Shanghai

Sankuanz show at Xintiandi

Shanghai Fashion Week opened in style on April 9 with a display of evening swimwear by Aimer. It is stacked full of shows until Thursday, including one by Kelly Bui on Monday and Raffles Design Institute's 20th anniversary bash on April 17. For those who missed out on the grand curtain-opener, April 13 is scheduled to be another highlight in the form of a show by Xiamen-based label Sankuanz.

April 13, 7-7:30 pm. Show Hall B, Taiping Park, Xintiandi. 021-3253-0463. Sifc@sifc.org.cn.

Racing toward F-1 grand prix

There's nothing vintage or forgiving about the 5.45-kilometer race track in Shanghai, with its taxing turns and lethal hairpin bends. Come see the mean machines outfitted with new V-6 turbo engines as they tear around at 370 kph during practice on April 18, qualifying Saturday or at the 56-lap race on Sunday. Fernando Alonso won for Ferrari last year. Grandstand tickets costs 780-3,280 yuan on 247tickets.cn.

April 18-20. Shanghai International Circuit, 2000 Yining Lu (Road).

International beer festival

Over 100 craft beers on the Bund and tons of friendly locals and expats to drink them with. What more do you need? One-day tickets for the second edition of this popular suds-fest cost 50 yuan ($8.13) and include a free drink. Entertainment includes live bands, hip-hop and, presumably, lots of people snoring in public before sundown.

6 pm-12 am, April 18. 2 pm-11 pm; 12 am, April 19-20. Wharf 1846 Bund Promenade, 601 Waima Lu (Road), near Maojiayuan Lu.

- Matt Hodges

Hong Kong

Tinder app launch party

Tinder is hosting its official launch, months after the location-based meet-up app's arrival in Hong Kong, this Thursday. Show the app on your smart phone for free entry and check out Boujis' Tender Tinder cocktail - a vodka, lemonade concoction - for cellphone cruising.

9 pm, April 17. Boujis, 37 Pottinger St, Central. 852-2324-0200.

Independent film bash

Hong Kong's first independent pop-up film festival comes to town during Easter with screening locations in Sheung Wan, Wan Chai and Prince Edward. The event's theme is "Human Connection". It's curated by people younger than 20. Expect a cavalcade of shorts, which will play alongside Satoshi Kon's animated fantasy Paprika and Richard Ayoade's Submarine. Full schedule at fb.com/JumpCutYouth. Entry is free with e-mail registration - name, mobile number, desired event dates and times.

7 pm, April 15-18; 11 am, April 19, 2 pm, April 20. Various locations. 852-9175-1402. KerryL@hkyaf.com for RSVP. Fb.com/JumpCutYouth.

- Timo Chui

Beijing

Royal canal boat tour

See Beijing in its spring glory, the way the Dowager Empress Cixi may have done. Stops along the way to the Summer Palace include the Beijing Zoo, Beijing Aquarium and Purple Bamboo Park. Registration required. The cost is 490 yuan ($78) for adults, 390 for kids 5-11 and free for kids 4 and younger.

China Culture Center. 010-6432-9341. Info@chinaculturecenter.org.

Visit with blind children

Bethel China, the foster home founded by a French couple for visually impaired kids with cerebral palsy and other conditions, has a springtime open house on the second and fourth Sunday of each month. Play with kids, tour their school, learn about Bethel's projects and find out how you can help. The tour is free, but 50 yuan is required to cover round-trip bus transportation from Wudaokou.

www.bethelchina.org.

Run to the Great Wall

Forget the treadmill at the gym - get some eye candy to go with that exercise. And what eyeful can compete with the Great Wall of China, the object of two marathons coming up soon? The Great Wall of China Marathon on May 1 is at Jinshanling and requires sign-up by April 15 (www.greatwallchinamarathon.com). Entry costs 1,528 yuan and includes refreshments, and a shirt, medal and swag bag. There are 10-km and 5-km options. The Great Wall Marathon on May 17 is a more serious commitment - a six- or seven-day run that starts in Tianjin at the Huangyaguan section of the wall in Ji county. (There's an 8.5-km fun run, too, if you can't spare the time for the long haul.)

Information and registration at great-wall-marathon.com.

- Mike Peters

(China Daily 04/13/2014 page5)