The Olympics and Expo are over, and we have newer, shinier versions of Beijing and Shanghai—the Chinese mainland's two major metropolises. It's the perfect time to revisit that age-old question: Which really is the better city? Are Beijingren really cooler than Shanghairen? Where do you want to spend your days as a China expat? Experts and amateurs from both cities chipped in to help us compile this shamelessly partisan death match. Only one city can survive. The other one will go the way of all the Fuwas and Haibaos that now line the road to the garbage dump.

ROUND 1: Club Life

BOOMing Bass vs. Bottles and Models

We'll be the first to admit it: if you're a sucker for the scintillating lasers of No. 88, pricy cocktails at posh member clubs like M1nt, dapper gents and skinny chicks, then hop the next train south to a clubland engineered just for you. If, however, you're looking for China's leading home-grown techno label (Acupuncture Records), the booming bass of an underground dubstep scene (Basskake) and feral raves in hard-to-find factory spaces (Yen/O2culture), the party is in Beijing. Maxime Bureau of The M agency, which organizes parties like Boys Noize in both Beijing and Shanghai, sums it up: “Parties in places like 798 are unique in China, and the underground Beijing techno scene makes it even more special.”

Winner: Beijing

ROUND 2: Girls

Sexy Librarian vs. Sexy Divas

OK, it’s just stereotypes and we don’t believe a word of it, but Shanghai girls have a reputation for being powerful, beautiful and incredibly demanding. Shanghai girls are often branded as materialistic but, says Christine Tan of the East-West relationships blog Shanghaishiok.com, “The problem is not that they're too materialistic, but that they're far too capable, and thus expect a lot more out of their men.” Meanwhile, the capital’s women are, “more talkative, more daring and hip,” according to Katrina Lee of the Sexy Beijing Internet TV show that encourages Beijingers to open up about their love lives. We think Beijing's women are way cooler than the girls down south, but they have yet to earn a reputation that eclipses that of the Shanghainese female.

Winner: Shanghai

ROUND 3: The Art Scene

798 vs. Moganshan

There’s no questioning the size and reputation of the Beijing art scene. “Beijing’s opinionated population is really to thank for the development of China's art scene,” says Shanghai-based curator Leslie Kuo of Leo Gallery. “The artists tend to be more cerebral in Beijing, and it shows in their work.” And while 798 is often criticized as having lost its avant-garde backbone, Caochangdi, another art district outside 798, continues to thrive with emerging talents at galleries like Three Shadows. The Shanghai scene, much of it housed in Moganshan Lu, seems small in comparison. Walk down the streets of Moganshan, and you'll see more vanity galleries opened by the artists themselves than heavyweights like Beijing's UCCA. Says Beijing-based art writer Philana Woo, "Because of the sheer volume and density of the art scene in Beijing, there is a stronger sense of community, as well as access. You get the high and the low. The sense of being a part of a movement, of something historical, is ever present."

Winner: Beijing

ROUND 4: Guys

Tortured Artists vs. Tortured Capitalists

The dudes in Beijing stick to their guns. How else do you explain the fact that Gulou is full of 30-somethings talking about how their band is almost ready to play Yugong? “Personally, I think Beijing guys are always too loud and not subtle enough,” opines Katrina Lee. “Shanghai guys are soft, tender, sensitive and pay attention to details.” The dudes in Shanghai are also making the bucks. Walk into any club in Shanghai, and the first five you meet will be venture capitalists with MBAs. The question you need to ask yourself is: Do I want to date a guy with three vintage guitars or three Blackberries?

Winner: Beijing

ROUND 5: The Job Market

Academics vs. CFOs

Home to embassies, NGOs and art centers, Beijing offers foreign devils culture and politics. On the other hand, Shanghai, the commercial business giant, is at the economic frontier, with entrepreneurs from every continent looking for the fast buck. Want to write your doctoral thesis on national identity in the 1950s? Beijing's your town. Want an international salary? Catch the next plane to Shanghai.

Winner: Shanghai

ROUND 6: Live Music

MAO Live House vs. MAO Live House

"Beijing is the musical capital of China," says Nevin Domer of D-22 and indie label Maybe Mars. "You get artists moving from all over China coming to play music in Beijing. P.K.14 moved to Beijing from Nanjing, Subs from Wuhan, 24 Hours From Xi’an, The Offset: Spectacles from Hong Kong! This is where the record labels are based, where the recording studios are. Beijing is the place to be if you want to do music." Dan Shapiro, writer and frontman of The Fever Machine, a Shanghai-based band, sees the other side: “I wouldn’t necessarily say that bigger is better ... Both cities boast a MAO Live House." Yes, there is rock music in Shanghai, but did you ever hear of a Beijing band moving to Shanghai to do music? No, we haven't either.

Winner: Beijing

ROUND 7: Historic Hoods

Gulou vs. The French Concession

Alright, Shanghai's expats live in some swank real estate. With its leafy streets, ’30s architecture, boutiques, bars and lovely French people, the former French Concession is as good as it gets in a Chinese city. Beijing has Gulou, which is old and narrow and packed with touristy shops, and Shunyi, an attempt to rebuild the American suburb.

Winner: Shanghai

ROUND 8: Booze

Erguotou vs. Shikumen

There is almost nothing the staff of this magazine wouldn’t drink. Chinese wine, beer spilled in an ashtray–we’d drink paint thinner if you put it in a fancy glass with a paper umbrella. So it shames us to admit that we cannot stomach our own local poison, north China's nasty sorghum version of baijiu called "Erguotou." We’ve tried diluting it with Coke, adding it to other alcohol, we’ve even tried it in a cocktail. Nothing works. It all just tastes of feet soaked in formaldehyde. Now the huangjiu down south is another matter. Warm evening, nothing much to do, ¥18 in our pocket? Tuck a bottle of Shikumen 2001 under your arm and take a stroll, pausing every fourth step for a swig of that warm, syrupy goodness. In a way, Erguotou and Shikumen are like Beijing and Shanghai: Beijing is drunk straight and leaves your throat raw, while Shanghai is a sugar rush all the way down.

Winner: Shanghai

ROUND 9: Weather

Desert vs. Swamp

Beijing experiences scorching summers and freezing winters, but it's as dry as a bone all year round. Shanghai? All the extremes of heat and cold, with rain, too, and the sort of supernatural humidity that makes it feel as if your brain is boiling in your skull. As disgruntled Shanghai resident Sean Dickinson puts it: “Shanghai’s climate is possibly the worst in the world.” Blue skies, however, are something Beijing can boast about. The city recorded 266 cloudless days in 2010—a fact not ignored by Beijingers when defending the capital’s much-maligned air quality. Plus, Beijing has central heating in the winters, so at least you don't freeze when it gets cold here.

Winner: Beijing

ROUND 10: International Dining

Jean-Georges vs. Maison Boulud

As the economic center of China, it’s no surprise that Shanghai has a worldwide reputation for international cuisine. And in keeping with its extravagant, international past, the city has become a beacon for high-end dining, and high-end prices. They even have a Jean-Georges. “Nowadays Shanghai is exploding with up-market places such as Xintiandi, Bund 18 and the House of Roosevelt,” says Reto Kistler of Sureño in The Opposite House. Lest we forget Beijing: “Beijing is pulling its weight. Stand-alone restaurants such as Maison Boulud or Sadler are keeping Beijing’s fine-dining scene on par with international standards,” Kistler adds. And while standards are improving in Beijing, quality dining is still more affordable than Shanghai. “The Beijing market is more focused on value for money,” says Alan Wong, the man behind the successful Hatsune and Haiku brand in both Beijing and Shanghai. “Some of the most popular restaurants in Beijing are Modo, Mosto and SALT, which do fine dining style, but are very affordable.”

Winner: Beijing

ROUND 11: Local Food

Kaoya vs. Xiaolongbao

Is the chuan’r mightier than the xiaolongbao? When it comes to food in China, each city certainly has its own flavor. Beijing's streets offer stodgy, heavy treats like shaobings and dough twists alongside jianbing egg wraps, but the traditional spots are full of stomach-churning stinkers like douzhi (fermented mung bean milk), intestines and stinky tofu. Shanghai’s street food is lighter and tastier with shaomai dumplings and the famed xiaolongbao dumpling, a miniature meal in one bite: carbs, soup and meat. Still, Beijing's the winner: one taste of the city's namesake roast duck, and you'll understand why it's China's most famous dish.

Winner: Beijing

Winner: Beijing

In the end, it's more a question of who you are than which city is China's best. But, we're guessing you're already in Beijing for a reason—whether it's the music, the people, the history, the culture, the art, or just the perfect chuan'r.

What do you think City Weekenders? Are we wrong? Which city has stolen your heart forever?

You can see how our Shanghai editors approached this story and send them angry comments. Go on, stand up for your city.