 elcome to Shanghai, one of the world’s most dynamic cities.
 In recent years, Shanghai has hosted international conferences, the National Basketball Association games, major tennis, sports car racing and golfing events, and SH Contemporary 07 , the first major international art fair held in China.
Next year, 2008, the city will host the Shanghai Biennale again, certain to be one of the biggest arts events of the year.
For those visiting Shanghai, ArtZineChina has compiled a guide to cool places to visit, including restaurants, boutique hotels, interesting areas and arts-related locations that are often overlooked in most guide books. We have also made of list of Who is Who in Shanghai’s contemporary art scene.
Here is our guide to Shanghai, which we will update periodically, including adding suggested sites from our viewers.
WHERE TO STAY:
  f you are visiting for the first time or coming on a business account, we recommend the five star hotels. The Shangri-La and Grand Hyatt Hotel in Pudong’s financial district are far and away the city’s premier hotels. Prices range from $175 to $300 a night. Both hotels have excellent dining facilities. The Hyatt has a fantastic breakfast, with a fine mix of western and Chinese food. And the Shangri-La has what is probably the best lunch buffett in Shanghai. Also, for dinner, a cool spot at the Shangri-La is Jade on 36 -- where there is also a hip bar.
The Shangri-La is the newer of the two hotels but both has spectacular facilities, lobbies, restaurants and views of the city’s skyline. The downside of these hotels is their location in Pudong, which is an area still under construction; it is not an easy ride into the central area of Shanghai. The streets around the hotels are also not easy to walk and there’s little night life there. The Grand Hyatt also just opened an entirely new space not far from the Bund. It's called the Hyatt on the Bund at Huangpu Road (86 21 6393 1313)
Another splendid hotel is the five-star Westin , which is right near the Bund. The advantages are close proximity to the old city and the Bund and an immaculate hotel for businessmen and professionals. Also, it has a Banyan Tree Spa.
One of the city's most expensive hotels is a boutique hotel called The Mansion Hotel , a spectacularly renovated French style-villa manor in the city's French Concession. Room rates run between $500 and $800 per night. And the Chinese restaurant on the first floor is absolutely first-rate, even down to the desserts. The top floor has a splendid view of the area and has a nice French restaurant that serves up a nice breakfast. The New York Times reviewed the hotel.
Jia Shanghai, housed in a historic 1920s building, is another excellent boutique hotel, clearly one of the city's most stylish. At $280 a night to $2,500 it is also one of the most expensive. The rooms are gorgeous and filled with ceramic glass and chic modern furniture. An article about Jia, which follows in the same mode of the Philip Starck design at Jia Hong Kong, appeared in The New York Times . Click here . The hotel URBN Hotels Shanghai is also excellent, with marvellous architecture, comfortable rooms and a style look that fits the new Shanghai and the old. The hotel is a renovated old warehouse.
 Our other recommendations are the Four Seasons and the J.W. Marriott Hotel , if you are looking for a top five star hotel. They are centrally located in the downtown area.
If you want something smaller, try the Donghu Hotel, a really excellent four star hotel with prices ranging from $110 to $150 a night (ask for the older building) or try the 88 Xintiandi , a high-end boutique hotel.
For couples or groups of three or four, try No. 9, an old house that operates as a kind of bed and breakfast. The price is about $80 to $120 a night, and includes a wonderful breakfast and a cool spot to hangout.
Those on a tighter budget could also try Motel 168 , which is more spartan but not bad, only about $50 a night. Also, you might try the Old Jin Jiang Hotel or City Hotel , both of which are centrally located. The famed Art Deco Peace Hotel is now closed for renovation.
 If you want the ultimate in luxury living in the Shanghai area, travel to Hangzhou (and hour and a half drive away) and stay for a weekend at the spectacular Fuchun Resort , one of the finest resorts in the country. The costs are high (about $250 to $400 a night) but you'll get amazing traditional designs, golfing areas and spa treatment. It’s about an hour drive from Hangzhou but the resort will pick you up for a few extra dollars. Spectacular villas are also available for rental. On the list of club members: Internet giant Alibaba's Jack Ma.
At the bottom of this page are links to all the hotels, with addresses in English and Chinese.
WHERE TO EAT:
 f you are travelling to Shanghai from the West, and are a little worried about venturing out into the Chinese restaurants, here are some easy picks: Laris , run by a Greek Australian who has a beautiful white marble space at Three on the Bund . Also, in the same building you’ll find Jean Georges . Across the Street, at M on the Bund , is more good food. But expect to pay western prices at these places.
If you are entertaining with a big budget and want something Chinese, one of the best places in town is the Mansion Hotel , which is listed at the bottom of the page, a remarkable updating of an old villa that has private rooms with good service and exquisite Chinese food, including a dish that includes an edible ink brush that is dipped in sauce.
Perhaps the best and hottest restaurant in Shanghai opened in November 2007; it's called Hamilton House , and is a magnificent art deco space restored to its 1930s splendor with a touch of modernism. The chef is Australian and HH, which is near the Bund, serves up a wonderful menu with succulent beef, sea bass, lamb, salmon and poached egg. Nearly everything on the menu is special. And the setting is really a glimpse of what the future of Shanghai will be like when more of its old historic buildings are renovated, restored and modernized by talented designers and architects.
Also, try T8 at Xintiandi , great setting and good food and beautiful club and bar upstairs, decorated in modern Indonesian style. Or Face , the ultimate ex-pat hangout with a touch of China and the West and yet serving Thai and Indian food. For Italian food, try DaMarco at Dongzhu an Bang Road, which is always packed with Europeans. And there's also, Pane e Vino, which is smaller but also quite good for Italian food.
One of the best new restaurants for eclectic and fresh Western food is Casa 13, at 1100 Huashan Road, past Fuxing Road, in a lane street. The roasted pepper appetizer is delicious. And Sunday brunch is delightful. Ask to be seated in the sun room. Also, try A Future Perfect , which has had good reviews.
Japanese food in Shanghai is also pretty good in Shanghai. The best places we know are Sun with Aqua at No. 6 on the Bund and Shintori , which has a cool space in the French Concession area, including a bamboo path walkway and a factory-style interior. Also fabulous is: Haiku by Hatsune. Probably the best quality sushi comes from Tenya, see below, which now has several locations in Shanghai, including one near Xintiandi (Behind Die Yuan). Dinner for two can run about $60 without wine.
 If you are interested in Chinese food, there's a range, of course, from Lost Heaven, which has folk cusine from western China’s Yunnan Province (one of the jazziest looking restaurants in town) to Lynn, which serves fresh modern Shanghai cuisine near the Ritz-Carlton Portman Hotel .
There’s also 881 South Beauty, one of the most stunning restaurants and bars in the city, but not very crowded, largely because of the price point, and the Whampoa Club at Three on the Bund, which serves Shanghai classics with a modern twist. South Beauty is owned by Zhang Lan , the Beijing entreprenuer and major collector of Chinese contemporary art. She's now planning a new space on the Bund, where she says she'll hang her major pieces, including works by Fang Lijun and Liu Xiaodong .
One of Shanghai’s most remarkable dinner settings is YongFoo Elite , moder Cantonese cuisine at an old villa, with lots of Chinese and European antiques. Worth a visit. Mesa, really nice bar and restaurant and delightful dishes, including steak, shouldn't be missed, though it's a bit pricey.
Coconut Paradise has a beautiful setting in an old French Concession house, serving Thai food. Off the beaten track is Die Yuan, a restaurant near Xintiandi , where you can get a nice meal for about $15 a person.
Thai Gallery is quite good. And Simply Thai are also good and dependable with nice locations in Xintiandi and Heng Shan Road. They also have a web site: www.simplythai-sh.com.
Also, for the more adventurous, there’s Hunan cuisine at JiXiang Xuan. Tan Dun , the composer born in Hunan, has been known to frequent this place, so it must be authentic. At the bottom of this page are links to all the restaurants, with addresses in English and Chinese.
Two other excellent Shanghai restaurants, for local cuisine, are Jade , on Maoming Road, near the Old Jinjiang Hotel, which has seating around a huge theatre stage, and Fu 1039, one of the best Shanghainese restaurants in town, set in an old lane house. It is at Yuyuan Lu and Jiangsu Lu. See addresses at bottom of the page. Last, but not least, try a restaurant called 1221, at 1221 Yan'an Road. It's close to the Regent Hotel and is fantastic Shanghainese food in a slightly hard to find spot, because it's hidden beneath a highway ramp. Still, it's well worth a visit.
AFTER DARK:
  ooking for a nice place to read and relax or just talk with friends late into the night, there is the Citizen Bar & Cafe, which looks like a place you’ll find in France or Spain and serves decent food too. Or the Old China Hand Reading Room, a bookstore cafe.
In Shanghai, at night, check out The Door if you like traditional instruments played with a modern flavor, every night beginning at 10. Just have a drink and listen for a few hours or relax in the bar’s private rooms.
Also, the Cotton Club and JZ Club for good jazz. For those who want to be pure tourists, go to the Ritz-Carlton Portman Hotel for the nightly acrobatics show.
More spots include Bar Rouge and the Glamour Bar at M on the Bund, probably the city’s best bar for expats and wealthy Chinese.
One of the most impressive new places in early 2008 -- and already crowded at night -- is the Lounge at Bund 18 , the beautifully designed, high ceilinged bar and lounge that comes to life after 10. This is one of the city's most fashionable places; the music after 10 can be too loud and finding a seat can be difficult but this is a must-see place in Shanghai.
If you are into clubs, Park 97, Snatch and Fabrique are out there for the dancing. And there's plenty of Karaoke, which has become a huge industry, along with massage parlors. Those looking for a great foot or body massage, ex-pats often head to Dragonfly, while others like Taipan. Attica , a club-lounge-restaurant, is another option, on the Bund. There is a Italian fusion restaurant, a main dance room and a place with cool white modernist furniture.
For a quieter, more elegant setting, head to The Wine Residence, a 100-year-old mansion that was splendidly renovated and redesigned by Kathryn Scott, the New York based interior designer and wife of the Shanghai born artist Gu Wenda . The Wine Residence just opened in late 2007 and is located near People's Square at 57 Jiangyin Road. See full address at the bottom of the page.
THE ART SCENE:
  f course, art lovers want to see good art, and while Beijing has a more bustling art scene, Shanghai is also booming.
Moganshan Road Arts District , or M50 , is the city's bustling and booming arts district. There is plenty of bad commercial art there, but look for the best galleries and try to get in to see some of the areas best known artists.
ShanghArt is the most prominent space there, and has ties to the best artists. Also, ArtScene Warehouse has a great space. Eastlink Gallery and Shine Art Space are also nice.
Artists in the area include Ding Yi (abstract), Zhou Tiehai (known for his Joe Camel portraits and recently mentioned in Time magazine); Xue Song (artful collages) Xu Zhen and Gu Wenda (the Shanghai born but Brooklyn based artist).
 Also Shanghai is home to a larger group of talented artists who operate outside of M50. Yang Fudong , for instance, is one of the most talented young video artists in China. There’s also Xiang Jing and Qu Guanci , a couple of sculptures who are making waves on the auction market. Xiang Jing is one of the hottest artists in China. Her works have been collected by major European collectors, such as Charles Saatchi , and she has been praised by Li Xianting , Beijing’s well known art critic.
Also, Li Shan (known for his Mao pop pieces) and Qiu Anxiong (perhaps the most creative video artist in the country) as well as Liu Jianhua , Zheng Zaidong , Wang Xingwei , Yu Youhan , Wu Shanzhuan.
No studio visit in China is perhaps as spectacular as seeing the massive complex controlled by Zhang Huan, the former performance artist, who now has what may be the world's largest studio, aided by over 100 workers and assistants. If you're lucky enough to get there, you'll be stunned by the array of pieces under construction. There's a video showing a glimpse of Zhang Huan's studio on Youtube.com
Art lovers and collectors visiting Shanghai also might want to visit a few people who are power brokers or in the know. Among them, Lorenz Helbing , the head of ShanghArt Gallery and Pearl Lam , the Hong Kong born businesswoman, art collector and producer of the city’s most extravagant and outrageous parties.
Pearl Lam runs the Contrasts Gallery , and during the recent SH Contemporary 07 in September, she held a series of over the top  parties that were the talk of the town. Also, you won’t find his space listed anywhere but Mi Qiu is a well known artist, sculptor and landscape designer who lives here and operates a studio here. He is plugged into the artistic world here and is one of the designers behind Tao’s Place . Also, try DDM Warehouse if you’re looking for another view into the art world here.
Many of these artists can be reached through ArtZineChina.com , just email us at info@artzinechina.com
Other major spaces are the Shanghai Art Museum , home to the Shanghai Biennale, which drew a record 2 million visitors in 2006. The museum has rotating shows on several floors, some quite good and others apparently paid for by artists seeking recognition. But the museums hidden permanent collection has some wonderful pieces by artists like Wu Guanzhong , Lin Fengmian and Zhu Dequn . Those pieces are worth a look.
Also, not far from the Shanghai Art Museum is the Museum of Contemporary Art, or MoCA, located in a former greenhouse. The space is owned by a Hong Kong jewelry dealer who is now trying to create a major art space. MoCA is hardly a museum (it has no permanent collection); it’s really run like a commercial gallery, with sponsorships from BMW and Addidas in recent years.. But major artists have had works shown here, like Wang Guangyi, Yue Minjun and Zhang Xiaogang.
MoCa likes to show anime art, Japanese pop art, and also Italian art. Its own biennale show was also impressive in 2006. But the museum lost its director, Victoria Lu , and is searching for direction.
There’s also the Shanghai Gallery of Art at Three on the Bund. Many consider it the country’s most stylish space, and under the directorship of Weng Ling , the gallery held major shows and also offbeat avant-garde shows and cultural events. In the last year, the space has even held concerts by Cui Jian and Dadawa . Weng Ling , the founding director, just stepped down to move back to Beijing, but  David Chan , one of the space’s longtime curators, is now expected to run things. And he has great experience in curating exhibitions.
Zhu Qizhan Museum, Zendai Museum and the Duolun Modern Art Museum are also important. And the Zhang Jiang Contemporary Art Museum, a small space with a cool design by the Beijing architect Zhou Wei. (See profile in our magazine), with some excellent sculpture works outside.
Off the beaten track and profiled in our Cool Digs section of ArtZineChina is the Downstream Garage , near the Suzhou River, also profiled in this magazine. Then there is Deke Ehr’s Art Center, which has a collection of photographs and art works and is not well known but is worth a visit. For addresses and phone nubmers to all the places listed above, look below.
Among the personalities in Shanghai who follow the art world are Yue Sai Kan, the former cosmetics queen turned lifestyle entrepreneur and arts benefactor, and also Han Feng, the designer who swings between New York and Shanghai. And if you're a collector or curator, consider travelling an hour and a half south to Hangzhou to visit the China Academy of Fine Arts, formerly the Hangzhou Academy, one of the country's best art schools. Zhang Peili, the pioneering video artist, is director of the school's thriving New Media division.
HOTELS:
88 Xintiandi , 380 Huangpi Nan Road (86 21 5383.8833)
City Hotel , No. 5-7 Shanxi Road South, (86 21 6255.1133)
 Donghu Hotel , 70 Donghu Road, (86 21 6415 8158 )
Four Seasons Hotel , 500 Weihai Road, (86 21 6256.8888)
Grand Hyatt , Jin Mao Tower, Pudong, (86 21 5049.1234)
Jia Shanghai, 931 West Nanjing Road, (86 21 6217.9000)
Jin Jiang Hotel , 59 MaoMing Road, (86 21 6258.2582)
The Regent Hotel , 1116 Yan'an Road, Chang Ning District, (86 21 6115 9988)
JW Marriott Tomorrow Square , 399 Nanjing Road West (86 21 5359.4969)Mansion Hotel , 82 Xinle Road at Xiangyang Road, (86 21 5403.9973)
The Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai , 1376 Nanjing West Road, ( 86 21 6279 8888)
Shangri--La Hotel , 33 Fucheng Road, Pudong, (86 21 6882.8888)
URBN Hotel Shanghai , 183 Jiao Zhou Road (86 21 5153.4600)
Westin Bund Hotel , 88 Henan Zhong Lu, Shanghai (86 21 6335 1888.)
FOOD & NIGHTLIFE:
A Future Perfect , mixed food, No. 16 Lane, 351 Huashan Road (86 21 6248.8020)
Amici , Italian cuisine, No.1116 Yan An West Road (86 21 6115 9624)
Attica , 15 Zhongshan Dong Er Lu, 11/F (86 21 6373.3588)
Bao Luo , Classic Shanghainese Food, 271 Fumin Road (86 21 6279.2827)
Bar Rouge , music, bar, food, No. 18 on the Bund, (86 21 6339.1199)
Casa 13 , Eclectic Cuisine, 1100 Huashan Road, No. 13, near Fuxing Road, (86 21 5238.2782)
Cheng Lon Hang Crab House , 216 JiuJiang Road, near Henan Middle Road (86 21 6321.2010)
Citizen Cafe , Bar and Cafe, 222 JinXian Road, near Shanxi Road, (86 21 6258.1620)
Coconut Paradise Thai Cuisine , Thai food, 38 Fumin Road at Julu Road (86 21 6248.1998)
Cotton Club , No.1428 Huaihai zhonglu, near Wulumuqi Road (86 21 6437 7110)
Dak town, Pu Erh tea-house,No.25 Lane 388 Xiangyang rd. near Huaihai zhong lu (86 21 6467 6577)
DaMarco , Italian Cuisine, 103 Dongzhu’anbang Road (86 21 6210 4495)
Die Yuan , Shanghai food, 70 Taicang Road, Xintiandi area, (86 21 5383.7338)
Face , Thai and Indian food, 118 Ruijin Er Road (86 21 6466.4328)
Fu1039, Shanghainese food in an old house, No. 1039 Yuyuan Rd. near Jiangsu Rd. ( 86 21 5237 1878)
Glamour Bar , at M on the Bund, Zhongshan Dongyi Road and Guangdong Road, (86 21 6350.9988)
Haiku by Hatsune , Japanese, 26B TaoJiang Road (86 21 6445.0021)
Hamilton House , a touch of French, organic and Australian, 137 Fuzhou Road, at Jiangxi Road (86 21 6321.0586)
Jade Garden , Shanghainese cuisines, very good. 127 Maoming Road, near Huaihai Road, (86 21 5403.7028)
Jade on 36 , 33 Fucheng Road, Pudong (86 21 6882.3636)
Jixiangxuan Restaurant (Hunan cuisine) 58 Yeyang Road, at Yangjia Road (86 21 6466. 9501)
JZ Club , Jazz, No. 46 Fuxing West Road, (86 21 6431.0269)
Le Garcon Chinois, French and Vietnamese, No.3 Lane 9 Hengshan Rd.( 86 21 6445 7970)
 Lost Heaven , Yunnan Cuisine, 38 Gao You Road, near Fuxing Xi Road, (86 21 6433.5126)
Lounge at Bund 18 , 18 on the Bund, Zhongshan Dongyi Road, near Nanjing Road, 4/F (86 21 6323.8399)
Lynn , Modern Shanghai Cuisine, 99-1 Xikang Road, near Nanjing Road, (86 21 6247.0101)
M on the Bund , Zhongshan Dong Yi Road, near Guangdong Rd. (86 21 6350.9988)
Mansion Hotel , 82 Xinle Road, at Xiangyang Road, (86 21 5403.9973)
Mesa , lounge and bar, fresh, Australian eclectic, 748 Jululu near Fumin Lu (86 21 6289.9108)
Old China Reading Room , Cafe, 27 Shaoxing Road, (86 21 6473.2526)
Old Jesse Restaurant, Shanghai food, No.41 Tianping Rd., near Huaihai zhonglu (86 21 6282 9260)
Pane e Vino , 207-7 MaoMing South Road (86 21 5465.2177)
Shintori , Japanese, 803 Julu Road at Fumin Road, (86 21 5404.5252)
Simply Thai 127 Datian Lu and Beijing Xi Lu (86 21 6217 9797)
South Beauty , 881 Yanan Road, (86 21 6247.1581)
Sun with Aqua , Japanese, No. 6 at the Bund, 2F, Zhongshan Dong Yi Road, (86 21 6339.2779)
T8 Restaurant , No. 8 Xintiandi North, Lane 181 Taicang Road (86 21 6355.8999)
Tenya , fresh Japanese, No.68 Taichang lu, near Shunchang Lu (86 21 5383 6886)
The Door , bar and music, No. 1468 Hongqiao Road, 3F, (86 21 6295.3737)
The Wine Residence, wine tasting in a spectacular mansion, 57 Jiangyin Road near Huangpi Road, (86 21 6445.3214)
Three on the Bund , 17 Guangdong Road and Zhongshan Dongyi Road(86 21 6321.7733) home to Laris, Jean Georges, Whompoa Club.
Yin, Japanese food, No 59 Maoming nanlu, gate no.2 (86 21 566 5070)
Yong Foo Elite , Shanghai Cuisine, 200 Yongfu Road (86 21 5466.2727)
GALLERIES:See gallery section or links page to all Shanghai galleries .
 Deke Erh Art Centere, 2 Lane, 310 Taikang Lu (86 21 6415.0675)
SHANGHAI ARTISTS:
Ding Yi, Zhang Huan, Zhou Tiehai, Qiu Anxiong, Xu Zhen, Wenda Gu, Xiang Jing, Guang Ci, Yu Youhan, Zheng Zaidong, Liu Jianhua, Yang Fudong, Wang Xingwei, Wu Shanzhuan, Xue Song, Li Shan, Zhang Enli, Mi Qiu, Li Haifeng, Shi Yong, Ma Liang, Sun Liang and Ann Niu.
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