Shanghai Hot List 2012
They are talented, they are influential and, most importantly, they are young -- none of them is older than 30.
Meet or, at least, try to follow these 20 faces on your next Shanghai trip. They are the hands to create and deliver the best Shanghai experience, and will also play a significant role in shaping the city’s future.
This list is in no particular order. Dive in and enjoy.
1. Apple Wang (王玉萍), 28, concierge
Among all the hot names on this list, Apple Wang is the most useful for first-time travelers.
The resourceful concierge of The Portman Ritz-Carlton is one of just two females in Shanghai who belong to The Society of the Golden Keys, an international accolade for top concierges.
From what to eat to where to shop, this lady knows the best way to get around Shanghai and can certainly help you achieve that.
In addition to playing superwoman for hotel guests, Wang receives numerous requests every day from residents or even office workers in the neighborhood.
Next time you need a Shanghai savior, you’ll know who to call up.
Portman Ritz-Carlton, 1376 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Tongren Lu 南京西路1376号波特曼大酒店, 近铜仁路 +86 21 6279 8888
2. Tree Mao (冒建强), 29, bartender
This Shanghainese bar whiz is China’s best bartender -- he was awarded this title, along with second prize overall, at Diageo's World Class competition held in Shanghai in March 2011.
Mao later took part in Diageo’s competition in India, where he earned the nickname “Ice Ninja” for being the only bartender who could cut ice by hand.
"People were amazed to see a Chinese bartender doing this,” says Mao.
After running the show at Constellation, where he turned out out truly epicurean cocktails, Mao has moved to Ningbo for the opening this month of Constellation's new outpost at 72 Renmin Lu.
Mao says he will return to Shanghai early next year and is most likely to go back to tending the bar of the original Constellation.
Constellation I: 96 Xinle Lu, near Xiangyang Bei Lu 新乐路96号, 近襄阳北路, +86 21 5404 0970, 7 p.m.-2 a.m.
3. Diego Zhang (张天佑), 30, sommelier
Zhang has been working at Morton’s Shanghai branch since it opened.
The Shanghainese wine buff became a certified sommelier four years ago and started working as wine director at Laris before moving to Shanghai’s top steakhouse.
Zhang says that at sommelier school, “students have to learn every single wine from every single region, covering the whole world,” and that his favorite is a red from the Rhône valley in France.
At Morton’s, he recommends “a rib-eye with some Italian wine -- a Barbaresco or Piemontese, because it has an acidity that softens the fat and oil in the steak.”
Morton’s Steakhouse, Shop 15-16, 4/F, Shanghai IFC Mall, 8 Shiji Dadao, near Yincheng Zhong Lu 世纪大道8号国金中心商场4楼15-16号商铺, 近银城中路, +86 21 6075 8888, Sunday-Thursday: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday-Saturday: 11:30 a.m.-11 p.m., www.mortons.com/shanghai
4. Cross Yu (余天音), 28, mixologist
One of the city's most sought-after mixology talents, Cross Yu has made cocktail magic at both Tara 57 and M1NT before his current role behind the bar at CVRVE, the cocktail bar at Shanghai Centre.
Yu might look as though he's having a good time shaking up a storm, but the Shanghai-native takes his craft as seriously as anyone.
“A barman is not just someone who shakes some ice, alcohol and juice in a cup -- creating cocktails is a delicate business, an art,” Yu says.
“Anyone can mix a drink but you need to balance the flavors perfectly to achieve an outstanding cocktail.”
CVRVE, 206 Shanghai Center, 1376 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Tongren Lu 南京西路1376号上海商城206室, 近铜仁路, 11 a.m.-2 a.m. (Sunday-Thursday), 11 a.m.-3 a.m. (Friday-Saturday), +86 21 6289 8298, www.CVRVE.com
5. Casio, 28, DJ
This self-taught Shanghainese DJ has been spinning for five years, playing at Node Lounge, Laris and Rico Rico beach parties.
Casio has been at M1NT for three years now, where he’s the resident Chinese DJ, and regularly spins at CVRVE, laying down drum ‘n’ bass, electronica, techno and house.
“I love to blast drum ‘n’ base and soulful house, because one is strong and the other can be so soft,” he says.
And what does a DJ do when he’s not behind his turntables? If you’re Casio, you go motorbike racing with your friends.
Casio prefers to keep his Chinese name a mystery.
M1NT, 24/F, 318 Fuzhou Lu, near Shandong Zhong Lu 福州路318号高腾大厦24层, 近山东中路 +86 21 6391 2811, Sunday-Thursday: 6 p.m.-11 p.m.; Friday-Saturday: 6 p.m.-midnight; lounge opens every day from 5 p.m. till later; club opens from 9:30 p.m. from Wednesday to Saturday, www.m1ntglobal.com/club-shanghai
6. Coko Wan (万梦易), 28, fashion designer
London College of Fashion graduate Wan first made a splash in her 2009 Shanghai Fashion Week debut with multifunctional bags that could be transformed into different garments, like capes, coats, dresses, vests and tops.
The Suzhou-born, Shanghai-based fashionista is now intent on making her brand, WAN, a complete fashion and accessory line.
“It's very easy to get lost in a fast paced city like Shanghai,” Wan says.
“As a designer, it's hard to persist with your own style. You can't do everything, but I work hard to be good at what I'm doing.”
Wan's retail store is still at the planning stage. Grab her designs through Chictalk, an online store for independent Chinese designers.
7. Kim Kiroic, 29, Shoe designer
This mysterious male designer goes by the alias "Kim Kiroic".
Shanghainese Kiroic started his eponymous label in 2008 ago leaving his job at Reebok where he was marketing and product management.
He says he was inspired to start Kim Kiroic by Belgian designer Raf Simons’ S/S 2008 collection.
Kiroic has since collaborated with Korean designer JUUN.J, who used Kiroic’s shoes in S/S 2010 collection runway show at Paris Fashion Week’s mens division, catapulting the Chinese designer into the Western peripheral.
Kiroic is best known for his bizarre sneaker/sandal hybrid. His kicks can be found at JOYCE and I.T.
JOYCE, 2/F, Plaza 66, 1266 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Shaanxi Bei Lu 南京西路1266号恒隆广场2楼, 近陕西北路, +86 21 6288 8383, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
I.T, 3/F, Plaza 66, 1266 Nanjing Xi Lu, near Shaanxi Bei Lu 南京西路1266号恒隆广场3楼, 近陕西北路, +86 21 6288 4270, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., www.kiroic.com
8. Zhou Yuan (周圆), 26, eyewear designer
A lifetime of loving glasses led Zhou to make it his career and he launched his own eyewear brand, ChairEYES, in 2008.
The handmade glasses soon made an impact on the Chinese market, appearing in magazines such as Vogue, Elle and GQ and garnering a unisex fan base of 20-something fashion followers.
There is no better advertisement for the brand than Zhou himself, who wears his glasses every day.
“Before [my love of glasses] was for interest, now it is my job -- it's great,” the born-and-bred Shanghai boy says.
ChairEYES can be purchased in various locations, including Glossy Shanghai. Click here to see a full list of stores that carry Zhou’s designs.
Glossy Shanghai, Unit 105-106, 1/F, Bldg. 6, 123 Xingye Lu, near Huangpi Nan Lu 兴业路123弄6号楼1楼105-106单元, 近黄陂南路, +86 21 6384 1066, 11 a.m.-10:45 p.m.
9. Clément Pellerin, 30, chef
After cutting his teeth at places like the four-Michelin-star Relais & Châteaux Fitz Roy Hôtel at Val Torens in France and then working as the opening executive chef at the Waldorf Astoria’s Grand Brasserie, Pellerin has moved on to take over the reigns at Pelham’s, the hotel’s New York-inspired fine dining restaurant.
Pellerin kicked off his new position by putting together a new tasting menu utilizing seasonal ingredients to concoct dishes like foie gras mousse with pear chutney and chocolate sauce, and a hot Bloody Mary for the coldest of hangover mornings.
Pelham's, 1/F, Waldorf Astoria, 2 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong Lu 中山东一路2号, 近广东路, +86 21 6322 9988, lunch: 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; dinner: 6 p.m.-11 p.m.
10. Nini Sum, 25, Artist
Sum, a Nanjing native, has been in Shanghai for three years, and started screen-printing studio Idle Beats together with German artist Gregor Koerting.
The pair produces gig posters from RMB 100 and art prints for RMB 200-500.
Sum decided to start Idle Beats because there were no prints “handmade by the artist and sold for a normal price that normal people can afford.”
Sum’s goal is to encourage people to start collecting original art, rather than stuff from IKEA or the decoration markets.
She says this is tough, but “we aren’t trying to eat from the big bowl; we don’t have big cars or fancy houses, but you get something out of it: your own art.”
Buy Nini Sum’s screen-printing T-shirt through idlebeats.com.
