Author: life-china

ARCH 688 Shaanxi Bei Lu, near Kangding Lu View ListingTaxi Printout Quick Take: Cocktail bar from two veteran barkeeps with a serious booze chemistry set. What It Is: What happens when you pour Daniel An (Antique, Atelier) and relative newcomer Vincenzo Pagliara (ZUK Bar, The Connaught Bar) into a mixing glass. Apparently, when Vincenzo decided to go back to Italy, Daniel nabbed him on his farewell bender, preyed on his doubts of leaving Shanghai, and boom, a couple months later they're opening a bar. Continuing An's trend of places starting with "A", it's...

After a few calm months of mosquito-free winter, they’re back. And they want blood. Really – check a mosquito forecast. You’re less likely to contract a mosquito-borne disease in Shanghai than in most other places in the country, including Beijing, but that doesn’t make the bites any less annoying – or dangerous, especially if you haven’t had your Japanese encephalitis vaccine. Short of painting your shins white like a Shanghai tree trunk (it’s insecticide, in case you’ve been wondering), a cursory Taobao search reveals a range of repellent options, some reaching cult status. Here’s the SmartShanghai ranking of Taobao’s...

If artistic use of computer code is your thing, this month is for you. New media time! Following HOW Art Museum’s recent exhibitions from Quayola and a'a'a'jiao, as well as Team Lab's Shanghai debut inside a former oil tank, two art museums in the northern part of Jing’ an launched equally mesmerizing shows in the digital realm, including a strong comeback from the Minsheng Art Museum. Meanwhile, Long Museum on the West Bund continues its work with Chinese contemporary artists, hosting a large-scale solo exhibition from Shanghai-based painter Xue Song, who likes to play with fire. Daily...

Ala Town 66 Xianfeng Jie, near Jinhui Lu View ListingTaxi Printout Quick Take: Laowaijie version 2.0 What It Is: Did you know Minhang is the fastest growing district in terms of population? Bet all those people are going to need somewhere to go. Hence Ala Town, a government sanctioned "lifestyle hub" in two parts: a several-story open atrium mall, and a 200-meter stretch of purpose-built F&Bism, a five-minute walk from Longbai Xincun, right behind Aegean Place. It is explicitly pitched as the successor to Hongmei Lu/Laowaijie. Which is two stops away by metro and...