Metal band Voodoo Kungfu's early influences

It's 1996 in Dublin, and amidst the cobblestone streets and homely pubs a teenager from Beijing sits in his dorm room at a Catholic school hunched over a pile of books. To the eyes of a passing priest all is as it ... Read more »

Learn how to take China's delicious cuisine to kitchen and to country

When the time comes for Shanghai expats to pack their bags and head for home, there is something that even the hardest heart regrets leaving behind–the food. For foodies, surviving without daily helpings of qingjiao niurou ... Read more »

China's first carbon neutral hotel marries comfort and conservation

Inspired by old architecture from 1920s and 30s Shanghai, URBN Hotels, China's first carbon neutral hotel, pays homage to the city's past and present while taking an innovative step towards ensuring its future. This chic boutique hotel is ... Read more »

The good, bad and ugly of 2007

With all of the benefits that come with being a columnist (and I'm sure at some point, they'll come to light), the least I can do is play Father Christmas and hand out a few prizes to those who’ve made ... Read more »

Magic Club

Magic Club, a magic-themed bar in the sprawling Cloud Nine Shopping Mall, offers drinks along with a package of magic tricks for ¥300. If you prefer to watch professionals, magicians provide tableside entertainment. We were reasonably impressed when we were shown how to make one small sponge heart ... Read more »

The Shelter

Swallow your claustrophobia and descend through a dark winding tunnel into the newest (and possibly only) DJ-centered bar in Shanghai. Once known as Blue Ice, The Shelter is a haven for clubbers who choose dancing over posing. The music on the dance floor doesn't get drowned out ... Read more »

American | Applebee's Neighborhood Bar & Grill

Wood tones, deep booths and flat screen TVs create the feeling of being at your neighborhood bar, provided that your neighborhood bar is similar to Applebee's. We began with the appetizer sampler (¥48) whose boneless chicken wings were crunchy and onion rings crispy ... Read more »

Fusion | Popolo

Stepping into Popolo, the décor clued us in on the "fusionistic" affair we were about to experience at this Italian café with an taste for the Asian. We were off to a rocky start with the Margherita and Spinach Winding (¥30), an oily spring roll filled with spinach ... Read more »

Malaysian | Sakura

With a lemon-colored faux-ethnic décor, this restaurant's service is attentive and the menu voluminously dedicated to Tourism Malaysia articles. There's a nice selection of Malay classics with a good helping of seafood. Sautéed squid with belachan was spicy and fragrant with shrimp paste, but a bit ... Read more »

Dejan Babic: Artistic Director

I've already checked out most of the nightlife spots worth seeing. Although I have pretty high standards, my line up would consist of Sugar, Club G Plus and Laris. Sugar has great cocktails and can kill any sugar addict's sweeth tooth with wicked desserts ... Read more »

Grant Horsfield: Social Entrepreneur

"Grant, what would you like for dinner?" My standard response is, "Mamak fried noodles, please!" At Haya's MediterraneaN Cuisine (Mediterranean) I have ordered this dish more than any other dish in China. It's a quaint little place to eat in or to order take-out ... Read more »

Jean-David Spira: Restaurant Manager

I am the manager at JW's California Grill at the JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai. Conveniently, I live near where I work so I guess I hit two birds with one stone. I live in the Huangpu disctrict, on Chongqing Bei Lu to be precise, three ... Read more »

"It is not only the motifs [that] make her work distinct," says Professor Zhu Xiaohe of his student Lu Cheng's artwork, "but also how she juxtaposes those motifs, using various colors to form different basic shapes to create a carefully structured picture." Check out Lu's seemingly basic yet ... Read more »

On Paper, On Screen: CW blog bloggin' and SMS service

Online publishing is here to stay, and while we love seeing our words in print as much as we love the sound of our own voices, we're ready to head online as well. And mobile. That's right, CW ... Read more »

1. Longhua Temple

Those looking to celebrate in a more traditional manner need look no further than Shanghai's best-preserved Buddhist temple. Festivities resemble a Chinese New Year with a dragon dance, performances and the ringing of a tremendous bell at midnight.

2. Xintiandi

Everyone's favorite block of retro ... Read more »

Meet four expats who make the unknown their everyday business.

The Underwater Adventurer | Steve Schwankert

American Steve Schwankert, owner of Beijing-based diving outfit Sinoscuba, is Beijing’s answer to Jacques Cousteau. A natural water baby, Schwankert made his first dive at the age of 10, and was PADI-certified by the ... Read more »

Snowgazing at Asia’s OTHER breathtaking winter festival.

For seven days every February, Sapporo, Japan, transforms into a winter wonderland for its annual Snow and Ice Festival. Now in its 59th year, this celebration of snow attracts two million visitors annually, easily outdoing Harbin’s famous ice festival, with its ... Read more »

Chinese performance comes of age as Paul Andreu’s egg finally hatches.

Paul Andreu’s vision has become reality. His masterpiece, The National Center for the Performing Arts, or NCPA, the giant silver dome west of Tiananmen Square, has been brilliantly lit for its December debut and ticket sales are ... Read more »

DIRECTORS: Wong Kar-wai

It’s criminal of a critic to give a Wong Kar-wai film less than four stars, the famed Hong Kong director is a legend, perhaps one of the last few standing. This year he was chosen to head the jury at Cannes, the first director from the ... Read more »

Steve Zdarsky takes us on a 540 double twist spin through last year’s Red Bull Nanshan Open qualifier.

6:30 a.m.

Home—Miyun, near Beijing

I wake up because my phone alarm is ringing like crazy. Then it's straight to the bathroom.

6:40 Get cleaned up ... Read more »

AUTHOR: Adam Kern

There are few Sinophiles out there without a healthy respect, even envy, for the vibrancy of Japanese culture, especially its all-powerful manga comics which have permanently emblazoned the Barbie Doll sex babe and the unstoppable ninja warrior on the popular imagination. These constructs have antecedents and Adam ... Read more »

ARTIST: Mary J. Blige

In her first new album since 2005’s multiple Grammy-Award winning "The Breakthrough," Mary J. Blige makes the artistic admission that, despite all the success, she is still human. While sincere, the album isn’t painful, and the first single “Just Fine” proved an instant hit ... Read more »

**pianographique.net

Used to be you needed thousands of kuai of equipage to spin mad tracks. No longer. Pianographique turns your QWERTY keyboard into an audio/visual sampler, with every letter and number setting off a snippet of music and an animated visual. Different sets give you a separate collection ... Read more »