14 brilliant things to do in Shanghai this week

Photograph: courtesy 247tickets (ABBA Live Tribute Concert)

It’s finally that time of the year when you can turn off your AC and actually enjoy the weather a bit. As usual, Shanghai has plenty to keep you entertained. This week, we've got a natural wine fest, a film screening by Green Initiatives, a porcelain exhibition and an ABBA live tribute concert to unleash your inner dance queen.

Things to Do

Photograph: courtesy Historic Shanghai

Walk: Behind the Bund

Join Historic Shanghai for a walk around the surprisingly untouched neighbourhood that lies in the shadow of the Bund. Here, in the oldest part of the former International Settlement, are sprawling 19th century apartment houses, Art Deco Chinese banks, old Shanghai’s imposing seat of power, elite schools, clubs, churches, courthouses – and the stories of the people who built, lived and worked in them. RSVP to book and for meeting point: [e-mail]

📍 Location tba. Tue 17. 10am-12.30pm. 250RMB; 150RMB (members).

Steve Hughes Live in Shanghai

Internationally-renowned Australian stand-up comedian Steve Hughes is coming to Shanghai. The convict wizard with worldly insights into the bleeding obvious comes armed with more issues than an Occupy movement. The inimitable ex-heavy metal drummer has been burning up the international circuit for the past ten years – he’s toured throughout Europe, Australia, the USA, Canada and New Zealand to rave reviews and mutinous laughter.

📍 Cages Bar and Sports, Third Floor, 428 Jiangning Lu, near Changhua Lu. Sat 21. 9-11pm. 300RMB (VIP); 200RMB; 180RMB (presale). Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

Music & Nightlife

Photograph: courtesy 247tickets

ABBA Live Tribute Concert

Whip out the bell-bottoms, dancing queens. You can dance, jive and have the time of your life as The Pearl presents a tribute dedicated to ABBA. Catch all the hits that skyrocketed the Swedish band to fame for two nights of ‘70s disco bliss.

📍 The Pearl, 471 Zhapu Lu, near Wujin Lu. Fri 20-Sat 21. 10pm-late. 220RMB; 180RMB (presale). Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

china.wav: Electronic Producer Laughing Ears and Blind Violinist Zhang Zheyuan

RADII invites two up-and-coming artists from different corners of China, each with their unique and remarkable story to tell through their music. To kick it off, Kunming violin virtuoso Zhang Zheyuan will give a short solo set blending Western classical, Chinese traditional music and international pop tunes. After the solo set, Zhang will collaborate with Shanghai electronic music producer and composer Laughing Ears, who recently released a debut album, Tidal Effect.

📍 ALL, 17 Xiangyang Bei Lu, near Changle Lu. Tue 17. 9pm-midnight. Free entry.

Maximilian Hecker 'Paradise on Earth' Concert Tour 2019

Maximilian Hecker is a German musician known for airy pop music, similar to Radiohead, Sigur Ros, The Verve and Nick Drake. After performing as a drummer in a number of small German bands and making music in the streets of Berlin, his demo tapes attracted the attention of famous Berlin-based record label Kitty-yo Records, who released his debut album Infinite Love Songs in 2001. The album was very well received worldwide and reached the top ten of the New York Times’ Album of the Year list in 2001.

📍 Modern Sky Lab Shanghai, 188 Ruihong Lu, near Hongguan Lu. Thu 19. 7.30-9.30pm. 280RMB; 180RMB (early bird). Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

Party Like It's 1999

M Glam is hosting a party to celebrate four years this month – the theme is 'Party like it’s 1999'. There will be DJs, the chance to dress like your favourite '90s idol and win prizes, including other surprises. Each ticket includes a glass of Taittinger Champagne.

📍 M Glam, 20 Guangdong Lu, near Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu. Sat 21. 8-11.30pm. 150RMB; 120RMB (presale); 80RMB (early bird).

Eating & Drinking

Photograph: courtesy Social Supply

Crush Natural Wine Fest

Over the weekend, CRUSH will present an informative and fun event for the public on all things surrounding natural wine. There will be opportunities to taste a diverse range of natural wines, sample food from different chefs and enjoy a variety of entertainment.

📍 Jingan Kerry Centre, 1515 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Tongren Lu. Fri 20-Sun 22. Midday-10pm. 200RMB; 160RMB (early bird).

Film

Photograph: courtesy Green Initiatives

The Price We Pay: Green Drinks September Film Screening

Catch a documentary on the history and present-day reality of big-business tax avoidance, which has seen multinationals depriving governments of trillions of dollars in tax revenues by harbouring profits in offshore havens. The film will be followed by Q&A session.

📍Jingan Kerry Centre, 1515 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Tongren Lu. Thu 19. 7-10pm. 70RMB; 50RMB (RSVP).

Art

Photograph: Martin Schoeller, courtesy SCOP

Martin Schoeller: Close

Known for hyper-detailed close-ups of his subjects with similar lighting and backdrop, German photographer Martin Schoeller has been taking portraits of some of the most influential people in the world, from entrepreneurs to national leaders.

📍 Shanghai Centre of Photography, 2555 Longteng Dadao, near Longlan Lu. Until Sat 2 Nov (Tue-Sun). 40RMB; 30RMB (students).

PHOTOFAIRS

PHOTOFAIRS returns for its sixth year with 50 leading galleries from around Asia, Europe and North America and nearly 1,000 photo art pieces. The fair is widely recognised as Asia Pacific’s home for cutting-edge photography and a key driver of China’s maturing photography market.

📍 Shanghai Exhibition Centre (Gate 3), 1000 Yanan Zhong Lu, near Tongren Lu. Fri 20-Sun 22 Sep. 150RMB; 98RMB (presale). Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

London Porcelain: Solo Exhibition by Jo Davies

British ceramic artist Jo Davies’ solo exhibition of her distinctive ceramic creations at the Pottery Workshop features a range of her sought-after original wheel-thrown and handmade porcelain vessels. Each of Davies’s pieces is handmade on the throwing wheel, with a strong minimalist style that feels organic.

📍 The Pottery Workshop Shanghai, 180 Shaanxi Lu, near Changle Lu. Sun 22 Sep-Sun 13 Oct. Free entry.

Stage

Photograph: courtesy 247tickets

Daniel Brière: Leo

Combining live performance and video projection, director Daniel Brière and actor Tobias Wegner present Leo, a mind-bendingly surreal work that challenges the senses and tests perceptions of reality. Leo can scale walls like Spider-Man, dance on the ceiling like Fred Astaire and meditate in mid-air. Stuck in a room with seemingly nowhere to go, Leo tests the limits of his strange new world and makes the delightful discovery that he is, in fact, superhuman.

📍Shanghai Grand Theatre Studio Theatre, 300 Renmin Dadao, near Huangpi Bei Lu. Wed 18. 7.30-9.30pm. 80-380RMB. Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

The Musicals of Kunze & Levay in Concert

Five German musical stars – Pia Douwes, Mark Seibert, Oedo Kuipers, Roberta Valentini and Drew Sarich – will come together to bring some classical music pieces from German musicals Mozart, Rebecca and Elizabeth to the Shanghai stage for a two-day event.

📍 Shanghai Culture Square, 597 Fuxing Zhong Lu, near Shaanxi Nan Lu. Thu 19. 7.30-9.30pm. 80-1,280RMB. Sales closed.

Li Yundi Sonata China Tour 2019

Internationally-acclaimed pianist Li Yundi was propelled onto the international stage when he won first prize at the XIV Chopin International Piano Competition at the age of 18, becoming the youngest and first Chinese winner in the history of the renowned competition. Since then, he has been regarded as an international piano star and a leading exponent of Chopin’s music.

📍 Shanghai Poly Grand Theatre, 159 Baiyin Lu, near Yuanxianghu Lu. Fri 20. 7.30-9.30pm. 580-1,880RMB. Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

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