After five odd years of heated discussions and raging debates, it was determined that the SmartShanghai Forum did indeed address and solve all the world’s problems, and it was decided that its purpose as a bastion of free speech and intelligent discourse was no longer required. So we’re taking a break from it for a bit, waiting for the world to get completely awful once again, and then we’ll relaunch it and enable all the SmSh’ers to once again shed a little insight on pressings issues of the day, thereby setting things right again.

Please don’t take this as a sign to navigate away from the site or, heaven forbid, turn off your computer. Head on back to SmartShanghai.com and click freely on all our advertisers – wonderful people that they are and so deserving of your patronage.

Jump over to SmartShanghai.com for...

• Extensive event listings of nightlife, art, and stage events in Shanghai.
• New articles every day on what's going on in the city
• Party pictures and videos
• Ask Matsume’s latest scree on bodily fluids
• User reviews of restaurants and bars
• Other assorted diversions and fodder

The archives of this forum is still available here.

SmSh

Aug 5
by Melanie

The Picasso Mansion: Flowers and Gallery

On May 9 Jason and Eva's Flower Shop opened on the ground floor of the purple Picasso Mansion on Fuxing Xi Lu. This spacious shop with wood paneled walls and flawless pink roses is a far cry from the hectic, disorganized flower markets on Shaanxi Lu. Florist Hazel is delightfully helpful. With it's pricey bouquets, Jason and Eva's may not be the ideal place to go for your daily floral needs, but is a worth keeping in mind next time you have to bring a gift over to a friend's house.

Climb up the Mansion's spiral staircase to the second floor where you'll find 246 Gallery Space, a brand new spin off the Avshalom art consultancy business. Avshalom usually shows Chinese artists but for the opening show in the mansion brings 25 of Salvador Dali's lesser known lithographs. This show ends May 18.

Aug 5
by Morgan

New Pictures

Two new party picture galleries are up for your voyeuring pleasure. See and been seen, friends. This is the latter part of that equation. Head on off to the BCR EP Release photos here, and/or the Bonito Spanish restaurant opening here. Thanks to the talented photographers, Kosuke Sato and Sangya Rui, and to YOU, for being so photogenically wasted.

Aug 5
by Ben

Danish Fashion Boutique Opens on Taikang Lu

The Danes aren't particularly well known for producing top fashion labels. In fact, I would put good money that you couldn't name me two -- let alone five -- fashion brands. However, CPH, a new Danish clothing boutique, is looking to put Danish fashion firmly on the international (well, maybe Shanghai) fashion radar.

This new shop is located in the ever quirky/trendy Taikang Lu and aims to cater to all the stylish and fashionable women of Shanghai, with their in edgy Danish take on contemporary designs.

Not officially open to the public until Sunday, the shop claims to sell clothes with an "attitude and confidence" -- sounds like a pretty moody pair of jeans to me -- and with a manicure bar also being located on site, it appears to be a one-stop shop for all your womanly requirements: clothes and nails.

The shop can be found on 136 Taikang Lu or check out the website here for quick gander at some nice clothes and some rather attractive women.

Aug 5
by Melanie

American Consulate General: New Digs

In an unlikely location change, the American Consulate General packed up and moved from its lovely walled community on Wulumuqi and Huaihai to set up shop in the 8th floor of the WestGate Shopping Mall on Nanjing Xi Lu. You'll have to sift through the block-long construction to find a mall entrance and the new Consulate is seedy-looking, but efficient.

N.B. The Consulate shuts down on Tuesday afternoons for no apparent reason and they are not taking questions about visa applications...ever.

Aug 5
by Melanie

ART HK 08

In keeping with the pace of the booming (albeit speculative) Asian art market, the first-ever Hong Kong International Art Fair opens its gilded doors to the public tomorrow. This four-day long extravaganza features 102 of the leading contemporary and modern art galleries from the Eastern and Western worlds and hopes to appeal to all types of art-lovers, from the novice to the established collector.

For those of the heavy walleted variety, there will be museum-quality works from international galleries, including BIG names like Picasso and some other 20th century heavy-hitters. For a little contrast (and for those of more modest means) youthful galleries will show emerging artists and sell limited-edition prints for "first-time" buyers.

If you happen to be in Hong Kong during the fair this may be worth checking out. Entry is only HK$ 150, but you'll have the privilege of squandering anywhere from HK$ 7,500 to HK$ 275 million on the art.

For additional information click here .

Hong Kong Exhibition Center
1 Expo Drive
Wanchai, Hong Kong

Aug 5
by Morgan

SMZB at YYT

This Saturday Yuyintang welcomes one of China’s seminal street punk bands SMZB for their album release tour. Founded way back in 1996, Wuhan’s SMZB are one of the three or four Chinese punk bands which have come to set the standards for punk rock nation-wide, and are largely responsible for the budding live music scene in Wuhan.

Many China tours and a European tour later, SMZB have survived various line-up changes to continue grow and progress as a band. In recent times (on their last album) they added tin flute parts to their music and now offer up a mature sounding Rancid / Dropkick Murpheys kind of punk. They don’t make it down to Shanghai often enough (I think once in the last three years), so if you’re into the Chinese street punk scene (such as it is) don’t miss out on this show.

Cover is 30rmb for students, and 40rmb for everyone else. Starts 9pm. Click here for their MySpace.

Aug 5
by Morgan

Paul Turns One

Celebrating one year of Shanghai domination is Paul Bakery and they’ve got a pretty good deal on their bakery and coffee items: buy-one-get-one free on chocolate and plain croissants, whole meal and country bread, cappuccinos and lattes. The deal is good from May 15-31. Quality bakery items even cheaper.

There are nearly 9 million Paul Bakeries now in Shanghai, so you should be able to get yourself to one. There’s a bunch of migrant laborers at my apartment right now, knocking down the walls and turning my living room into one. Capitalism never smelled so oven fresh.

Aug 5
by Morgan

Last mon:day

Tonight is the final installment of locally-based (for just a little while longer) tootekool’s “downbeat” mon:day parties. The long running series has catered to a more laid-back crowd looking for something down-tempo and atmospheric to listen to whilst getting a little Monday buzz on.

So head on down to LOgO one last time if 9,000 hours of experimental minimal music is your thing and you like cheap wine as well. Congrats and auf wiedersehen to mon:day -- always a great option to extend that weekend bender into the working week. Starts 8pm. No cover. Cheap drinks.

Aug 5
by Morgan

Return of the Peg

With his finger in a vice-like grip on the pulse of Shanghai is “Da Admiral,” author of the SmartShanghai newsletter. When he’s not haphazardly persecuting and oppressing the French, he’s dropping mad truth bombs about the vicissitudes of Shanghai’s nightlife industry. Last week, he dropped some truth bombs so devastating, we’re still feeling the atomic fallout.

To wit: Pegaus is reopening. This is serious news if you’ve been in Shanghai for a long, long, long, long time (3+ years). Pegasus was Shanghai’s hip hop destination on Thursday nights -- always packed -- and an ideal venue to party like it was your birthday, sip Bacardi like it’s your birthday, and you know the rest. Andrew Ballen, the guy who used to do the Thursdays there in the heyday of the club has resigned on to launch the place sometime in July as “Caribbean,” or something like that.

But homie ain't nothing change -- hold down, G's up.

In other club news Muse will be opening up M3 sometime in the near future. Details on that are a little more hazy. But I’m guessing you and your smart / casual wardrobe will be welcome.

Aug 5
by Morgan

The Shelter Shop Now Open for (Legitimate) Business

Last night, The Shelter opened up their "Shelter Shop" under the aegis of locally-based vocalist MC Chacha. You might remember the "Shelter Shop" before as that place near the front of the club that serves bottled beer sometimes and as a place to steal T-shirts from other times.

But no more! Well, they're still using it to sell beers on the weekends but on Wednesdays, Thursday, and Sundays, it's a place to PAY for stuff that comes from locally-based designers, musicians, and artists. Currently, they're slinging CDs from IGO (new wave duo), Hedgehog (indie rock trio), and some of Sulumi's releases (electronic artist from BJ) are available as well. They've also got a limited number of Shelter T-shirts designed by Otorok. So pick one of those up while you still can.

They've also got in just yesterday the first T-shirt inspired by the existence and music of, and created by greatly talented designer Shuang in partnership with, Antidote. These were produced by eno (they also did shirts for BJ punk bands PK14 and No Name) and come in two colors for each gender, and in four sizes. Those are available at The Shelter, Antidote shows, and at eno for 160rmb.

And you can probably get those this Saturday as well and the Antidote party at The Shelter. Click here for event information on that. But don't wear the shirt to the show, man. Don't wear the shirt of the band when you're going to see the band, man. Don't be that guy. And I would hope that none of the Antidote DJs will be wearing their own shirt either. You know who does that? Wears their own shirts? Def Leopard, man. Def Leopard!

Look for more stuff at the Shelter Shop over the coming weeks including releases from other locally based bands, T-shirts, and original recordings produced in the club.

Aug 5
by Melanie

Beautiful Botti Selling Out In Shanghai

When Oprah says, "You should know about Chris Botti," you don't walk to Wikipedia, you run. Or, if you happen to live in Shanghai, you can go see one of People Magazine's "50 most beautiful people" (2004) perform live at the Oriental Arts Center in Pudong next week. American born trumpeter and charismatic composer, Botti got his big break as the featured soloist in Sting's band during the two and a half year "Brand New Day" tour.

Although Botti has worked with musical icons including Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart and Joni Mitchell, it's during his solo career that he topped jazz charts. His album "When I Fall In Love" hit #1 on both the Traditional Jazz Album and the Pop Jazz Overall Albums. This February he won a Grammy. Botti's current tour (and newest album title) "Italia," combines interpretations of classic love songs and his own pop creations.

The show is Saturday the 17th at 7:30 but the least expensive tickets are already sold out. So, if you're into jazz or really good-looking people call the booking hotline at 52989697 or book online here.

Aug 5
by Morgan

Foos Tourney

This weekend, Big Bamboo is hosting a three-day foosball tournament, open to all ages, and comprised of eight events. Here are the events: 1) Goalie War; 2) Forward Shootout; 3)Women's Singles; 4)Junior's Singles; 5) Open Doubles; 6) Open Singles; 7) Rookie Doubles; 8) Draw Your Partner Doubles.

Entry to each event is 20rmb. Medals for the top three finishers of each event. Friday’s events start at 7:30pm with "Goalie Wars" and the "Forward Shootout." That sounds like some intense sporting right there. Saturday is when the real thing starts with the singles and doubles events -- that starts at 11:30am. And Sunday wraps up with the singles and doubles finals, the "Rookie Doubles" and the "Draw Your Own Partner" doubles. Juniors (under 18) are welcome.

Foosball: sport of kings, man. Sport of kings.

Aug 5
by Melanie

Unai's Saturday Night

Self-taught Spanish photographer Unai Iribarren has an eye for pout-y, multi-ethnic women who show a lot of skin. The 30-something artist got his start in Tokyo as a commercial photographer and now has a portfolio that includes Sephora, Samsung, Elle, and others. But Iribarren's personal photography hovers on the sinister. Post-apocalyptic urban vistas in bleak, muted tones reflect an introspective mind. A massive sense of isolation infects the viewer when surreal lights glint off of the deserted seas of buildings, highways, and bridges. Iribarren has been living in Shanghai since 2006 and Unai's Nights" at Artsea Studio & Gallery on Moganshan Lu focuses on our urban landscape in its explicit desolation.

To look at more of Iribarren's click here.

Show opens at 6pm.

Aug 5
by Alex

Open-air Patios Open Up

Fans of open-air patios, here's some good news: Both Cotton's, and Abbey Road -- two of the nicer patios in the French Concession (in my humble opinion) -- just got rid of their winter tents this week. And so the summer season starts with cool beers under a starry sky –- well, as starry as the sky can be in Shanghai (read: no stars will be seen from these places).

This is in fact something worth writing about, because so many other places keep their tents up all year long -- AFP has a tent up all year for example, as does the newly re-opened rooftop restaurant at the Mansion Hotel, now called "Skyline".

Their new-ish Chef Shawn (formerly of Finestre) explained to me that his local clientele just doesn't like sitting in the sun. I have to say I've seen nicer solutions to avoid sunshine than a big tent... staying inside for example...

Anyway, getting back to Cotton's, their weekly Sunday afternoon barbecues are back on, and it's a pretty square deal. Every Sunday in May, from 11am to 7pm, you can get an all-you-can-eat deal on BBQ'ed meats (salad bar included) for 99rmb. That's weather permitting though... which is the drawback of not having a big tent I guess.

Aug 5
by Ben

Bohdi Bike Tours

There are some weird people out there who actually like to exercise. What's strange about these guys is that this urge to exhaust energy only increases when summer comes around. Now most normal people see the summer as a period of increased immobility and sloth -- where reaching for a beer or turning over is considered your daily workout routine. For these later folks, this little reminder isn't for you...

The people at Bohdi are just getting into the swing of their summer bike excursions -- think lakes and mountains -- and it's the perfect time to saddle up and head to the hills. They offer a series of excursions in and around the immediate area (Xicen and Xikou), and trips last between 1-2 days.

There are bikes available to rent (150rmb) along with helmets and other equipment. In fact, the only thing you'll need to bring are a reliable pair of knees. Now, a word to the wise, these aren't peaceful little jaunts through the leafy French Concession. These are some serious 60km your-legs-will-ache- for-the-next-three-weeks affairs, so don't come crying to us if one of them falls off, cause you've been warned. More info their webpage here.

The next tours are on the 9th, 11th, and 21st of this month.

Aug 5
by Hien

New Wine Stores in Shanghai

Wine seems to be the new thing (are crepes still popular?), and new wine stores are popping up all over town just in time for the summer patio season. Here's the latest wine news:

Just Grapes has just open a new outlet at Novel Place in Xujiahui, and fast approaching is their third on Anfu Lu near Amokka Café. Their neighbor Enoteca, who open their second branch recently at Taikcang lu near Xintiandi will be opening their patio to the public this Wednesday with a Summer Happy Hour. Another well-known wine outlet that opened a second location recently is Epicvre at Nanchang Lu -- but that's old news. In the center town, another new wine bar just opened, creatively named "City Winery" at 826 Julu Lu (near Embre Café). It carries wine from France, Italy, and the breakaway colonies, with prices starting from 100rmb per bottle. Up the same road on Julu Lu, The Grange (opposite Shintori at 794 Julu Lu) is also due to open soon. I took a quick peak in the doorway and it's looking rather niiiice, but more on that later when it actually opens.

Also, Q5 members watch for the second edition of the Q5 Wineclub coming soon: quality vino to your door for cheap. Chin chin.

Aug 5
by Morgan

The Core @ Glamour Bar

It seems like there are a lot of Scandinavian musicians rolling through Shanghai these days. There’s “The 21st Century Noise” from Sweden -- they played a show last Saturday at Windows Tembo, and are playing at YYT tomorrow night. There’s “Astro’n’out” from Balkan Latvian -- they had a show last week at YYT. There’s karinpark a Norwegian singer tonight and tomorrow night at Live Bar. But on the end of the spectrum is Norwegian jazz act “The Core” performing at Glamour Bar tonight and tomorrow night.

It's jazz music with psychedelic undertones, and apparently the live show is pretty energetic. So you might want to check that out if jazz is your thing -- or even if you just pretend it’s your thing. Head on over to their MySpace page here for audio and video samples. The shows start at 9pm and there’s no cover.

On the other hand, if you like it rocking don’t miss out on The 21st Century Noise at YYT tomorrow (Wednesday). Even though attendance wasn’t great at their Tembo show on Saturday, these guys are really good and worth catching before they go back to Stockholm or wherever. Click here for their MySpace.

Aug 5
by Melanie

Pangea Day Film Fiesta

Day, film, and fiesta are all pretty self-explanatory as far as words go. But what in God's name is a Pangea? Pangea is the word scientists and other wise persons use to describe the state of the earth when it was one big "supercontinent," before it broke off into 7 angry bits. On Saturday the 7 angry bits will reunite through an awesome worldwide film festival.

Shanghai's Pangea Day chapter is on Chuanchang Lu (near Zhongshan Lu) and runs for 12 hours. The first six hours will showcase shorts, experimental cinema, documentaries and full-length feature films by local artists. Then, at 2am, we'll link up with far-out cities like Mumbai and Rio to watch a pre-selected program with our film-loving brethren across the globe.

Chairs, pillows and felt-covered floor are provided so no need to bring your own gear. Also, prepare to drink Merchant's wine and eat Haya's hummus (and other food.) Rumor has it people are super-psyched about this event, so please call before you head downtown to confirm available seats and arrive 15 minutes before showtime.

136 8166 0372, 158 0061 0089 DAY OF ONLY.

Check out http://www.panthealee.com/?p=57 for full descriptions of the films.

Aug 5
by Melanie

New Location: House of Blues and Jazz

During the past months and years, bars and restaurants trickled and then sprinted away from Maoming Lu. Now the House of Blues and Jazz takes its turn. The Shanghai symbol packed up its rhythm, soul and pianos, and hoisted it all over to the Bund 'hood. The new location on Fuzhou Lu is a serious upgrade from the Maoming Lu spot. An inviting combination of refurbished dark wood paneling and colonial-era architecture distinguishes this swanky smoke-filled bar. Photos of the jazz and blues greats adorn the walls of the roomy first floor, which has close-up band seating as well more sociable (quiet) areas toward the back. Although the House is open for food and cocktails, management has not yet booked the first act for the new venue. Plans are to bring in a show sometime in the next two weeks, so stay tuned.

Aug 5
by Alex

Happy Birthday, Eduardo

There’s two reasons to mention restaurateur Eduardo Vargas, the man who started Shanghai's hunger for Tapas five years ago with his first restaurant "Che" in Xintiandi: For one thing, it's his birthday today, so don't forget to congratulate him when you see him at Azul or Casa 13. The other reason is he's just one week away from opening his latest restaurant: “Bam-bou,” located just upstairs of Azul on Dongping Lu.

I was at a pre-opening food tasting last night, and can excitedly report back that fans of South East-Asian food can look forward to an interesting new dining option, described in their press-release as a "complete tour of South East Asia thru your palette". Bam-bou offers food from Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand, and even though they have a five-star hotel trained chef from Bangkok, the flavours seemed to me to be surprisingly different from Thai food. The interior follows Azul's style with comfy sofa-dining lounges, dark lightning and, of course, a lot of bamboo. Bam-bou opens next Monday on 18 Dongping Lu.