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Nightclubs and bars are also booming, with joints opening and closing faster than night can turn into day. Barflies now have a choice of everything from glamorous Art Deco lounges to the seediest watering hole; live rock and jazz can be heard into the wee hours (although 2am is the official closing hour); and the dance club scene now employs DJs, foreign and local, to keep the younger set raving. With a return to the rollicking times has come the return of drugs and sexual exploitation, a phenomenon that periodically receives some government attention, but largely continues unchecked. Having converted some of its newly won wealth into so many venues for culture and entertainment, Shànghai, it seems, is not about to go gentle into that good night.
Buying Tickets --Check the entertainment listings in Shanghai Daily or the free English-language monthly papers for tourists and expatriates such as that's Shanghai (www.thatsshanghai.com), City Weekend (www.cityweekend.com.cn), or Shanghai Talk. Tickets for all arts performances can be purchased at their individual venues, or at the Shànghai Cultural Information and Booking Centre, Fèngxián Lù 272 (tel. 021/6217-2426 ), northeast of the Shànghai Centre, behind the Westgate Mall. Tickets for the Grand Theatre can be purchased directly at their box office (Rénmín Dà Dào 200; tel. 021/6372-8701 ), and movie tickets can be bought at the cinemas. If you don't wish to do it yourself, your hotel concierge may be able to secure tickets for a fee. The Jin Jiang Optional Tours Center, Chánglè Lù 191, in the French Concession (tel. 021/6445-9525 or 021/6466-2828, ext. 231; fax 021/6472-0184), can secure tickets for the Peace Hotel Jazz Bar, acrobatics, and other performances at a number of theaters and concert halls.
Jazz Bars --Shànghai's pre-revolutionary (before 1949) jazz legacy has been revived for the 21st century: Not only are the old standards being played once again at that most nostalgic of locales -- the Peace Hotel bar -- but more modern and improvisational sounds can now be heard around town, and there's a greater influx of international jazz artists to these shores than ever before. Hotel lounges and bars are the most obvious venues for jazz performances, though what you get here is mostly easy-listening jazz. Once a year, the jazz scene perks up with the Shànghai International Jazz Concert Series, a spillover from the Beijing Jazz Festival that has been held in the second week of November each year since 1996, and that draws headline groups from America, Europe, Japan, and Australia.
Dance Clubs & Discos --Shànghai has some of the most sophisticated and elaborate dance clubs and discos in China. The bar scene is lively, too, but clubs and discos are for those who want to party on the dance floor as well as at the bar -- or at least for those who want to observe Shànghai nightlife at a pitch it hasn't reached since the 1930s. Shànghai's dance club scene relies heavily on foreign DJs, whether superstars brought in on a short engagement or total unknowns, though most locals don't know the difference in any case. Here's a list of the top venues, which like all trends are subject to overnight revisions.
Pu-J's Big Top --The Pudong New Area on the east side of the Huángpu River, across from the Bund, has been the poor stepsister of old Shànghai when it comes to entertainment, but this late-night Cinderella suddenly stepped into the glass slipper with the opening of Pu-J's Entertainment Centre -- Shànghai's most complete nightspot complex -- in the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Located on Podium 3 at the base of the 88-story Jin Máo Tower, it is divided into four continuous-action zones. There's a Music Room devoted to live jazz performances; a Tapas Bar with Mediterranean snacks; a Dance Zone with a raised disco stage encircled by glass barstools on the floor and a white alabaster mezzanine bar above; and the must-have KTV (karaoke) lounge. The preening crowd is all about looks, so make sure your ball gown doesn't turn into rags at the stroke of midnight. Open Sunday through Thursday from 7pm to 1am; Friday and Saturday from 7pm to 2am; ¥100 ($12) cover.
Podium 3, Jin Máo Tower/Grand Hyatt Shànghai, Shìjì Dà Dào 88, Pudong. tel. 021/5049-1234, ext. 8732. Metro: Lùjiazui.
Cinema --Old Shànghai was the Hollywood of China. Many of its films were produced at the Shànghai Film Studios (located in Xújiahuì on Cáoxi Bei Lù across from the Xújiahuì Cathedral) during the 1930s and 1940s. A two-bit actress with the stage name Lán Píng was among thousands who never achieved a starring role then, but she had her revenge later, when she met and married the young revolutionary who would become Chairman Máo. Known as Jiang Qing after 1949 (and later punished as the leader of the Gang of Four), she helped dictate the nature of communist cinema, drama, and other arts during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. She was a star on the political stage for decades, but her real dream remained Hollywood.
Today, Shànghai is no longer the center of Chinese filmmaking although the Shànghai Film Studio continues to churn out some movie and television projects and the occasional joint-venture film with foreign filmmakers. At the same time, China limits the release of new Hollywood films to just 20 a year. In the past, most of these movies were dubbed in Chinese, but recently, some have been shown in Shànghai in their original language with Chinese subtitles. In the last 2 decades, Chinese directors have made some of the best films in the world, but some of these still can't be officially shown in China. Of course, the pirated versions of these politically sensitive films and of hundreds of Hollywood movies are usually circulating on Shànghai streets within hours of (and even sometimes before) the film's world premiere, wherever it might be. Given this sad state of cinematic affairs in Shànghai, there isn't much here for the non-Chinese-speaking visitors hungering for a night at the pictures. The only exception is when the Shànghai International Film Festival comes to town every June. Originated in 1993, when Oliver Stone chaired the jury, the festival attracts over 250,000 viewers to the screenings.
In the long interval between festivals, cinephiles can also get their fix at regular screenings sponsored by the Canadian Consulate (tel. 021/6279-8400), German Consulate (tel. 021/6391-2068, ext. 602), and the Cine-Club de l'Alliance Francaise (tel. 021/6357-5388). The following are the best venues for flicks in Shànghai, which still has a long road to travel to regain its reputation as China's Hollywood. Tickets range from ¥30 to ¥80 ($3.80-$10) depending on the theatre and the movie shown. For up-to-date listings, consult the English-language monthlies, such as that's Shanghai.
The Lounge & Bar Scene --The big hotels often have elegant lounges on their top floors and some of Shànghai's best bars in their lobbies. Independent spots outside the hotels run the gamut from upscale to down-and-dirty, but those listed here are frequented by plenty of English-speaking foreigners (residents and tourists alike) in addition to hip, well-to-do Shanghainese. At press time, Màomíng Lù laid claim to being the hippest and hottest bar street, with Tàikàng Lù on the rise, Héngshan Lù still in the mix, and Jùlù Lù all but abandoned save for the most wretched dives. Expect drink prices, especially for imports, to be the same as, if not more than, you'd pay in the bars of a large city in the West. Tipping is not necessary, although it does make the bartenders happy.
Gay-friendly nightspots (subject to change, as the scene shifts but never disappears) include Eddy's, Huáihai Zhong Lù 1877, by Tianpíng Lù (tel. 021/6282-0521; daily 7pm-2am); Home, Gaolán Lù 18, west of Sinán Lù (tel. 021/5382-0373; Sun, Wed-Thurs 8pm-2am, Fri-Sat 8pm-3am); and the recently refurbished Vogue in Kevin's, Chánglè Lù 946, no. 40, at Wulumùqí Bei Lù (tel. 021/6248-8985; daily 8pm-2am).
Heavenly Bars
Shànghai's trendiest upscale pedestrian mall Xin Tiandì (New Heaven and Earth), located just a short stroll south of Huángpí Nán Lù Metro station downtown, is famous for its upscale restaurants and international shops. But this impressive development comes truly alive only after dark when Shànghai's hip and wealthy spill out of its pretty bars and lounges. For now, the top nightspots here include:
Ark Live House -- A lively rock, jazz, and pop music venue with balcony seating, bar, restaurant, and cover for special events. North Block, House 15. tel. 021/6326-8008. Daily 5:30pm-1am.
Dr Bar -- Quietest place in Xin Tiandì for a chat and drink over candlelight. North Block, House 15. tel. 021/6311-0358. Daily 4pm-1am.
KABB -- This American bar and cafe with candlelight in the evenings is the place for laid-back music and musings. North Block, House 5. tel. 021/3307-0798. Nightly 7pm-2am.
Le Club at La Maison -- A large dance floor and creative DJs attract a mostly local crowd. North Block, House 23. tel. 021/6326-0855. Nightly 6:30pm-2am.
Soho Pub -- A friendly amalgam of East-West decor, Hong Kong and Japanese tourists, and American and British food, drink, and prices. North Block, House 3, Unit 5. tel. 021/3307-1000. Daily 6pm to 2am.
Star East -- Martial arts film star Jackie Chan is behind this flashy but informal cafe and bar with cinematic touches. North Block, House 17. tel. 021/6311-4991. Daily 11:30am to 2am.
TMSK -- Here's a bar made entirely from colored glass, owned by a Taiwanese actress and glass entrepreneur. Even the wine and martini glasses are works of glass art. North Block, House 11. tel. 021/6326-2223. Sunday to Wednesday 2pm to midnight; Thursday to Saturday 2pm to 1am. |
