50 brilliant things to do this winter in Shanghai

Photograph: Joey Huang via Unsplash

Winter's here but it's no excuse to coop up at home with all the wonderful food you can gorge yourselves with (that's not Ele.me) and activities you can join. Go with the flow and keep it together with our definitive guide to the best of the season.

Catch the season's coolest art shows

Photograph: courtesy Powerlong Museum (Wild Metropolis)

1. Peer to Peer sees 14 influential figures from China and the UK’s photography scene each pick a young artist whose works deal with a range of topics – anything from attitudes towards Bitcoin to plastic waste to contemporary ideas of masculinity. 

2. Curated by contemporary artist Xu Zhen, Powerlong Museum's edgy exhibition Wild Metropolis brings together a collection of 40 mixed-media artworks from international contemporary artists, musicians and designers. 

3. From Baroque art in the 17th century and Rococo in the 18th to neo-classical works after the Enlightenment and romantic art under the reign of Napoleon, The Birth of Beaux-arts features over 80 masterpieces from the collection of the National Academy of Fine Arts in Paris. 

4. A sprawling ‘museum without a map’, buzzy teamLab Borderless Shanghai houses 50 productions – including ‘Forest of Lamps’, where a seemingly infinite number of lamps hang mid-air in a mirrored room and ‘En Tea House’, where flowers bloom in the teacups visitors hold.

5. Kickstarting a five-year collaboration between the Centre Pompidou and the West Bund Museum, The Shape of Time offers a comprehensive introduction to contemporary art history via masterpieces from huge-name artists including Duchamp, Picasso and Kandinsky.

Kick back at cosy AF bars

Photograph: courtesy Barbarian

6. A rustic cave-esque cocktail bar (with custom-made tipples) and grill, Barbarian’s cosy interior is decked out with ambient lights, swings and pillows.

7. About as warm and welcoming as they come, subtly lit lamps give exposed brickwork a pleasant glow and angled walls lend a cubbyhole affair at mixmaster Cross Yu’s intimate cocktail bar EPIC.

8. Sink into a plush couch at neighbourhood cocktail joint Bar No 3. All about low-key sophistication and comfort, there are fantastic drinks, a low-slung seating area and background music that’s just right.

9. Slotted away in the Captain’s Hostel, The Captain is one of the few places on The Bund that offers the iconic Lujiazui skyline view with reasonable prices. Grab a seat on the terrace – complete with heaters and thick blankets.

Warm up over steaming hotpot

Photograph: courtesy Hu Hu Tang

10. From Betty Ng (also behind Ginger and Dao Jiang Hu), hotpot gets a modern and health-focused makeover at Hu Hu Tang with collagen-rich and MSG-free broths.

11. Another one for health-conscious hotpot fans, Qimin Organic Hotpot is from the same folks behind Green & Safe. The Taiwanese farm-to-table concept specialises in fresh seasonal ingredients with individual broth pots so you can have yours just how you like it.

12. Hotpot with a tropical bent, at Coconut Taste oily broth gets swapped out for coconut water with a coating of coconut cream before being filled with Hainan’s Wenchang chicken. When you're done with the soup, don't throw it away like you might at other hotpot places – this one is great for drinking.

13. Brace yourself for long queues at the Shanghai outpost of Chengdu’s retro-themed wanghong hotpot place Dian Tai Xiang serving up mouth-numbing mala hotpot. Don’t skip the signature handmade brown sugar mocha and brown sugar jelly.

14. From local restaurateur Anthony Zhao, at Holy Cow it’s all about the meat, featuring a menu loaded with all kinds of quality cuts of beef – from fatty filet mignon to rib-eye to shank.

15. A golden oldie, Sichuan hotpot joint Hai Di Lao is rightly legendary for its service, which involves everything from free shoeshines and manicures while you’re waiting to noodles that come with a kung fu show.

Work the rink at...

Photograph: Matthew Fournier via Unsplash

16. Shanghai’s biggest and flashiest skating rink, the Mercedes-Benz Arena’s All Star Ice Skating Rink has a whopping 1,200sqm square metres of top-quality ice. (Avoid peak weekend hours when it can turn into People’s Square station on ice).

17. There are two rinks at the Feiyang Skating Center: one for the public and one for members only (with a beautiful Olympic-size rink and stadium seating). Both areas are geared more towards sport than leisure, but still, the public venue has plenty of equipment and decent prices.

18. Centrally located right by People’s Square and with reasonable rental equipment, the Nanjing Xi Lu branch of New World Skating is quite small – at about 500sqm – but it’s big enough to show off your skills.

Extract the QR code above for more information on ice skating or click here.

Soak up summer vibes year round at these hideouts

Photograph: VCG (Chenshan Conservatory)

19. Make like you’re in the tropics at Chenshan Botanical Gardens’ sprawling conservatory, which is home to all kinds of exotic plant species.

20. Slinging potent drinks and tropical vibes, tiki bar Birds of Paradise offers peak escapism (something we could all use a little of). Don’t skip The Zombie: the OG tiki drink is some unholy blend of rums further spiked with absinthe and smoothed over with passion fruit.

21. With a strong playlist of Latin music, boozy cocktails, arepas and a lot of soul, at South American bar La Social it's like you could be in Bogota – especially come weekends when the dance floor is rammed and the Aguardiente is flowing.

22. Shanghai’s famed leafy streets might be a bit sparse of greenery right now, but you can still get the feels inside at verdant, hidden-away café Schawlow.

Take a dip at these bathhouses

Photograph: courtesy Cheersum Bathhouse

23. All of the pools at Gokurakuyu have a special feature, like the aromatherapy pool, the carbonated pool or the somewhat shocking (literally) electric pool that delivers a low dose of tingly electric current. Sweat it out at the saunas or get a massage or a scrub down.

24. Cheersum Bathhouse is seven floors’ worth of relaxation, food and entertainment. The bathing area is spacious compared to others around town, and decked out in pseudo-Roman architecture, or something equally kitsch.

25. We rate the Minhang branch of Korean chain New Star, which has saunas, hot pools and a cold pool. Additional services include body scrubs and moisturising treatments and feature ingredients like aloe gel, milk or honey.

26. Highton Spaland has the widest range of temperatures to choose from on the list, from a large, lukewarm pool (which contains aquatic exercise equipment) to the hottest pool on the list clocking in at around 47C. There's a cold pool for cooling off when other pools are too much to handle.

Extract the QR code above for more information on the bathhouses or click here.

Up your calories with seasonal eats

Photograph: Yang Xiaozhe (Dahuchun)

27. Melt-in-your-mouth pork belly with shatteringly crisp skin from Shanghai’s King of Comfort Food Austin Hu at Heritage by Madison. 

28. At Wei Xiang Zhai, slurp down a bowl of sesame noodles drenched in thick sesame paste with a slick of chilli oil for a bargain price. What more could you want?

29. Pie Society's Seriously Beef Pie is made up of tender steak, carrot and mushroom braised in a hearty beef stock with Guinness and then wrapped in buttery pie crust.

30. One of Xinjiang's hallmark sharing dishes dapanji (‘big plate chicken’) sees a powerful trio of chicken, potato and belt noodles stewed in a rich and spicy broth. Don't miss Sapar Uyghur Restaurant's rendition. 

31. Dahuchun's pork shengjianbao, Shanghai-style fried soup dumplings are pillowy soft up top and perfectly crisp on the bottom.

32. Is there anything more comforting than a bowl full of cheesy carbs? Highline takes it one step further with its Truffle Mac n Cheese: orecchiette smothered in five cheeses and freshly shaved truffle.

Extract the QR code above for the best mac and cheese in Shanghai.

33. Keep things fromage heavy at La Cabane with a cold-weather staple from the Swiss/French alps: potatoes, cold cuts and more coated with melted Raclette cheese.

34. One for the festive season from Strictly Cookies, its Peppermint Bark is a gooey, mint chocolate cookie is topped with white and dark chocolate peppermint bark and crushed candy cane.

Get starry-eyed at Lumières Shanghai

Photograph: courtesy Xintiandi The Hub

35. Cooperating with Festival of Lights of Lyon and Amsterdam Light Festival this year, Lumières Shanghai has got a few massive light installations, including the work from Lyon's Inook team, showing two giant kissing cartoon figures, a Van Gogh’s Starry Night realised by 1,400 glowing light sticks, Georg Oehler’s illuminated singing angels and Chinese artist Lu Chongyang’s installation ‘60+1’ where you see hearts swing like a pendulum clock.

Wrap your hands around luxe mugs of hot chocolate here

Photograph: courtesy Dal Cuore

36. Polux, Paul Pairet’s ode to the French café, doesn’t hold back with its hot chocolate that’s so thick and creamy, it’s like drinking warm cake batter.

37. Forget the outside chill as you dip a giant chocolate-covered marshmallow ball into a piping hot mug of milk at Kommune.

38. Gelato dal Cuore's small-but-mighty cup of nectar-thick cocoa is pure decadence.

39. Embrace the season to be jolly with rum-spiked hot chocolate topped with fluffy toasted marshmallows at Pree.

40. Swap out your usual coffee order for Seesaw Coffee's straightforward, but seriously rich, cocoa.

Extract the QR code above for more information on Shanghai's best hot chocolate

Ring in 2020 at a blow out party

Photograph: courtesy UP Shanghai

41. What better way to count down to a new year than overlooking The Bund? Join Mr & Mrs Bund’s annual disco La Boum and dance yourself into a balling 2020.

42. Countdown to 2020 on Kartel’s rooftop terrace with a view of downtown Shanghai and disco-funk beats.

43. Take your pick from three OTT parties at the Grand Hyatt: Patio’s countdown involving thousands of balloons; a sky-high, booze- and music-fuelled celebration at Cloud 9 or a jazz masquerade ball at Piano Bar.

44. Le Baron is bringing together a solid lineup of DJs for NYE. As with all things Le Baron, entry is free but exclusive. Your best bet is to get yourself on the guestlist or reserve a table. Without either of those? Turn up early and dress sharp for the best chance of getting in.

45. Relive the iconic Studio 54 disco craze at club/bar/lounge hybrid UP Shanghai’s wild ’70s NYE blow-out. Dress code: disco.

Welcome the Year of the Rat at...

Photograph: Yang Xiaozhe (Yuyuan Lantern Festival)

46. Shanghai’s longest and best-known annual lantern fest, Yuyuan Lantern Festival sees the landmark decked out with huge, brightly coloured displays tailored for each year of the zodiac.

47. Guyi Garden Temple Fair brings local music and dance performances, as well as Chinese handicrafts and delicacies on sale.

48. One of the oldest temples in Shanghai, masses flock to Longhua Temple to strike bells, burn incense and pray for another year of health and fortune during CNY. Expect crowds.

49. Long Museum has curated special exhibition Rui Xue (Auspicious Snow) on themes of snow (long regarded as an omen of good harvest), early spring and New Year celebrations.

50. Expect loads of Chinese New Year cinema – seven highly anticipated movies are set to compete in the fierce race to the top at the box office this CNY. Detective Chinatown 3, Jackie Chan’s thriller Vanguard and animation of Chinese legend Jiang Ziya are all in the running.

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