The city of Shanghai, China, a global center for finance, technology, manufacturing, and transportation, has a presence of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people.

[1] Bao wrote that there is a sense that Shanghai has a culture superior to that of other areas in China and that "Shanghai’s gay identity bears the imprint of this self-identified cultural superiority brought about by their experience with colonialism and capitalism in the twentieth century.

[citation needed] Cruising areas, including public toilets, river banks, and parks, were used in the 1970s and 1980s.

[2] By 2012 wealthier LGBT people began visiting bars, cafes, restaurants, and shopping areas.

[6][7] In 2009, Aric Chen of The New York Times stated that the "epicenter" of the LGBT community is the "Gay Triangle," three bars in the French Concession.

[12][13] Time Out Shanghai said Lucca has "chilled, casual weekday vibes, and raucous, drag-tastic disco-dancing Friday and Saturday nights".

[13][14] SmartShanghai described the venue as "somewhere between a dive and a nice spot, with reasonably priced drinks and a decent crowd on Fridays and Saturdays.

[14] On December 12, 2014, Changning district authorities shut down 390 Bar and escorted the DJs and staff to jail, where they remained for less than 24 hours.

The bar opened the next day and continued to operate until December 16, when authorities returned and shut down a comedy event at 9pm.

"[16] SmartShanghai's Alastair Sloan, who described 390 as a "(beloved) pansexual live house", called the closure "unfortunate, and, frankly, pretty damn frustrating news for Shanghai nightlife".

Roxie is a safe, versatile space for the LBT community, established to give women and non-binary people a place to hang out in comfort everyday of the week.

[19] During the week there are a variety of theme nights including Drag Bingo on Thursdays, they also host viewing parties and other community events.

They organise events and curate content from around the world, with a focus on Chinese and East Asian queer screen culture.

In 2015, Shanghai LGBT Tourism Week attracted over 30,000 people from across the globe, and raised tens of thousands yuan for various nonprofit organizations.