For the eighth-straight season, Shanghai will host a men's FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour event as the Jinshan District plays host to the world's top beach volleyball players from May 2-8. Depsite claiming medal finishes from 2006 to 2009 the Chinese women failed to finish on the podium last time around and will be eager to put that right when the tournament begins. Last year's winners, USA's Jen Kessy and April Ross, came through unscathed following a thrilling final against Brazil's Juliana Felisberta Da Silva and Larissa França with Brazil's Maria Antonelli and Talita Antunes picking up bronze while Germany's Julius Brink and Jonas Reckermann couldn't quite see off Brazilians Harley Marques and Pedro Salgado, falling at the last hurdle while Alison Cerutti and Emanuel Rego finished third. Meanwhile, Penggen Wu and Linyin Xu, the most successful Chinese men’s team in the 23-year history of the World Tour, had to settle for 13th following a defeat to USA's Jacob Gibb and Sean Rosenthal while women's home pair Chen Xue and Xi Zhang lost to Brazil's Antonelli and Talita to finish fifth. Situated in the middle of China's east coastline, Shanghai has four distinct seasons and a population over 13 million.  Shanghai’s inhabitants are among the most hospitable and cheerful in the world and the city in which they live is both colorful and diverse.  In addition to hosting eight FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour events, Shanghai is noted for its many festivals, including the Shanghai Tourism Festival, the Longhua Temple Bell Striking on New Year’s Eve, the Longhua Temple Fair, the International Tea Culture Festival and the Orange Festival.  For shoppers, culinary connoisseurs and sight-seers, Shanghai is worth the visit, especially with China’s tallest building the Jim Mao Tower, which stands at 480 meters.  The Chinese city has often been referred to as a “shopping paradise” and all tastes are catered to in Shanghai.  Favorite foods from France, Russia, Italy, England, Japan and India will be found along with 16 styles of Chinese food that can be tasted in any of the 1,000-plus restaurants throughout the city. Pictured to the left below are 2010 Shanghai women winners Jen Kessy (left) and April Ross of USA.