has finally blown over, but the days are still hot and the evenings warm and long. In other words, it's perfect ice ... Read More>>

Cantonese food (yuè cài or粵菜) is possibly the best-known Chinese cuisine outside of China. This is down to two reasons. Firstly, most Chinese migrants to the West were from Taishan in Guangdong Province (formerly known as Canton) and Hong Kong, and ... Read More>>

Finding a decent gym in Shanghai isn’t the easiest of tasks. They all claim to be the best on their own websites, and people want different things from their gym experience, so it’s hard to know which one will suit you. Prices vary too, so how do you know ... Read More>>

If you’re a bit of a bookworm, the chances are that you’ll be looking for places to buy English or other foreign (i.e. not Chinese) literature in Shanghai. Well, you’re in luck. As well as a slew of high street bookshops, our city has a treasure trove of ... Read More>>

Anar<br/> One of the leading lights of Shanghai’s music scene is a certain John NGuidjol. If you’ve ever been to LOgO or Anar on a Sunday night, you’ll have seen this powerhouse at work, manning the mic, dancing with his trademark energy, and ... Read More>>