13 excellent things to do in Shanghai this week

Photograph: teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery

The warm and sunny weather might be temporarily hiding and yesssss it's a Monday, but there's plenty to put the spring back into your step this week. From a new unchoreographed dance-in-the-dark session in support of Lifeline Shanghai to the second instalment of the Lego Movie to some serious exhibition openings, here are the city's top events for your radar this week.

Eating & Drinking

Photograph: courtesy organiser (Peddlers)

China Restaurant Week Spring 2019

DiningCity's biannual feeding frenzy China Restaurant Week is back for its spring 2019 edition with a load of dining deals through March 24. Hundreds of Shanghai restaurants, from casual everyday eateries to super fancy fine dining joints are dropping their prices to offer set-menus starting from 78RMB per person.

📍Various locations, Thu 14-Sun 24. 

Spring Cocktail Dinner

Spring is in the air over at Pelikan where chef Kasper Pedersen has prepared a menu to be paired with cocktails from the folks at Peddlers Gin. The night will include an exclusive tasting of Peddlers on-limited-release Barrel Aged Gin. Reservations advised.

📍Pelican, 225 Xizang Lu, near Beijing Xi Lu. Thu 21. 7pm-late. 588RMB.

Things to Do

Photograph: courtesy Shanghai International Literary Festival

Linwards' Community Yoga

With holistic health community platform Linwards, yoga is at the heart of it all according to founder Julie Costerg. She leads classes at various venues around town, including anywhere from health-conscious cafés to other gyms and fitness studios (often pairing up with them for back-to-back yoga and group fitness classes). This week's community yoga session will take place on the second floor of TRIBE. Bring your own mat. Search 'Linwards灵悟' on WeChat to book.

📍TRIBE, 291 Fumin Lu, near Changle Lu. Tue 19. 7-8pm. 88RMB.

Shanghai International Literary Festival

M on the Bund’s annual Shanghai International Literary Festival is now in full swing for its 2019 edition. On a packed lineup, week two brings with it a talk from award-winning foreign correspondent Melinda Liu on her documentary short Doolittle Raiders: A China Story (Thu 21, 6pm), a session with spoken word poet Zohab Zee Khan (Fri 22, 6pm) and Qiu Xiaolong, the author behind Shanghai-based crime series Inspector Chen (Sun 24, 4pm). 

📍M on the Bund, Seventh Floor, Five on the Bund, 20 Guangdong Lu, near Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu. Until Wed 27. 100RMB; 50RMB (student); 180RMB (including lunch).

Dancelife

Dance like nobody's watching at this new monthly unchoreographed dance workout in support of Lifeline Shanghai. At Dancelife the lights are off, the tunes are loud and you’re free to dance however the music moves you – whether that’s the Lindy Hop, the lawnmower or swaying to a beat that’s all your own. Money raised from the 50RMB cover charge is donated to the Shanghai-based confidential and anonymous emotional support helpline.

📍Z&B Fitness, 14th Floor, 1219 Changle Lu, near Wulumuqi Zhong Lu. Sun 24. 5-6pm. 50RMB. 

Music & Nightlife

Photograph: @tompeterodell via Instagram

Tom Odell: Jubilee Road Tour

Singer/songwriter Tom Odell, known for such hits as 'Another Love' and 'Heal' brings his Jubilee Road Tour to Shanghai for two nights. Watch him tickle the ivories at Bandai Namco Shanghai Base.

📍Bandai Namco Shanghai Base, 179 Yichang Lu, near Jiangning Lu. Fri 22-Sat 23. 8-10pm. 480RMB. Extract the QR code to buy tickets. 

MNDSGN

Stones Throw/Low End Theory affiliate and cosmic beat-maker MNDSGN (pronounced 'mind design') comes to Shanghai via Eating Music and Xiamen-based Beatween. MNDSGN's spins on hip hop and synthesised funk made him a mainstay in the new music scene in and around Los Angeles. His 2016 album Body Wash is full of warm, '80s RnB-inspired grooves and was deemed 'Best Electronic Album' that year by Pitchfork. Support from Kota, Jiaming and Cruel Buddhist.

📍Arkham, Found 158, 168 Julu Lu, near Chengdu Nan Lu. Sat 23. 10pm-late. 100RMB.

Alter. Lunar Dance Vol. 3

Ring in rooftoop terrace season at Alter.'s night of bumping beats at The CUT. Expect classic house, disco, techno, electro and more.

📍THE CUT Rooftop, IAPM Mall, 999 Huaihai Lu, near Shaanxi Nan Lu. Sat 23. 9-11pm. 80RMB; 50RMB (presale). Extract the QR code to buy tickets. 

Bohan Phoenix Overseas Tour

Through bilingual rhymes and forward-thinking production, transnational rapper Bohan Phoenix crafts a new vision for rap music in China. The D'Angelo-loving, hip-hop enthusiast hits Arkham on the heels of his debut album, OVERSEAS.

📍Arkham, Found 158, 168 Julu Lu, near Chengdu Nan Lu. Thu 21. 8pm-late. 100RMB.

Film

Image: courtesy Warner Bros

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

Five years and two spin-off movies later, writer-producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller return to Bricksburg for a bigger, louder and brasher second Lego instalment. But while it maintains the same level of playfulness, it doesn’t quite capture the novelty or fizz of the original.

📍On general release.

Art

Photograph: teamLab, courtesy Pace Gallery

Prada presents What Was I?

Prada Rong Zhai is getting a futuristic makeover this spring as it welcomes exhibition What Was I? created by Warsaw-born artist Goshka Macuga. An eerie look into what the world could look like after the collapse of humankind, watch an android – who appears to be the only inhabitant of the historic villa – recite and rehearse a monologue full of excerpts of seminal speeches, claiming himself to be a repository of human knowledge. 

📍Prada Rong Zhai , 186 Shaanxi Bei Lu, near Nanjing Xi Lu. Sat 23-Sun 2 Jun. 60RMB. 

teamLab: Universe of Water Particles in the Tank

TANK Shanghai's inaugural exhibition, Tokyo-based art collective teamLab are turning the former oil tank into an interactive, ever-changing installation. Featured works include an enormous waterfall cascades, huge screens of flower patterns, waves triggered by human movements and more.

📍Tank Shanghai, 2350 Longteng Avenue, near Longqi Lu. Sat 23-Sat 24 Aug. 150RMB; 120RMB (weekday only); 200RMB (VIP); 350RMB (family). Extract the QR code to buy tickets.

ART 24 HOURS

Visit a load of the city's finest galleries, museums, art spaces and design stores on a single ticket as ART 24 HOURS returns for its second year this weekend. Although some of the big names are already fully-booked for the weekend (including Yayoi Kusama at Fosun Foundation), there's other great exhibitions like Yu Hong at Long Museum Westbund, Oscar Murillo at chi K11, Erwin Olaf at SCoP and Tobias Rehberger at Rockbund, just to name a few.

📍Various locations.

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