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Shanghai’s elderly waltz back to the past at lunchtime dance halls

TOPSHOT - This photo taken on December 11, 2025 shows couples dancing at the Paramount Ballroom in the Jing'An district of Shanghai. It was just a regular Wednesday at a lunchtime dance club in Shanghai, where dance hall culture has been deeply rooted in the city's identity since its jazz-age heyday. On any given day, multiple venues host hours-long daytime sessions across the finance hub, some starting as early as 6 am. Establishments like the historic Paramount Ballroom are time capsules from the 1930s, while others flash with neon pink and green rave lights in the early afternoon. (Photo by Hector RETAMAL / AFP) / To go with 'CHINA-LIFESTYLE-DANCE-HISTORY-DEMOGRAPHICS, REPORTAGE' by Rita QIAN

SingLit in 2026: A video game anthology, new book by Teo You Yenn, Epigram’s all-women shortlist

(Clockwise from left) We Saw Mountains by Diana Rahim, Chia Joo Ming and Theophilus Kwek.

DallerGut author Miye Lee goes from healing fiction to psychological thriller

The Straits Times Weekly Bestsellers Jan 3

TBR (To Be Read)

Contrasting takes on masculinity in David Szalay’s Flesh and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein

Hungarian-British author David Szalay (left) with his book, Flesh, and Frankenstein director Guillermo del Toro.

Life List: 10 trends to look forward to in 2026

Arts blockbusters and new directors: Save these dates

(Clockwise from top left) American pop artist Roy Lichtenstein’s Reflections On Crash (1990), Singaporean artist Sim Chiyin’s Interventions: Farming (2018), theatremaker Chong Tze Chien, Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu and Wild Rice’s satire G*d Is A Woman.

Concert review

A New Year’s Eve gala concert of orchestral fireworks

tlnye01 - The Philharmonic Orchestra staged a New Year's Eve gala concert that showcased a younger generation of musicians.
Credit / Copyright: Andrew Bi Photography

Arts Picks

City Lines art show highlights artists’ different takes on Singapore cityscape

Idris Ali's HDB Heartland (2000) is part of the City Lines show at Maya Gallery.

Celup and A Lesbian Love Story: The Musical – Two more acts at Singapore Fringe Festival 2026

(From left) Sofie Buligis in Celup, Coco Wang Ling, Natalie Yeap and Melissa May Garcia in A Lesbian Love Story: The Musical

Singapore Fringe Festival 2026: Hotel play Invisible refuses to ghettoise disability

From left: Jaspreet Kaur Sekhon, Deonn Yang, Periyachi Roshini and Dalifah Shahril in Invisible.

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MDDI (P) 046/10/2025. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No.202120748H. Copyright © 2026 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.