Shanghai

The brief announcement that Disney plans to add a Marvel-themed land to Hong Kong Disneyland in 2017 raises a host of questions: Will Iron Man, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men be getting their own rides? When will the Marvel characters be coming to Anaheim, Paris, Tokyo or Shanghai? And why, of all places, Hong Kong? Many of the most basic questions remain unanswered, in part because the announcement was made by a Hong Kong government official rather than Disney.

Los Angeles has doubled its presence in China. In hopes of welcoming more big-spending foreign visitors, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Monday that the city has opened a tourism office in Shanghai, the second for Los Angeles in China. To promote trade and travel to L.A., the mayor also announced plans to visit Beijing this month. He will travel with executives from the Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles World Airports, and the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board on May 26-29.

SHANGHAI - "Spider-Man"creator  Stan Lee's first Chinese superhero, "The Annihilator," topped the inaugural slate of feature film co-productions announced Monday by state-run National Film Capital. NFC, a Beijing-based entertainment industry fund management company chaired by former China Film Group President Yang Buting, will draw on an initial 2.6-billion yuan ($422 million) raised by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and other partners, NFC co-founder Kathy Peng, a former investment banker in Hong Kong, said.

BEIJING -- Feasting on strips of mutton dropped in a simmering pot is a popular dining pastime in China, but what if the meat served is actually made of rat? That may be on the minds of diners after the latest stomach-churning food scandal to hit China. Authorities said that traders bought rat, fox, mink and other uninspected meats -- and after adding red coloring and other chemicals -- sold them as lamb rolls for markets in Shanghai and neighboring Jiangsu province. Police arrested 63 suspects and seized 10 tons of meats and additives, but not before the operation had sold about $1.6 million worth of fake meat over the last four years.

1 China After watching Beijing bask in the glory of last year's Olympic Games, Shanghai has stepped into the fray in a big way to prepare for the 2010 World Expo. The coastal Chinese metropolis has dedicated $45 billion to spruce up the city, which locals insist is far more international and cosmopolitan than the Chinese capital to the north. Shanghai is widening roads, building bridges and renovating its iconic riverside walk along the Bund, a neighborhood of colonial-era buildings.

Here's a fall fare on Air Canada from LAX to Shanghai that will save you some yuan: $689 round-trip, including all taxes and fees. It is subject to availability. Departures are Tuesdays and Wednesdays between Oct. 16 and Dec. 4; returns must be by Dec. 25. There's a minimum three-night stay. Info: Air Canada , (888) 247-2262 Source: Airfarewatchdog

Say goodbye to winter or welcome spring in Shanghai with an $812 round-trip fare on American Airlines from LAX . The fare is subject to availability for departures Sundays-Fridays between March 4 and 29. You must return by June 4. Info: American Airlines , (800) 433-7300 Source: Airfarewatchdog Follow us on Twitter @latimestravel , like us on Facebook @Los Angeles Times Travel.

It could become Shanghai's version of the Broadway theater district in New York or the Champs-Elysees in Paris. At least that's the grand vision of Oriental DreamWorks, the joint venture between Glendale-based DreamWorks Animation andChina's largest media companies that unveiled plans this week for a $3.1-billion entertainment and cultural center in the heart of Shanghai. The six-block area, called "Dream Center," will include shops, offices, cinemas, theaters and restaurants on a largely undeveloped parcel of prime waterfront land.

I wish to commend you for publishing an outstanding article about Shanghai architecture ["Shanghai: Sky's the Limit," Feb. 27]. Christopher Hawthorne performed thorough research on the subject, and it shows in every word in the article. What's even more amazing is that he mixed his knowledge about the city's architecture with his wonderful observation and appreciation of its boundless energy. The result was that I wanted to hop on the next plane there. On New Year's Eve 1999, I was a reveler at New York's Times Square, hailed as the "crossroads of the world."

Thousands of Shanghai residents have been struck down by a hepatitis epidemic that has crowded city hospitals and triggered "public panic," the official media said Tuesday. More than 6,000 people suffering from hepatitis A have been admitted to hospitals and thousands more are waiting for beds, and patients have been moved into factories and schools, the newspaper China Daily said. About 3,500 extra beds have been set up in warehouses and corridors.

After making a splash in Geneva with its wild Veneno supercar , Lamborghini is headed to Shanghai with an amped-up anniversary edition of its Aventador. Never one to shy away from elaborate names, the Italian automaker announced Friday it is bringing to the Shanghai Auto Show the Aventador LP 720-4 50 Anniversario. As the name suggests, the all-wheel-drive car is basically a slightly modified Aventador built to celebrate the company's 50th anniversary. Photos: Lamborghini Aventador 50 Anniversario edition The 6.5-liter V-12 engine in this special edition gets a 20 horsepower boost over the stock Aventador for a total of 720 (hence the 720 in the name)

SHANGHAI -- It was a quiet day for California Gov. Jerry Brown on Saturday, beginning with a meeting of a ranking local Communist Party official and capped with a river cruise featuring former NBA superstar Yao Ming. Just another day in China for Brown and his delegation of nearly 100 government and business officials. The light schedule of the day was a welcome respite for a delegation that has bounced from government meetings to lavish meals this week. Many on the trip are holding side meetings with Chinese business officials, trying to drum up business for their companies back home.

SHANGHAI, China -- Gov. Jerry Brown officially launched California's new trade and investment office here Friday, the first such office to open since the state shuttered a dozen outposts around the globe a decade ago. To celebrate the opening, and give Brown something tangible to return home with, state officials announced four new partnerships between California and Chinese companies that they said were worth more than $200 million combined. In brief remarks, Brown cited President Nixon's historic trip to China in 1972 to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The small Maserati family w elcomed a new car to the lineup Tuesday, as the company announced the all-new Ghibli sedan. The midsize sedan is aimed at cars like the BMW 5-Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Lexus GS, and Cadillac CTS . It joins the larger Quattroporte sedan and the GranTurismo coupe and convertible in the Maserati fleet. The new addition is part of Maserati's goal to sell annually 50,000 vehicles worldwide by 2015. In 2012, the company sold 6,300 cars. The automaker hopes to reach this ambitious plan by moving into more volume segments, including the midsize class with the Ghibli, and the SUV segment with the forthcoming Levante.

The toll from China's new strain of bird flu climbed to seven on Monday with the death of a 64-year-old retiree in Shanghai and the number of cases spread to 24, but officials expressed confidence the outbreak could be contained. The World Health Organization's representative for China, Michael O'Leary, said the flu known as H7N9 did not appear to be transmitted between humans, which should limit its spread. "The recent reports from China are the first cases of human infection with H7N9 viruses.

The best way to Hangzhou, China FROM LAX , United, China Eastern Airlines and American offer nonstop service to Shanghai, and United China Airlines, Asiana, All Nippon, Korean, Air China, Cathay Pacific and Eva offer connecting service (change of plane). Restricted round-trip airfares begin at $850, including taxes and fees. Hangzhou is about 100 miles southwest of Shanghai by bullet train from Shanghai's Hongqiao Rail Station. The comfy 40-minute ride costs about $20 round trip depending on the class.

Vividly and with much human detail, reporter Henry Chu's "Shanghai's Jews Live to Tell Story at Last" (July 15) described the wartime refuge that saved some 20,000 Central European Jews from almost certain extermination by the Nazis. He told the story with empathy and a keen eye for a good quote. However, those of us who lived through that experience will challenge some of his conclusions. Most troubling is the theory that Shanghailanders needed half a century to overcome our guilt at having survived the Holocaust before we could start to talk about our wartime refuge.

A new exhibition of Chinese Ming dynasty paintings includes just 10 works, one each by 10 artists, but it's more absorbing than many shows two or three times its size. These 15th and early-16th century paintings are high-wire acts of aesthetic dexterity, fusing philosophical perception with formal persuasion. At the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, "Ming Masterpieces from the Shanghai Museum" is focused on court painters associated with the imperial painting academy in Beijing's Forbidden City.

Walt Disney Co. unveiled the first computer rendering of its Shanghai Disney Resort at the company's annual meeting in Phoenix on Wednesday morning. Disney Chairman and CEO Robert Iger told the gathering that the theme park would open at the end of 2015. "It is authentically Disney and distinctly Chinese," he said. The image that Iger unveiled depicts the 11-acre center of the park, which includes the Enchanted Storybook Castle -- a prominent feature at other Disney theme parks around the world.