Granted, Shanghai has become one of the hottest spots on the planet, with all manner of attractions on offer. Indeed, the depth and breadth of said attractions present an embarrassment of wealth. As such, a guide is required, or better still a concierge, one whose knowledge is tailored to those whose standards are of the highest order, those accustomed to nothing but the best. In short, he following itinerary is designed with you in mind.

6am: one of the most beautiful sights in the city is watching the sun rise over Pudong’s skyline. Alight from the taxi at the corner of Henan Lu and Suzhou Creek, walk toward the Bund soaking up the creek view flanked by greenery and Concession-era buildings, and note the architectural details on either side of the waterway. If you reach the Bund promenade before 8am, you will be further inspired by the graceful movements of Shanghai’s famous taiqi practitioners. Read the rest of this entry »

In the 19th-century, Shanghai was a city on the make with a tenuous grasp of law and order. As such, it was an especially harsh place for immigrants newly arrived from other parts of China. This sense of alienation prompted many migrant workers to seek lodging, kinship and entertainment – not to mention protection in this often dangerous new world – from their native place associations, commonly known as tongwianghui or huiguan. Today, vestiges of these groups can still be seen in Shanghai along Guangdong, Fujian and Ningbo Roads, which were named after these sojourner associations.

Serving the needs of communities from the same province or area, these groups were organized on the basis of labor which had traditionally been divided along regional lines: tea traders from Anhui, carpenters from Canton, blacksmiths from Wuxi, silk merchants from Zhejiang and Jiangsu and machinists from Ningbo and Shaoxing.
Whole industries came to be dominated by certain groups, so that Shanghai homebuyers, for example, would commonly remark that without the involvement of a Huizhu person (from Anhui ), they stood little chance of getting a mortgage. Read the rest of this entry »

There is an unsung architectural style in our midst. Writers in Shanghai have long noted the city’s art deco heriage with fervent glee, even writing fantastic books popularizing these buildings and their lavish Beaux Arts Bund cousins. Recently, the works of Hudec and other early 20th-century Shanghai architects have become the focus of new tomes, lectures and exhibitions. But there is nary a mention of another facet of our city’s pre-second world war past: the Edwardian style.
 
       Early 20th-century Edwardian represented a break with the Victorian era’s fussy over-decoration and dark interiors. Of course, in today’s landscape, Edwardian itself seems rather conservative and often play second fiddle to the more romantic revival styles. But still it lingers on in Shanghai and many other places around the world as a reminder of the last word in style around the turn of the 20th century. Read the rest of this entry »

Donghua University

1882 Yan’an Xi Lu, by Zhongshan Xi Lu, Changning District
Tel: 6237 3678

East China Normal University

3663 Zhongshan Bei Lu, by Jinshajiang Lu, Putuo Dstrict
Tel: 6223 3333
Website: www.ecnu.edu.cn

East China University of Politics and Law

1575 Wanhangdu Lu, Changning District
Tel: 6207 1888
Website:  www.ecupl.edu.cn Read the rest of this entry »

With memories of the Spring Festival Gala Show still ringing in our ears, Chinese opera was about the last thing we yearned to hear. Nonetheless, a recent production to Si Lang Visits His Mother (四郎探母) had us kowtowing in respect of the highly talented performers. With striking gestures, fabulous costumes and spitfire singing passages interspersed with mellifluous rectal, the opera overflowed with riches. Read the rest of this entry »