Hong Kong

Last-minute shopping exhibitions

More than 800 international and local brands offering everything from household items to health and beauty, arts and crafts, jewelry and sports will be on show at the 11th Hong Kong Mega Showcase. The Hong Kong Food Festival, also celebrating its 11th year, will be joining up with the 2nd International Wine Festival. A must-attend for epicureans and shopaholics this holiday season.

10 am-9 pm, Dec 25-28. Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, Hall 1. Admission HK$10. 852-2591-9823. megashow-expo.com.hk.

It's that time of year again

It's not Christmas season without an obligatory reference to Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker. It's always better seeing it live, whether you've seen it ages ago, always wondered about the jaw-dropping, nut-crunching toy soldiers or remember its music in the Disney film Fantasia. Australian choreographer Terence Kohler will be working with Hong Kong Ballet and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta on music for this weeklong run.

7:30 pm , Dec 24-28; 2:30 pm, Dec 25-26, 28-29. Grand Theater, Cultural Center, 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, HK$140-1,500 ($18-195). 852-2105-9724. hkballet.com.

Christmas in the clouds

Hong Kong's highest club, Ozone, will host a fashion-show/jazzy-tunes/DJ-beats party for revelers who don't fancy staying in on Christmas Eve. "Glamorously dressed" ladies are admitted for free.

10 pm-late, Dec 24. Ozone, 118/F, The Ritz-Carlton, ICC, 1 Austin Road West, West Kowloon. HK$300, includes a glass of champagne. 852-2263-2270.

- Timo Chui

Shanghai

Love bang at DADA

Anyone spending Christmas in Shanghai is spoiled for choice in terms of parties and restaurants, but this event at DADA may appeal to those on a shoestring budget who nonetheless want to enjoy some clubbing action on Dec 24. Drinks are cheap and entrance is free for the event, with budding local DJs Mau Mau and Heatwolves reuniting for the night to pump out their eclectic mix of house, hip-hop and drum-and-bass. DJ Sacco is also running a Sexy Santa Party there the following day.

10 pm, Dec 24. Club DADA, 115 Xingfu Lu (Road), near Fahuazhen Lu (Road). 150-0018-2212.

Surreal city art show

This ongoing show that runs until the end of the year should appeal to fans of Salvador Dali, Andre Breton and Rene Magritte. It focuses on how two contemporary painters Liu Ren and Nial O'Connor depict modern Asian cities despite coming from very different backgrounds. Although the artists follow a tradition similar to their European precursors, both operate in different media. Liu, who studied digital photography, uses superimposed images to color the cityscapes using her imagination, while also drawing on memories from her childhood.

Until Dec 31. Art+Shanghai Gallery, 370 Suzhou Beilu (North Road), near Sichuan Beilu, (North Road). 021-5608-6067.

- Matt Hodges

Beijing

Caring for pets

The International Center for Veterinary Services will present two free programs for pet owners in January. "Departing from China with Pets" is an information session from 11am to noon on Jan 11. The seminar "Fireworks Phobia: Reducing Stress for Pets During Chinese New Year" is a week later, from 11 am to noon on Jan 18.

International Center for Veterinary Services. 13-16 Rongke Ganlanc Shangjie, Futong Xidajie (West Street), Wangjing, Chaoyang district. 010-8456-1939/1940.

Christmas Masses

Catholic Masses in English include a Christmas Eve Mass at 6 pm at The Art Center in Shunyi (foreign passports required). An international Christmas Eve Mass will be celebrated in a mix of languages - English, Chinese, Italian and Spanish - at South Cathedral at 6 pm. A Christmas Day Mass is scheduled for 11 am and another at 4 pm at St. Joseph's church at Wangfujing (no passports required). An English-language Christmas Day Mass at South Cathedral begins at 10:30 am.

St. Joseph's church, 74 Wangfujing Dajie (Street), Dongcheng district. 010-6524-0634. The Beijing Arts Exhibition Center, 1 Shanhuang Lu (Road), Shunyi district. South Cathedral, 141 Qianmen Xidajie (West Street), Xicheng district. 010-6602-6538.

- Mike Peters

Guangzhou

Take the stage

Show off your voice and win a free beer at the open mic night hosted every Wednesday at Hooley's Irish Pub & Restaurant in Guangzhou. People who sing or play an instrument on stage on the pub's second floor will be rewarded with a free Tiger beer and cheers from the audience. Those who are shy to put on a show can still have a good time mingling with other expats in the pub, which is a favorite foreigner hangout in Zhujiang New Town, the city's new CBD.

9:30 pm on Wednesdays. Hooley's Irish Pub and Restaurant, 101, 8 Xingsheng Lu (Road), Zhujiang New Town. 020-3886-2675.

Shenzhen

Beach bash

Enjoy a Christmas Eve full of joy and rapture at a beach party against a backdrop of electronic music in Shenzhen. The six-hour carnival is expected to attract 10,000 participants to have fun in various events, including a dancing spree to electrifying remixes from DJs, a fluffy pillow fight and a catwalk staged by "robots" in Hollywood blockbusters. The organizer will give each guest an illuminating ring to transform the party-goers into "dancing fireflies". Games, foods and drinks are provided at the party. The ticket is 100 yuan ($16) per person.

6 pm midnight, Dec 24. OCT Harbor Breeze Beach, 8 Baishi Donglu (East Road), Nanshan district. 400-610-3721. 4006-228-228.

- Xu Jingxi

(China Daily 12/22/2013 page5)