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Pet(s) of the Month: 11 cats of Lane 26 :: Shanghaiist (Sep 3)
This month's Adoptable Pet from Jaiya's Animal Rescue Name: The 11 cats of Lane 26Age: From 3 to 6Health: Vaccinated, dewormed and de-flead. All spayed and neutered.Ideal Home: People that have experience with adult cats. Story: CF (rescuer), an animal lover and keen supporter of animal rescue groups in Shanghai contacted JAR in hopes that we can provide a permanent roof and love for the cats that he has managed to rescue in the past 6 months. Marvin (JAR founder), Alejandra (rescuer/foster parent and volunteer), Dr. Stephanie Goltz and CF met up on August 2nd in order to decide how to help these beautiful cats. Luckily, CF has kindly provided cat litter & trays, cat food, water, bowls, bedding, cushions and a fan to try and make the cats as comfortable as possible. Unfortunately, the room that CF has rented (where the cats are residing in) will be taken over very soon. Hereafter, JAR needs to find foster/permanent homes for all these 11 cats as soon as possible. JAR requires adopt...


The Economist interviews "Mao's translator" Sidney Rittenberg :: Shanghaiist (Sep 3)
The Economist has posted an interview with "Mao's translator," Sidney Rittenberg (李敦白). Arriving in China in 1944, Rittenberg befriended Mao, Zhou Enlai and other top Communists. During his long involvement with the Chinese Communist Party, Rittenberg was imprisoned twice. The first time in 1949, after being falsely fingered as a "spy" by Joseph Stalin, he spent six years in solitary confinement and the second time in 1968, for ten years when labelled a "May 16th element" (五一六分子). In spite his long time in prison, Rittenberg still expresses a restrained fondness for Mao, who he describes as the "best listener I've ever run into." Like any reformed communist, Rittenberg is now making big bucks as an advisor for multinationals like Hughes Aircraft and Intel on their China buisness, and he has many interesting observations on China, past, present and future. The interview runs about 15 minutes and streams a bit slowly, so you may wish to download it directly here.


Weekendist: Dance, dance, learn to dance :: Shanghaiist (Sep 3)
Every Friday, we tell you what sounds exciting to us over the next three days! This weekend, look forward to dance opportunities - both watching and learning, and charitable events galore! Not to mention, rugby fans get to cheer for their favorite leagues LIVE at the Shanghai Sevens and the father of minimal music, Robert Hood, is in town (for all you DJ lovers). For this weekend's live music offerings, check out our Midweek Music Preview. FRIDAY Party animals pay attention! Not Me brings you MELTDOWN; A 5 hour alcohol extravaganza! Yes, for only 80RMB you can enjoy an open bar as DJ’s bring you the best in Hiphop, electro, house and everything in between!10pm, Not Me, 21 Dongping Lu near Hengshan Lu LA's International Contemporary Dance comes to Shanghai's Downstream Garage. Choreographer Susan Rose and her dancers have dedicated Friday and Saturday to cooperating with Shanghai's experimental indie choreographers Nunu Kong and Nannan for "Powerplays."7pm, Downstream Garage, 200 Lon...


iWear Shopping Tip: Glasses for the Masses :: Go Chengdoo (Sep 3)
Before leaving for China, I bought a pair of "backup" glasses in the States in case I broke or lost my main pair. Bought at the last minute, the backup pair cost me well over $100, and within a few months one of the lenses had a big scratch on it. That was dumb: Unlike a number of big-ticket items, glasses are one of the absolute best purchases to make here. And given the nation's number of glasses wearers, it's logical that it's extremely inexpensive and fast to buy very decent quality glasses in China. Based on my unnecessarily extensive experience purchasing glasses in Chengdu, I've put together a list of the basics. PricesDepending on the shop, frame prices can start as low as RMB40 or run as high as in the thousands, with many stores offering an automatic discount from the marked price of 10 to 40 percent. If you're buying lenses for the frames as well, you'll probably be offered a package deal that, depending on the type of lens you choose, might cost little more than the fram...


iWear Shopping Tip: Glasses for the Masses :: GoChengdoo (Sep 3)
Before leaving for China, I bought a pair of "backup" glasses in the States in case I broke or lost my main pair. Bought at the last minute, the backup pair cost me well over $100, and within a few months one of the lenses had a big scratch on it. That was dumb: Unlike a number of big-ticket items, glasses are one of the absolute best purchases to make here. And given the nation's number of glasses wearers, it's logical that it's extremely inexpensive and fast to buy very decent quality glasses in China. Based on my unnecessarily extensive experience purchasing glasses in Chengdu, I've put together a list of the basics. PricesDepending on the shop, frame prices can start as low as RMB40 or run as high as in the thousands, with many stores offering an automatic discount from the marked price of 10 to 40 percent. If you're buying lenses for the frames as well, you'll probably be offered a package deal that, depending on the type of lens you choose, might cost little more than the fram...


Chongqing Theaters :: Maxxelli-blog, for expats living in Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Wuxi (Sep 3)
Chongqing Theaters There are many cultural things to do in Chongqing. One of the things that is worth checking out are the several theaters located around Chongqing city. Maxxelli blog Chongqing has made a Google map which shows the different locations, as well as a short description of the plays available. We wish you good luck!View in a larger map Chongqing Grand TheaterThe big futuristic building viewable from Hong Ya Dong, has many different artists and plays.Check out this earlier Maxxelli blog for more information. Sichuan Opera TheaterThis theater shows performances of the famous Sichuan Opera. A mix of comedy, solos, refined acting and many more.Classical repertoire:Legend of Liuyin, Legend of Jingcai, Legend of Fenxiang, Legend of Jinzi Beijing Opera TheaterClassical repertoire:Legend of Shisanmei, three Jinshi, Yutangchun. Bayu TheaterClassical  repertoire:The romantic story took place in Chongqing. Chongqing Acrobatics Arts TroupeClassical repertoire:Kicking umbrella ...


Shanghai Rugby Sevens: Did anyone remember to tell Shanghai? :: CNNGo - Shanghai (Sep 3)
c4d07ed71371411ebba75a41496be551 The Hong Kong Rugby Sevens. It’s been sitting on our doorstep since 1976 and has arguably established itself as the preeminent event on the Asian sporting calendar. But has much of it rubbed off on Shanghai's affluent sports fans -- or any part of the mainland, for that matter? Enter the Shanghai Rugby Sevens. With the tournament in its second year, we thought it a good time to check its pulse on the mainland and to see if organizers have made any headway in replicating the game's SAR success. read more


HBH 198 :: Round-the-World Barstool Blues (Sep 3)
A drizzly morning,The rain that hid all summer.Now the taxis hide. Ah, rain in Beijing - welcome, refreshing, much needed; but it's going to be hard to get to work this morning.


A Symphonic Orchestra on iPad :: MOBIZ (Sep 2)
The iPad Orchestra is an ensemble of four musical players. The t-shirts they wear during concerts are marked with the musical instrument they are each playing on their iPads. These instruments consist of the clarinet, cello, flute and violin. The downloaded musical application is called ‘Seline HD.’


AmCham-China Podcasts :: Mark's China Blog (Sep 2)
I found a treasure trove of China podcasts for all of the China news/culture/politics/economics nerds out there. The podcasts are all produced by the American Chamber of Commerce from the People's Republic of China - AmCham-China - and can be found here. So far, I've listened to the following: Bill Bishop (@niubi on Twitter) talking about Chinese real estate. Jeremy Goldkorn (from danwei.org) talking about censorship. Zachary Karabell talking about the US/China economies and his book Superfusion. There are dozens more discussions on the site with prominent China thinkers that I look forward to listening to (Ambassador Jon Huntsman, Peter Hessler, Evan Osnos, etc.). The ones I've heard so far have been quality. Go listen.