As with so many other aspects of life, Shanghai is on China's cutting edge where leisure activities are concerned. Despite the fact that most Shanghainese have never been to a theatre or restaurant in their lives, there is now a sufficiently large class of people for whom dining out and evening entertainments are a serious option. Restaurants in particular have improved enormously in recent years, in terms of quality and variety. It is hard to believe that up until the early 1990s, simply getting a table was a cut-throat business. The sheer diversity of food on offer, representing all regions of China and every continent save Antarctica, is a reflection both of the openness of the city, and of the presence of an increasing expatriate population.