 Young Lee Named AboutShanghai.com's Community Activist of the Year
Young Lee is not Chinese and he does not live or work in Shanghai, China, and these things may sound on the surface like reasons why he should not be named AboutShanghai's Community Activist of the Year. But it's because of these non-qualifications that readers should recognize all that much more why his selection is such a testament to his character and business savvy...READ MORE |
 Internet Blamed for Teen Pregnancies
A recent newspaper report has revealed that almost half of the pregnant teens in Shanghai met their partners on the internet. According to Dr. Zhang Zhengrong of Shanghai's No. 411 Hospital, 46 percent of the more than 20,000 girls who called the city's pregnancy hotline in the past two years had sex with boys they met online...READ MORE |
 Garlic Wards Off More Than Vampires at Shanghai Zoo
To keep penguins at the Shanghai Zoo disease-free, zookeepers are feeding them garlic. Respiratory problems and other illnesses pose a threat during China's long, humid summer, and the zoo wants to do what it can to keep the animals healthy...READ MORE |
 Shanghai Drivers Turn to More Soothing Car Horns
In an attempt to reduce the amount of street noise in Shanghai, the city has banned cars from honking their horns in the downtown area. Those who decide to go ahead and lean on their horns anyway could face fines of up to 200 RMB ($13). Even police cars are included in the ban and can only use their sirens in emergencies...READ MORE |
 Shanghai to Use Mobile Food Safety Tests
Recent food scares from China have prompted Shanghai to begin using mobile food tests to verify the safety of food within 30 minutes. Officials plan to begin using the system to test meat and vegetables before the end of the year and will use the test results to enforce legal rulings...READ MORE |
 Demand for Copper Leads to Water Meter Theft
Thanks to China's growing economy, there has been a rise in thefts of copper water meters in recent months. The economy is spurring demand for metal and other commodities, and criminals looking to make a bit of money are going after the water meters...READ MORE |
 Shanghai to Have Helicopter Police Force
The municipal public security bureau of Shanghai has signed a contract with Eurocopter to purchase three helicopters for its first team of helicopter police. The helicopters are expected to be put into use beginning next year, and the police will serve during the 2010 World Expo...READ MORE |
 Conjoined Brothers Separation Surgery Successful
Huang Long and younger brother Huang Jianlong were connected from breastbone to navel, shared their liver and faced one another for the first 80 days of their lives. On April 17th they arrived in Shanghai via train in hopes that the Shanghai Children’s Medical Centre – a hospital that has successfully separated six conjoined twins in the past – would once again be successful in performing the complicated surgery which would allow the boys longer, healthier lives, separate from one another...READ MORE |
 Number of HIV Infections on the Rise in Shanghai
Sexually transmitted diseases are becoming more and more common in Shanghai, with a record number of HIV cases being reported last year, and 935 new cases of syphilis reported in March. Last year, there were 718 new HIV infections, and 53 patients developed AIDS. That is a 54% increase in the number of infections over the previous year. According to Cai Wei, vice-director of the municipal public health administration, the number is still lower than the national average...READ MORE |
 Too Hot for the Birds
Rising temperatures mean that a large number of birds are no longer spending their winters in Shanghai. Last winter the average temperature in Shanghai was 8.1 degrees Celsius, the highest since record-keeping began in 1873. And according to ornithologist Yuan Xiao, that rise in temperature is the reason why the number of ducks and swans in Shanghai during the winter has dropped 90% in the past two years...READ MORE |
 Begging for a Living
A 17-year-old high school student recently conducted a study and found that over 40% of beggars in Shanghai make 1000 (about $130) RMB a month. Huang Yan, a student at the No. 2 High School of East China Normal University, spent 8 months interviewing and photographing beggars in China for a 48-page report...READ MORE |
 Ford to Show Off at Auto Show Shanghai
The Ford Motor Company plans to display 52 cars at this year's Auto Show Shanghai. This is the 12th annual show in Shanghai, and the 4th consecutive year that Ford has been in attendance. The show opens to the public on April 22...READ MORE |
 Two Unique Boys Seek New Life in Shanghai
On Monday two very special boys arrived at Shanghai Station, having traveled from Central China’s Henan Province. The young travelers are a mere 55 days old and the trip will change their destiny. The brothers, named Huang Long and Huang Jianlong are conjoined twins and have come to Shanghai in hopes of a successful separation...READ MORE |
 Global Warming Puts Shanghai at Risk
According to a recent study, more than two thirds of the world's large cities are in areas that could be dramatically affected by rising sea levels in the coming decades. Moreover, 634 million people live in areas at risk, and that number is growing every day...READ MORE |
 Xi Jinping Named Shanghai Leader
Xi Jinping has been named secretary of the Shanghai Communist Party of China Municipal Committee, which makes him the number one political figure in Shanghai. Last year, Chen Liangyu was dismissed from the position following a corruption scandal...READ MORE |
 Food Waste to be Tempered
The custom that requires that there is always enough food for everyone and no one is left hungry – never take the last piece of food – may have led to the over ordering of food in restaurants and resulting waste...READ MORE |
 AIDS: Surprising New Statistics
AIDS and HIV is a worldwide epidemic. Last year there were 70,000 new cases recorded on mainland China and although most of these new cases were intravenous drug users, sex workers and their clients, the virus has begun to spread among the general population. China’s representative to The World Health Organization, Dr. Henk Bekedam stated, "China's HIV infections have been linked to high-risk behavior. But now, sex work is moving it toward the general population," making unprotected sex the newest means for the virus’ spread throughout China...READ MORE |
 Cross-Cultural Marriages Rising - Divorces Too
More marriages are occurring between Chinese people and foreigners, but the divorce rate is on the rise as well. In 2006, 2,960 cross-cultural marriages were registered in Shanghai, up 22.97 percent from 2005...READ MORE |
 Wok Carefully - Chinese Restaurants Dish Up Heavy Amounts of Sodium
A recent study conducted by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, titled Wok Carefully, found that many of the items on menus at Chinese restaurants in the United States contain enough sodium for an entire day or more. Researchers also found that although a number of menu items were high in fat, most of the fat came from heart-safe, trans-fat-free vegetable oils...READ MORE |
 Animated Light Show on Subway Walls
Subway officials in Shanghai are looking into the feasibility of adding light strips to subway walls that would create flip-book style animations, allowing for advertisements and entertainment... READ MORE |
 Countdown to Safety on Trial in Shanghai
Shanghai police set up countdown timers next to traffic lights over the weekend in an attempt to curb drivers from running red lights, a habit that is far too common in the city...READ MORE |
 Forget Murders and Muggings, China Tackles Spitting and Littering
I’m not going to pretend that murder and muggings are a small consequence against modern life and living, but in China those two things are few and far between, especially as they pertain to foreigners. When it comes to public hawking of fat, phlegmy loogies and dropping trash in public places, well, us expats find it a bit offensive. Fear not, however, the campaign against them has already been launched....READ MORE |
 Shanghai’s Pollution Cleanup Efforts - Working
The Wusong Industrial Zone, which had long been a source of pollution in Shanghai, has been cited as a showcase for recovery and improvement of the ecology and environment. The turnaround was accomplished by revamping and optimizing the city’s industrial structure and production technologies. Meng Zhongwei, deputy director of the office in charge of cleaning up the Wusong Industrial Zone stated, “Our concept was to improve the environment while revamping structure.”READ MORE |
 Listening to the Old Man in the Market
When wandering the streets of Shanghai -- a fantastic way to spend an afternoon I might add -- you may meet the old man in the market. I’m not talking about an actual, specific, old man in any specific market, but his general type. They’re in every market, really, and they’re as interesting and insightful as they are, well, old...READ MORE |
 Rising Risk of Cancer Among Shanghainese Women
The rate of cancer among women in Shanghai is rising, due to poor diet, obesity, and smoking. According to the Shanghai Disease Prevention and Control Centre, the number of women with cancer has almost doubled in the past two decades....READ MORE |
 AboutShanghai Enters Into Syndication Agreement with PerplexingTimes.com
Ever since our inception we’ve always been on the lookout for new, interesting and fresh perspectives on events, attractions and reviews of and about Shanghai in any way we’re able to find and foster them. As of this week, we’ve entered in to an exciting contract with perhaps the most unique of all outlooks on the matter of visiting Shanghai. We’ve reached an agreement with the junior proprietors of Perplexing Times and we could not be more excited.... READ MORE |
 Scam Watch - Crazy Guy With Unsolicited Hinder
Pedestrians beware of the craziest of all attempts to swindle you from your hard earned money. It’s not the worst because it tries to sell you goods of little value or even take much of your money. No, it’s the craziest of all because it will come in the form of an old guy who will stop you, waste what time you’re kind enough to patronize, vandalize what goods you have on hand, and then still have the gall to ask for money in trade for it.... READ MORE |
