With winter coming into full swing and the holiday season upon us, The Beat likes to hit up some of the warm cozy places in town ...

Time Passage has always been one of our favorite hang-out bars in Shanghai. It's a down home place with historical jazz and reggae posters, knickknacks and kitschy elements scattered around the room. They've got a nice CD selection behind the bar, so it's a good place to drop in if you want to chat with friends and listen to Tom Waits or The Pixies. On some nights, they have live music, but it's an unpromoted and casual affair -- usually blues covers.

We'll also be warming up our winter nights at Club JZ for live jazz and martinis. JZ continues to be the place for jazz, and, with the opening of their new jazz school, will raise the bar and bring back the jazz spirit that Shanghai was once famous for.

Have you been to Taikang Lu recently? The arty enclave is expanding with outdoor cafes and mini boutiques that will save and reuse the classic back alley buildings. This will be the charming, hipper alternative to Xintiandi. On the main alley, Caesura Cafe has become everyone's favorite secret spot, with a real-deal chill-out room upstairs, with floor cushion seating, reading materials and relaxed service. They play a selection of ambient and dub reggae that's good sonic soul food for life in the city. On Taikang Lu proper, the Melting Pot has doubled in size and will be hosting a variety of live music. We've mentioned the Logo Bar, but this little place is just getting better and better. Wednesdays are Freaklub with minimal electronic DJs accompanied by live musicians, Fridays are reggae, and look for the irregular Klash Dance parties on Saturday night with dance rock and indie electro. The laidback but stylish atmosphere here, coupled with the cheap drinks, make it a fine place to start or end the night. Finally, our favorite Chinese style bar on Hengshan Lu is Touch Bar, near Gao'an Lu. They've got a back room with good DJ gear but the real party is usually in front, with a live acoustic guitarist and a more laidback feel than most of the dice-banging head-shaking joints on the strip. The staff is also passionate about wine and discourages mixing it with Sprite.