Dine / Wine
Shanghai Food
A meal in Chinese culture is typically seen as consisting of two general components:
main food - a carbohydrate source or starch, typically rice (predominant in southern parts of China),noodles, or buns (predominant in northern parts of China), and accompanying dishes - of vegetables, fish, meat, or other items.
This cultural conceptualization is in some ways in contrast to Western meals where meat or animal protein is often considered the main dish. Chopsticks are the primary eating utensil in Chinese culture for solid foods, while spoons are used for drinking soups. Food is usually prepared in bite-sized pieces (except fish, crabs and so on), ready for direct picking up and eating. Traditionally, Chinese culture considered using knives and forks at the table "barbaric" due to fact that these implements are regarded as weapons. It was also considered ungracious have guests work at cutting their own food.
Shanghai, being a relatively new city in China, does not really have a cuisine of its own, but successfully refines all the work of the surrounding provinces such as Zhejiang and Jiangsu. Through years of culinary practice and the assimilation of the art in other styles of cuisine, Shanghai chefs have also created a style of cuisine peculiar to the region. Shanghai dishes are usually characterized by the use of heavy and highly flavored sauce.
The use of sugar is another uniqueness found in Shanghainese cuisine and, especially when used proportionally with soy sauce, the taste created is not so much sweet but rather savory.
Some Tasty Shanghai Food
Xiao Long Bao (Little Dragon Bun):
Xiao Long Bao is a type of steamed bun or baozi from eastern China, especially Shanghai. Unlike the buns in northern China, these buns are very small and easy to swallow. The buns are usually steamed in containers made of bamboo. The skin of the buns is very thin and the bun is very juicy. The dish is now popularized and consumed widely throughout China as a Dim Sum.
Chou Dou Fu (Smelly Tofu):
When first smelled, one would naturally hold their nose, not to mention give it a try and swallow a piece. The smelly tofu is a popular local food mainly found on Shanghai streets. The tofu is fermented with many ingredients before fried. Old ladies usually serve them on their little trolley. Despite their odor,most foreigners love it after tasting it. It is dirt cheap too!
Da Zha Xie (Hairy Crab):
Da Zha Xie is a special type of crab found in rivers, and is normally consumed in the winter. The crabs are tied with ropes or strings, placed in bamboo containers, steamed and served. There is little artificial ingredient added to the dish yet it tastes fantastically good. Da Zha Xie is usually consumed with vinegar. Locals are also quite fussy about when to consume male crabs and when to consume female crabs.
Pi Dan (Preserved Eggs):
Preserved duck eggs are a traditional Shanghainese delicacy, and although known as "1000-year-old eggs" they are rarely more than 100 days old. It is done using a traditional method. Pidan is now very common in China, and is sometimes consumed with congee.
Restaurants and Night - Life
Chinese food enjoys a high reputation in the world not only for its exquisite, delicious taste and charming appearance but also for its sheer abundance. It is due to the diversity of the climate, products and customs that there are widely different food styles and tastes in local regions. Generally, Chinese food can be divided into eight regional cuisines, the distinction of which is now widely accepted. Certainly, there are many other local cuisines that are famous, such as Beijing Cuisine and Shanghai Cuisine. Throughout our long history, cuisine has played an important role and now is considered an integral part of the nation’s traditional culture.
Where are you from? Which kind of food do you like? It doesn't matter! You needn't to worry about dining in Shanghai. As an all-embracing pot of the world cultures, Shanghai is sure to have the delicacies from all over the world. Today there are many foreigners work, study or live in Shanghai. Many foreign tourists choose Shanghai to be there must destination during their stay in China. Additionally more and more locals want to try foods from foreign countries and experience the exotic customs and cultures. Therefore a number of foreign restaurants emerged and became popular.
If you find yourself with a longing for food from your homeland, many foreign cuisines restaurants in the city offer you a wide range of choices.There is several major food streets gathered all kinds of restaurant for you to have a free choice when you cannot decide what to eat before dining out.
If you love both Chinese and western food and want various styles of delicacies at the same time, buffet dinner in Shanghai is sure to give you satisfaction. Maybe you are interested in trying typical Chinese hot pot; a large number of restaurants in the city serving different kinds of hot pot will not disappoint you. Missing the western steak and BBQ? Don' worry. The city's steakhouses and barbeque restaurants are excellent.
If you are on a tight timetable, fast food chain restaurants are to be found all over Shanghai. These offer quality food at very reasonable prices. Vegetarian and Muslim restaurants are also available for diners who have special dietary requirements. Tired of common and dull dining experience? Many special restaurants in the city are for you to explore.
If you want to have a leisurely afternoon, please do not hesitate to go to the bakeries, confectionaries, cafes and teahouses in the city. You are sure to enjoy yourself to the full!
Of course, if you find yourself with a craving for Western food – whether its Mexican Frijoles, French Onion Soup or American-style barbeque ribs – there are scores of Western restaurants to choose from and a seemingly endless line of brand new foreign food restaurants opening nearly every month. Bon appetite!
Chinese Food
All kinds of restaurants are available in Shanghai, RMB200-300 for per person. Local restaurant is much cheaper than western if you would like to try Chinese food, you will have plenty of choices. In the last few years, the restaurants of Shanghai have undergone a revival. The old government runs food halls have gone and have been replaced by an exciting range of eateries, from fast food and street stalls to sophisticated international restaurants. Eating out in Shanghai is now a treat and the vast range of fabulous dishes for which Chinese cuisine is so rightly famed confronts visitors. In China cooking is known as the "ninth art" and Shanghai is said to lead the country as far as catering is concerned. Chinese food has a profound history and culture. Due to the large area and multiple ethnic groups which the country has, different regions have their own cuisines and featured food. Dishes of different cuisines are varied in cooking method, appearance and taste. Additionally there are many distinctive Chinese snacks you may like to try when you visit the country.
There are many restaurants of renown with chefs who specialize in cooking dishes from all eight of the Chinese styles: Beijing, Guangdong, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, Anhui and Fujian. Each of these consists of several localized styles; for example, Zhejiang cuisine is made up Hangzhou, Ningbo and Shaoxing dishes. A diner could eat out for more than a year in Shanghai and still only try a fraction of the cuisine on offer.
As the locals in Shanghai put it, 'Blessed are those born in Shanghai as they have the most chances to taste delicious food'. Shanghai Cuisine is not one of the Eight MajorCuisines of China but is a choice blend of the most appealing aspects of these other national styles of food. Also, Shanghai's chefs are always ready to adopt the best aspects of foreign cuisines and make them their own. Therefore, it may be safely said that you can enjoy all the best food from home and abroad for all budgets when in Shanghai.
Nightlife
Shanghai has been a city abundant in night life since 1930s. At that time night life was upper-class people’s privilege. Only the rich merchants and officials can go to night clubs to enjoy night life. Lots of rickshaws were waiting outside the clubs. Once performances in the clubs ended the owners of the rickshaws began to rush to their goals - the rich people who just ended their night activities.
Nowadays, almost every young adult can enjoy night life. They go to bars, parks or cinemas with their friends or lovers. In a word, night life has become an indispensable part to people who live in Shanghai.
Shanghai is city that boasts of a vivacious nightlife; there are countless bars, pubs and nightclubs to spice up your nights in the city. Nightclubs in Shanghai are a major source of entertainment in the city. There are numerous nightclubs in the city, which offer live music as well as a wide array of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages along with delicacies from all over the world. Some of the popular night clubs of Shanghai are Cotton Club, California Club, 1865 Club and Maya.
The highlight of the nightclubs of Shanghai is their atmosphere; the ambience of the night clubs is electrifying and dazzling. Most of the clubs boast of state of the art dance floors, which are packed during the weekends and festivals. Music is an integral part of any night club and all the night clubs of the city have special musical arrangements. Some of the clubs host live musical shows whereas others feature world class DJs mixing and remixing old and new hits. You can listen to a wide variety of music in these clubs ranging from hard rack to hip hop.
The nightclubs of Shanghai also boast of avant-garde dining options. All the clubs offer varieties of delicacies from across the world and the finest beverages and innovative cocktails to refresh your mood. Apart from these facilities, the clubs also host events and parties all round the week and during festivals.
Quick Tip
- Ladies, look out for "Ladies Nights," you can drink for free basically every night of the week if you plan ahead.
- Guys, look out for ladies nights; you know the score.
- Drink deals for all are available if you search them out: check out the happy hour listings and also watch for club openings in the events page -- free drinks taste better.
- Ditch the bar strips like Hengshan Lu -- these are mostly for tourists and don't reflect the real heartbeat of Shanghai's nightlife.
- News spreads fast in Shanghai. Check out the SmSh Wire and subscribe to TheAdmiral's weekly email roundup for the latest updates on nightlife happenings.
Visitors to Shanghai might be surprised to discover that the vast majority of clubs are filled with expats and tend to be Western in theme. Even though you're in China, on a given night you could walk into a diluted version of an Ohio State frat party, an Ibiza rave, a London pub, a New York hipster dive, or French lounge. With the local Chinese, KTV is king (as the saying goes) in terms of nightlife recreation, and the amount of KTV (Karaoke TV) bars dwarfs any other genre of club. KTV caters to a vast demographic, from couples, to business colleagues, to friends, and even families -- groups not necessarily interested in consuming vast amounts of alcohol and narcotics
In recent years, though -- and with the world financial crisis creating a mass exodus of expats -- Chinese clubbers have become the dominant purchasing demographic, and the Shanghai nightlife industry has responded accordingly. Clubbing has caught of the "Chinese club" looms large over Shanghai's nightlife. The Chinese-managed clubbing franchise Muse currently sets the standard in Shanghai nightlife as the most lucrative and successful set-up and orientation, and has created a whole host of imitators in its wake. Pretenders to the Muse throne open and shut weekly in Shanghai, and the franchise has a total lock on their demographic and what they want. On any given night of the week and at any of the Muse venues, visitors can expect a full house -- models and bottles -- along with hip hop and/or mash up and/or electro on the system.
"Chinese clubs" are great places to search out if you're not a snob about the decore, are accepting that it's different strokes for different folks, and are looking to travel to where most Westerners fear to tread. The current be-all-and-end all for the true Chinese clubbing experience is No.88, a new club on Fumin Lu. We shan't say more. Alternatively, a long-running success story is Babyface, a club franchise with several venues in China, hosting frequent appearance by world famous DJs. Another club popular with the local Chinese crowd is Guandii, which is a hip hop venue. And also there's one of the several MT venues, which are basically one-step removed from KTV.Night life in Shanghai is gentle and colorful because life here is much more than life itself. It is elegant. The scenery at night has to be seen and the Bund is a must. The ornate classical and modern buildings take on a new and exciting look as they are lit up by an abundance of colored lights. Looking across the Huangpu River to the Oriental Pearl TV Tower and Jinmao Tower is a magical sight. A night-time Huangpu River cruise presents a wonderful opportunity to appreciate the night life on the Bund. 30 or so boats carry tourists; These include deluxe boats, ancient dragon boats of Ming and Qing styles, boats of Shikumen style of old Shanghai, Pirate Boat, etc. The boat fare is CNY 68. Whatever kind of boat you take, the view to be seen here at night will be sure to live on in your memory for years to come. Leaving the scenery aside, walking westward along Nanjing East Road, you will quickly reach the famous Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, the gaily illuminated shops are an exciting backdrop to the cheerful crowds that come here after dark to enjoy the carefree atmosphere, where it is possible to pick up a bargain or enjoy a tasty morsel to eat. Subway Line 1 linksShanghai's three main shopping areas: Nanjing Road, Huanhai Road and Xujiahui. Something that is most convenient for those who like their shopping expeditions! Most of the shops will close at 10 pm but that is when the tea houses and bars really come into their own and the night is still young!
Tea Houses open 24 hours a day. Apart from enjoying a lone taste of tea, you can invite several friends and play cards or just chat. Once you are here, you can experience all this for yourself. Fashionable entertainments are favorites with young people. When night falls, Shanghai bathes in the light of various entertainment venues. Nightclubs, Karaoke, discos, bars and coffee houses are all popular night time meeting places.
Shanghai Xin Tian Di has many visitors. If you are visiting Shanghai for the first time, it is much safer to go Xin Tian Di for the night life. Xin Tian Di, the most fashionable area cultivated in the distinctive Shikumen Buildings, the architectural styles of both west and east from the 1920s and 1930s Shanghai around South Huangpi Road and Xingye Road, has become the popular place to go. Every building has a modern interior and has become an international gallery, fashion shop, themed restaurant, coffee house or bar. Bars are where young white collars discuss their work or talk about life; even hard questions on the desk get solved here! Open-air bars are popular here also. Xin Tian Di offers the most choice and favorable appreciation. The arrival of more and more boutiques, designer shops and luxury goods stores continually adds to the enjoyment of Xin Tian Di.
Shanghai's first bars were opened in Hengshan Road, and they remain more popular than those elsewhere. Close to Xujiahui Commercial Circle, Hengshan Road is situated in a convenient situation. Here there are bars in great numbers, side by side and in which you can take tea or coffee. A wide variety of bars ranging from the brash to more intimate and quiet abound to suit your every mood. Thus, Hengshan Road at night can be one of the most bustling places in Shanghai.
Fuxing Park, located at No.2, Haolan Road, Shanghai, is the only well-preserved French park in China, so people also call it "France Garden". Altogether there are three clubs here. They are Park97, Guandi and Cash Box.Among them, Park97 is where veterans spend their nights through. Three popular food and entertainment grounds, Baci Restaurant of Italian cuisine, Tokio Joe Restaurant with its Japanese cuisine and the California Club from Hong Kong Lan Kwai Fong make up Park97. Compared with that in Xin Tian Di, nightlife here is not that showy but exudes an everlasting glamour. With elegance, exoticism, top-rank wine and music, Park97 has its special charm. Guandi, the most noted club here, is the first superior club opened in China after Taibei's. Cash Box (Qian Gui) as Shanghai's oldest, most renowned KTV has the largest scale. The branch in Fuxing Park is the best of all in Shanghai.