Around the city

The festival has also singled out several commercial areas as the city's nightlife landmarks. Among them are Xintiandi and Julu Road, both of which are famous for their wide offerings of watering holes set in traditional shikumen-style buildings; Wujiang Road, which is known for its traditional local-snack shops; Xujiahui and Hengshan Road, another popular bar-and-cafe stretch; and College Road, which is located near Fudan University and is frequented by hordes of students and nearby residents.

In Hongkou district, the 15th Shanghai Wine & Liquor Festival was held at the 1933 Old Millfun, a former abattoir transformed into a modern complex comprising restaurants, shops and studios, last weekend. Hongkou says it'll also host wine-and liquor-tasting events on the third week of every month.

In Huangpu district, Li Shiyi, a young Shanghai paper-cutting artist, joined the evening art fair held at Sinan Mansions, whose 1920s-era Western European buildings have often been used for book launches, art exhibitions and cultural salons.

"I've attended many art fairs before and this time I'm bringing not only my paper-cutting works, but also peripheral products with Shanghai art designs, such as phone cases and yellow liquors," Li says.

The venue for the China International Import Expo has also been turned into a market. Here, visitors can shop for imported products that were previously sold during the expo, such as coffee from New Zealand, rice from Japan and wines from Italy.

Tang Guifa, general manager of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), says the venue will hold two night-market events during weekends in June and resume exhibitions in July.