china world

Transcription

china world

that’s Beijing
《城市漫步》北京版英文月刊
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EDITOR’s note
JUNE
China is changing. Once a nation of farmers, businessmen and
gangsters, with soaring inflation, a vast wealth gap, high rents, unaffordable housing, police brutality without rule of law, run by grafting
officials, it is now completely different!
I sometimes think of the motherland almost like the skinny chick
in the back of the class – the one who never said anything worth a
damn and no one ever thought would amount to much. You picked
on her from time to time and used to laugh behind her back, and
maybe steal her lunch money. That was a while ago, and you’ve
never given her another thought.
Then, one day, you run into this gorgeous, well-stacked, glamorpuss
with six-foot legs, no chin and eyes like ET: the Extra Terrestrial. “My
God, China, is that you? I can’t believe it – you look completely different!” you stammer.
“What, this? Oh, you’ve noticed?” she purrs. “It’s nothing, really. I
just unleashed my privatized manufacturing capabilities, reined in
the state-owned sector, created a series of special economic zones
to attract foreign investment and had my tummy tucked. I look great
now – but don’t leave me near a radiator for too long, or I’ll melt.”
It seems every young person with a few thousand kuai in their
pocket now wants the same thing: the same face, the same legs, the
same hips. Just as cities here have gradually homogenized into the
same familiar clump of municipal buildings and state monuments, so
the young face of China seems to be morphing towards sharing the
same hyperreal ideal. What was once abnormal is now becoming the
new normal. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Hard to say – we
just present the facts and let you decide. But one thing we can promise is: we won’t ever change. OK, maybe just a quick nip and a tuck.
That’s Beijing
GET
YOUR
GAME
ON
Get Active. Get Social. Get Organized
www.mashupsports.com
Win! Win! Win!
A bunch of tickets to see
classic Peking Opera at
the Liyuan Theatre p.29,
two pairs of tickets to the
Hanggai Music Festival
p.62, vouchers to enjoy cigar,
cognac and chocolates at
Redmoon p.70, a meal for
two on the roof at Fez p.70, a
swanky dinner at Transit p.71
and a seafood feast at Hilton
Wangfujing p.71
http://WWW.THATSMAGS.COM
3
THE WRAP
//38 Plastic
Population
China is the world’s third-largest
market for cosmetic surgery:
why is it so popular and what
are the consequences? We look
at the good, bad and ugly sides
of the changing face of China.
//8 CITY & NATION
//12 DOUBLE CROSSED!
The Red Cross, China’s largest
charity, struggles to recover
from the biggest PR disaster in
its history.
//15 SAY WHAT YOU SEE
A photography project that
finally gives a voice to the
elusive Chinese Dream.
//20 LIFE & STYLE
//24 SUMMER ESCAPE
PLAN
Leave the sweltering heat
of the city behind.
//20 ATTACK! ATTACK!
Take the battle back to
the mosquito, with these
counterstrike measures.
//32 ARTS
//35 LEGAL ALIENS
Expats: the good, the bad
and the boring in anthology
Unsavory Elements.
//36 BLOCKBUSTER SEASON
You wait all year for a good
film, then 10 arrive at once.
Here’s our picks.
//48 EAT & DRINK
//51 Pinotage
There’s reasons why Chinese
tourists are flocking to South
Africa – the food has to be one
4
//55 ONE SMALL STEP
Who said craft breweries had
to be small? Cult brewery Great
Leap opens its flagship bar.
//9 REd capitalism //13 Fault Lines
//32 Qing sings
//58 REAL DEAL
Meet the Maoist management
gurus teaching revolutionary
theory to company executives.
Iconic images from the days of
red anthems and Madame Mao.
A look inside Real Madrid’s
new school. Can the European
giants tap into China’s
undeveloped talent pool?
A brief history of China’s failed
attempts at trying to predict the
country’s next big earthquake.
// 60 EVENTS
// QUOTE OF THE ISSUE
events
“Personally, I think it’s all happened
too quickly: the buildings, the cities, the
people, everything [in China] is changing,
and no one is reflecting as to why.”
Sharon Keng, general manager of Bioscor
plastic surgery clinic P38
pick of six art exhibitions
events
Events are editors’ picks of the best activities and are
not comprehensive. To list an event, email bjevents@
urbanatomy.com. For some details, see Listings.
SPORT
JUN 1-12
Group
This one-and-a-half-hour weekly session is designed to help teach children,
aged four to twelve, about communication, behavior and body language.
Join and help your child make friends,
handle bullies, ask for help, and participate in group academic and social
activities.
//RMB2800 three week session, (6461 6283,
www.oliviasplace.org)
EAT/DRINK
Eat: Dragon Boat Festival Treats
Celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival
with a wide variety of delicious zongzi,
including flavors such as red bean,
healthy grains, red date and salted
meat. Beautifully packaged zongzi
gift boxes and gift hampers are also
available.
// Prices range from RMB308 to RMB2888.
China World Hotel, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie,
Dongcheng District东城区建国门外大街1
号 (6505 3285, 6505 2266 extension 5722/5723
www.shangri-la.com)
Loris Cecchini Solo
Until June 30. Free. Tues-Sun, 11am-6pm. Galleria Continua, 798 Art District, 2
Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号798大山子艺术区
(5978 9505, www.galleriacontinua.com)
Mao Yan Solo
Until June 22. Free. Tues-Sun, 10am-6pm. Pace Beijing,
798 Art District, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区酒仙桥路2号大山子艺术区 (5978 9781,
www.pacegallery.com) ‘You Might
Enquire’:
Guo Jian Solo
Exhibition
Until July 7. Free. TuesSun, 10am-6pm. Amyli
Gallery, 54 Caochangdi,
Chaoyang District 朝阳
区机场辅路草场地54
号 (6434 0616, www.
amyligallery.com)
‘Last Generation’: Cheng Ran
Until July 8. Free. Tues-Sun, 11am-6.30pm. Galerie Urs Meile, 104 Caochangdi,
Cui Gezhuang Xiang, Chaoyang District朝阳区崔各庄草场地村104号
(近电影博物馆路)(6433 3393, www.galerieursmeile.com)
EAT/DRINK
JUN 5
COMMUNITY
‘Jungle II’: Zhao Zhao
60
SPORTS
JUN 1-16
Eat: Father’s Day Sweets
We know dads can get all “tied up”
at work. Surprise him this Father’s
Day with a special ‘Suit Up’ cake form
Kerry’s Pantry. All dads are different, so
pick from a wide selection of cakes to
make your day special.
//RMB288, Kerry's Pantry, Kerry Hotel, 1
Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区光华路
1号( 8565 2788)
Books: A Reader’s Guide to In Search
of Lost Time
A la recherche du temps perdu (In
Search of Lost Time) is many things at
once: a novel of education, a portrait
of French society during the Third
Republic, a masterful psychological
analysis of love, a reflection on homosexuality, an essay in moral and aesthetic theory. Professor David Ellison’s
Reader’s Guide analyses each volume
of the ‘Recherche’ series in order and
in detail. Join an enlightening discussion with Ellison on the stories behind
this classic Proust work.
//RMB50, RMB40 for members, 7.30pm. The
Bookworm, Courtyard 4, Nan Sanlitun Lu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区南三里屯路4号院
(6586 9507, www.beijingbookworm.com)
JUN 8
Until mid-July. Free. Tues-Sun, 11am-6pm. Platform China, No. 319-1, ‘Movement Field’: Xu Zhen East End Art Zone A, Caochangdi Village, Chaoyang District 朝阳区草 Until June 23. Free. Tues-Sun, 11am-7pm. Long March Space, 4 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District
场地村319-1艺术东区A区内(6432 0091, www.platformchina.org)
朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798艺术区 (5978 9768, www.longmarchspace.com)
JUN 11
NIGHTLIFE
Gig: Outdoor Folk Party
Hip haunt Jiangjinjiu celebrates eight
years of fostering folk under the Drum
Tower by setting up camp on the
larger and grassier knoll of 2Kolegas
for an all-day event featuring a photo
exhibition, flea market and ten of
Beijing’s world-music minstrels, including Li Dong, Buyi, Gangzi, Song Yuzhe
and Ajinai. // RMB120 (RMB100 pre-sale), 2pm to midnight.
2Kolegas, 21 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District
两个好朋友酒吧朝阳区亮马桥路21号 (6436
8998, www.2kolegas.com)
Eat: Dragon Boat Festival
Unique zongzi dumpling gift boxes,
each filled with a variety of flavors like
sweet and healthy Black Sesame Paste
or aromatic Five Spice Beef. For a more
lavish gift, purchase the ‘Emperor’s
Fortune’ – filed with rice dumplings,
chocolates, Korean Ginseng, aged rice
wine and more.
//Kerry's Treasures for RMB198, Kingdom's
Riches for RMB498, Emperor's Fortune for
RMB1,688. Horizon Chinese Restaurant, Kerry
Hotel, 1 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区
光华路1号 (8565 2188)
COMMUNITY
Workshop: Departing from China with Pets
JUN 7
Hike: trip to tHe Ming toMbs
Hike around Beijing’s leading Feng Shui destination and discover the stories
of the 13 Ming dynasty emperors and their concubines. This easy trail curls
between tombs, trees and small rivers.
//RMB390 includes transport, lunch and guide, 8.30am-6.30pm. For location, reservation and
other information, visit www.chinahiking.cn (info@chinahiking.cn, 15652200950)
Peak departure season is here, making
this the optimal time to start preparations to take pets out of the country.
Join the experts from ICVS as they
share step-by-step instructions on the
exit process and vaccination requirements to help you prepare for leaving the country, or moving to other
Chinese cities, with your pets.
//11am-12pm. International Center for
Veterinary Services, 13-16 Rong Ke Gan Lan
Cheng Shang Jie, Futong Xidajie, Wangjing,
Chaoyang District (8456 1939, 8456 1940,
marypeng@mac.com, www.ICVSASIA.com)
JUN 9
NIGHTLIFE
Gig: Dune Rats (Australia)
Though this upbeat power duo have
toured with the likes of The Hives
and Best Coast, their real crowning
achievement is two minutes of consecutive bong hits without passing out
(see their video for “Red Light, Green
Light”). Local punk team Gumbleed
support.
// RMB50, 9pm. 2Kolegas, 21 Liangmaqiao Lu,
Chaoyang District 两个好朋友酒吧朝阳区亮
马桥路21号 (6436 8998, www.2kolegas.com)
COMMUNITY
Concert: Marco Tamayo and Anabel
Montesinos
A special intimate concert with two
world-acclaimed guitarists, Anabel
Montesinos – one of the leading
figures in classical guitar and winner
of several major international guitar
competitions – and Marco Tamayo,
who returns from his recent tour of
Germany and Bulgaria.
//RMB100, 7.30pm, The Bookworm, Courtyard
4, Nan Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区南
三里屯路4号院 (6586 9507, www.beijingbookworm.com)
JUN 10-24
COMMUNITY
Workshop: Kid2Kid Social Thinking
// Booze Cruise
Fashion p22
JUN 13-16
ART
Play: ‘Members Only’
Dramatic off-the-wall hit French play
by Fabrice Roger-Lacan,
arrives in Beijing. Written for two actors, the play is one of most critically
acclaimed and successful contemporary French plays in the world. Created
in 2001 in Paris, it has since been
performed in Spain, Germany, England,
the USA, and Singapore.
//RMB380, 280, 180, 100 (Students tickets 50
RMB), 7.30pm. Tickets at the venue or call 400 620
6006 (English Service), visit www.mypiao.com.
Oriental Palace Theater, 47 Longfusi, Dongcheng
district (metro station Dongsi) (18310298961)
JUN 14
NIGHTLIFE
Gig: Askar Grey Wolf
This Xinjiang shredder is the only
worthy challenger of the coinciding
EVE.indd 60-61
// Beta Dad goes on
the tiles City p16
Football: International friendly China
vs. The Netherlands
World Cup finalists the Dutch are coming to China to take on the mighty
Middle Kingdom. Despite it being only
a friendly, the Dutch have promised to
play their full starting eleven. So dress
in orange to join the fun, or wrap yourself in red in support of the home side.
Be sure to check out the pre-match
activities and the Dutch after-party at
Elements Club.
//Workers’ Stadium, prices from RMB180 to
RMB1880.hotline and websites for tickets
(4006206006 www.mypiao.com; 4006228228
www.228.com.cn; 4006103721 www.damai.cn;
4008183333 www.t3.com.cn)
61
13-5-22 下午8:28
// Tiger Father
gets his hands
dirty p56
// Tangshan
earthquake
Books p35
5
CITY
THE BUZZ
Random Number
44
billion
ACCIDENTAL CHINESE HIPSTER
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“Monkeys are good at climbing and imitating, while
bears have good stamina –
and this is an example of the
zoo’s initiative to keep them
healthy through exercise.”
A Shanghai Wild Animal Park official justifies the continuation of their “Animal
Olympics,” that saw a monkey viciously attacked by a bear last month after their two bicycles collided. Animal rights groups are not convinced, with co-founder of China Animal
Protection Media Saloon Zhang Dan describing the practise as “pure mistreatment.”
We’re emphatically with Zhang on this one: bears make crap cyclists.
Pleased to meet the original accidental Chinese hipsters: I saw
this unforgettable couple while
on vacation and part of me has
probably been unable to stop
thinking about unselfconscious,
out-of-context Chinese fashion
ever since. The best thing? They
are at a bank: Running errands
and being bored! That lady was
not even smiling while she was
doing the most whimsical ATM
transaction of all time. Alison
Kuo
For every habit or thing, so shall
there be a respective organization: that’s clearly how it came
to pass that a World Instant
Noodle Association (WINA) exists in Japan. WINA announced
recently that China tops the
world in instant-noodle consumption. Of over 101.4 billion
“units” of instant noodle sold
last year –enough for every
man, woman and child to enjoy
a unit a month – China ranked
first with 40 billion, followed by
a massively trailing Indonesia
(14.1bn), then Japan (5.41bn).
// For more hip hip hip, visit
accidentalchinesehipsters.tumblr.com
“The results show that instant
noodles have become a global
standard dish,” boasted WINA’s
Norio Sakurai, an official with
the Osaka-based association,
adding: “We think global sales
will continue growing particularly in some developing nations.”
The Sino Files
No 5 The NGO Worker
Name: Elizabeth
Age: 52
6
Katie Morton
Sakurai neglected to warn that
the high-sodium content of the
much-loved units is linked to
ailments such as hypertension,
heart disease, stroke and kidney
damage. In 2012, Chinese media
reported that a Heilongjiang
college student was diagnosed
with terminal gastric-cancer, after eating instant noodles every
day for a month “to save time.”
The instant noodle was invented
in 1958 in Japan by Momofuku
Ando, founder of Nissin Foods,
and has evidently since proved a
much more successful invader of
China than the mother country.
C.R.E.A.M o’
the crop
Who: Most people just have a
couple of kids; Elizabeth has
over 300. All of China’s children
are hers, in fact – but especially
the ones at the Wheel of Hope
Migrant Children’s Education
Foundation, a non-profit school
that teaches migrant workers’ kids how to bake bread.
Elizabeth doesn’t have any
biological offspring of her own
– “Too busy saving the world,
darling!” she stoically tells her
friends – but she does like to
treat herself to a tasty, markedup organic coffee, once a week,
at this delightful, little, authentic
hutong cafe quite near the Lama
Temple.
She pops by there after her
regular visit to pray for hukou
reform.
Everything Elizabeth does
touches someone in some way.
Those mung beans she’s eating?
They come from an ethically
responsible minority collective
in Yunnan, farmed according
to traditional, backward techniques. The sandals? Ten percent
of the profits go to guests of the
local battered women’s refuge,
who crafted them out of hemp,
horsehair and human grief. The
hair? That’s all her own work.
Says: “Excuse my dirty fingernails, dear – I’ve just come back
from providing disaster relief in
Sichuan and haven’t had time to
wash.” RFH
bjcity@urbanatomy.com
Edited by RFH & karoline KAN
THIS MONTH IN HISTORY
Don’t you know who I am?
One day in… June
DJ Spenny
A scene from the aftermath of the
explosion at Huanggutun, 1928
Living under the rock that is
Beijing, capital of China, we’d
never heard of Shanghai Music
Scene inventor ‘DJ’ Spenny until
we came across an astonishing
interview by spoof documentarian ‘Donnie’ on BeijingCream.
com (sample exchange:
“How many women have you
banged?” Spenny: [straightfaced] “1,500”).
June 4, 1928: a train carrying
warlord Zhang Zuolin from
Beijing is ripped apart by a huge
explosion, mortally wounding
the ‘Mukden Tiger.’
these extensive economic interests, suppressing north China’s
endemic banditry, while the
Imperial Japanese Army assisted
suppressing rival factions.
Following 1911’s Xinhai
Revolution, China had fractured
into military cliques, ushering
in the Warlord Era. It was within
this shaky society that Zhang
went from village urchin (known
as ‘Pimple’) to supreme ruler of
then-Manchuria via bandit gang.
Zhang’s power was sponsored
by the Empire of Japan, who
coveted the north-east region’s
untapped natural resources.
Zhang provided security for
But Zhang’s adventurism
overtaxed the region. Despite
capturing Beijing in 1926 – proclaiming himself Grand Marshal
of the Republic of China – the
economy collapsed in 1927-28,
the Kuomintang (backed by the
Soviet Union, Tokyo’s strategic
rival) attacked his forces in 1928,
forcing Zhang into retreat.
Infuriated by his failures,
Japanese militarists decided
Born Spencer Tarring, this
cropped-haired, lanky ligger
came to China after cutting his
teeth – though, sadly, not his
wrists – at some of the UK’s
worst nightclubs, including notorious hellhole China White.
The practice of tarring Spencer,
though, began in earnest when
‘Spenny’ took a residency at
M1NT – the China White of
Shanghai, and rebranded himself, amid stiff competition, as
Shanghai’s “#1 DJ” and driving
a Hummer, which he quickly
traded in for a Rolls Royce.
to replace Zhang with a better
puppet. As his train reached
Huanggutun, near Shenyang,
passing beneath the Japaneseoperated South Manchuria
Railroad, a bomb exploded.
The ‘Huanggutun Incident’
failed to have the desired effect:
Zhang’s son, Zhang Xueliang,
quietly reconciled with the
KMT, which left him ruler of the
north-east, rather than Japan’s
pick, General Yang Yuting – forcing Japan to wait several years
before manufacturing another
episode to justify the invasion
of the north-east – the Mukden
Incident of September 1931.
Like his work? His non-hit single
‘Don’t Give Up (Original Mix)’
by Spencer Tarring is available
for free on his website. The man
who gives honest douchebags a
bad name also has a Twitter account and personal site (which
you can still be the first person
to ‘like’ on Facebook), in which
he describes his career in the
third-person, Caesar-style. For
example: “[Spenny’s] insatiable
appetite for Asian woman and
partying hard has certainly created quite a stir, with his name
regularly being on both the
good [sic] and the bad side of
conversations.”
Chinese whispers
Looking into Beijing’s urban myths: Underground City
The reality: The Sino-Soviet split
caused an already-isolationist
Chinese government to fear
imminent nuclear attack. In
1969, Mao ordered a network
of tunnels to be dug by amateur
volunteers – an Underground
City built to house 300,000 postnuclear survivors that would
spread from Zhongnanhai up to
the Western Hills and beyond.
Persistent rumors of the sprawling tunnels’ true extent and size
are common enough to be per-
Photo by Jonah Kessel
The myth: Deep below the city,
there are vast tunnels, four lanes
wide, capable of transporting
tanks from Tiananmen to Hebei.
suasive, but with the ‘City’ today
shuttered as a safety hazard,
and the era mostly unmemorialized, we may never really know.
Verdict: Probably true – given
the sheer scale of the Ming
Tombs, for example, it’s certainly
possible given the manpower.
Eager to prove or disprove a myth? Contact
bjeditor@urbanatomy.com
Indeed, Spenny is rarely, if ever,
pictured without a girl – beautiful; usually Chinese; often nearnaked – by his side. This, along
with his enormous, colorful
shoe collection (lovingly placed
on display in his Shanghai
apartment) demonstrates to us,
without any shadow of a doubt,
that Spenny is completely and
utterly straight. Spenny factoids:
did you know DJ Spenny’s original DJ name was “DJ Don’t You
Know Who I Am?”?
7
Printed in partnership with
BeijingCream.com
TALES OF THE CITY
PLAtes
Yuanmingyuan
License to rile
Heading home
Two zodiac heads looted from
Yuanmingyuan in 1860 will
be returned to China, after a
French business delegation led
by President François Hollande
visited China and struck a series
of business deals.
François-Henri Pinault, the
head of luxury group PPR/
Kering, promised to return the
stolen bronze rabbit and rat
busts after signing a contract,
promising 60 Airbus aircraft to
China’s Civil Aviation Supplies
Holding Company and deals
for Renualt to set up a Wuhan
factory, producing 150,000 vehicles a year.
Online comments, translated by ChinaSMACK,
expressed both national
pride and some cynicism: “They returned
two water taps…
and in return walked
away with contracts… as well as a
long-term agreement with China
Guangdong
Nuclear,” observed pithy @
Panorama_SH, while网易浙
江省温州市网友 suggested
they might be safer still in
France “where freak incidents
like ‘Destroy the Four Olds’
don’t happen.” But @July滴
Richard Nixon’s 100th birthday
Nixon’s forays into Asia and the
Watergate scandal that dogged
his presidency are but a footnote
to his greater legacy in China
– the Nixon connection, Cox admits, helps here.
8
“If they don’t
return them,
then they are
robbers; and if they do return
them, then they’re just doing
it for show… Can’t we just say
thank you? If we ourselves
had carefully watched over
our things at the time, would
things be as they are now?”
Forbidden City
Nixon in China (again)
One of Tricky Dicky’s grandsons
was in China for the 16th time,
and it was news. “He would be
amazed,” Christopher Nixon
Cox told reporters, referring
to grandfather Richard and his
probable reaction. Nixon was
a critic of Mao’s isolationist
policy, calling it “dangerous for
the world,” Cox recalled, next
his striking blonde-heiress wife
(pictured), who caught the eye of
the press for some reason.
七月 perhaps
nailed it with his
point that “some
people in China
are beginning
to suffer from
paranoid persecution.
Glass clocked
“People usually figure it out
when we exchange business
cards, and it is definitely an icebreaker,” the 34-year-old banker
told the LA Times. “But beyond
that, you still have to bring
something to the table.”
Nixon chief of staff Jack Brennan,
had the privilege of being on
both trips. “In 1972, there was
just a small landing strip for
the airport,” recalled Brennan.
“When we drove in, we hardly
saw any people and only a few
Soviet-made cars... When it
snowed, instead of snowplows
there were hundreds and hundreds of Chinese sweeping the
streets with brooms.”
An ancient clock was damaged
at the Forbidden City after a
disturbed vandal went head to
head with a pane of glass – and
lost. The man, 22-year-old Wang
something, yelled while being arrested: “If I didn’t smash
the glass, the glass would’ve
smashed me!” Footage shows
Wang walking up to the exhibit,
then backing away bloodied. For
some reason, cameras will now
be upgraded to high definition
and authorities are considering
upgrading the glazing to keep
out the crazies. No word on
whether they’ll be cleaned more
often, as they should be.
New restrictions on military
plates for civilian cars have
kicked in and netizens are on it.
But one guy’s not happy – some
fellow at the Global Times. To
recap: on orders from President
Xi, the military are deploying
“high technology” on ‘PLAtes’
to “better manage” their use
and illegal auction, and prevent
fakes, Liberation Daily reported;
cars of over RMB450,000 (BMW,
Cadillac, Volkswagen, Bentley,
Porsche, Audi – the list goes on)
or with tanks larger than three
liters are also forbidden PLAtes,
dismantling a privilege which
has allowed military vehicles to
pretty much do as they please. China National Radio host Xiao
Ting soon Weibo-busted a black
Volkswagen Touareg (cost:
between RMB680,000 and 1.1
million) ambling up Beijing’s 106
highway with brand-new military
plates, declaring it “outrageous!”
The PLA website hit back with a
loophole: “high-ranking military
officers have been provided with
Touaregs and they will continue
to be used,” it said. In the interests of frugality, “[sedans costing
more than RMB450,000] used in
the past will remain in service.”
The Global Times was soon railing against the public scrutiny.
“Public opinion needs to face
reality,” the paper declared.
“Impatient public supervision
does more harm than good [for]
China’s long-term development.”
Many did not agree. “A soldier’s
duty is to follow orders,” pointed
out commentator Charles Xue,
while CCTV’s own Weibo asked,
“Has someone figured out how
to fake plates? Or is it a brazen
violation of the rules? Relevant
authorities need to find this car,
conduct a strict investigation and
provide a swift answer.”
nation
Maoism
Mao money
teaching Chairman Mao to chairmen of the board
Karoline Kan
It’s the theory that
“helped the Chinese
Communist Party win
the anti-Japanese
and the civil war, and
construct prosperous
socialism in New
China” – and it’s
also, according to Li
Kaicheng, author of
Red Management, a
great way to run your
company.
“shocked” to see so many ‘red
descendants’ and government
officials attending his events.
In a restricted military base in
Beijing, an audience is carefully
listening to the story of how Mao
oversaw the Red Army’s growth
in the 1940s, despite the severe
circumstances and extreme conditions. “It is all about management,” claims Li. “The management theory that comes from
profound Marxist philosophy
and practical experience.”
Lectures on military training
have been compulsory for undergraduates since 1994, as part of
the post-1989 Patriotic Education
movement – though usually only
lasting one to two weeks. There,
ideological and political classes
are set beside physical training
and exercise. In this classroom,
however, the students are all
middle-aged, ambitious company managers, whose zeal and
belief in Mao Zedong has convinced them that his theory on
managing the Party – so-called
‘Red Management’ – could even
be an effective business tool.
In Red Management, author Li
defines the theory as something
“created not only by Mao Zedong
but also several generations
of Communist Party members,
based on traditional Chinese
culture and Marxism. [It] was
Image via 1tu
S
ome 60 years after Mao
Zedong Thought instructed
its adherents to better
‘Serve the People’ in Communist
China, the Marxist-Leninist theory
is today being used to teach aspirant capitalists how to better serve
their companies.
‘Students wear Red Army uniforms and
carry bags of millet while climbing to
“deeply experience the spirit of the Long
March”’
applied to managing the Party,
army and country, and has
proved to be truth.”
Red Management’s birth as a
business began in 2003 and hit
the big time with the ascendancy of then-Chongqing Party
Secretary Bo Xilai, as the seeds
of his new ‘Chongqing model’
– a political system purportedly based on social welfare,
combined with revolutionary
nostalgia – spread in the steamy
municipality. As leaders called
on citizens to ‘Sing red, smash
black,’ referring to the mafia coalition that had the southern city
in its grip, offshoots of the movement, such as red culture and
red tourism, began to blossom.
Even with Bo now awaiting trial,
his political legacy in disgrace,
Li still remembers those heady
days: “At first, I guess there was
just a lot of hype,” says Li, who’s
also a lecturer at Dong Fang Jun
Heng (DFJH) school in Beijing,
focusing on Red Management.
“But no matter if it was hype or
not, it was good promotion.”
Li is a retired senior colonel and
considered an expert in the field
of Communist ideology and political management. It helps that
his grandfather was Li Kenong, a
major figure in the Party’s early
years, who later became head
of military intelligence and a
Central Committee member in
1956; Li died of medical complications in 1962, untainted by the
upcoming persecutions of the
Cultural Revolution that his fellow officers would undergo.
Most of DFJH’s lecturers have
military backgrounds or experience at one of the famous
Party Schools of the Central
Committee, which educate cadres, and act as rare incubators of
freeform political debate within
an official capacity. In 2006,
DFJH’s director Mi Yinghui quit
all his other courses to focus
exclsuively on Red Management.
By 2008, he described himself as
Most of Mi’s clients are entrepreneurs who are sentimental
about the Mao era. “The time
and money invested are nothing compared with what I have
learnt,” exclaims Tang Weimin,
a student and 42-year-old manager of a state-owned enterprise
(SOE). His courses are partly exercises in revolutionary nostalgia:
in the two-to-three day intensive
course (RMB6,800), students live
in dormitories, dine in catering
halls and pay group pilgrimages
to destinations such as Shaoshan
(Mao’s birthplace), Yanan (cradle
of the revolution), Ruijin and
Zunyi (both well-known landmarks on the Long March).
During these ‘Travel and
Learning’ sections, the students
wear Red Army uniforms and
even carry bags of millet while
climbing the hills to “deeply
experience the spirit of the Long
March,” explains Sun Junzheng, a
teacher at Hongse Guanliwang, a
Shenzhen-based organization offering Red Management training.
Mi thinks his fees are reasonable: “We charge the least in
this field,” he points out. “Almost
100,000 people have had lessons
[with us].” Most seem satisfied –
but few are as passionate about
Mao Zedong as Mi. A graduate of
Dalian University of Technology,
he quit a high-ranking SOE position for a love of red culture.
“Maoism contains some truths
that will live long in human history,” he declares, adding that
he is confused and worried by
China’s “messy social values.”
“I don’t understand why topics
about Mao Zedong are blocked
online during the big meetings,”
complains Mi at one point.
Red Management focuses more
on managing people – and how
they think – than building up
company structures and discipline, as hypotheses in Western
economic and management usually do. According to the theory,
humanity is not selfish but, with
the right leadership, can be
directed to think and act for a
collective interest. Mao’s suc-
9
Image by Katie Morton
10
Maoism
cess in the Long March, his fight
against the Japanese and his
victory against the Kuomintang
are taken as ultimate proof of the
theory’s effectiveness.
For Li, this focus on people – or
more precisely, building up common interests between employees and watching closely what
they think – is key. “The Chinese
don’t have the Germans’ strictness, the Japanese carefulness,
nor the Americans’ creativity,” Li
sweepingly explains. “To excel,
a method that grew up domestically and proved effective is
something worth adopting.”
Both Li and Mi hold up Huawei
Technologies Co Ltd as a
prime example of how Red
Management could prove effective for modern companies.
Founded in 1988, Huawei is presided over by the charismatic Ren
Zhengfei, a former PLA officer
and student of civil engineering,
who left the army in 1987 when
it disbanded its engineers corps.
Like Mao, Ren avoided the tough
sell of China’s big coastal cities
and focused instead on the provinces, deploying vast amount of
Huawei salespeople to spread
a message of cheaper, quality
homegrown equipment.
Similar to Mao’s leadership style,
Ren also focuses on a pure form
of ideology, encouraging Huawei
employees to sing red and insisting new recruits undergo a
half-year training course, which
includes a two-week ‘cultural
induction’ designed to ingrain
employees with a supposed
‘Wolf Spirit’ – all of which means
its vast Shenzhen campus “can
feel a bit like a corporate version
of the Chinese Communist Party,”
according to one report by The
Economist.
Now the world’s second-biggest
maker of telecoms equipment,
employing 110,000 people and
worth USD30 billion, Huawei is
a success story. But its perceived
PLA links and deliberatelyfostered military image have also
played into the hands of foreign
lawmakers, happy to stoke fears
that Huawei is an espionage
front in order to block further
investment in countries like the
US – thus restricting Huawei’s
worldwide vision.
And while Li believes that
Huawei’s core Wolf Spirit – advocating ‘a sharp sense of smell,
perseverance and aggressiveness,
and group struggle’ – are the essence of Maoism, others take a
more considered approach.
“Personally, I think Ren is a talented leader and Huawei have
achieved a very good result so
far,” says Malone Wang, a marketing manager at petrochemical
multinational Shell. “However,
their culture is not a master key
to all companies. Much of its
business has something to do
with the government, so their
good relationship with [them] is
important. Maybe some things
are done in a not-very-transparent way. [Red theory] is well
applied in some countries, but I
doubt if it could go further.”
Both Mi and Li believe the future
of Red Management is “unlimited,” however, though neither is
currently content – because, they
say, no matter how many people
have taken their short-term train-
‘Those people in
charge of Tsinghua
University have
graduated from
Western countries
and have
prejudices... They
are know-nothing
guys’
ing courses, Red Management
has still not gotten enough attention. As the theory matures, so
they hope academic institutions
will take it more seriously –
though they have, so far, had little luck in this direction. Tsinghua
University refused to co-operate
with them, which Mi blames on
foreign influences. “It is the fault
of those who are in charge of the
university but have graduated
from Western countries with
prejudices,” Mi claims. “They are
know-nothing guys.”
Neither is there an established
consensus on the theory. There
are “thousands” of other organizations offering similar courses,
and many are taking advantage
of red hype, warns He Chengfei,
manager of Hongse Guanliwang.
“Everyone is claiming that they
are the founder of this management-theory system, while, at
the same time, there is no proof
of who is the founder, or who
has the highest authority in this
field,” He complains.
Even between Li and Mi, there
are major disagreements. Li believes the theory should expand
to include Western ideas; Mi
strongly disagrees: “The [2008]
financial crisis started in the US
and expanded over the world.
[The US] is doomed, the fundamental ideology of its economy
and management is wrong.”
Meanwhile, Li is not even
sure if the name is proper. “It
seems to have an overly strong
ideological color,” he admits.
“But we couldn’t find a more
suitable name. If we called it
Management by Mao, I am afraid
it is worse. Anyway – it is not
solely created by [him].” Yet for
Mi, of course, Mao is behind all
his primary principles.
This divergence could lead to a
rift in the leadership, much as
divisions over the economic management of China’s agriculture
policy split the Party in the late
1950s. Li is considering forming
his own company to continue his
research into the theory. “Maybe
in the future, we can open classes to foreigners,” he enthuses. “It
will be interesting to them. They
should have a close look at what
Chinese culture really is.”
Mi, meanwhile, is starting to
show signs of the personality cult
that once surrounded the late
Chairman. “I personally despise
those who betray the team, and
try to establish their own business and fame,” Mi says, in an undisguised shot at Li. “And by the
way, I want to know how much
you mention my school and my
name in your article before I give
you any more help.”
Photo by Noemi Cassanelli
nation
A Red Management school in Beijing
11
nation
Special Report: Earthquakes in China
Red alert
Has trust in charities reached breaking point?
BY Valentina Luo
T
he quake hit Lushan
at 8.02am Beijing
Time on April 20,
but the aftershocks
would soon be felt everywhere
else. Among the first to respond
was the Red Cross Society of
China, whose Sina Weibo account immediately appeal for
donations. The response was
swift: USD17,550 raised and
140,000 replies of “F*ck off!”
One joked: “Sure, what’s Guo
Meimei’s account number?” The
post was deleted two days later.
Of the many victims of the
Lushan tragedy, which left 196
dead and 968 seriously injured,
perhaps least likely was the
mainland’s largest charity, the
Red Cross. And the perpetrator
of this seismic disaster? Not an
Act of God but a sweet-looking
20-year-old.
Guo Meiling, or ‘Guo Meimei
Baby,’ first brought the charity
under the spotlight in 2011, after
posting pictures of herself posing
with a Maserati and travelling
business class, claiming she held
a senior position with the society.
The ensuing uproar proved a
public-relations disaster, as conflicting information – much of it
unverified to this day – overshadowed stout denials that Guo was
ever employed at the charity.
An internal report confirmed as
much six months later, though
few were convinced – not least
because investigators hadn’t
even contacted Guo herself.
“She’s a free person. We didn’t
know where to find her,” protested Zhang Li, Vice Party Secretary
of the Red Cross Discipline
Committee. “The conclusion was
reliable, as we took into account
the Beijing police’s inquiries.”
Guo is now an unlikely figurehead for the civilian anticorruption movement, much as
Zhao Hongxia, the ‘honey trap’
who triggered a series of sleazy
Chongqing exposés, became in
12
‘A 17.2GB Guo sex
tape turned out to
contain an orgy of
old animation and
viruses’
2012. Even Guo’s current, foreign
boyfriend “[thinks] I did the right
thing by preventing more corruption at the Red Cross,” Guo claims
on her Weibo. Her popularity
was demonstrated in May, when
a 17.2GB ‘sex tape,’ rumored to
star Guo with multiple Red Cross
managers, turned out to contain
only an orgy of old Chinese animation, food documentaries
and viruses; ‘17.2GB’ soon
trended on the service.
Things turned out less well
for Guo’s ex, Wang Jun, who
gave up his position on
the board of Zhonghong
Bo’ai (literally: ‘China Red
Philanthropy’), the
fund managers for
the Red Cross’ socalled Commercial
Industry Branch. His
departure exposed
an even-larger web
of interests as netizens scrutinized public records, noting
that the Wang Ding company,
which owns Zhonghong Bo’ai,
is managed by Wang Yanda –
whose father, Wang Shumin,
happens to be vice chairman
of the Commercial Branch from
which ‘sugar daddy’ Wang Jun
resigned.
Under the Gang of Wangs’ leadership, Zhonghong Bo’ai had
launched a franchise of some
20,000 ‘Bo’ai Service Stations’
nationwide after the 2008 quake,
aiming to provide emergency aid
as well as “convenient services
for residents,” according to the
official Red Cross site (the 2008
post was since deleted; the
Commercial Branch was shut
down in 2011).
Former investment banker and
philanthropist Wu Chong says
these were no humanitarian development. “As a ‘charity venture’,
Bo’ai’s Stations
were spared from
paying rent, while
its perfect location
– inside residential
compounds – allowed it to sell advertising, insurance
services and even medicine,
either directly or by signing
leases with respective companies,” Wu explains in interview.
“A very conservative estimate
of the value of these deals is
RMB1 billion.”
While the Red Cross initially
denied any connection
Im
between that of government
organization
and civil
one,” observes Xu
Yongguang, Vice
Chairman of
the China Youth
Development
Foundation. In most
countries, the Red
Cross is an independent charity but in
China it is closely
linked to the state.
u
“[Its] ambiguous posiZh
g
tioning makes it imposin
N
sible
to answer to both the
a
i
v
e
government and the public.”
ag
with its Commercial Branch,
their own website had belied it.
In May this year, the Red Cross
finally admitted the source of
the Stations’ funding was some
RMB84.7 million raised by artists
at a 2008 auction of paintings –
and intended for damage relief
at Qingchengshan, an important
early Taoist site.
The Red Cross conceded only that
the donations “were not used
as intended” and apologized for
“inadequate communication and
service… [we] shall improve.” But
Tsinghua University professor Jia
Xijin, an NGO specialist, told the
South China Morning Post that
the represented a “misappropriation” of funds. Fellow Tsinghua
professor Deng Guosheng, who
teaches public policy, suggests
that nearly 80 percent of donations for the 2008 quake ended
up in the pockets of central and
local officials.
“Such problems occur due to the
Red Cross’ ambiguous identity
Saying ‘no’ to the government
is not an option: after the Yushu
quake in April, NGOs were ordered to send all donations to
the Qinghai government. So the
public voted with its feet: Jet Li’s
One Foundation raised RMB22.4
million within 24 hours, while
the Red Cross managed only
RMB140,000. Meanwhile, after
Chief Executive Leung Chunying proposed a HKD100 million
(RMB80 million) public donation,
Hong Kong legislators baulked
and openly suggested boycotting
mainland charities for international NGOs, to ensure oversight.
To increase transparency, the Red
Cross set up a ‘social supervision
committee’ in December, with
independent funding and staff;
chief Wang Yong immediately
proposed to reopen the Guo
Meimei case. Yet, as citizen journalist Zhou Xiaoyun points out,
the Brand China Industry Union,
of which Wang is founder and
chairman, had not only given its
‘Brand Female’ Award to a senior Red Cross manager but also
worked on the wretched Bo’ai
Station Project.
Even as debate rages over a
new Guo probe, the Red Cross
defends the original, discredited
investigation – suggesting that,
as long as the society remains
opaquely tied to government,
crossed wires will likely continue
to plague the Red Cross in China.
Special Report
A Han
Dynasty
seismograph
device
all shook up
why predicting quakes is a national hobby
By James Palmer
A
s soon as the latest earthquake hit Ya’an, the usual
misguided enthusiasts
were claiming they’d “predicted”
it. When acquiring a reputation
for forecasting, the principle is the
same as that of psychics: throw
out as many as possible, covering as wide an area as you can,
and when one proves right, hope
people forget the hundreds that
were wrong. Seismologists have been questing for prediction methods for
decades, but to little avail.
“One of my colleagues turned
to [Taoist manual] the I Ching,
which is probably as good as
anything else,” one told me in
2009. “It’s an obsession for many
people in our field. Some of
them go mad.”
Long-term earthquake probabilities can certainly be made – San
Francisco’s f*cked, as everyone
knows – but specific methods
are currently a fantasy: None
has yet produced results better than chance. But prediction
claims still find a rich market
among Chinese netizens. The
Lushan earthquake saw them
digging up US reports about the
possibility of another quake in
the region, slating authorities
and theorizing elaborate coverups and conspiracy.
In a country where suspicions of
official malfeasance are rife – and
genuine cover-ups common – it’s
easy for such beliefs to find currency. Quakes aren’t the only
field where skepticism and pseudo-science meet: bird flu, nuclear
radiation and SARS all saw rumors of secret countermeasures
or foreknowledge flying about,
and people naively turning to
everything from iodized salt to
traditional cold remedies (like
banlangen) to ward off the invisible dangers.
Yet quakes tap into a particularly
sensitive vein here. The country
is large and seismically unstable
enough that earthquakes have
claimed millions of lives over the
centuries, and folk memories of
the devastations are strong. Yet
they’re not common enough to
mandate the kind of intensive
training seen in countries like
Japan, where children are indoctrinated in necessary precautions.
The government response has
always been to promise more
“disaster training.” But little has
materialized in practice, because
the threat is genuinely distant
for most people. In rural Sichuan,
drills have become part of the
routine imposed by village committees. But the worst damage is
in towns and cities, where a combination of shoddy construction
and migrant populations produce
devastating effects. And with an
itinerant citizenry, good practice
is a hard goal to reach. Yet the
reassuring thing for Beijing is
that its high-profile status means
that standards are strictly followed here. As one architect responsible for Beijing’s shiny-new
Terminal 3 said: “In most of the
country, earthquake standards
aren’t followed very closely,” he
admitted. “A lot of the construction is unofficial anyway. But in
Beijing, the regulations are much
more tightly adhered to. Our
terminal meets and exceeds international standards. Ultimately,
nobody wants to have a wall fall
on somebody important.”
// James Palmer’s ‘Heaven Cracks, Earth Shakes’
(HarperCollins) about the 1976 Tangshan earthquake is
out in paperback (see Books p.34).
13
CITY
photo essay
The Real Voice of China
expressing the hopes and Chinese dreams of youth
BY Karoline Kan Photos by Adrian fisk
‘The past 60 years
in China makes
the idea of writing
on paper what you
want to express
very complicated’
There are some 256
million people aged
16 to 24 in China.
What do they think?
What are their hopes
and fears? President
Xi Jinping has used
the phrase “the China
Dream” to underscore
the kind of bold vision
that might inspire
them. For answers,
Xi might wish to
look no further than
the work of British
photographer Adrian
Fisk, who has traveled
across China and India
asking young people
these exact questions.
Ma Xiao Lian, 19. Farmer in Qinghai province.
[Illiterate] “My husband and I want to become migrant laborers,
so we can work hard to make ourselves and our parents happy.”
Liu Gu, 26, Mobile-phone hardware designer in Beijing.
“If I have a sister, it would be better.”
Qiang Chow, 25. Construction worker in Qinghai Province.
“I dream that one day I can go to the holy Potala Palace in
Lhasa on a pilgrimage.”
Meng Hai Li, 29. Mobile phone engineer in Beijing.
“Why must people get married?”
With the United Nations
Population Fund now sponsoring a worldwide version of Fisk’s
iSpeak China project – iSpeak
Global – to improve understanding between young people in
developing countries, the photographer explained to That’s Beijing
how it all began.
Fisk spent eight years living in
India, where he realized that, despite their proximity, most young
Chinese and Indians knew little
about each other.
In 2008, Fisk traveled to eight
provinces, including both affluent
coastal regions and poorer rural
areas, covering a total of 125,000
14
‘With iSpeak,
young Chinese
can write down
the one thing they
care about the
most’
kilometers and photographing 45
people in restaurants, trains and
on the street.
Song Jing Ping, 22. Runs two simple
restaurants with her fiance in Hubei Province.
“When people leave their village to live in the
city, it is very hard for them to return.”
Luo Zheng Chui, 30. Farmer. Yunnan Province.
“After watching television, I have many thoughts but I
know I cannot achieve them.”
Initially invited to write down
their single most important
thought, many simply responded
with a stock answer that sounded
safe: “China is a great country and
I want to be rich.”
“[Young Chinese] are in a kind of
relationship with their government, on what they can and can’t
express,” Fisk explains. “The history of the past 60 years in China
makes the idea of writing on paper what you want to express very
complicated.”
Fisk therefore set about winning
his subjects’ trust, often discussing the project for hours before
finally repeating his original questions: “What do you think? What
are you worried about?”
Feng Long, 21. First-time migrant laborer
working as painter-decorator in Shanghai.
“Why aren’t there any companies setting up
factories in the countryside? We don’t want to
work as migrant laborers.”
Guan Ying Ni, 25. Computer systems analyst in Shanghai.
“The city should be slowed down. The countryside should be sped up!”
The answers, he found, were very
different in both countries, which
are often compared for their similarities – emerging economies,
vast populations, long, often tragic histories (including colonialism)
– yet greatly differ in both culture
and society.
“I think China has a richer youth
culture, in which young people
have more opportunities,” says
Fisk. “But they are facing no less
pressure than those in India.” In
China, for example, issues such as
the one-child policy are unique
preoccupations; in India, a similar
subject might be the rigid caste
system. Both suffer the twin
scourges of corruption and
extreme poverty.
Li Jung Yang, 25. Was a shepherd but, due to a ban on livestock in
the area, is now a tour guide in Inner Mongolia.
“I hope I can eat lamb, quaff wine and spirits, and keep singing and
dancing like I was doing five years ago. This is our families’ wish.”
Yuen Fei, 27. Post-graduate philosophy student, now
owns small handicraft shop in Shanxi Province.
“I want China to be more democratic.”
Yet in an age of microblogging
– Sina’s Weibo service reached
500 million users this month – is
iSpeak China even necessary? Fisk
has his answer ready. “On these
social networks, [the users] keep
updating every day, while with
iSpeak, they only have one chance
– so they write down the one
thing they care about the most.”
15
relationships
BETA DAD
Baby’s on Board
newborns and nightlife don’t really mix
by Carlos Ottery
I
t was the start of the weekend.
I was just taking the first sip
of my third pint when the text
arrived: “The baby is crying. You
must go home to see Nadir.”
I agreed to meet Nadia and
Lola at one of those places on
Nanluguoxiang that is not quite
sure if it is a restaurant, a café
or a bar, and consequently fails
on all counts (though from 8pm
onwards it firmly attempts to establish itself as the latter).
Here’s to fatherhood!
The sender, my mate Andy, is
Chinese and this was a clearly
innocent spelling mistake, rather
than magnificent wordplay –
Nadia the Not Quite Wife apparently needed me at home.
We shared a table with a couple
of young German interns who
were milling around, looking
slightly confused. They were a
tad humorless, but seemed nice
enough and we were having fun,
or so I thought, until one of them
decided to get a few things off
his chest.
Regretfully knocking back my
Tsingtao, I slouched out of the
pub to answer this phone call of
duty. But it wasn’t long before I
began feeling sorry for myself.
The baby was crying? Well, other
than cr*pping and eating, that’s
what babies do: they cry.
“I just want to say, if I had a kid
I would never do what you are
doing.” “What am I doing?” I wondered. “Take a baby into a bar.
There are people smoking here,”
he pointed out, jaw clenched,
apparently unconcerned that
the AQI reading outside that day
was ‘Beyond Index’ anyway. “You
shouldn’t be doing this. It would
not happen in Germany!”
When I got back, I quickly realized
that I wasn’t needed in the slightest. My Not Quite Wife just didn’t
fancy spending Friday night alone
looking after Lola while I was out
working on my Sanlitan (‘Sanlitan’
(n): a puffy grey pallor, boasted by
those who spend long periods on
bar street – The Beijing Dictionary
of Urban Slang).
I realize this is a common complaint. Humdrum even: “My girlfriend doesn’t understand me”;
“She won’t stop texting me”; “She
smashed the house up last night
and threatened me with a knife.”
We’ve all had a girlfriend who has
a tiny circle of friends – and hates
them all. Or the mate who disappears for months on end when he
finally gets laid, only to quickly reappear when it doesn’t work out.
But what is to be done? As battles
go, the one between the sexes is
perhaps the biggest and most unwinnable; Shakespeare even gave
it its own play.
The thing is, during our brief
courtship – happy days! – Nadia
wasn’t like this at all. She would
never force me to call it a night. I
don’t know if it’s a Russian thing,
16
Photo via Carlos Ottery
The self-justification had begun
and I had some bitter tears to
shed of my own. I was not convinced the trip home was necessary, and I could hear the fourth
pint calling me. “It’s just a baby
Carlos,” it crooned. “You can see
Lola anytime. Relax, drink me. Act
like a dickhead all night instead.”
‘There was a time she would have
been upset if I didn’t stay out all
night, lose a fight and at least try get
it on with a lady of the night’
but her notions of gender identity
are staunchly Medieval. She
would have been upset if I didn’t
stay out all night, lose a couple
of fights and then at least try to
bang a prostitute. Things aren’t
like that now and I am expected
to play the dutiful dad, a role I’m
not remotely accustomed to.
As a new father, I’m trying to work
out exactly how much time I’m
able to escape without roaming
into wanker territory, a place I fear
I inhabit rather a lot. I’ve been
experimenting with a few techniques; one’s controversial. I call it
“Taking the baby out.” This is fine
when strolling in the park, but anywhere with a liquor license can
provoke some collective negative
judgments from complete strangers (even if you go to Babyface).
I welcome feedback but it can
get quite trying. Only last week,
I didn’t have any particular
problem with young Wolfgang’s
opinion per se. Hell, he was probably right. I was just miffed that
he felt the desire to tell me it.
What did he expect me to say?
“Thank you for pointing this out,
Herr Wolfgang. We will leave
post-haste. But if I were you guys,
I wouldn’t have invaded Poland”?
It would have been rude, not to
mention unnecessary (just like
their invasion, in fact). While one
may consider any number of people dodgy parents – like all the
folks who let their kids run wild,
when there are SUVs, driven by
madmen, almost everywhere – I
had always thought it bad form to
go around telling them, especially
within a few minutes’ meeting.
Of course, this is just one of the
problems with taking your baby
out on the town. A slight sense of
paranoia inevitably pervades the
night, and while it is possible to
get baby, stroller and wife home
after a few drinks, it does all
somehow get a bit more difficult.
So, from now on, I’ll no longer
get in the way of the young and
childless, and I’ll follow what any
responsible dad does: I’ll do my
boozing at home.
CITY
word on the street
Language of Love?
What it will take for Chinese to sound sexy
BY Eveline Chao
W
e don’t like Chinese
accents. And by “we,” I
mean people from outside the Sino-Tibetan language
family; and by “don’t like,” I
mean, react in the swooning way
that Americans, for example, go
gaga over British accents. Even
my mother, who has one herself ,
once said to me, “Chinese accent
just soooo annoy.”
At this point, some expat out
there is probably saying, “But I
love Chinese accents!” It’s different for us, though, because we’re
familiar with the sounds. For a
reminder of how most people
react to Chinese, wait until your
next visitor from abroad. I’ve had
Americans gesture at a group
of Chinese and ask, wide-eyed,
“What are those people fighting
about?” “Nothing,” I reply with
amusement, “That guy just asked,
‘Where’s Nanjing Road?’”
‘My Chinese
mother once
said, “Chinese
accent just
soooo annoy”’
While some unfamiliarity can
sound sexy and exotic, for the
most part, people prefer the
sounds of languages similar to
their own. Our subconscious stereotypes about the culture surrounding a language play a role
too. Americans swoon over ‘romance’ languages, while German
and Russian sound ugly to us.
It’s no coincidence that many of
us grew up seeing Germans and
Russians portrayed as bad guys in
Hollywood (though the accents
in those movies are dubious – as
I once learned from the Dutch
guy who played Nils the Blonde
Aryan Terrorist in Die Hard).
Any socio-linguist will tell you
that there’s nothing inherently
pleasing about one language
over another. It all has to do
with our own associations and
the ways the sounds contrast to
those of our own.
Studies show that an accent
negatively affects people’s perceptions of how intelligent and
credible you are. This is true not
just with foreign ones, but also
accents within a language. Think
of the way we react to Cockney
versus Received Pronunciation
(the so-called ‘Queen’s English’),
or the accents of those from the
American Deep South.
Obviously, this has major implications for equality issues.
The good news is that a study
by linguists Susana Eisenchlas
and Chiharu Tsurutani at Griffith
University found that students
studying foreign languages did
not have the same prejudices as
others. Exposure to other languages and multicultural environments seems to make us more
open to different speech sounds.
Only when Chinese ceases to
seem alien will we see English
speakers swooning over the accent. In the meantime, there are
always languages that sound
even worse to us than Chinese.
Just ask my Cantonese friend:
“Mandarin sounds so soft and
poetic!”
// Eveline Chao is the author of NIUBI! – The
Real Chinese You Were Never Taught in School,
available in local English-language bookstores
that's Beijing 188x130.indd 1
17
13-5-10 下午5:55
annual readers’ party
CITY
H
ow do you make a panda blush? It’s something involving ‘shoots and leaves’ – answers on a
postcard. Meanwhile, there were blushes a-plenty at our splendid Sexy Circus party, which landed on May 3, in time to revive weary Labor Day laborers. It boasted burlesque, a belly dancer,
pole dancing, a ukulele band, a DJ resembling Iron Man (called DJ Iron Man), and all manner of amusing, prize-winning drinking games. We also saw a chained dwarf, a masked gimp, and an endless procession of glamorous female guests, who brought the sexy to the circus (the men were not too shabby,
either – we even spotted dead-on Littlefinger from Game of Thrones and Seinfeld lookalikes). Party on,
my friends, and we’ll see you next year.
1
3
2
4
9
8
5
11
7
6
Special thanks to our prize sponsors:
18
10
12
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Photos by Noemi Cassanelli and Wu Jie
13
Left page:
1. Ringmaster Matthew and his Beijing Party Animals!
2. You La swinging on the pole
3. Kai Luyao (left) & You La (right) doing tha sexy dance thang
4. DJ Iron Man and the voluptuous DJ Molly Bass spinning wax
5. Miss Latonya with her Hula Hoop performance
6. Co-host Calvin Pollak from the Comedy Club China
7. Henieken’s Strongest Drinker game... featuring Heineken Beer!
8. Kai Luyao from Luolan Pole Dancing
9. Kamila Nasir, Lulu Galore, and Kate Smith from the Confectionaires
10. From EG Distriselecta, Lindemans Beer’s 2012 Miss Kriek’s belly dances.
11. Handsome host Toby Jarman from the Comedy Club China
12. (cutout) The mysterious and mellifluous Lulu Galore from Moonglow Burlesque
Right page:
13. Intercontinental Hotel, Financial Street’s Robert Islas having a drink with his bros
14. George Wang, Larry Stradmoor and Eric Cui from Lanson Place with TBJ’s very own Lea Wang.
15. Westin Financial Street Natasha Ma and friend pose demurely
16. Aria Zhang and Mia Yan from Grace Hotel and Pearl Golf Club, respectively
17. Hilton – Wangfujing’s James with Linda from the Hilton Beijing Capital Airport.
18. The ‘freaky’ crowd from Chocolate – we hope they rode the subway dressed like this.
19. Mustafa Kirwan and Zhou Yansheng from the Reignwood Group
20. Big dogs: our Editor-in-Chief Robert Foyle Hunwick (left), Daily Telegraph Beiing correspondent Malcolm Moore (center) and That’s Shanghai Editorial Director Ned Kelly (right).
21. Mina & Jade, the girls of the night (note: not ladies)
22. Co-host Calvin Pollak with Mustafa Kirwan from the Reignwood Group, presenting one of the
many prizes of the evening
19
life&style
style radar
STYLE SECRETS
Made in China
san elli
Pho to by Noe mi Cas
Neda-Lucia Ahmadi, Senior
Marketing Manager at NC.STYLE
image and there’s often a state
of mind hidden behind a specific
ensemble. However you decide
to dress, the most important
thing is to feel confident about
yourself when you walk out
of the door in the morning.
Whatever the outfit, it ought to
always be a personal decision.
Your aesthetic in a nutshell?
A balance between my inner
strength and my attitude. In
three words: classic, elegant and
smart.
Tell us about NC. STYLE.
NC.STYLE is a fashion consulting agency that provides public
relations, marketing, brand
management, distribution and
showroom services to foreign
and local brands who wish to
enter and develop in China.
What is your favorite summer
trend and why?
As a summer trend, I absolutely
adore shift dresses. They’re very
versatile – they can be worn with
high heels or flats and give out
a completely different look, chic,
smart or casual.
What drew you to the industry?
I come from London, which is
a pretty fashionable city. I also
went to university in the South
of France and spent a lot of time
on the French Riviera – think
Monaco, Cannes, St Tropez –
where people have beautiful,
sometimes extravagant lifestyles.
I guess that may have influenced
my interest in the fashion business... I’ve always just felt at ease
in this environment.
Latest fashion purchase?
A white Dolce & Gabbana watch.
Do you have any fashion rules?
I think fashion is something personal. There are many reasons
behind the choice of an outfit;
people are essentially looking
to make a statement with their
Give us your best shopping
secret?
Don’t be afraid to walk into a
store you’ve never been into or
purchase a brand you’ve never
heard of before. It’s more important to dare to try and find an
item of clothing which has style
than to buy a brand.
Favorite local designers we
should keep an eye on?
Uma Wang, Vega Zaishi Wang,
Xander Zhou, Flying Scissors and
Ricostru.
// www.ncstyle.com.cn
Reclaimed Retro
You’re in China – a country with over 2,000 years
of history, yet your new
apartment looks as if it
was mass-produced in
a factory some time in
the mid-90s. No style, no
charm, no individuality. It’s what is
known here as the ‘Dongzhimen
Paradox.’ But it doesn’t have to be
that way. Established in 2009 by
Swiss designer and furniture maker Jonas Merian, Jonas' Design
create the type of home décor
that can enliven even the most
dispirited of Beijing apartments.
Made almost exclusively from repurposed, recycled and reclaimed
materials, Merian’s products are
inspired by his previous work in
the field of prosthetics and orthotics (yes that’s synthetic body
// Some Jonas' Design products are available at
Brand Nü, 61 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng
District东城区东城区五道营胡同61号or on
Zoucou.com. For more info, contact Merian at
13472754027, or visit www.jonasdesign.net
Six of the best… Mosquito deterrents
Coil
Plants
Mosquitoes will recoil
in fear from these
cheap coils, RMB4.
Natural alternatives include catnip and citronella,
courtesy of your
friendly neighborhood plant lady,
RMB10.
// Carrefour, 31 Guangqu
Lu, Chaoyang District朝
阳区广渠路31号
Trap
Buzz-kill
Bugs will fly in but
not out of Raid’s hut
of death, RMB17.70.
This zapper is the most
fun you’ll ever have
with mosquitoes – you
sadist. RMB21.
// Carrefour,
31 Guangqu Lu,
Chaoyang District 朝
阳区广渠路31号
20
parts). Utilizing varying forms of woods,
metals, plastics, carbon fiber
and silicone, Merian’s designs
are both unique and oddly familiar – take, for example, the
retro Chinese furniture
he uses as a base for
his unusual experiments: iPod docking
stations made from
vintage leather suitcases, dining tables from
salvaged longtang
(Shanghai hutong)
wood and clocks from
old tin-biscuit boxes. Whatever
the case, his creations are quirky
and crafty – something that can
be hard to find among the mass
produced lines typical of Beijing’s
bigger retailers. Prices range from
RMB250 up to RMB 40,000.
www.taobao.com
Bedtime
Electronic Repellent
This ‘princess’
themed mosquito
net is probably the
most romantic fly
deterrent, RMB129.
Prevents bites by emitting “the barely
audible sound of a
dragonfly’s wing-beat.”
Mosquitoes hate that
apparently. RMB188.
// IKEA, www.ikea.cn
// www.taobao.com
Edited
marianna
cerini cerini
Editedby by
marianna
bjlifestyle@urbanatomy.com
Street cred
Workout
City savvy
Sandra, Spanish, wearing Persol sunglasses,
a DIY shirt, Topshop
jeans, Zara shoes and a
Céline bag.
House of Hash
Rheanna, American,
wearing a vintage
jacket,a maxi dress
from Star Place and
canvas tote from Etsy.
Tiffany, Chinese,
wearing Kensie sunglasses, a BDG top,
vintage bag, Forever21
jeans and Seychelles
shoes.
head to head
Forget happy clappy
Heyrobics and that hot yoga
class your friend keeps telling you about – here’s an
exercise club we can really
get behind: drunken running! Wait, what? Yes, the
Hash House Harriers (HHH) is Beijing’s first and
only sporting group to actively promote drinking. And with the only
criteria for membership being a “sense of humor,” joining couldn’t
be easier. First launched in Kuala Lampur in 1938 by a bunch of expat
running enthusiasts, the Hash now has branches throughout Asia and
beyond. In their words, “hashing is a form of non-competitive crosscountry running with the main objective of working up a decent thirst
(and to satisfy it with beer), promoting physical fitness, getting rid
of weekend hangovers and persuading the older members that they
are not as old as they feel.” The Beijing offshoot meets every Sunday
afternoon at Paddy O’Sheas for one-hour long runs (8-10km) either in
or outside the city. Sessions are RMB60, which gets you somewhere to
run, some good ol’ banter, beer aplenty and all-you-can-eat at a different restaurant each Sunday. How’d you like that, hot yoga poseurs?
// For more info on runs and times, check www.hash.cn
OVERHEARD
Pangea Organics VS Skin Food The
challenge: face scrub
Pangea Organics
Skin Food
Price: RMB558/110 ml
What it is: Posh facial scrub with
certified organic ingredients.
Mainly made with: Egyptian geranium oil, ground adzuki bean
and cranberry seeds – we told
you it was posh.
The scent: Earthy. Vaguely reminiscent of
red wine.
Look and feel: Coarse, grayish-brown
paste.
Face off? Yep – but not abrasive. The scrub
is not overly aggressive and doesn’t leave
skin dry or stripped.
Peachy effect: Not so high. While a great
exfoliator, this mask didn’t make our skin
brighter or softer.
Price: RMB112/100 ml
What it is: A rinse-off
cleanser by South Korea’s
favorite brand.
Mainly made with: Brazilian
black sugar, caramel, macadamia seed oil.
The scent: Divine. A mild citrus fragrance
that makes you want to gobble it down.
Don’t.
Look and feel: A bit like dry cake-mix.
Grainy with a slightly oily consistency.
Face off? Most definitely. Mixed with water,
the concoction offers a fine spackle that
you can work into those annoying bits by
your nostrils with gusto.
Peachy effect: Remarkable. Our skin was
left supple and ever-so soft.
// MyLOHAS, Shop B1-73 Joy City Chaoyang,
101 Chaoyang Beilu, Chaoyang District 朝阳
大悦城店朝阳北路101号B1-73
// Skin Food, Shop 142, Beijing APM, 138
Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District 东城区
王府井大街138号新东安广场1层142号
“Did she really think that was
OK to wear? And is her superlarge chest real!? She at least
wore red, but everything else
was just a distraction from
the significance of the trip.”
// A Weibo user
comments on
the ‘flashy’ look
of supermarket
billionaire heiress
Andrea Catsimatidis,
who accompanied
husband Christopher
Nixon Cox – grandson
of late US President
Nixon – during a visit
retracing the steps of
Nixon’s 1972 trip to
the Middle Kingdom
(see p.8).
The Winner: Skin Food. In addition to sloughing off dead skin, it actually leaves your
face radiant. The budget-friendly price tag is an extra plus.
COVET
Up and Down
Green Gem
Shanghai-based silkscreen and graphic art
studio Idle Beats churns out seriously covetable designs. Simply described as “an artwork
about life in China” by creator Gregor Koerting,
this original wood-cut print is a definite moodlifter, from the bright colors to its playful message about life’s ups (shang) and downs (xia).
RMB300. // www.idlebeats.com
It’s 30 degrees outside, so put
your boring leather purse away
and get your hands on an NLGX (see p.24) recycled-newspaper zipper
wallet – a much more appropriate summer option for your dough.
Keeping with the green trend, it’s made from recycled Chinese state
media and coated with a waterproof laminate. Love! RMB180.
// 33 Nanluogu Xiang, Dongcheng District东城区南锣鼓巷33号(6404 8088, www.nlgx.com)
21
life&style
Fashion
Getaway garb
A style standoff for the hot season
BY Marianna Cerini
Whatever your holiday plan, be it a 10-day music festival,
tropical vacation, wedding back home or a trip into the
great outdoors, we’ve got it covered.
Festival style
Cropped denim waistcoat, RMB299 and print
top, RMB169
// Zara, daily 10am-10pm. The Place, 9A
甲9号世贸天阶(6587 1341/49, www.zara.cn)
Stonework embellished
clutch, RMB499
Sheer-back
midi check
dress,
RMB1,225
// Stradivarius, daily 10am-10pm. Unit 101, Bldg
1, U-Town Shopping Center, 2 Sanfeng Beilu,
Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District朝阳区
朝外大街三丰北里2号悠唐生活广场1楼101单
元 (5977 5780, www.stradivarius.com)
// Topshop, www.
topshop.com
Safari vibe
Sneakers, RMB699
Topshop Denim
skirt, RMB429
// Fei Space, daily 12pm7pm. B-01 798 Art District,
2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区酒仙桥路2
号798艺术区B-01(59789580,
www.feilook.com)
// Nike, daily 10am-10pm. Shop
L130, Beijing APM, 138 Wangfujing
Dajie, Dongcheng District 东城区
王府井大街138号新东安市场
L130 (5817 7088)
Straw hat, RMB149
// Uniqlo, daily 10am-10pm. Bldg 10, Sanlitun
Tai Koo Li, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝
阳区三里屯路19号三里屯Village南区10号
楼(6413 1320, www.uniqlo.cn)
Ruby Rocks crop
tee, RMB385
//Zooq, www.zooq.com
Tropicana mood
Fringed top,
RMB249
// H&M, daily 10am10pm. Raﬄes City, 1
Dongzhimen Nandajie,
Dongcheng District 东
城区东直门南大街1
号来福士广场 (8409
4199, www.hm.com)
22
Knitted
dress,
RMB1,195
Leather Gladiator Flat
Sandals, RMB249.88
// ASOS, www.asos.com
Fin
Bikich‘Aqu
// Zo ni, R a dr
cou,
o
www MB5
6 ps’
.zoco
u.co 0.
m
// United Colors of
Benetton, daily 10am9pm. 139 China World
Shopping Mall, 1
Jianguomenwai Dajie,
区建国门外大街1号
国贸商城NB139
Wedding-friendly basics Debutant
broidered blazer,
RMB599
shoulder
dress,
RMB659
Flower dress,
RMB1,295
// Zara, daily 10am-10pm.
The Place, 9A Guanghua Lu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区光
华路甲9号世贸天阶(6587
1341/49, www.zara.cn)
// Topshop, www.
topshop.com
// Sisley, aily 10am-10pm. B228,
2/F, Shimao Department Store,
13 Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区工体北路13号
世茂百货2层B228 (8405 9189,
www.sisley.com.cn)
Two-tone em-
Leather ankle strap
sandal, RMB569
Paul and Joe
Sister lace cardigan, RMB1,251.78
// Mango, daily 10am-10pm. S10-10,20,
Tai Koo Li, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三
里屯Village S10-10 ,20(6416 8027, www.
mango.com)
// Shopbop, www.shopbop.com
23
life&style
Fashion
ARRIVALS
Anne Fontaine
Mary Ching
Think of crisp, clean white
women shirts and the name
Anne Fontaine comes to mind.
The Brazilian-born, Francebased designer – known for
her innovative spin on the
classic staple – has elevated
the status of the plain white
shirt with her eponymous label to an evergreen piece that
works on any occasion, casual
or dressy. Beijing ladies can
now get their hands on the
dapper items at Fontaine’s first
China store in Shin Kong Place.
Mary Ching is known for many
things – understatement not
being one of them. The luxury
footwear brand's new collection,
Secret Temptation, draws
inspiration from the Garden
of Eden. Vertiginous opentoe platforms and stilettos
(RMB2,890- 4,590) mix fine
leather and glossy lining, rich
python skin and soft suede,
alongside vibrant metallic
golds and silver. Definitely not
one for the sartorially shy, this
summer range exudes plenty
of sex appeal and a strong,
badass aesthetic sure to get
you noticed.
// Level 3, Area A, Shin Kong Place,
Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区建
国路新光天地A区三层 (5738 2528)
// Brand New China, NLG-09a, Sanlitun
Village North, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三
里屯 Village北区地下1层NLG-09 (6416
9045, www.brandnewchina.cn)
Rechenberg
NLGX
With 21 haute couture collections under her belt, Kathrin
von Rechenberg is somewhat
of an authority in the field of
fashion. For over a decade, the
Munich-born, Beijing-based
designer has been skillfully
creating unique yet highly
wearable collections in sophisticated lines, with a sprinkle of Asian aesthetics. The
Rechenberg Atelier’s Spring/
Summer 2013 collection confirms the house’s artful use of
fabric and minimalist visual,
with structured blazers and
drapy skirts, sinuous jumpsuits
and wide-leg pants perfect for
the workplace. Prices range
from RMB2,000 to RMB20,000.
Not a new ‘arrival’ in the
stricter sense of the word – the
peeps behind this Beijing’s
iconic brand have been around
since 2007 – urban label NLGX
has nonetheless welcomed
the new season with a new
makeover, transforming its
Nanluoguxiang shop into a hipper, more contemporary spot.
The brand’s new vintage sneakers section – lined with artificial
grass - features a three meter
high custom-designed wall to
showcase the footwear. Among
the items on display, we’d recommend checking out NLGX’s
new spring collection which includes a line called ‘I Beijing.’
Self-explanatory, really.
// Xinyuanxili Dongjie (behind Bldg 12,
close to Yuyang Hotel), Chaoyang District
朝阳区新源西里东街12号楼后院(12
号楼背后靠近渔阳饭店)(6463 1788)
// 33 Nanluogu Xiang, Dongcheng District
东城区南锣鼓巷33号(6404 8088, www.
nlgx.com)
24
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U TIQ
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25
life&style
SPA
Manly Men
T
rue, a massage aimed at
men can sound like a cute
euphemism for something
more salacious, but in the case
of Oriental Taipan’s “Father’s
Day Special” (wink, wink) – a
discounted package aimed at
luring Beijing’s father folk in for
26
a thorough rub down, it’s totally
above board, or so they assure us
– you never can be too sure. It’s a
positive development you might
argue, proof (if you ever needed
it) that unreconstructed Beijing
is changing with the times, after
all, you wouldn’t get this type of
thing in Nebraska. Men – wearing
face masks – it’s metro-sexuality
by the backdoor; whatever next,
gay marriage? Exactly. So there it
is, men: spend RMB380 of your
hard earned money on any beauty
service and get a full 30-minute
anti-oxidant full body Scrub for
free – no money needed on that
one. Or for the more adventurous, why not push the boat all
the way out – we’re talking deep
ocean territory here, sharks and
all, and get yourself a goddamn
“Effective Collagen Hydrating
Facial Five Piece Voucher ” for the
promotional price of RMB1,998.
That’s two quai short of a solid
two grand, on your FACE. Do it,
you deserve it. You’re a dad now.
And if you’re not, you’ve got until
September 30 2013 to become
one – as that’s when this glorious promotion runs out. Better
get to it! Believe us – it’s worth it.
Apparently. SG
Hotels
Interview with Jo Ho
B
y his own admission, Joe
Ho is not your typical hotel
general manager. As GM
of the Millennium Residences
@Beijing Fortune Plaza, Joe
strikes an immediate impression.
Arriving at the interview in short
pants, polo shirt and blazer, Joe
eschews the stuffy formal attire of
the industry, preferring instead to
inject some character and variety
into the formulaic world of five
star hotels.
Half-Japanese, half-Chinese,
Joe was born in Japan, grew up
Hong Kong and was schooled in
the States – where he grew his
hair long and rocked out to the
Eagles. It’s not your archetypal
path, and may go someway
in explaining Joe’s rebellious
streak: “I’m the Che Guevara of
the hotel business,” he says. At 57-years old, Joe has been in
the hotel industry for over thirty
years, and in China for over fifteen. “I like Beijing, because I’m
a creative, and it’s a creative city;
I like the art and the fashion. I
like it’s energy.”
Throughout his career, Joe has
worked at numerous international hotels but it’s his current
appointment at the Millennium
Residences where he feels
most at ease. The Millennium
Residences was an opportunity to recreate the five star
experience in his own image.
“Everything you see has my
touch,” says Joe. “I designed the
new uniforms, the menus, the
choice of décor, the residences`
VI, even the stationary.” that’s not to say I don’t take my
work seriously. When I’m at
work, I’m in work mode – I’m
a very demanding manager –
everything has to be perfect.
Nothing less.”
Joe’s obvious enthusiasm for his
work, is eclipsed only by what
he calls his “passion for fashion”
– it’s an interest that Joe sees as
influencing his entire philosophy, from his temperament to
his work ethic.
According to Joe, fashion –
and his choice of clothing, is
the second to last thing he
thinks about before sleep.
The very last, being a list of
mental things he needs to
tell all his staff the following
morning: “what they need
to improve on!” Joe’s vast
wardrobe means that he
likes to plan out his outfits
in advance. “My staff can guess
my mood from the clothes
I’m wearing – if it’s something
unique and vibrant, then they’re
okay, if it’s a suit – then watch
out!” “Looking very good is very important,” says Joe who works
out at the gym daily, and maintains only one vice – cigars. “I
love dressing creatively, mixing
and matching my outfits. But
Despite his adherence to traditional hotel values – such as
personally greeting and getting
to know all the guests, Joe sees
himself as an outsider. “The other hotel GM’s think I’m crazy,”
he laughs. “It’s a very conventional industry, there’s not
much room for innovation or
personality, everything is a bit
unimaginative. You can step into
any major hotel in any city anywhere in the world, and it’ll be
identical to every other – they’re
all the same!” When Joe goes
on holiday, he prefers to stay at
boutique hotels: “it’s good inspiration, and that's what being
a creative is all about.”
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Executive Apartments reserves all rights in
this promotion.
27
COLLAGE
ARTS
Drum Roll
Swamp Thing
CANVASSED
FILM
Over the past 15 years, Zhaoze (The
Swamp) has found their voice not
only by slowly shedding their vocals, but reaching 2,500 years into
China’s musical past.
As part of a six-city tour promoting
their seventh release, Yond, the
Guangzhou-based quartet demonstrates how it transformed itself
from late-90s indie snivel-rock to
shivering instrumental post-rock
fronted by an ancient Chinese
zither, or guqin.
Expressive and easily carried, this
primitive seven-string instrument
was one the weapon of choice for
drunk poets looking to improvise
alone on a mountain top.
06/20
JURASSIC PARK 3D
FAST & FURIOUS 6
Spielberg’s classic roars back
into theaters complete with 3D
tune-up. For those who missed
the 1993 original, paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill)
and paleobotanist Dr. Ellie
Sattler (Laura Dern) visit millionaire John Hammond’s (Richard
Attenborough) island, where
he’s used pre-historic DNA to
breed long-extinct reptiles. All’s
hunky-dory, until the creatures
escape their pens and the carnivores go on a killing spree.
Following Fast Five’s successful
heist in Rio, Dominic Toretto (Vin
Diesel) and his crew have finally
put the car in park. There’s just
the niggling annoyance that
they’re wanted fugitives. So when
DSS agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne
Johnson) promises to wipe their
records clean if they take down
a skilled mercenary organization
led by Owen Shaw (Luke Evans),
they’re ready to put the pedal
to the metal once more: where
there’s a wheel, there’s a way.
//RMB70, Jun 21, 8.30pm. Mako Live House,
Hongdian Art Factory, 36 Guangqu Lu, Chaoyang
District 麻雀瓦舍, 朝阳区广渠路36号红
点艺术工厂 (5205 1112, " www.mako001.
com)
28
// RMB10, except Thursdays (free). Tues-Sun,
10am-7pm until Aug 18. UCCA, 798 Art
District, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798艺术区 (5780
0200, www.ucca.org.cn); Free. Tues-Sun,
11am-6pm until June 30. C3, Red No.1,
Caochangdi, Chaoyang District 朝阳区草场
地艺术区红一号C3座
Pay-per-boo
Most That’s Beijing readers
wouldn’t watch Chinese TV if you
paid them – which is what some
channels are now doing, reports
the Yancheng Evening News.
Among those accused of bribing audience members to laugh,
weep and boo is Hunan Satellite’s
I Am A Singer. The paper found
punters could earn RMB700 a pop
if they slap their thigh and roar
with fake laughter when required.
This, clearly, explains a lot. Ambiguous, yes, but that’s the
point. Unlike other Chinese artists
who have shoehorned zithers into
heavy rock (we’re looking at you,
Xie Tianxiao), The Swamp turns its
guqin into an integral part of their
sound by playing to its strengths.
“Most copy Western music, but you
can only do that for so long,” says
Hai. “In the end you’ve got to use it
to create something unique. JT
One of
the most
notable
of China’s
post-1990s
painters,
Wang
Xingwei
enjoys a
large solo
courtesy
of UCCA, while gallery 01100001
simultaneously presents the
sketches behind them. A unique
collaboration that delineates
both concept and outcome,
Caochangdi and 798. CB
Gossip
“It can be both peacefully distant
and fervently impassioned at the
same time,” says lead zitherist Hai
Liang of putting the guqin centerstage. “It expands the scope of our
music, frees up how we create…
and shows where we want to go.”
Suggestive, translucent and deceptively unstructured, guqin music
embodies the best of the Asian
musical aesthetic, which is something incongruously at home in the
nebulous ebb and tide of post-rock.
Wang Xingyi
Coming to a theater near you…
06/02
For more art
exhibitions in
Beijing this
month, turn to
p62
Robots in reality
Zhang’s wang
Paramount are trying to top
Iron Man 3’s USD21.1 million
box-office opening by choosing Chinese actors via a reality
show. The wretched roles for
Transformers 4 include a martial
artist, a “sexy woman,” a computer geek and a, uh, “Lolitatype character,” media reports.
The primetime show airs in June
and will feature eight judges.
One day, all cr*p pandering to
China will be made like this.
Is Zhang Yimou as prolific under
the covers as he is behind the
camera? The celebrated 63-yearold director may have as many as
eight children, putting him seven
over the legal limit – exceptions
don’t apply to Fifth Generation
auteurs. Annoyed netizens swiftly
calculated Zhang’s potential fine,
with one lawyer telling ifeng.com
it could be as much as RMB160
million. Keep making those lame
wuxia blockbusters, Zhang.
Edited by james tiscione
bjarts@urbanatomy.com
High Notes
Staged
Philadelphia Orchestra
Last year, the Philadelphia
Orchestra did much like any other
US organization post-financial crisis
and facing Chapter 11 bankruptcy
– turned to China. But this was far
from a cold call. In 1973, the ‘Philly
O’ was the first major US orchestras
to tour China. Invited by Jiang Qing,
Mao’s fourth wife and herself a former star of the stage, the orchestra
arrived during the fervor of the
Cultural Revolution.
Violist Renard Edwards, a veteran
of the 1973 trip, and still with the
orchestra, recalled their rathersudden encounter with “Madame
Mao”: “She came out to shake our
hands in her evening dress,” said
Edwards, noting she was the only
one not wearing a Mao suit. “She
gave us about five peony seeds, the
national flower of China.”
The orchestra is now planting their
own seeds in China, marking the
40th anniversary of their trip with
a performance on June 6. Due
to prior engagements, newly appointed conductor Yannick Nezet-
Sing like a Qing
syphilis, Eroica was fueled by the
social and political upheaval that
dominated the 19th century and
dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte
and the French Revolution (eroica is
Italian for “heroic”). But Beethoven
famously retracted his dedication
in disgust after Napoleon declared
himself Emperor in 1805.
Seguin will be replaced by Donald
Runnicles of the BBC Scottish
Symphony Orchestra to present
two monumental works – one by a
deaf Western giant and another by
a blind Chinese folk musician; both,
eerily, died at 57 and developed
their handicaps from the same
sexually-contracted disease.
Beethoven, Symphony No 3 “The
Eroica” Written just as Beethoven
began developing deafness from
Abing, Moon Reflected on Second
Spring Written during the war
with Japan, erhu master Abing
(Hu Yanjun)’s piece was so renowned for its moving melody that
Japanese maestro Seiji Ozawa once
described it “only to be heard while
kneeling”. But Second Spring was
almost never heard at all. Blinded
by syphilis, and living in poverty,
the Wuxi native would have died
unknown if it was not for musicologists who traveled to Wuxi in 1950
and recorded Abing’s melodies just
months before he died. JT
//RMB180-580, June 6, 7.30pm. National
Center for Performing Arts (NCPA), 2 Xi
Chang’an Jie, Xicheng District西城区西长安
街2号 (6655 0000, www.chncpa.org) You’ve Never Read
Anni Baobei
“The life of Woman is like that of a
flower: happiness means ending it
in the arms of her love.” If you’ve
seen such sentiments on the
Weixin or Weibo feeds of female
friends, chances are it probably
didn’t refer to suicidal thoughts.
Instead, she’s probably just reading
too much Anni Baobei.
The woman born Li Ji, but known
as Anni Baobei (or ‘Annie Baby’),
writes in what her translators call
“a broken, ultra-simplified, seemingly distracted style that has
become characteristic of online writing.” A former bank clerk,
Li gained fame in 2000, aged 24,
after her online teen literature was
published under the title Goodbye
Vivien (it came out in English, to little fanfare, last July). Her romantic
stories, invariably ending with one
party either dying or betraying the
other, are full of morose themes of
loneliness and alienation (hence
her nickname,
‘Flower in the
Dark’). Despite
– or more likely
because of –
this, her books have become the
adolescent must-reads of a whole
generation of Chinese girls, and
her female characters – mostly
long-haired, nervy sociopaths
with promiscuous personal lives,
in their 20s but with the longsuffering gravitas of the greatest
of tragic heroines – have become
emotional heroines to her readers.
How fortunate you consider that
to be depends a lot on how close
you have ever come into the orbit of an ardent Baobei admirer,
whether as a parent, friend or
partner. Many criticize China’s fifthrichest author as being shallow,
empty and boring, preoccupied
with material objects (usually
hippie-Boho stuff like long Indian
skirts, white shoes, blooming
magnolia etc) and of little literary
value to anyone who’s not 13 and
female.
Nevertheless, a recent People’s
Daily review of The Beauty of Old
Books, a collection of interviews,
described it as “a delicate little
book… the special beauty of
Chinese culture is buried within.”
It was published this January,
along with Mian Kong (‘Sleeping
Sky’), a record of her thoughts
and feelings, which reviewer Han
Shu more typically called a “classic
Weibo-style book: it’s timeless,
placeless, illogical and lifeless…
most of the time her language is
only half-comprehensible. She enjoys exaggerating her own feelings
infinitely and gives grand meanings to trivial things in life… It’s far
from the Zen that she hopes for.”
Perhaps that explains why Baobei’s
something of a recluse. RFH
Every Sunday morning, while all
you wastrels sleep off hangovers, hip haunt Yugong Yishan is
filled with sounds more befitting
its Qing Dynasty architecture
than the usual indie rock – old
guys singing Peking Opera.
Since 1994, opera enthusiast
Xue Yuanjiu has headed the
Peking Opera association Ruifu
Xiyuan, which moved to Yugong
Yishan in 2003, after being
forced from its original location
(the late Longfusi Temple) by local champions of cultural preservation, property developers.
“Just as Peking Opera came before rock, we were here before
this place heard its first guitar,”
says Xue. Every Sunday morning is a chance to catch a mix
of scholars, professionals actors
and amateurs perform opera
excerpts (without costumes and
make-up; yeah – so inauthentic)
backed by a traditional ensemble of musicians.
Fans catch every crash and
clang from tables laid out on
the dancefloor, all sipping tea
and snapping sunflower seeds
(traditional opera-house fare).
Performances are often followed
up by lectures and discussions
(in Chinese, so study up or bring
a very, very patient friend). JT
//RMB10, Every Sunday, 9am to
12pm. Yugong Yishan, 3-2 Zhang Zizhong
Lu, Dongcheng District 愚公移山, 东城区
张自忠路3-2号 (6404 2711)
win!
We have three pairs of tickets to Peking Opera shows
at the Liyuan Theatre, for
readers who can name the
classic Oscar-winner about a
doomed Peking Opera singer.
Email with ‘Peking Opera’ in
the subject line to prizes@
urbanatomy.com
29
ARTS
UNDERGROUND
SASHA
Godfather
of the Month
Godfather of: Progressive House
Age: 43
Fact: Mixmag once declared him the ‘Son of
God?’ on the cover. He “resented the accolade.”
BY Alex Taggart
THE DROP
// RMB200, RMB150 (pre-sale), May 31. Elements, 58 Gongti
Gate)
Xilu, (North of Worker’s Stadium West
Chaoyang District (6552 223, www.
gettickets.cn)
Beats, blops and breakz
I
n Beijing’s electronic music
scene, June is usually a pretty
depressing month. Hungover and sunburnt after May’s
outdoor raucousness, promoters
normally go into hibernation till
July. But this year is different.
First up, on June 10, Lantern
hosts French house DJ Oxia, the
first international booking for
Miao Wong’s new label DOT.
We’ve been looking forward to
seeing what Wong has in store
since she closed down her previous label Acupuncture, and she
and her crew have certainly delivered the goods with this one.
Expect the same thumping vibes
as the old Acupuncture parties,
just with a little more polish.
It’s on a Monday, but that’s also
Dragon Boat Festival, so no
work the next day.
For a few months each year,
2Kolegas is the best venue
in Beijing. The bar’s indooroutdoor setup is perfect for a
laid-back summer rave, and the
special “Beijing Bass All Stars”
instalment of The Drop (not
affiliated with this column, but
equally rad) on June 14 will
bring together one member
from each of Beijing’s bass
music crews for a nightlong
subwoofer fest. Inside: heavyhitters like DJ Blackie, Shackup,
Yauman, Chole, and The Drop
mastermind Oshi. Outside: a
moustachioed Uyghur teenager
selling chuan’r. All come highly
recommended.
Most DJs wouldn’t have the
audacity to make up their own
genre; even fewer would name
that genre after a location
where hookers go to die. But
luckily for DJ Zinc, everything
he comes up with seems to
work… even “crack house”. Most
remember Zinc as one of the
pioneers of drum ‘n’ bass, but in
2009, he abandoned his extensive back catalogue and began
releasing house music with
heavy basslines and a smattering of choppy breakbeats. He
calls it crack house, and that’s
probably what he’ll be playing
at the Street Kids X Wonky
Kong party at Dada on June 21.
CUTIE CLUB
THIS CUTIE NEEDS CLUBBING
BY Valentina Luo
woman will show up at this sort
of place!
“Of course.” Let us hope Mr.
White Suit is similarly prepared
for the drinks menu, topped off
by a bottle (we assume) of L’Or
de Jean Martell (RMB62,080)
but with other, more affordable
options like Johnnie Walker
Blue Label (RMB3,680) or Moet
& Chandon (RMB1,780) – the
sort of thing that the owner (a
Chinese-Australian fu’erdai, or so
I’m told) perhaps drinks.
T
he turnover of nightclubs
is probably the only thing
higher than the heels
when you totter up and down
Gongti Xilu at night. Now the
new owners can’t even be
bothered to change the names:
Cutie Club, located between
Tango and Tangchao – whom
it failed to outshine after opening in 2005 – officially closed,
and since been reopened by the
Noah’s Ark Group as, well, Cutie
Club. A quick look is all that’s
30
June
June 2013
2013 //
// www.thatsmags.com
www.thatsmags.com
needed to confirm there’s nothing really new here.
Black leather sofas divide the
main room into large square
blocks, leaving clubbers to
squeeze past each other to get
by. This can provoke some interesting interactions, as the following overheard conversation
attests. Woman: Is that a white
suit? Man: Of course – a man
has to be prepared all the time.
You never know what kind of
While you’re sipping a glass of
that, drop by the open bar next
door marked by a silver deer’s
head. Dark-toned chairs-andtable sets surround a central bar,
basking in warm lighting and
soft lounge music. “They’ll soon
be replaced with chandeliers,”
Chris, the marketing director,
tells me. “We’re aiming to be
the D Lounge of Gongti and
get more foreign customers.
Although, we don’t expect to
make any money from them.”
Chris explains: “To make your
club, you know, ‘international’
[makes air quotes gesture] you
have to get foreigners to come.
But they don’t have the spending power, really.” Really.
// Daily 9pm-4am, No.8 Gongti Xilu,
Chaoyang district 朝阳区工体西路8号
(65529988/2228)
FILM
SUMMER CINEMA
OUR PICK OF THE FILMS SETTING BOX OFFICES ABUZZ
BY Eika Xue
MAN OF TAI CHI
SWITCH
Probably the most highly anticipated China release over the
next three months will be Keanu
Reeves’ Man of Tai Chi. Neo’s first
outing in the director’s chair, it’s
an international coproduction
that’s been picking heat locally
and abroad, as film aficionados
and critics chatter excitedly
about what to expect.
Reeves stars as a bloodthirsty
underworld leader who organizes deadly martial-arts bouts. Into
this world comes a skilled tai chi
professional (stuntman-turnedactor Tiger Chen), a young man who will be faced with difficult decisions about life and death. Hong Kong singer and actress Karen Mok
adds a little feminine charm to the testosterone-filled affair.
BADGES OF FURY
Thanks to Jet Li’s bankable crossover status, this action/buddy
cop film is expected to do good
business domestically and internationally – distribution rights
for most major territories were
rapidly snapped up at Cannes
last month. Diminutive Li plays
the grumpy, seasoned detective
who is paired with a young, funloving, mildly moronic rookie
(rising talent Wen Zhang). The
two are tasked with tracking
down a serial killer who is terrorizing Hong Kong ( It’s not
exactly clear yet how mainland
protagonists speaking Mandarin in HK will makes sense). Naturally,
with Li involved, there’s plenty of impressive kung fu on display.
Delayed and delayed and delayed, then delayed, this Andy Lau
spy thriller was originally scheduled to appear during the National
Holiday last year, but first the soundtrack’s composer fell ill, then
the censors insisted on the re-editing of certain scenes. The release
was then bumped to early 2013 – only for the Heavenly King himself to complain about the effects, forcing a spot of reshooting.
Finally heading to cinemas (supposedly) this month, it’s looking a
lot like China’s shot at James Bond, as Lau jets around the world
protecting an art masterpiece from enemies foreign and domestic,
enjoying thrilling shootouts, sweet rides and lissome, long-legged
beauties.
TINY TIME 1.0
THE ROOFTOP
Jay Chou dances, fights and
falls in love, a lot of the time
while showing off rippling abs
and impressive pecs. There isn’t
much else really required to sell
this to the die-hard fan base this
Taiwanese pop star-actor has
indoctrinated. Perhaps what will
most intrigue for everyone else
is the mish-mash of genres on
show and the inventive use of
costume and music. It might be
an ingenious retro pastiche. Or it
might be absolutely awful. Either
way, it’s Chou’s second time behind the camera as well; his first
effort, romantic drama Secret, scored several Golden Horse awards
and netted a strong box office. So there’s a good precedent for the
34-year-old heartthrob (and just forget about The Green Hornet, OK?).
Based on a book by Guo Jingming, China’s most popular and
wealthy writer, this chick flick follows four girls who meet at school
and become BFFs. A la Sex and the City, each of the best friends
has their own unique personalities and plans for how to make the
transition from student to professional. There are laughs, there are
tears, there are plenty of male models and an abundance of stunning outfits. Guo was paid RMB10 million for the film rights– though
his literary fans have already taken to the web to criticize the casting, and Guo himself is reported to have disowned the production,
claiming his story has been changed unrecognizably. That might
mean it’s good, then.
31
ARTS
PHOTO ESSAY
MODEL
OPERA
MODEL BEHAVIOR
STUNNING NEW IMAGES OF REVOLUTIONARY OPERA
Images reproduced with the kind permission of the See + Gallery in Beijing
Words by RFH Photographs by Zhang Yaxin
To win a bunch
of Peking Opera
tickets, go to
p.29
The 1990s saw a revival of red works, the propaganda now nostalgia shorn of its
political message. However, when lyrics attacking the wealthy were ‘adapted’ for
modern tastes, some audience members objected and sang the original words
T
he decade-long turbulence of the Cultural
Revolution saw most
works of culture permanently
destroyed – but it did also create one genre: ‘model works,’ a
curiosity that exists to this day.
While traditional Peking Opera
was banned as
feudal, eight
‘yang ban
xi,’ total-
ing six operas and two ballets,
were penned to “serve the
interests of the workers, peasants, and soldiers, [conforming]
to proletarian ideology.” These
ideologically-pure revolutionary
narratives, created under the
auspices of ex-actress Jiang Qing
– better known as the fourth
Madame Mao – were
virtually the only form
of culture permitted
during the period.
Yet they still
boasted a
Jiang Qing intended to make ordinary peasants
and soldiers the new heroes of her model works,
and renew their fervor for class struggle
32
deliberate visual and sonic
razzmatazz to help drill home
the dogma.
postcards, stamps, books and
posters disseminated throughout China.
Fusing Busby Berkeley-era
Hollywood aesthetics with
Western ballet, Wagner’s gesamtkunstwerk (‘total art’) and
Chinese opera, and boasting
foot-tapping songs and scenes
such as ‘We Will Wipe Out
the Reactionaries’ and ‘Hatred
Blazes When Enemies Meet,’ the
repertoire was performed by
over 3,000 PLA dancing troupes
across the country.
Zhang now suffers from a debilitating medical condition, meaning he was unable to speak to
us, but in ‘Stills of Model Opera:
Photograph Works of Zhang,’ a
2009 essay, he discussed the
hardships involved.
It was a measure of their importance that Xinhua photographer Zhang Yaxin was given
unlimited access to Kodak color
film (the normal allocation was
three a year) and use of one of
only three Hasselblad cameras
available; Jiang had one of the
others. Born in 1933, Zhang was
hand-picked and supervised by
Jiang as he burned through the
rolls, documenting the Party’s
attempts at pure, revolutionary
art. The results were turned into
“My wife and other family
members still lived in my hometown… I seldom had the chance
to go home all year round. It
was really a trial… People took
the so-called style of life very
seriously. Our leaders were very
strict with us. Therefore, no
matter what happened... I didn’t
dare to make any mistakes,”
Zhang wrote. “I shot the model
operas for eight years and I
nearly spent every day on the
shooting sites. Jiang Qing was
eager to finish shooting and see
the results; therefore, I was not
even allowed to visit my family during the [Spring Festival]
holiday.”
Traditional Peking Opera’s stories of emperors and
concubines were seen as having a corrupting influence
on the masses, a little like the TV show Palace today
Martial plots featured brave peasants uniting
to defeat evil landlords, Kuomintang and other
‘enemies of the revolution’
The yang ban xi provided an opportunity for millions of
ordinary Chinese to learn musical instruments and perform
– so, in that respect, they fulfilled the Party’s wishes that art
should not be elitist
Heroes had rouged faces, kohl-lined eyes
and fabulous hair, while villains could be
marked out by their sneaky demeanor
and bad ‘taches
33
ARTS
BOOKS
THE WILD BEASTS OF WUHAN
A GLOBETROTTING CRIME THRILLER THAT TENDS TO LABOR THE DETAILS
BY Aelred Doyle
you have to be told the exact
brand – and may even be forced
to watch them shop [you mean
‘crime novels’ – Ed]?
The Wild Beasts of Wuhan is one
of those books (and don’t even
get us started about the protagonist’s travel agent). It’s clunky,
the dialogue is risible – even the
emails sound ridiculous – and
the plot has more holes than a
colander. At times, though, it’s
also kind of fun.
Y
ou know those novels
where someone can’t just
have a coffee, you have
to be told what kind of coffee;
where they can’t just take a
flight from A to B, you have to
be told exactly how they made
each step of the journey; where
they can’t just wear clothes,
This is Ian Hamilton’s second book featuring Ava Lee,
a globe-trotting ChineseCanadian forensic accountant
who specializes in tracking
down dodgy money. Jobs come
to her through ‘Uncle,’ a Hong
Kong figure with great influence. You know he is influential
because his drivers get to park
in exclusive areas while the
police nod respectfully – we’re
clearly supposed to think this
is great.
This time round, Wong
Changxing, a super-rich Wuhan
businessman, has discovered
the paintings he and his wife
paid millions of dollars for
are counterfeit and Wong’s
demanding restitution. Ava’s
mission is to track down the
people behind this and get the
money back, without Wong losing face.
What Wong really wants, of
course, is revenge, and, as Ava
does her best to keep him at
arm’s length while she investigates, she also has to deal with
emails from her Colombian
girlfriend back in Toronto, who
wants Ava to meet her mother.
And so the meticulously detailed travel begins. Still, when’s
the last time you read a book
with a Faroe Islands setting?
You’ll have a much better sense
of what its hotel possibilities
are after reading this, plus, it
turns out, they have impressive
sweaters. Ava heads to Hong
Kong, Wuhan, Denmark, the
Faroes, New York, Dublin and
London (this is a woman who
starts the book lounging on an
international cruise with her
family), gaining the scent and
never flagging, though sometimes, we’re told, jet lag makes
her sleepy.
As she closes in on the main
baddie, the behavior of both
Uncle and Wong’s wife begins
to trouble her, and Ava loses
control of events. The denouement is rather odd, with some
murderous behavior apparently
excused – we’d like to chalk it
up to sophisticated, shades-ofgray morality, but that would
make the rest of the book a
sophisticated postmodern
provocation, and we’re just not
seeing that.
// The Wild Beasts of Wuhan can be ordered
from Page One bookshop or The Bookworm,
priced around RMB120. See Listings.
HEAVEN CRACKS, EARTH SHAKES
TIMELY ANALYSIS OF THE DEVASTATION NATURE AND POLITICS WREAK
BY Will Phillips
I
n 1976, He Jianguo was a
young girl working at a ceramics factory in Tangshan,
Hebei. Disillusioned with life,
she spent her nights in the dorm
she shared with seven other
women, fantasizing what a
university education might have
offered her.
Except for the night of the 27
July, 1976, when a magnitude 7.8
earthquake struck: she just had
time to leap out before the building collapsed. “Of the eight girls,
she was the only survivor,” we
learn. Hers is one of many harrowing personal accounts, from
survivors of the Tangshan earthquake, that form the centerpiece
of James Palmer’s book, a narrative flanked either side by the
pivotal, defining events of 1976.
The death of Zhou Enlai precipitated the end of the Cultural
Revolution, the death of Mao
34
ters were not to be taken lightly.
Palmer quotes an old Chinese
saying regarding the relationship between the forces of nature and politics: “The heavens
crack and the earth shakes.”
And shake it did. Likening it
to “four hundred Hiroshimas,”
Palmer asserts that the Tangshan
quake was probably “the most
concentrated instant of human
destruction in history”.
and the fall of the Gang of Four:
it was the year China began to
take on its current identity.
So why does an earthquake take
central stage in a book chronicling the birth of New China? It
was the perfect omen to the inexorable fate of that year – and
interpretations of natural disas-
News of the quake signalled
the end of the road for an ailing
Mao in Beijing, whose condition was deteriorating rapidly.
Palmer gives the reader a fascinating insight into that forbidden city, Zhongnanhai, where
Mao lay dying, surrounded by
nervous doctors and politicians.
Despite being so weak as to
have his meals drip-fed, Mao
still commanded considerable
authority, while his subordinates
squabbled over how the country
should be led after his death.
But it’s the tales of Tangshan
residents’ rescue efforts that are
the most resonant. In a period
of history where people were
just as easily villains or victims,
the spirit shown in the face of
such disaster and social unrest
lets Palmer recount an admirably human side to this period.
200,000 are thought to have
perished and only three percent
of buildings survived. Faraway
Sichuan has unenviably hosted
two of China’s most recent
quakes, but another in the
Tangshan-Tianjin-Beijing region
is a chilling prospect (see p.13).
// ‘Heaven Cracks, Earth Shakes: The
Tangshan Earthquake and The Death of Mao’
(HarperCollins) is out now in paperback,
priced RMB90
UNSAVORY ELEMENTS
COMPENDIUM OF ‘FOREIGNERS ON THE LOOSE’ NOT THAT BAD
BY NED KELLY
B
oasting 28 names, some of
which should be familiar
to all but an illiterate China
newbie, Unsavory Elements has
created a quiet buzz by boasting
that it contains “Stories of foreigners on the loose in China.”
Let’s get one thing out of the
way: the fear with a mission statement like that is that the contents
are going to entail a bunch of
blowhards trying to shock with
outrageous, BS-laced barroom
war stories. Well, we’re relieved
to report that – for the most part
– this is not that. Far from ‘on the
loose,’ many of these writers are
merely gently observing, and it is
this that generally yields results
when it comes to gaining insight
into the culture.
Take Shanghaiist founder Dan
Washburn’s journey into the
hills of Guizhou and the humble
family of a professional golfer he
is researching a book on. It is a
charming, curious tale, from the
family’s utter ignorance of golf to
a hard-drinking, yet unfailingly
hospitable brother, and made all
the warmer by the culminating
revelation that none of them
have any idea why Washburn is
in their home.
And then there is hardy explorer
Jeff Fuchs, who takes us onto
the Tibetan Plateau along the
ancient Tea Horse Road, introducing one of the veterans of the
highway in the sky. Yeshi is “an
old man wrapped in primordial
furs hunched in the corner of his
tent” who has “a hint of a smile
upon his wide mouth when he
recounts the dangers of travel, as
though the memories simultaneously stir in him both melancholy
and joy.” Yeshi is a man you want
to hear talking by the hearth, and
thanks to Fuchs, you get to.
The New Yorker’s Peter Hessler
does a postcards from the edge,
with a devastating end, on the
China-North Korea border; Kaitlin
Solimine tells the tender tale of
her surrogate Chinese mother
from her days as a high-school
home-stay exchange student; and
Derek Sandhaus takes us through
the nuances (and occasional
nightmares) of a baijiu banquet.
So it’s a mixed bag.
The stories are all short and accessible, with the best (to our
minds) the ones that aren’t outwardly trying to draw a conclusion – conspicuously turning an
anecdote into a metaphor – but
simply casting light onto a corner
of China. Some hit the spot more
than others, but all make for an
eminently casual, enjoyable and
informative collection.
// Unsavory Elements (Earnshaw Books) can
be ordered from Page One or The Bookworm,
priced around RMB150. See Listings.
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35
ART
ARTS
CHINA AT THE VENICE BIENNALE
CURATOR WANG CHUNCHEN SHARES HIS PAVILION PLANS
BY Tom Lee
stress the changing situation in
China and its art. I want to use
[transfiguration] to refer to the
transformation of life to art, nonart to art and social changes that
have happened in China.
T
he Venice Biennale is one
of the world’s most important exhibitions of contemporary art. First held in 1895, the
biannual event features pavilions
from over 30 countries displaying some of their nations’ most
promising and boundary-pushing
artists.
This year will mark the fifth year
China has participated in the
event and only the second time
since snapping up a permanent
space in 2011. While an important symbolic step, the Chinese
Pavilion’s inaugural show was less
than ideal: the venue smelled of
oil – a residual scent from its days
as a shipbuilding workshop –
and was considerably hampered
by two large storage tanks that
dominated the room.
Stepping in to save the day,
China’s Ministry of Culture and
Ministry of Foreign Affairs have
since convinced the Biennale organizers to have the obstructions
removed, giving the place that
rare second chance to create a
good impression.
Curating for the Chinese
Pavilion’s brand-new start is
Wang Chunchen, recipient of
the Contemporary Chinese Art
Awards’ Art Criticism accolade
and recently appointed adjunct
curator at the Eli and Edythe
Broad Art Museum, one of the
36
I want to use
transfiguration
to refer to the
transformation of
life to art, non-art
to art and social
changes that have
happened in China
work at the CAFA Art Museum,
so my main functions and responsibilities were to plan and
coordinate exhibitions from international and local applicants.
few Chinese nationals to hold a
curatorial position in the US. Here,
he takes us through his vision for
the Biennale, the reasons behind
his artist selection and his personal journey to a career in art.
Were you interested in art as a
child?
In fact, my father is an artist.
When I was a kid, I used to watch
him painting. But my father never
taught me how to paint. When
I reached university age, he advised me not to take up art as a
career because it was too difficult
to make a living. But after several
years of working doing non-art
jobs, I still had a strong interest
in art learning, so later I went
to CAFA to study. I discovered
that my interest in art was much
stronger than anything else.
Finally, I came to art as a profession.
You have a diversified identity,
working as an associate professor, writing articles and translating books. What led you to
become a curator?
In 2007, I was working at the
China Central Academy of Fine
Arts as a teacher after I received
my Ph.D. I was invited by artists
to write articles on their exhibitions, and gradually they started
to invite me to help them curate
exhibitions. Doing such curating,
I felt, was helpful for my research
on modern art and contemporary
art. Later, in 2008, I started to
The title of the 2013 Venice
Biennale is ‘The Encyclopedic
Palace.’ What are your thoughts
on the theme and what inspired your interpretation,
‘Transfiguration,’ for the Chinese
Pavilion?
I think it is about inclusiveness
and multiple cultures, and also
about the continuation of tradition into the contemporary world.
I believe that the term ‘transfiguration’ corresponds to this theme
since it aims at the process of
changing – when I thought about
the Chinese Pavilion, I wanted to
There have been some doubts
expressed about the seven artists you have selected to exhibit
in the Chinese Pavilion. On what
basis did you choose them?
I invited them not because they
are famous artists or just as star
artists; I want to take them as
examples of how Chinese art is
diversified, of how art is regarded
as a method to express ideas and
of how life is considered as a kind
of artistic expression. I do not
want to prove they are the most
important artists, but I want to
show that they have their own
independent ways of looking at
themselves and the life around
them.
Previous Chinese pavilions have
been met with a largely negative reception. Do you feel under
pressure to change this?
I know the Chinese Pavilion has
been criticized harshly before,
so I do have some worries about
whether I can realize what I want
to show and express. But from
another point of view I don’t see
it as a heavy burden, because I
don’t take this biennale and national pavilion as the sole venue
to exhibit Chinese art, or take it as
the best platform. Instead, I think
that this small-scale exhibition is
just a symbolization of the contemporary Chinese art ecology.
What is difficult is how to show
this objectively and visually.
What is it you hope to display
at the Venice Biennale about
Chinese contemporary art?
I want to share ideas of how to
look at China and how to observe
Chinese art – from multiple perspectives, not from a single angle.
Chinese art today is undergoing
changes, with many possibilities
and uncertainties. We should be
aware of this metamorphosis and
transfiguration of Chinese reality and its potential art practice.
The true China is testified by
sincere and true art.
// The Venice Biennale runs from June 1-Nov
24. (www.labiennale.org)
Calling for entries for the ‘Shufu Photography’ contest
Photographic China
Introduction:
For many, capturing the Middle Kingdom’s beautiful imageries and stunning sceneries has become
somewhat of a spiritual quest.
Published by China Intercontinental Press, Photographic China is a new publication set to showcase
unique aspects of China –both cultural and geographic—through different people’s lenses.
The first of a series of volumes, the book will include winning entries from the ‘Shufu Photogaphy’ contest, which aims to create a platform for both amateurs and professionals to display their one-of-a-kind
works and portraits of China, alongside the country’s culture and breathtaking sites, city developments,
natural landscapes, charming minorities and more. For more information, check
http://www.ciccphoto.com.
Submission period: Until July 15, 2013.
Requirement:
Alongside the specific documentation required for their work, participants will be
allowed to submit both colored and black and white photographs.
All submitted photos must be vertical. Horizontal photos will not be qualified for the
contest.
Photos size should be larger than 5MB.
Submitted photos must be original and unaltered. Modified images will be
withdrawn from the contest.
All photos can be sent to shufusheying@163.com and must include theme, number,
title, time, place and brief introduction of the subject displayed.
The organizer has final decisional rights.
allowed, or they will be withdrawn of the contest automatically.
Please send the original photo to shufusheying@163.com
with the Theme number, name, time, place and brief introduction.
The organizer has the right of final interpretation.
For more information on themes, check www.ciccphoto.com.
37
EAT / DRINK
THE GRAPEVINE
Nibbles
Six of the Best – Dragon Boat Festival Deals
It’s been too long since our
last threesome. Now Jerry Gao
of 3sums, near Home Plate,
has RMB60 ‘sliders’ (burgers,
sides or cocktails – they all
come in threes) including one
(the Texan) made with spam.
We’re hearing some good
things; though, honestly,
we’re biased towards any kind
of ménage (on which note, au
revoir to French stalwart Le
Petit Gourmand for now).
MARRIOT
CHINA WORLD
Salted meat and red bean are
among the fillings. The Prestige
Festival Hamper order is certain
to stuff you silly. //RMB308-2888
Gorge with more ease with these
“health-focused” dumplings. For
a personal touch, build your own
bundle. //RMB198-398 Hilton Beijing, 1
Northeast 26A Xiao Yun Road, Chaoyang
District, 海航大厦万豪酒店朝阳区霄云路
甲26号 (5927 8320)
China World Hotel No. 1 Jianguomenwai
Avenue, Chaoyang District, 建国门外大街1
号 (6505 3285)
Dong Fang Road, North Dong Sanhuan Rd,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区东三环北路东方
路一号 (5865 5070)
RITZ CARLTON
WESTIN
KERRY
Carlton, No.83A Jian Guo Road, China Central
Place, Chaoyang District 朝阳区华贸中心建
国路甲83号 (5908 8111)
RMB1688 hamper The Westin Beijing 9B
Financial Street, Xicheng District, 西城区金融
大街乙9号 (6629 7820)
//RMB198-1688 Kerry Hotel Horizon Chinese
Restaurant, 1 Guanghua Road, Chaoyang
District, 朝阳区光华路1号,嘉里中心商场
一层邮编 (8565 2188)
Maybe it’s just the season.
The temperature rises, the
hemlines rise, and so, too,
does the sap. This is helped by
frequent pool parties. Being in
a desert, one needs an oasis:
Fez and Heaven have opened
outdoor seating to the masses
but Migas are leading the
charge with kiddie-pools
every Sunday and free-flow
booze, including Mumm.
There’ll be no room to splash,
let alone swing a cat, at
The Mini Bar, which Beijing
Boyce says is the wry name of
what’s set to be the “world’s
smallest bar,” a five-sqm affair that threatens to unseat
even four-stool Mexico’s
Slims Elbow Room in diminutiveness. Whether it can
clinch the actual title is up to
Guinness: the current holder
is Germany’s Blomberger
Saustall at 5.19 sqm.
Talking of family days out (at
Migas, remember?), Dacha,
a palatial new restaurant
by those who brought us
– and located opposite to –
Chocolate nightclub, has a
children’s play area for the
offspring of Yabaolu to romp,
while parents scoff Russian,
Ukrainian and Japanese food.
Pravda, comrades! RFH
48
Eight flavors including jujube,
sugar-free taro, and red date
paste, wrapped and ready to be
gifted. //RMB198 Beijing Marriott Hotel
Zongzi with Cantonese flair. Our
mouths water at the thought
of the spicy meat in XO sauce
filling. //RMB48 each RMB218 box The Ritz-
A sweeter take with pumpkin,
rose and chestnut fillings. These
zongzi hampers come with pu’er
tea and chocolates. //RMB388 box
HILTON BEIJING
Homemade rice dumplings with
fillings like black sesame paste
and aromatic five-spice beef.
Head to head
WANG PANG ZI
VS LAO WU LU ROU HUO SHAO
The Challenge: DONKEY BURGER Challenger: Fat Wang (in Beijing for three generations)
Digs: Small, sterile, fast food vibe
Meat: Dry donkey, roughly chopped with green chilies,
relatively lean, and lacks the savory ambiguities found
in most donkey burgers. Huo Shao: Magic. Charred perfectly to a brown and
black crisp, enhanced with salt. Wang’s bread is longer
and thinner than most, and it’s damn good. Price: RMB9 per burger
//Daily 9am-10pm. Wang Pang Zi (Fat Wang) 66 Xinjiekou East
Road, Xicheng District, 新街口东街丁66 (13141165108)
Challenger: Lao Wu's Donkey Burger
Digs: Typical Beijing locals’ hovel, one that delivers
quality, unspoiled by foreign interlopers
Meat: Lao’s meat is handpicked, cut and mixed in such
a fashion that all of the best-tasting parts come together in this humble ‘meat pie.’ Huo Shao: Thin and crisp, yet just moist-enough to
wrap itself around its meaty innards like a proper host.
Price: RMB6 per burger
// Daily 9am-11pm. Lao Wu, Jiuxianqiao North Road, Chaoyang
District 酒仙桥北路 (18701116440)
Our Verdict: Though Fat Wang’s bread is to die for, it is the donkey that carries the load, and Lao’s handselected, chopped fillings demonstrates the care needed to win. CB
Edited by Stephy chung
bjeats@urbanatomy.com
Another goddamn Food scandal
That lamb you ate? Yeah. It was rat
If you’ve ordered lamb or
mutton in Shanghai in the
last, uh, four years, you’ve
probably been ‘foxed’ by food
scammers – or minked or ratted. “Since 2009, the suspect,
Wei, has bought foxes, minks,
rats and other uninspected
meat products in Shandong,”
announced the cops. “After adding gelatine, carmine, nitrate and
other substances, he sold the meat as fake lamb rolls [for hot pot] at
farmers’ markets.” Police collared 63 suspects in February and seized
10 tons of the stuff, estimating Wei had made about RMB10 million.
A crackdown since January has netted 20,000 tons in counterfeit
meat and 3,576 suspects, dealing “a heavy blow to the arrogance of
criminals” and a decisive blow to our stomachs. Look on the bright
side: how many people do you know who’ve eaten fox?
Top 50 Restaurants
In a twist over list
“An emperor lives for his subjects, his subjects live for their food,” the saying goes.
Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013 list has thus
unleashed a minor sh*tstorm. Alongside the
usual “What? No Sukiyabashi Jiro!?” are questions if whether over-privileged white people
know about Chinese fine-dining (as opposed
to the claret-and-Coke brigade). Michelin’s
2009 foray into Asia saw not a single mainland
restaurant rated, sparking justified criticism
of snobbery, ignorance and a lack of rigor.
But the new San Pellegrino/Aqua Panna list
includes two Top 10 Shanghai restaurants –
Mr. and Mrs. Bund and Ultra Violet. But there
was not a single establishment from Beijing in
the list (hell, Hangzhou had one. Hangzhou!).
All together now: “What? No Maison Boulud/
Capital M/ Temple Restaurant Beijing?!”
No reservations
Crapital eats: Huajia Yiyuan
“The ancient decor is so overboard,
it’s frightening. Pavilions, raised platforms and bridges creates a dreamlike atmosphere that seems far from
any city. So far, in fact, that sometimes you’ll even catch a glimpse of
an endangered species: the waiter
(but never long enough to be sure).
If you think a private room will guarantee contact with this elusive creature, you’re sorely mistaken. Ours
left the dishes on a supply counter
just by the entrance, without even making a sound... a privilege for which
the restaurant charges an additional 10 percent service charge” – translated from Weibo’s ‘Beijing’s Dumbass Restaurant Reviews’ @北京傻逼餐馆
预警及点评 // Huajia Yiyuan (Huixin restaurant), 6 Huixin Dongjie 6, Chaoyang District, 朝阳
Say what?
“Well, at least the
computer isn’t
braised-beef
flavor!”
Weibo netizens can’t stop joking about the newest business
venture by Kang Shifu, the largest instant noodle and beverage
producer in China. The Tianjin-based company has long fueled
poor college students and late-night gaming fests, but this
month, they’ll launch the thinnest, lightest Windows 8 laptop in
the world, giving techies a whole new reason to salivate. At 870
grams, the Blade 13 Carbon is nearly half the weight of a 13-inch
MacBook Air and 6.3 millimeters thinner. Price tag: RMB8,279.
Eat that, Apple!
Peeling back the mysteries of the local market STRANGE FRUIT STARFRUIT 杨桃 YÁNGTÁO
The carambola, commonly known in China as starfruit, is native to South Asia and the Caribbean; those found in Beijing are
imported almost exclusively from Taiwan. Sliced lengthways, the
starfruit resembles – yes – a star (though more the fish variety). Packed with antioxidants this super fruit has been consumed in
China for centuries, where it’s widely held as a treatment for minor throat irritations. What’s more, mix its roots with sugar, and
you’ve got yourself a remedy for poison – take that snake bite.
HOW TO SPOT: Waxy, yellow exterior resembles the Nerf footballs of yesteryear. It's about 5-6 inches in length.
TASTE: Mildly sour and sweet: a citrus cocktail of sorts. Has a satisfying bite, juicer
than a grape and
similar in texture.
Best when it just
ripens from green
to yellow.
EAT: Cut the fruit
into 1-cm slices
and eat fresh. Or,
if you’re in need
of a little more
sweetness, try
it drizzled with
honey.
区惠新东街6号(对外经贸大学北) 51283359 84631088
49
EAT / DRINK
NEW RESTAURANTS
HORIZON CHINESE
WE GIVE A DUCK ABOUT THIS ONE
By Stephy ChunG
A
fter months of renovation, the Kerry Hotel’s
Horizon Chinese has
re-opened, widening its predominantly Cantonese and Sichuan
horizons to include dim sum,
double-boiled soups, and traditional roast Peking duck. But it’s
no secret to the bustling lunchtime crowd in Chaoyang Business
District – by noon of our weekday
visit, most tables were packed.
Neutral, earthy tones run
throughout the restaurant, from
its modern décor to the staff’s
light-gray uniforms. Wooden lattice partitions resemble Chinese
screens, but without overly intricate patterns. Walls are created
from waves of bamboo steam
basket strips, and lighting fixtures
resemble birdcages. The aesthetic
is simple and chic.
The marinated sea whelk
(RMB88) was a strong start to our
feast. The snails’ texture had a
stubborn chewiness (not as bad
as it sounds), and was close to
the more palatable floppy woodear fungus in both looks and
texture. The red chilies, cilantro,
and salty seasoning made each
bite surprisingly irresistible. The
crunchy sweet-and-sour cucumber rolls (RMB28) were a fashionable take on hongyou (or red oil)
with cucumber. The small wiry
50
‘The ducks could be seen in the open
kitchen, dangling over jujube wood logs’
vegtables came in miniature rolls,
stuffed with vinegary sweet, julienned radishes.
Horizon has two, full menu pages
dedicated to its double-boiled
soups, and an open kitchen
where you can see the largerthan-life urn-shaped boilers.
The idea behind the tonic ‘TCM’
soups is that they do not simmer
over a direct heat, but rather that
of boiling water, at lower temperatures, for hours at a time. That
way, the nutrients can release
slowly into the soup.
We resisted a bowl of the
Horizon’s Buddha Jumps Over the
Wall Soup (RMB568/per person)
and decided on one for a fraction
of the price – the fish maw and
Matsuke mushroom (RMB148 per
person). Fish maw is considered
a delicacy, as it's high in collagen
and consumed for its supposed
anti-aging benefits. It is actually
the fish’s stomach, and the tough
muscle-like chew can be rather
unpleasant to foreign palates.
We managed to get a few bites
in, but probably appalled the
kitchen with the amount we left
over; the broth itself was intense
with wine-like flavors from the
mushrooms.
The braised mandarin fish-fillet
(RMB158) arrived crackling, in
another one of the restaurant’s
specialties; dishes cooked in clay
pots over a charcoal fire. The
whole garlic cloves, leek and ginger blended well with the tender
chunks of fish and the gorgeous,
thickly reduced sauces.
What seems to really make
Horizon a proper destination,
however, is its Beijing-style (or
Peking) roast duck (RMB208). The
birds themselves can be seen in
the open kitchen, dangling over jujube
wood logs.
Chef Yuan Chao Ying, has 30
years experience in the business,
including a stint working at legendary duck Quanjude, which
opened in 1864. Yuan comes
from a long line of expert duck
chefs and runs his team, marked
by red pins, on a tight shift.
Under his direction, ducks are
roasted in the oven for 70 minutes, then raced to your table in
less than 6 minutes. The birds
are carved up methodically, and
served with only six basic condiments. Each set (RMB6) – consists
of a homemade duck sauce,
cucumbers, minced garlic, leek
and a white sugar, used as a dip
for the crispy skin. Personally,
we preferred the classic shaobing (RMB5/per piece), a toasted
sesame bun used to make a DIY
duck sandwich, to the steamed
wraps (RMB24/per dozen).
For dessert, the boiled sesame
paste with dumpling (RMB28)
was a play on deep-fried balls,
with the doughy parts acting as
a hardened shell. Inside, there
was a black sesame soup, that
tasted far too bitter and medicinal – we’ll stick with the original
version. But, the mango desserts
were quite the success. The trio
(RMB48) comes in three taster
sizes, including buttery pudding,
ice cream, and soup. The chilled
soup was perhaps the best dish
of all, and something we’d happily come back for: cool liquid
mango sorbet, topped with brilliantly tart pink pomelo bits. The
perfect finale!
//Daily 11:30- 2:30, 5:30-10:00, Horizon
Chinese Restaurant, Lobby Level, Beijing
Kerry Centre, 1 Guanghua Road, Chaoyang
District, 朝阳区光华路1号北京嘉里中心
商场一层邮编 (8565 2188)
PINOTAGE
IT’S SOUTH AFRICA WITHOUT THE SCARY STUFF
By RFH
Pinotage boasts a whole, separate wine bar round the back – and they serve biltong. As a bar snack. Think about it.
“
T
here’s no particularly
rich tradition of cuisine
in South Africa… it’s a
bit like Australian food”: I’m
in Pinotage, a swish, modern,
high-ceilinged South African restaurant in Sanlitun’s SOHO that
doesn’t feel remotely Australian
– although they do serve pies
(more on that later) – accompanied by JG, a South African
Beijinger who’s been in China almost as long as Kenny G (there’s
an uncanny resemblance).
Unlike Kenny G albums, South
African cuisine has an interesting genealogy, being a mix of
indigenous African cookery and
colonialist cuisine from Dutch
Afrikaans, the French, Germans
and, of course, their indentured Asian laborers, mostly
Malays, Chinese, Indians and
Indonesians.
All in all, then, a pretty good
potential feast (leaving aside the
distinctly-unpalatable slaving
history, plus all that rape-amdmurder stuff that sort-of puts us
off going). The restaurant’s location in SOHO (they have another
in Shunyi) might sound a trifle
off-putting – especially if you’ve
trekked through endless empty
corridors in ghost malls, seeking out lunch dates like Indiana
Jones – but the storefront loca-
tion on the far east, next to the
Canon shop, means it’s a cinch
to find for those who usually
swan round the Village (now Tai
Koo Li), looking for lunch deals.
Although a two-course set
menu is available (RMB100), we
dipped into a series of signature dishes from their (slightly
naffly named) S.E.T a la carte
menu; the concept is that each
is available in either Share (3-4
persons), Enjoy (solo) or Taste
(taster) helpings.
The first courses arrived quickly
on wooden cheese boards.
Almost too quickly – though
maybe not fast enough for JG,
who was mid-way through appreciating the Biltong Carpaccio
(RMB180/90/45) before I could
even spear my first Lamb Shank
Dumpling (RMB150/75/35).
The latter, full of dark chunks
and swathed in a tomato-andred-wine sauce, could hardly
have tasted less Chinese than it
sounded. The tangy sauce got
us going: there was something
South African here (though what
it was, wasn’t exactly clear).
The biltong (“the Champagne of
meats,” pictured right) was justso, chewy with a tender pink interior; the Parmesan slices, avocado puree and ‘balsamic caviar,’
while decidenly non-traditional,
added welcome texture. One
highlight was the Roasted Bone
Marrow (RMB200/100/50), magnificently served on a spliced
shinbone and topped with salt,
braised oxtail and chanterelle
mushrooms. The accompanying
toast resembled ridged chips; all
it lacked was fresh parsley. One
hopes the kitchen takes note.
The bobotie (currently off-menu)
was probably the most South
African dish, a Cape Malay curried-meat pie served on curled
vetkoek (deep-fried dough) with,
here, a puff-pastry topping, that
seemed a touch dry but was
otherwise judged “authentic – a
good mix of light spices”; I’d like
some kind of gravy on the side
but then, I’m British. The same
goes for the Venison Wellington
(RMB350/175/85), a generous
slice of tender game wrapped in
more pastry with, admittedly, a
red-wine jus, but crying out for
that red-wine dumpling sauce.
The Malay Chicken, meanwhile,
suffered was tangy, juicy and
ill-served by us, stuffed as
the Wellington by this
time – you won’t
leave hungry.
A return visit
tackled some
of the weekend
brunch offerings, including pig’s
trotter (RMB120), beautifully
served with diced cucumberand-egg and crackling (ftw), and
a grainy “foot-long” boerie hot
dog (RMB120) which we made a
great big mess of fighting over.
With its sharing style, it’s advisable to order as you go, rather
than risk leaving with a doggie
bag. But however you decide
to approach Pinotage, you will
certainly not regret it.
// Daily 11am-1am. Building 2, 2-105, 1st
Floor Sanlitun SOHO, No. 8 Gongtibeilu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区工体北路8号三
里屯SOHO2号楼2-105 (5785 3538)
Bon
high ing up:
l y re T h e
comm marr
ende ow co
mes
d
51
EAT / DRINK
NEW BARS
OPUS TERRACE
IT’S NOT ALL GREEK TO US
BY Stephen George
ing yelled at by a peddler with
Buddhist trinkets, as one recent
video demonstrated.
M
ost people in Beijing
are unlikely to visit the
Airport Expressway
unless they are A) going to
the airport, or B) leaving the
airport. And therein lies the attraction. The ever-expanding
cluster of hotels and foreign
car dealerships that now line
the Expressway’s easternmost
fringes have made something
of a virtue of their proximity to
the city’s primary escape hatch.
They are Beijing’s decompression chamber – marketed for
their ease and convenience –
close enough to taste the smog
on a bad day, but far enough
away to minimize its effects.
Which is all well and good:
Not everyone wants to hustle
for a table on Gui Jie while be-
But what happens when the
weary business travelers that
tend to frequent such places unwind? Traditionally the options
have been limited: for older
gentlemen, there’s the in-house
hotel piano lounge, or for the
more adventurous, the nearby
Hard Rock Café (that bad).
Fortunately, the Four Seasons
hotel has sought to remedy
this rather-bleak state of affairs
with their newly opened Opus
Terrace. Like its namesake before
it – you know, the ancient Greek
citadel named after Zeus’ son
and referenced in Homer’s Iliad
– Opus serves up one hell of a
Cosmopolitan (RMB78). It’s also
outdoors – perfect for summer!
Business travelers have never
had it so good.
Opus is so good in fact, that it
may soon begin to draw morepermanent Beijing residents
away from their usual summer
haunts, especially with the introduction of a weekly Ladies Night
– women get blotto for free,
and a daily 5pm to 8pm Happy
Hour, where all standard drinks
are half-off.
The cocktails are excellent – the
tequila-infused Rookie Matador
(RMB78) was a particular favorite. And high rollers looking
to celebrate their new, mandatory merger with a Chinese stateowned partner will be happy to
discover that Louis Roederer NV
Champagne is available by the
bottle at the not-unreasonable
price of RMB650.
//Daily 4pm-1am, Sun bunch 12pm-4pm,
Opus Bar & Terrace, 48 Liangmaqiao Road,
Chaoyang District, 朝阳区亮马桥路48
号 (5695 8888)
FRIEND
YOU WOULDN’T TAKE YOUR WORST ENEMY
BY RFH
Photo by RFH
exactly. The old Heaven attracted all sorts: Full-bearded
Spaniards. Absurd Frenchmen.
Heavy-boozing Brits. Drunk
Americans. Even-drunker
Chinese. There wasn’t a viler
den of scum and villainy in the
city; still isn’t – that’s why we
like(d) it.
Y
ou know those times you
want to go where nobody knows your name?
And nobody cares you came – a
place where you can see your
troubles are all the same (particularly if you’re the unemployed,
suicidal type)?
There’s a bar for that: I doubt
it’ll be around for long, but if
that is the sort of thing you’re
52
after, Friend – on the site of
the old Heaven supermarket;
yes, the one that pretty much
collapsed last summer – is, if
not exactly a ‘friend’, then an
alcohol-stocked enabler that will
grimly oversee you drink yourself into oblivion, then silently
slide over a giant bar tab.
It’s not clear what type of
clientele this Friend is after,
Its replacement, Friend, is from
the same people as Heaven
but – well, I don’t know. I saw
a huge crowd of Nigerians
hanging outside one night and
thought: OK, it’s going for that
vibe; good to know.
The next week, I went and the
manager was complaining he’d
organized a Labor Day party
(complete with lame drinks
deals for da ladeez) and no one
came. He was saying this in a
completely empty bar. I ordered
a cocktail (Old Fashioned,
RMB50) and a Guinness (old
fashioned, RMB50). The
Guinness arrived as a foaming
ocean of volcanic white stuff;
they had to pour that one
out and start again. The Old
Fashioned showed up a halfhour later, after much headscratching and muttering behind the bar. But the thimble of
ice with a tot of whisky-based
liquid that was placed, with
no small amount of ceremony,
before me did not measure up
to that wait; a bill for around
USD15 unapologetically accompanied it.
My advice? Rebrand it ‘Friends’
and show round-the-clock
DVDs of Chandler and co. in a
vaguely Central Perk-like setting. As the Sanlitun bar owners
say, first you get the b*tches;
then you get the money; then
you get the power.
// Daily, 4pm-4am. Xingfu Sancun Xiang
(behind Yashow, west of Nearby the Tree),
Chaoyang District 三里屯派出所向西100
米, 朝阳区幸福三村三巷三里屯南靠近
树旁边酒吧 (6413 0552)
MARKETING SOLUTIONS
OUR MONTHLY PICK OF THE CITY’S SPECIALIST PRODUCE
WANGJING
SEAFOOD MARKET
By Stephy ChunG
Octop
us 章鱼
zhāng
RMB25
yú
/1 jin
Salmo
n 三文鱼
sān w
RMB35
èn yú
/1 jin
Desert capital Beijing doesn’t feel
Geodu
ck 象拔蚌
quite so landlocked at Wangjing
RMB6
xiàng b
5/1 jin
Seafood Market. This basementá bang
level market, oddly buried in the Turbot 多宝
鱼
duō bǎ
RMB28
depths of a mall, has become
o yú
/1 j
reputable among locals for its
Hairy c in
rab 毛蟹
fine, if slippery offerings.
RMB40
Máoxiè
/1 jin
C
lams 蛤蜊
The market is rather small,
Gélí R
(short
with only some 30 stalls,
MB8/1
neck c
jin
lams)
but its bubbling tanks hold
W
ear your galoshes to one
of Beijing’s favorite wet
markets.
more than a 100 different
seafood varieties. And
every morning, fresh
fish is delivered from
Zhejiang, Shandong,
and Tianjin.
Here, you’ll find many
Chinese underwater
favorites like lobster
(lóngxiā), eels (mányú),
shrimp (xiā), and turtles. Meet their
gaze and see their glazed, defeated eyes staring back at you. Unless
it’s the saltwater geoduck (pronounced gooey-duck) you’re ogling,
or as the Chinese call it, the elephant-trunk clam – who knows where
the eyes are on this vulgar brute?
My three takeaways here: Shanghai’s signature hairy crabs or máoxiè
look furrier alive, spotted turbot or duōbǎoyú actually swim sideways, and octopus are best stir-fried with chives.
And, if you get a bit squeamish around the creepy-crawly appendages of the crustacean-heavy live market, opt for the deader aisles;
frozen and semi-frozen fish are laid out nearer to the back. Salmon
fillets, supposedly imported from naughty Nobel-givers Norway, are
wrapped and ready for sale next to bottles of soy sauce and wasabi.
Photo by Stephy Chung
//Daily 9am-9pm Wangjing Seafood Market, Lize West 2nd Rd, in the basement level of Wang
Xin Commercial Center, Chaoyang District 朝阳区利泽西街望馨商业中心B1楼 (6478 6926)
Buddying up: Phallic Geoduck and a turbot awkwardly share a tank
53
EAT / DRINK
NEW RESTAURANTS
VINEYARD ON THE RIVER
THE MOST OUTSTANDING DRC VIEWS IN TOWN Photo by Noemi Cassanelli
BY Stephy Chung
D
on’t let the name fool you
as it did us: Vineyard is
not on the river; it’s nearby
the river. The crucial difference,
while only a few small meters,
can feel marked, especially if like
us, you’d arrived hoping to sip a
beer while overlooking the calming, stagnant Liangma waterway.
What you get instead is a view of
the adjoining diplomatic residential compound. Still, things could
be worse. The area is tranquil,
almost sleepy, and the terrace’s
open-air setup, lit by candles at
night, gives an easy, relaxed vibe.
Owner Will of Yorke’s solid handcraft beers are a definite draw,
though only two of the four listed
were available on the night we arrived. The Dog and Bone (RMB40)
is a tasty, full-bodied British-style
lager and the Pilgrim’s Progress
U.S.A. (RMB40) an amber ale
that’s packed with flavor, and has
an enjoyable, slight bitterness.
The menu itself is a pared-down
version of the original Vineyard
offerings, with the same prices.
The smoked salmon with
arugula, cherry tomatoes and
shaved fennel (RMB52) is a great
summer salad, seasoned with
English mustard and a lemonand-dill dressing. The hummus,
nicely flavored with black olives
and red peppers (RMB35), was
too thin in consistency, though,
and drippy on the pitta bread.
Bangers and Mash (RMB72),
served with carrots and peas,
was something of a triumph,
and comes with either English
or Spanish sausages. The accompanying cauliflower cheese
was wonderfully rich and
lightly salty. For dessert, the
warm weather didn’t deter us
from indulging in the wintery
Raspberry and Almond Bakewell
Pudding (RMB32). The sponge
cake, baked into a pie crust,
was served with a piping-hot
custard, coaxing a balanced
amount of sweet and tart from
the berries, and helping to bring
out the fluffier textures. Service, at least right now, was
baffling slow, given that the
staff were equipped with walkietalkies and seemed eager. Our
visit was on an early Saturday
evening, with just two or three
other tables. The starters, the
main course and drinks were all
brought out at the same exact
time, while the dessert arrived
sans spoons.
Food and drink-wise, though,
consistency is great – though
one would hope for more variety in the menu for the future.
//Tu-Fr 1130pm-3pm, 6pm-12am kitchen
closes at 10pm Sa-Su 11:30am-3:15pm
6pm-12am, Liangmahe Nanlu, Chaoyang
District, 亮马河南路新东路西侧渔阳饭
店对面二层红楼 (8532 5335)
THE FULL ENGLISH
TOUCH OF THE DUNKIRK SPIRIT, IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN
BY RFH
Nice bit of baked beans, but
not too much that it makes
the toast soggy: crucial
Only one bit of bacon but wellcrispy, I suppose. Mushrooms
were spot-on, luv
Fancy presentation of the
bangers, all ‘cordon bleu.’ No
black pud, though – shame
You need to liven up
your tomatoes, mate! Bit
of griddling. (Note the
artful splash of HP at the
bottom: that was me)
Hash browns: bit
Yankee, but I won’t
complain
Photo by RFH
// Sat and Sun only 8am-2pm (kitchen closes
1.45pm) Nanhu Beilu (100m south of the
Nanhu PSB), Wangjing, Chaoyang District 朝
阳区望京南湖北路 (南湖派出所向南100
米 (150 1035 0681, or email roger_bishop@
hotmail.com)
54
E
ngland, eh? Facking
England – I love it, mate:
warm beer, knock of leather on willow, pint glass in yer
face. Vitality, imagination, touch
of the Dunkirk spirit, know what
I mean? Culture, sophistication... a little bit more than an’
hotdog, know what I’m saying? I
mean, take the Full English. This
bloke in Wanjing, he’s only gone
and opened up his own greasy
spoon, slap-bang in the middle
of a Chinese restaurant! Union
Jack over the door: cheers.
Weekends, you can get yerself
a slap-up Full Monty (RMB52),
or vegetarian (RMB52/46) if
you’re ginger – nice one, bruv.
And for lunch, he’s done the lot:
fish and chips (RMB67), ham,
egg and chips (RMB51), sausage
and chips (RMB55 and battered,
mate). No scampi but it’s early
doors. They've even got a bleeding mission statement on the
menu, I ask you. Best of British,
son – best of British!
GREAT LEAP
BREWERY
BEST FOOT FORWARD
Photos by Noemi Cassanelli
BY Stephy Chung
N
ot so much a great leap
forward (that would be
disastrous!), as a huge
and significant stride: Yes, Great
Leap’s new opening has landed,
and in doing so, dramatically
stepped up the city’s expectations
of what a Beijing bar can be.
Since 2009, the institution – created by Carl Setzer and Liu Fang,
has amassed a sizable and fairly
diehard following. The opening
of its new, large-scale brewery
will likely see it move beyond
the fanboys (and girls) and become a mainstream destination.
It recently received its 1000th
Facebook ‘Like’ and, as one rabid
fan posted: “Fist pump, this is
right next to my place! best.
news. ever!” [sic]
And its arrival is undoubtedly
good news for the area’s quieter
pubs and restaurants, many of
which are well placed to tap into
Great Leap's undoubted trickle
effect. For patrons, its location
marks it out as a refreshing and
long-awaited alternative between a chilled night in Gulou
and a rowdy bender in Sanlitun.
The space itself feels very much
the American-style brewery,
achieved by its size and style.
The aesthetics – deep wooden
booths, long benches, exposed
brick, a tall ceiling and a sleek,
curved bar – make the place feel
inviting. Enormous silver and
copper-colored brewing vats
are lined up against the back
wall and visible behind glass
panes. The pungent whiff
of yeast is overwhelming as you
enter, but fades quickly.
Beers are sold by the pint and
rotate on a regular basis. Four
– the Heaven and Earth Kölsch,
Pale Ale #6, the Cinnamon Rock
Ale, and the Little General IPA –
were available during our first
visit, two on our follow-up The
German-style Kölsch (RMB35)
was lightly carbonated, refreshing and crisp. The IPA (RMB40)
was wonderfully hoppy, a beer
we could sip on all night. The
Cinnamon Rock (RMB35), an
amber ale brewed with brown
sugar, honey and cinnamon, was
slightly less to our liking as we
found the flavor to be an odd
spicy-sweet.
Chef Kin Hong, of the nowclosed, legendary Taco Bar,
has devised a delicious snack
menu. Skinny fries, deep-fried
vegetable balls, and chicken
wings made for great appetizers.
The Knife and Fork Sandwich
(RMB40) though, is the real
winner – a savory mushroom
and barley patty, topped with a
creamy garlic aioli and served on
a sweet Brioche bun. The double
cheeseburger (RMB50) is not
bad either, but then just about
anything tastes good after six
pints of the cloudy orange Pale
Ale #6 (RMB25).
//Daily (www.greatleapbrewing.com for new
hours) No. 12 Xinzhong Street, Dongcheng
District, 东城区新中街12号 (6416 6887)
55
COMMUNITY
TIGER FATHER
BETTER OUT THAN IN
SIFTING THROUGH STOOL FOR SWALLOWED TREASURE
BY Trevor Marshallsea
n the early years of parenthood, you worry about
things your offspring might
mistake for food, put in their
mouth and swallow. Especially
when you’re married to a doctor
– everything morphs from “benign little knick-knack” to the
chilling item known as “choking
hazard.”
I
picion that she liked this sort of
thing.
That makes sense in the baby
years. But for the love of God,
you shouldn’t have to worry
about it when they’re six! But,
here we are with Things They
Never Warned Me About #2,136.
When my turn came, I used a
plastic stick. I gritted my teeth,
thought of England and poked
and prodded as if making soup.
Evie sat there chuckling maniacally. Still nothing.
First, a graphic-content alert.
This story involves the digestive
system and things that come
out of it. So if you’re reading this
while eating, drinking or making love, perhaps put it down
until later.
My daughter Evie swallowed a
coin: I’ve no idea how or why.
All I know is that it was on my
watch. Worse still, it was on my
lap.
We were Skyping my nephew
in Australia. Perhaps I should
blame him. Since Evie and I were
facing the computer, he should
have seen the whole thing
and raised an alarm. But being
17, he was no doubt texting
someone else while speaking
to us, and was thus distracted.
(The same callow youth was
actually bitten once by a deadly
brown snake, whilst walking and
texting at the same time. True
story; he made the papers.)
In any event, our chat was interrupted when Evie spun around
and said: “I’ve swallowed something I shouldn’t!”
I thought of a piece of paper,
some cardboard at worst.
Parenthood is never that simple.
“A coin,” she added. The worry
showed on her face, perhaps in
correlation to the gobsmacked
look on mine.
There was a moment to absorb
the news. First, I made sure she
wasn’t choking. At least it had
gone down the right hole - or
slot, I suppose – if, indeed, there
56
Her method was to have Evie
go into some Glad Wrap and
then lovingly, tenderly fondle
it through the plastic. From my
safe, backyard spot, I observed
there was only black smoke
coming from the chimney.
‘My wife’s idea was to have Evie
cr*p into some Glad Wrap and then
lovingly, tenderly fondle it through the
plastic’
is a right place at all for a coin to
go down a child.
My next stage was incredulity.
That this had happened was
unfathomable, something you
just can’t accept, like watching
a footballer miss an open goal,
the ending of Thelma & Louise,
or any Beijing intersection.
But it had happened. Despite our
scratched-record parental warnings, she’d had the coin in her
mouth, had moved suddenly and
lost control of it, and so down
the hatch it went. This I had to
relate to my wife Stef, who, of
course, came home from a bad
day at work that very instant.
I was heartened that at least it
was a one-jiao coin. “It’s tiny!”
I said, invoking a hitherto unknown spirituality by adding,
“This too shall pass.”
You don’t get off that lightly.
Not if your wife’s a doctor.
“What is it made of?” she began. “If it’s made of zinc it can
corrode the stomach. How big
is it? Anything over 20 millimetres is likely to get stuck.”
I confess my parenthood training hasn’t broadened my knowl-
edge of Chinese numismatics
beyond the fact some of them
had a funny hole in the middle
and some didn’t.
I found a helpful coin-collecting
website. It said the one-jiao
coin was precisely 19 millimetres across! Better still, it was
aluminium. (The zinc issue
has been a known problem in
America since 1982, when the
US mint began making pennies
with a 97.5 percent zinc content, just to corrode the stomachs of stupid children.)
I double-checked by emailing the
website. They elaborated that
one-jiao coins had been made
of nickel-plated steel since 2003.
I was marvelling at the amazing
things you learn through your
children when Stef, the Dr. Wife,
jolted me out of it.
“We’ll have to go through her
poos until we’re sure the coin is
out,” she said. The horror!
This was really not what I wanted
to hear. By contrast, Evie thought it
sounded hilarious.
Stef went first the next afternoon.
I thought this was far too soon:
firstly, for it to have passed and
secondly, for Stef to escape sus-
Days, and many bpwel movements, went by unrewarded.
One day, whilst literally knocking them back with a shitty
stick, the thought occurred that
Evie may have passed the coin
at school, and that I was now
just doing this for fun.
“No,” she insisted. “It didn’t feel
like anything shiny came out.”
This seemed like a definite no,
for another old saying holds
that you can’t polish a turd.
The stories came out. One
parent told Stef their kid incubated a coin for twelve days.
Another’s daughter had swallowed a British pound and since
that went, well, threw down
four more. (Parenting tip: The
pound. Not a bad coin to swallow. Small and heavy, they pass
quickly. Within a couple of days
they had that mythical ‘perfect
child’ who pops out pounds).
An American friend witnessed
a bachelor drinking game in
which a quarter is flipped into
a beer. The loser, skulling his
beer, also swallows the quarter. At least he was a drunken
adult male; a six year old should
know better.
Finally, on Day 16, Evie had her
first X-ray. It was good news: the
coin had been passed. I’m not
even going to ponder when.
// Trevor Marshallsea was a foreign
correspondent in Beijing in the 1990s and
returned a decade later. This time around, he
stays at home to grow the kids. Read more of
his domestic adventures at
www.thetigerfather.com
EDUCATION
GIVING BACK
DON’T WAIT TO SHOW KIDS HOW THEY CAN HELP THE WORLD
H
ow wonderful it is that
nobody need wait a
single moment before
starting to improve the world.”
Those altruistic, insightful words
were written by 13-year-old
Anne Frank in her diary, as she
suffered in a small attic with
her family, while hiding from
the oppressive brutality of the
Nazis during WWII. The words
are heartfelt, strong and, more
importantly, true. The world
that surrounds us all is ours to
change at our own discretion,
and it only takes the actions of a
few to leave a lasting impression
on many.
daily life, already engages them
with scripts, storybooks, songs,
role-play scenarios and puppet
shows. Well into the first year of
its implementation, it is beginning to move from its infant to
toddler phrase, so to speak; it is
learning how to walk.
With the foundations of its
new Character Development
Program in place, Etonkids has
slowly begun to expand upon
the program to show the children how it is relevant to their
everyday lives. The program,
which highlights important
character virtues while demonstrating to the children how
to exercise them in
Through these initiatives, the
school hopes to engage the
children more actively with their
surrounding communities and
make them aware of methods
through which they can both
exercise the
As part of the program, Etonkids
has decided to introduce a
monthly community-service program, the Etonkids Community
Service Initiative, to fully engage
the children and demonstrate to
them how these virtues taught
can be employed in everyday
life.
virtues and provide help where
it is needed.
Community service builds
strong character and creates
compassionate human beings,
who will soon grow into the
leaders of tomorrow – and
hopefully change the world for
the better.
In its fledgeling stage, the
Etonkids Community Service
Initiative has chosen to focus on
the three virtues of Helpfulness,
Caring, and Empathy, all of
which are covered in the
months of May and June. As
part of the initiative, children in
our Palm Springs campus, near
Choayang Park, will be drawing
their own “Get Well” cards for
bedridden hospital patients.
These “Get Well” cards will
include a picture and message
from the child,
and through a collaborative effort with hospital staff, will be
distributed to the patients once
the campus staff drops them off.
Through this simple act of caring, the program hopes to show
the children a simple, easily accessible manner in which they
can help and give back to the
community.
As the teenage Anne Frank
once wrote, these moments
and opportunities to improve
the world are all around us.
However, as members of our
community, we need to seize
them and take the initiative to
improve our own world through
our actions.
With its Community Service
Initiative, Etonkids hopes to do
just that: Change the world, one
small step at a time.
57
COMMUNITY
SPORTS
THE REAL DEAL
SPANISH GIANTS MADRID OPEN GUANGDONG ACADEMY
By MATT HORN
G
iven the state of the current Chinese national
football team, it would
seem to be easier to move
mountains than to build a winning team. But in a remarkable
joint venture, the Real Madrid
Foundation and Evergrande
Group, owners of Chinese Super
League champions Guangzhou,
have done exactly that, leveling the land and building the
world’s largest soccer academy.
standing of the beautiful game.
Cipitria is especially excited
about working with the youngest players in the school, the 7
and 8 year olds – with top-class
coaching from such a young
age, it is these pupils who have
the potential to benefit most.
In each age group, the children
are divided into three streams,
with elite, A and B teams. It is a
fluid structure with players moving up and down levels through
their performances.
A two-hour drive north of
Guangzhou, Qingyuan, a prefecture-level city of some four million people, is famed for its hot
springs, the indigenous customs
of the Liannan and Lianshan minorities and its scenic spots in
the surrounding mountains.
Evergrande Guangzhou’s coach
Italian Marcello Lippi, who led
his nation to World Cup triumph
in 2006, is the honorary president of the school, and when
he visits talks all things football
with Cipitria.
But 18 months ago, some of
those mountains were flattened
as work began on an ambitious joint venture between
Guangzhou Evergrande and
Real Madrid – a RMB1.1 billion
project aimed at changing the
face of football in China.
Junior players weigh-in for their daily health check
Then there are the actual sporting facilities. Today there are
30 pitches for the first intake of
nearly 1,100 boys and girls aged
7-14, who joined the school
after its official opening last
October. Those numbers will
soon rise to 76 pitches, with a
targeted school roll of 3,000
youngsters. Looking ahead to
the end of the initial eight-yearplan, the number of pupils in
mind is an incredible 10,000.
and cultivate football stars,”
a large banner alongside the
main competition pitch proudly
declares to all.
The selection process of those
initial 1,100 has seen football
trials carried out around the
country, and there are currently
also 10 non-Chinese pupils from
nine different countries. And
while Hogwarts school motto is
“Never tickle a dragon,” the aim
here appears to be waking one
up -–“Revitalize Chinese football
To achieve that goal, 15 Real
Madrid Foundation-approved
coaches have been recruited
from Spain, living and working in the school. Head coach
Fernando Sanchez Cipitria was
a left-winger in his playing days,
a career that saw him win two
caps for Spain. He is passionate
about the eight-year project
58
‘We test their fat every day, and see if
they need anything to help them stay
healthy, and full of nutrients’
ahead, and determined to make
it a success.
“The technical skills of the
Chinese kids are good, but we
need to open their minds,”
Cipitria explains. “We are also
focused on developing the
Chinese coaches and opening
their minds as well.”
His team of foreign coaches
works alongside 100 Chinese
colleagues, developing their
skills and widening their under-
Photo by James Sutton
Riding up the impressive treelined driveway, . A grand entrance leads on to a series of
buildings with ornate turrets silhouetted by the sky. Dorms can
be found in both east and west
wings. There are canteens, a
supermarket, a library, state-ofthe-art clinics and classrooms.
“He is very, very impressed by
the school and all the facilities,”
said Cipitria. “He is a big supporter of what we are doing
here.”
One of the Spanish coaches,
Roberto Tendero Villamayor,
explains about the logistics of
working with Chinese students:
“We each have our own translator, so we are able to communicate with the children. We are
able to pick up some Chinese,
but they are able to understand
our hand signals if needs be.
“We test their fat every day, and
see if they need anything given
to help them stay healthy, and
keep their nutrients monitored,”
Villamayor continues. “This will
help them to improve and move
forward with their fitness and
football skill set.”
All positions are catered for, and
Miguel Angel Gonzalez Arias
is responsible for coaching the
goalkeepers. He certainly has
keeping in his blood - his father,
Miguel Angel, played between
the sticks 247 times for Real
Madrid, and was in Spain’s 1978
and 1982 World Cup squads. He
has brought his wife and young
daughter with him to China, and
is excited to be involved in such
a big project.
His friend and fellow coach
Guillermo Trama Luchini played
in the Spanish league. He is
acutely aware of the work that
lies ahead of the whole coaching team. “We go to Guangzhou
and watch Evergrande play,”
he says. “There are some good
players, but there is no doubt
the level of football is a long
way below other leagues
around the world.”
It is now up to Luchini and co
to ensure that the next generation of talent is a considerable
step up.
Yet while the aim of the school
is to unearth future football
stars, with such a huge intake
it is inevitable that most kids
won’t make the top grade. That
is why there is an equal focus
on academic study. The school
is the responsibility of South
China Normal University and
is already rated among the top
in Guangdong Province. In a
couple of years’ time, pupils will
join millions of others around
China in taking the gaokao, the
National College Entrance Exam.
School fees are a costly
RMB35,000, although there are
scholarships available for players of exceptional talent who
would not otherwise be able to
afford the full fee.
With the school in its infancy,
it will be some time before the
success of the development
can be properly measured, but
speak to everyone connected
to the school and there is no
doubt what they want. The aim
is simple: to see graduates from
the school in China’s national
men’s and women’s football
teams sooner rather than later.
Former Real Madrid star David
Beckham may be the new
poster boy of the Chinese Super
League, but it is the improvement in coaching of youngsters
that will determine whether
China can finally start to compete on the world stage.
So can this footballing
Hogwarts deliver the soccer
magicians of the future? No
one can say for sure. One thing
is certain, though – Evergrande
and Real Madrid will leave no
stone unturned in their mission
to make it happen.
SOCCER SCHOOL IN STATS
Pupils – 1086, soon rising to 3000 and eventually a potential
10,000
Staff and coaches – 435
Primary school building – 3,900 square metres
High school building – 4,400 square metres
Lab building – 8,700 square metres
Library – 1,500 sqmetres, 100,000 books
Gymnasium – 3,000 sqmetres
Auditorium – 1,800 sqmetres
Football center – 6,000 sqmetres
Real Madrid’s official website explains that its Foundation is the
means by which the club reaches out to society and develops its social and cultural awareness programs.
59
events
pick of six art exhibitions
Loris Cecchini Solo
Until June 30. Free. Tues-Sun, 11am-6pm. Galleria Continua, 798 Art District, 2
Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号798大山子艺术区
(5978 9505, www.galleriacontinua.com)
Mao Yan Solo
Until June 22. Free. Tues-Sun, 10am-6pm. Pace Beijing,
798 Art District, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区酒仙桥路2号大山子艺术区 (5978 9781,
www.pacegallery.com) ‘You Might
Enquire’:
Guo Jian Solo
Exhibition
‘Last Generation’: Cheng Ran
Until July 8. Free. Tues-Sun, 11am-6.30pm. Galerie Urs Meile, 104
Caochangdi, Cui Gezhuang Xiang, Chaoyang District朝阳区崔各庄草场地
村104号
(近电影博物馆路)(6433 3393, www.galerieursmeile.com)
‘Jungle II’: Zhao Zhao
Until mid-July. Free. Tues-Sun, 11am-6pm. Platform China, No. 319- ‘Movement Field’: Xu Zhen 1, East End Art Zone A, Caochangdi Village, Chaoyang District 朝阳区 Until June 23. Free. Tues-Sun, 11am-7pm. Long March Space, 4 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District
草场地村319-1艺术东区A区内(6432 0091, www.platformchina. 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798艺术区 (5978 9768, www.longmarchspace.com)
org)
60
Until July 7. Free. TuesSun, 10am-6pm. Amyli
Gallery, 54 Caochangdi,
区机场辅路草场地54
号 (6434 0616, www.
amyligallery.com)
events
Events are editors’ picks of the best activities and are
not comprehensive. To list an event, email bjevents@
urbanatomy.com. For some details, see Listings.
SPORT
JUN 1-12
Group
This one-and-a-half-hour weekly session is designed to help teach children,
aged four to twelve, about communication, behavior and body language.
Join and help your child make friends,
handle bullies, ask for help, and participate in group academic and social
activities.
//RMB2800 three week session, (6461 6283,
www.oliviasplace.org)
EAT/DRINK
Eat: Dragon Boat Festival Treats
Celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival
with a wide variety of delicious zongzi,
including flavors such as red bean,
healthy grains, red date and salted
meat. Beautifully packaged zongzi
gift boxes and gift hampers are also
available.
// Prices range from RMB308 to RMB2888.
Dongcheng District东城区建国门外大街
1号 (6505 3285, 6505 2266 extension
5722/5723 www.shangri-la.com)
JUN 11
NIGHTLIFE
Gig: Outdoor Folk Party
Hip haunt Jiangjinjiu celebrates eight
years of fostering folk under the Drum
Tower by setting up camp on the
larger and grassier knoll of 2Kolegas
for an all-day event featuring a photo
exhibition, flea market and ten of
Beijing’s world-music minstrels, including Li Dong, Buyi, Gangzi, Song Yuzhe
and Ajinai. // RMB120 (RMB100 pre-sale), 2pm to midnight. 2Kolegas, 21 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang
District 两个好朋友酒吧朝阳区亮马桥路21
号 (6436 8998, www.2kolegas.com)
Eat: Dragon Boat Festival
Unique zongzi dumpling gift boxes,
each filled with a variety of flavors like
sweet and healthy Black Sesame Paste
or aromatic Five Spice Beef. For a more
lavish gift, purchase the ‘Emperor’s
Fortune’ – filed with rice dumplings,
chocolates, Korean Ginseng, aged rice
wine and more.
//Kerry's Treasures for RMB198, Kingdom's
Riches for RMB498, Emperor's Fortune for
RMB1,688. Horizon Chinese Restaurant, Kerry
Hotel, 1 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区
光华路1号 (8565 2188)
SPORTS
JUN 1-16
EAT/DRINK
Eat: Father’s Day Sweets
We know dads can get all “tied up”
at work. Surprise him this Father’s
Day with a special ‘Suit Up’ cake form
Kerry’s Pantry. All dads are different, so
pick from a wide selection of cakes to
make your day special.
//RMB288, Kerry's Pantry, Kerry Hotel, 1
1号( 8565 2788)
JUN 5
COMMUNITY
Books: A Reader’s Guide to In Search
of Lost Time
A la recherche du temps perdu (In
Search of Lost Time) is many things at
once: a novel of education, a portrait
of French society during the Third
Republic, a masterful psychological
analysis of love, a reflection on homosexuality, an essay in moral and aesthetic theory. Professor David Ellison’s
Reader’s Guide analyses each volume
of the ‘Recherche’ series in order and
in detail. Join an enlightening discussion with Ellison on the stories behind
this classic Proust work.
//RMB50, RMB40 for members, 7.30pm.
The Bookworm, Courtyard 4, Nan Sanlitun Lu,
JUN 8
COMMUNITY
Workshop: Departing from China with Pets
JUN 7
Hike: Trip to the Ming Tombs
Hike around Beijing’s leading Feng Shui destination and discover the stories
of the 13 Ming dynasty emperors and their concubines. This easy trail curls
between tombs, trees and small rivers.
//RMB390 includes transport, lunch and guide, 8.30am-6.30pm. For location, reservation and
other information, visit www.chinahiking.cn (info@chinahiking.cn, 15652200950)
Peak departure season is here, making
this the optimal time to start preparations to take pets out of the country.
Join the experts from ICVS as they
share step-by-step instructions on the
exit process and vaccination requirements to help you prepare for leaving the country, or moving to other
Chinese cities, with your pets.
//11am-12pm. International Center for
Cheng Shang Jie, Futong Xidajie, Wangjing,
Chaoyang District (8456 1939, 8456 1940,
JUN 9
NIGHTLIFE
Gig: Dune Rats (Australia)
Though this upbeat power duo have
toured with the likes of The Hives
and Best Coast, their real crowning
achievement is two minutes of consecutive bong hits without passing out
(see their video for “Red Light, Green
Light”). Local punk team Gumbleed
support.
// RMB50, 9pm. 2Kolegas, 21 Liangmaqiao Lu,
COMMUNITY
Concert: Marco Tamayo and Anabel
Montesinos
A special intimate concert with two
world-acclaimed guitarists, Anabel
Montesinos – one of the leading
figures in classical guitar and winner
of several major international guitar
competitions – and Marco Tamayo,
who returns from his recent tour of
Germany and Bulgaria.
//RMB100, 7.30pm, The Bookworm, Courtyard
4, Nan Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区南
三里屯路4号院 (6586 9507, www.beijingbookworm.com)
JUN 10-24
COMMUNITY
Workshop: Kid2Kid Social Thinking
Football: International friendly China
vs. The Netherlands
World Cup finalists the Dutch are coming to China to take on the mighty
Middle Kingdom. Despite it being only
a friendly, the Dutch have promised to
play their full starting eleven. So dress
in orange to join the fun, or wrap yourself in red in support of the home side.
Be sure to check out the pre-match
activities and the Dutch after-party at
Elements Club.
//Workers’ Stadium, prices from RMB180
to RMB1880.hotline and websites for
tickets (4006206006 www.mypiao.
com; 4006228228 www.228.com.cn;
4006103721 www.damai.cn; 4008183333
www.t3.com.cn)
JUN 13-16
ART
Play: ‘Members Only’
Dramatic off-the-wall hit French play
by Fabrice Roger-Lacan,
arrives in Beijing. Written for two actors, the play is one of most critically
acclaimed and successful contemporary French plays in the world. Created
in 2001 in Paris, it has since been
performed in Spain, Germany, England,
the USA, and Singapore.
//RMB380, 280, 180, 100 (Students tickets
50 RMB), 7.30pm. Tickets at the venue or call
400 620 6006 (English Service), visit www.
mypiao.com.
Oriental Palace Theater, 47 Longfusi, Dongcheng
district (metro station Dongsi) (18310298961)
JUN 14
NIGHTLIFE
Gig: Askar Grey Wolf
61
events
Nightlife
This Xinjiang shredder is the only
worthy challenger of the coinciding
Hanggai Festival (see right). Blending
Uighur traditions, flamenco and rock,
Askar always suprises with energy and
musicianship – so much that even The
Damned and PiL guitarist Lu Edmonds
was sad he missed him in March.
// RMB60, 9pm. Jianghu Bar, 7 Dongmianhua
Hutong, Jiaodaokou Nan Dajie, Dongcheng
District 江湖酒吧东城区东棉花胡同号 (6401
5269)
know before bringing home a stray or
rescued pet to keep existing pets and
family members healthy and safe? Join
the free workshop to learn things to
consider for pet owners.
//Free, 11am-12pm. International Center for
Cheng Shang Jie, Fu Tong Xi Dajie, Wangjing,
Chaoyang District (8456-1939/1940,
JUN 16
Party: Havana Nights
Centro is launching its Summer Lounge
and invites you to come and shake
your body to the very latest Cuban
sounds. Put on your best Fidel Castro
or Che Guevara outfit for the party’s
look-a-like contest and win a special
prize.
//Free entrance, 9pm. Centro, Kerry Hotel, 1
1号 (8565 2398)
EAT/DRINK: Father’s Day
COMMUNITY
Show: Comedy Night @ Zeta
Do the hot summer nights leave you
feeling stressful? Worry not: Comedy
Club China will pick you up, with their
pick of six great comedians performing
their finest stand-up routines at Zeta
Bar. Get ready for a belly full of laughs.
//RMB50 including one free beer, 9pm. Zeta Bar,
Hilton Beijing, 1 Dongfang Lu, Bei Dongsanhuan
Lu, Chaoyang District 市朝阳区东三环北路东方
路一号(5865 5020, emile.otte@hilton.com)
EAT/DRINK
Wine Talk: Antipodean Wines
Capital M launches their Wine Talk
series, a monthly talk and tasting
held in collaboration with Torres. This
month, Torres wine expert Summer
Yan leads a tasting of Australian and
New Zealand wines, including New
Zealand’s most popular Sauvignon
Blanc, New World Chardonnay, cool
region Pinot Noir, Shiraz from Victoria
and the best Bordeaux blend from outside Bordeaux.
// RMB 138, includes wine tasting No.2
Qianmen Pedestrian Street, overlooking
Tian’anmen Square, (86 10 6702 2727)
WINs@!urba-
Jun 14-16 Gig: Hanggai
Music Festival rize
Email p m with the
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natomy. Hanggai” for
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subject to win a pair
a chance ay passes!
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of thre
The biggest little festival in Beijing returns for its third year, boasting three days
of world-class Asian musicians. Tuvan throat singers Huun Huur Tu, who sold
out their last Beijing show, headline on Friday, Israel’s world-fusion collective
Yemen Blues top Saturday and Dutch hard-rock trio Vanderbuyst close the festival Sunday. Oh yeah, and Hanggai.
// RMB150 (RMB100 pre-sale, RMB300 three-day pass), June 14, 9pm, June 15-16, 4pm. Mako
Live House, Hongdian Art Factory, 36 Guangqu Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区广渠路36号红点艺
术工厂 (5205 1112, www.mako001.com)
Community
JUN 15
NIGHTLIFE
COMMUNITY
Workshop: Adopting Pets in Bejing
Want to adopt a pet but not sure
which shelters or rescue organizations
to consider? What should pet owners
62
Eat: Father’s Day Steak
Treat Dad to a proper Father’s Day
steak, at Morton’s of Chicago. The
world-class steakhouse will be offering a special three-course set menu,
featuring imported aged and grain-fed
prime beef, as well as fresh seafood,
and chicken entrees.
// RMB 828+15 percent. The Regent Hotel, 2nd
Floor, 99 Jinbao Street, Dongcheng District
(6523 7777)
Eat: Enjoy Champagne Brunch on
Father’s Day
Start your celebrations with the magnificent Champagne brunch at Senses
Signature restaurant, where dads can
indulge in their love for cigars and
whiskey with the Havana cigar-rolling
demonstration and special whisky
counter. There’s simply no better way
to say thank you (except ‘xie xie’).
//RMB488 per person including free flow
Champagne, wines, beers and cocktails. RMB288
per person for kids aged 12 years old and
below. Prices are subject to 15% service charge.
11.30am-3pm. The Westin Beijing Financial
Street, 9B, Financial Street, Xicheng District西城
区金融大街乙9号(6629 7810, F&B.BEIJING@
WESTIN.COM)
Eat: Aroma Father’s Day Brunch
If words can’t express how much your
father means to you, let food do it for
you! Come and spoil Baba with the
delectable brunch at Aroma, or try
sweetening him up with an authentic
Italian lunch at Barolo. A wide range
of seafood and international delicacies
are on offer.
//RMB588 per person, including free flow coffee, tea, soft drinks, juice, imported beer, house
wine and champagne; RMB298 per kids from 6
to 12 years old. 11.30-3pm. The Ritz-Carlton,
83A Jianguo Lu, China Central Place, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区建国路24号A(5908 8161)
Gig: D=OUT If 80s glam, Japanimae and androgynous boy bands dressed like girls
(capable of extreme violence) sounds
appealing, you’re probably already a
fan of this J-rock giant – and in need
of therapy. // RMB250 (RMB200 pre-sale), 6.30pm. Yugong
Yishan, 3-2 Zhang Zizhong Lu, Dongcheng
District 愚公移山东城区张自忠路3-2
号 (6404 2711, www.yugongyishan.com)
Gig: Ceephax Acid Crew
Don’t miss London-based musician
Andy Jenkinson get crazy behind his
piles of vintage synths, drum machines
and other mysterious bleep-boxes for
a night of high energy and intelligent
live-electronic shenanigans.
//RMB50, 10pm. DADA Bar, 101Room, B building, 206 Gulou Dong Dajie, Dongcheng District
东城区鼓楼东大街206号B栋101室
Eat: Father’s Day Celebrations
Join a sumptuous Sunday Brunch for
Dad at Scene a Café at China World
Hotel. Highlights include succulent
seafood – blue swimmer crab, tiger
prawn, oyster, green sea snail and
traditional Father’s Day favorites as
well as free-flowing fruit juices, coffee
and tea.
//RMB398 (plus 15 percent service charge).
Dongcheng District东城区建国门外大街1号
(6505 2266 extension 35)
Jun 15
Fair: Beijing Goes Green
Beijing’s first-ever Environment and Sustainability Fair meets the city’s growing
demand for green products, including organic food suppliers, farmers’ markets
and vegan and vegetarian restaurants. The fair features ecological businesses,
handicrafts and locally produced goods, with stalls offering healthy lifestyle
and energy-saving solutions. The family-friendly event even offers a kids area.
Go green, folks – it’s the future.
//Free, 10am-5pm. Second floor galleries, Hilton Beijing Hotel, 1 Dongfanglu, Dongsanhuan Beilu,
Chaoyang District朝阳区东三环北路东方路1号 (laura@fcgroup.org, www.fcgroup.org)
JUN 18
COMMUNITY
Hike: Baihua (Flower) Mountain
Enjoy a beautiful family hike in the
flowering fields of Baihua Mountain,
a protected natural reserve located in
Mentougou County, 120km away from
Beijing, where 90 percent of the reserve is covered by forest. What better
way to breathe in some fresh air, and
enjoy the natural world.
community
//RMB390 includes transport, lunch and guide,
8.30am-6.30pm. For location, reservation and
other information, visit www.chinahiking.cn
(info@chinahiking.cn, 15652200950)
JUN 21
NIGHTLIFE
Gig: Rockland 10-year anniversary
Record stores that survive a week
deserve to throw a party – let alone
10 years. Pay tribute to Houhai's
CD outpost with post-rock headliners Wang Wen and indie stalwarts Snapline, White +, After
Arguement and Rudra's Sage.
// RMB120 (RMB100 pre-sale, includes one
t-shirt), 9pm. Yugong Yishan, 3-2 Zhang Zizhong
Lu, Dongcheng District 愚公移山东城区张自
忠路3-2号 (6404 2711, www.yugongyishan.
com)
Jun 23 NIGHTLIFE
Gig: Royz (Japan)
Boy-meets-anime band Royz brings the
spectacle of visual kei, or J-rock’s costume- and cosmetic-heavy subgenre,
for their first visit. Could this be the
beginning of a Japanese rock invasion?
Lord, we hope not.
// RMB250 (RMB100 (pre-sale),
6.30pm. Yugong Yishan, 3-2 Zhang Zizhong Lu,
Dongcheng District 愚公移山东城区张自忠
路3-2号 (6404 2711, www.yugongyishan.com)
Concert: Capital M chamber music
series
Culture vultures Capital M take advantage of this year’s La Fête de la
Musique by kicking off their new
monthly chamber music series featuring a French-inspired program of
Debussy, Dutilleux and Ravel.
//Free, 6.30pm. Capital M, 2 Qianmen
Pedestrian Street 3/F 前门步行街2号3层
(6702 2727)
Gig: Namo + DJ Oshi
Of all the ideas spawned by France,
celebrating the summer solstice with
free music is pretty much the best.
Catch Temple’s contribution to Beijing’s
second La Fête de la Musique with
crosstalk rockers Namo and French
dubstepper DJ Oshi.
//Free, 11:30pm. Temple Bar, 202, Building
B, 206 Gulo u Dong Dajie, Dongcheng District
东城区鼓楼东大街 206 号B 楼 202 (131
6107 0713)
Gig: DJ Zinc
Catch this Drum n’ Bass legend square
off with Asia’s “Queen of drum n’ bass”
DJ Siesta.
//RMB50, 10pm. DADA Bar, 101Room, B building, 206 Gulou Dong Dajie, Dongcheng District
东城区鼓楼东大街206号B栋101室(联系方
式及网站)
JUN 27
COMMUNITY
Jun 26
Book: Restless Valley
Animated by an acute sense of history, Restless Valley: Revolution, Murder and
Intrigue in the Heart of Central Asia by Phillip Shishkin combines investigative
journalism with travelogue, and features true stories that wouldn’t be out of
place in a thriller. Follow the story of post-Soviet Central Asia, a place afflicted
by conflicts both old and new, now finding itself prominently on the global
geopolitical map.
//RMB50, RMB40 for members, 7.30pm. The Bookworm, Courtyard 4, Nan Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区南三里屯路4号院 (6586 9507, www.beijingbookworm.com)
Nightlife
Show: Dutch Dance Delight
Get ready for the third edition of the
big beats and bass drops of Dutch
Dance Delight, featuring some of the
best Dutch DJ talents about, including Jacob van Hage, Tiesto, Afrojack,
Laidback Luke, David Guetta, Dimitri
Vegas, Sidnye Samson, Nicky Romero
and many others
//Presale RMB100 including 1 drink, Door
RMB100. GT BANANA, Scitech Hotel, 22
Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District朝阳
区建国门外大街22号赛特饭店1层 (www.
sendmetickets.com, 186 1125 7960)
Jun 22 NIGHTLIFE
Gig: HAZE OUT Join basement nightclub Haze as they
bring the techno underground to the
surface with their annual Haze Out
night under the stars – featuring 13
DJs, 2 stages and 2 VJs packed into one
night in the Beijing suburb of Huairou. // RMB300 (RMB160 pre-sale), Bus pick-up at
Worker's Stadium North Gate, BLCU East Gate (3pm
to 5pm), return bus RMB60, Wolongwan, Liulimiao
Cun, Huairou district 北京市怀柔区琉璃庙村卧
龙湾(13693235913, sendmetickets.com)
Gig: As Blood Runs Black (USA)
Los Angeles deathcore quintet test
drives new material for their long
awaited follow up. Four Five, MultiEgo, New Tank support.
//RMB240, (RMB180 pre-sale), 7pm. MAO
Livehouse, 111 Gulou Dong Dajie, Dongcheng
District东城区鼓楼东大街111号 (6402
5080, www.maolive.com)
Jun 29
Gig: DazeFEAST
During his near-decade in China music blogger Badr “BeijingDaze” Benjelloun
hasn’t shut up about rock, rum, eats and capoiera – and Beijing may be a
better place because of it. Especially since he has bestowed DazeFEAST upon
us, the all-day, mutton-roasting, no-shoes-wearing FREE gathering which, in
just three years, is already a summer institution. This year’s lineup includes
SUBS, Bad Mamasan, Illness Sickness, Randy Able Stable, The Hutong Weasels,
Jacky Danny, Not There, Residence A, The Intrepid Adventurers, Me Too and16
mins – along with capoiera demonstrations and other surprises, all hosted by
the quite witty (not-so-pretty) DJ Morgan.
// Free, 3pm (party moves inside at 8pm). 2Kolegas, 21 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District 两个好
朋友酒吧朝阳区亮马桥路21号 (6436 8998, www.2kolegas.com)
Book: China Goes Global
In China Goes Global, China scholar
David Shambaugh gives a sweeping account of China’s growing prominence
on the international stage. Join us as
Shambaugh offers an enlightening –
and balanced – look into the manifestations of China's global presence: its
extensive commercial footprint, growing military power, increasing cultural
influence (soft power) and diplomatic
activity.
//RMB50, RMB40 for members, 7.30pm.
The Bookworm, Courtyard 4, Nan Sanlitun Lu,
JUNE 28
NIGHTLIFE
Gig: Helen Feng’s Birthday Bash
Beijing’s First Lady of indie celebrates
another year with the gift of her dark
n’ live electro project Nova Heart, followed by DJ sets by Metro Tokyo (aka
Mr. Feng) and Pei Pei (of Bye Bye Disco
fame).
// 50RMB, 10pm. 2Kolegas, 21 Liangmaqiao Lu,
Gig: Shabazz Palaces
Ishmael Butler of 90's jazz-rap innovators Digable Planets brings his latest
venture on the hip-hop fringes to the
Big Smog. We challenge you to yell out
a request for their track ‘A Treatease
Dedicated To The Avian Airess From
North East Nubis (1000 Questions, 1
Answer).’ Go on....
//RMB, 9pm. Migas, 6/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun
Beilu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯北
路 81 号那里花园6 层 (5208 6061, migasbj.
com)
SPORTS
Hike: Jieshi Village to Lingshui Village
hike (2days)
A 14km hike through green hills from
Jieshi Village to Lingshui Village. 100
kilometers west of Beijing, these outof-the-way Ming-era villages make for
a great combination of outdoor activity and ancient Chinese culture.
//RMB850 includes camping gear, food and water, 8.30am-1pm. Meet at Jianguomen subway
station. For reservation and other information,
63
events
EAT & DRINK
COMMUNITY
Film: June Horror Show
This summer, The Bookworm hosts
weekly film screenings on their rooftop terrace, beginning with creature
features and a bunch of terrorizing
flicks in June to send shivers down
your spine on a hot night. Films include Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975),
Nightmare on Elm Street (Wes Craven,
1984), Evil Dead (Sam Raimi, 1981), and
The ‘Burbs (Joe Dante, 1989).
//Free, 8pm, The Bookworm, Courtyard 4, Nan
Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区南三里屯
路4号院 (6586 9507, www.beijingbookworm.
com)
EVERY SATURSDAY
COMMUNITY
Game: Mashup Men’s Flag Football
League
It’s time to hit the field for your favorite gridiron sport: flag footie.
Catch some touchdowns, make some
epic flag-pulling defensive plays, and
celebrate at the post-game happy
hours with the rest of the league.
//Ditan Sports field (North of Andingmen), for
price and times visit Mashup’s website.
(www.mashupsports.com)
EVERY month
DRink: Refreshing Ice-Tea Party
EVERY SUNDAY
Why not loosen up from your tedious daily routine with a cool glass of ice tea? Join tea enthusiasts at the Plush Lobby
Lounge at the Westin Beijing Financial Street, and take a sip from a variety of invigorating homemade ice teas, infused
with lemongrass, watermelon, blackberry, chrysanthemum and lychee. Nothing to do with Ice-T, btw.
//RMB65 per glass, RMB268 per pitcher, Prices are subject to 15 percent service charge. (6629 7825 or email f&b.beijing@westin.com)
visit www.chinahiking.cn (info@chinahiking.cn,
15652200950)
Sunday Jun 30
Community
Walking Tour: Sai Jinhua & the
Dashilar Red Light District
Join Bespoke Beijing and Beijing
Postcards for a walking tour of Beijing’s
legendary, centuries-old Red Light
District. This animated two-hour walk
unveils the story of Sai Jinhua, Beijing’s
most famous courtesan, on a journey through the maze-like hutongs
of Dashilar, to the sites of the old
teahouses, opium dens and brothels.
The walk ends at Capital M, where
participants can enjoy a carefully curated selection of photographs that
illustrate Sai Jinhua’s story. Top it all off
with a ‘Red Lights’ cocktail, courtesy of
Capital M!
// RMB 200, includes a Red Lights Cocktail at
Capital M. contact info@bespoke-beijing.com
or log on to www.bespokebeijing.com/limitededition-tours for more details
EVERY MONDAY
COMMUNITY
Film: Movie Monday
This month DaDa Beijing is hosting a
very special run of movies: the worst
films ever committed to celluloid. Behold: a taster's choice of terrible
awesome, awesome, terrible cinema.
All films are in English with Chineselanguage subtitles, or English sub-titles
when the film is in another language.
//Free, 9pm. DADA Bar, 101Room, B building,
206 Gulou Dong Dajie, Dongcheng District 东城
区鼓楼东大街206号B栋101室
64
EVERY MONDAY TO
FRIDAY
EAT/DRINK
Eat: Salad & Pasta
Revitalize your body and enjoy the
healthiest semi-buffet lunch around at
the Renaissance Café. Enjoy a freshly
prepared assortment of garden salads
from the salad bar, as well as a vast
selection of high end seasonal vegetables with handcrafted dressings
and cool condiments, plus their very
own Italian pasta live station – also
included is one glass of soft drink or
ice lemon tea.
//RMB 108 per person plus 15 percent surcharge, 12-2pm. Renaissance Beijing Chaoyang
Hotel, 36 Xiaoyun Road, Chaoyang District朝阳
区霄云路36号(6468 9999)
EVERY MONDAY TO
SATURDAY
EAT/DRINK
Drink: Summer cocktail night
Experience the refined style of 1920s
New York at Flow Lounge and Bar,
where you can enjoy the sounds of the
in-house jazz band, while sipping a
cool cocktail (or two).
//Free entry, 9pm till midnight (live music). 8am
to 1am, Swissôtel BEIJING, Hong Kong Macau
Center, 2 Chaoyangmen Beidajie, Chaoyang
District (www.swissotel.com/beijing, 6553
2288 – 2107)
EVERY TUESDAY
SPORTS
SPORTS
Run: HeyRunning Stadium Runs
Hey! Wake-up early and join
HeyRunning for a stadium run each
Tuesday at 7.15am. Running inside the
stadium and on a combination of the
track and grass surfaces! The focus will
be SPEED intervals – short and fast,
a great kick-start to the day! No preregistration is necessary.
//RMB30, 7.15 – 7.45am, Worker's Stadium,
North Gate. MAP and location see www.heyrobics.com/heyrunning (187-1014-4679)
Run: HeyRunning Camp
The Summer HeyRunning Camp
kicked off a few weeks ago with
new locations, training concepts,
session content, partners and more.
The HeyRunning Camp will be sure
to get you up and running again or
improving your race PBs. Coached by
HeyRunning certified Coaches and
Pacers to take you through your stride
and a BIG high-five at the end of each
session!
//RMB50 per session, 10-11.30am. locations
varies, see www.heyrobics.com/heyrunning(187-1014-4679, www.heyrobics.com/
heyrunning/heyrunning-camp/)
EVERY WEDNESDAY
EVERY WEEK
COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY
Workshop: Weekly Baby Corner
Drop by with your baby, meet other
parents, listen to speakers on childhood development topics, and enjoy
great conversation. This is a free event
for parents and babies aged 0-12
months. Expectant parents are welcome too.
//Free, 10.30am-12pm. Eliott's Corner, Unit 1905, Block 2Condo 360, 10 Beidongsihuan Lu,
Chaoyang District (6461 6283)
Tour: Hutong and Lama Temple Tour
Find out why the Mongolians built
Beijing’s first hutongs, see for yourself
what traditional Beijingers get up to
when they think nobody is looking,
and discover why the monks of the
Lama Temple prefer the thighbones of
criminals. Wait, what?
// RMB260 (adults); RMB130 (kids under 14);
includes native English speaking guide, rickshaw
ride, all activities, and entry to Lama Temple.
Wednesday 10am-12pm; Friday and Sunday
2-4pm. For More information, please visit the
website, tours must be booked in advance. (138
1777 0229, info@newmantours.com, www.
newmantours.com)
EVERY THURSDAY
NIGHTLIFE
Party: Red Burlesque – Ladies’ Night
It’s vintage hot party vibes, as GT
Banana embraces the Moulin Rouge
for its new ladies night Red Burlesque.
Ladies enjoy free mix-drinks and
Champagne until 1am. House music
with a jazzy/R&B-like touch is supplied
by the... wait for it... female DJs.
//Free entry for all ladies, RMB50 for men,
table reservation (including free entrance) 186
1125 7960, GT BANANA, Scitech Hotel, 22
Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District朝阳区
建国门外大街22号赛特饭店1层
ALL MONTH
COMMUNITY
Networking: SPG Happy Hour
What better way to relax after a hectic
day than gathering with friends at the
SPG Happy Hour in Mix bar? If you’re
feeling the pain, don’t worry: it’s buy
one, get one free. Not an SPG member? Enroll in Mix and enjoy!
Contemporary, professional photography made easy.
events
HAPPY HOURS
Aria Bar
Mon-Fri 5-8pm, two-for-one drinks.
2/F, China World Hotel, 1 Jianguomen
Waidajie, Chaoyang District 建国门外大街1
号中国大饭店2层 (6505 2266 ext. 36)
Beer Mania
Daily 3-8pm, two-for-one draft Belgian.
103-104 Taiyue Hotel, 16 Sanlitun Nanlu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯南路16 号
泰悦豪庭 103-104 6585 0786
The Big Smoke
Daily 4-7pm, 20 percent off all cocktails, house wines and beers.
57 Xingfucun Zhonglu, Chaoyang District 朝阳
区幸福村中路57号楼利世楼 (6416 2683)
Blue Frog
Daily 4-8pm, buy one get one free all
drinks.
S4-30, 3/F, Building 4, Sanlitun Village
South, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳
区三里屯路19号三里屯Village南区8号楼
S10-31 (6417 4030)
Centro
Daily 5-8pm, two for one deals.
1/F, 1 Guanghua Lu, Shangri-la's Kerry Centre
Hotel Beijing, Chaoyang District 朝阳区光
华路香格里拉北京嘉里中心大酒店1层
(6561 8833 ext. 42)
Chill
Daily 4-8pm, RMB10 off any beer.
2 Andingmen Xidajie, Chaoyang District 朝阳
区安定门西大街2号 (6405 9575)
Cuju
Daily 6-9pm, buy one get one free
draft beer, mixed drinks and soft
drinks.
28 Xiguan Hutong, Dongcheng District 东城
区西管胡同28号 (6407 9782)
Enoterra
Mon-Fri 4-8pm, buy one glass of wine,
get one free.
D405, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beilu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区三里屯北路81号那里花园
D405 (5208 6076)
Eudora Station
Daily 4.30-7.30pm, buy one get one
free on all alcoholic drinks.
6 Fangyuan Xilu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区芳园西路6号 (6437 8331)
Flamme
Daily 3-7.30pm, all cocktails and beers
half off.
S4-33, 3/F, Sanlitun Village, 19 Gongti Beilu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯路19号三里
屯VILLAGE南区3层S4-33 (6417 8608)
Mai Bar
Mondays, buy two cocktails, get one
free.
40 Beiluoguxiang, Dongcheng District东城区北
锣鼓巷40号 (138 1125 2641)
Mao Mao Chong
Wednesday 7-11pm, cocktails RMB35.
12 Banchang Hutong, Jiaodaokou Nan Dajie,
Dongcheng District 东城区交道口南大街板厂
胡同12号 (6405 5718)
MIX
1st May – 30th June 5 pm – 8 pm
What better way to relax after a hectic day than
gathering with friends at the SPG Happy Hour in
Mix bar? buy one get one free. * Not valid for
bottle sales.
The Westin Beijing Chaoyang
7 North Dongsanhuan Road, Chaoyang District,
Beijing朝阳区东三环北路7号金茂威斯汀酒
66
Ladies’ nightS
店(5922 8880)
Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯路19号三里
屯Village 3楼3层S3-31(6417 7794)
MODO
6-7pm cocktails beer and house wine
half price.
S10-31, 3/F, Bldg 8, Sanlitun Village South,
19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三
里屯路19号三里屯Village南区8号楼S1031 (6415 7207)
The World of Suzie Wong’s
9pm-12am, free drinks.
Gate 8, West Gate of Chaoyang Park, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区朝阳公园西门8号 (6500
3377)
Vics
Free drinks for ladies until midnight.
Inside the north gate of the Workers’ Stadium,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区工体北门内(5293
0333)
Mosto
6-7pm discounts on cocktails, wine
and beer.
Nali Patio 3rd Floor, 81 Sanlitun Beilu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯北路81号
那里花园 (5208 6030)
Thursday
NOLA
Daily 3-8pm. Sun-Thu, half price on
Pabst Blue Ribbon, Tsingdao and all
cocktails including Daiquiris.
A-11 Xiushui Nanjie, Jianguomenwai Dajie,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区建国门外大街秀
水南街A-11 (8563 6215)
Pinotage
Weekdays, 4-7pm, buy one, get one
free on house wines and draught beer.
Building 2, 2-105, 1st Floor Sanlitun SOHO, No.8
Gongtibeilu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区工体北路
8号三里屯Soho2号楼2 105 5785 3538
Q Bar
Mon-Thurs 6-9pm, selected cocktails
40-45 percent off.
6/F, Eastern Hotel, 6 Baijiazhuang Lu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区百家庄6号 (6595 9239)
R Lounge
Daily 6-9pm, two for one standard
drinks and cocktails.
4/F, Renaissance Beijing Capital Hotel, 61
Dongsanhuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang District 朝阳
区东三环中路61号北京富力万丽酒店4层
(5863 8112)
Salud
Mon-Fri, 3-7pm, two-for-one Yanjing
beer or infused rum, buy two get one
free Draft Vedett.
66 Nanluoguxiang, Dongcheng District 东城
区南锣鼓巷66号 (6402 5086
Transit
Daily 6pm-7:30pm, two-for-one.
N4-36, Sanlitun Village North, 11 Sanlitun Lu,
Chaoyang District. 朝阳区三里屯路11号三里
屯Village北区N4-36号 (6417 9090)
Twilight
Mon-Sat before 8pm and all day Sun,
RMB20 off cocktails.
0102, 3/F, Bldg 5, Jianwai SOHO, 39
Dongsanhuan Zhong Lu, Chaoyang District 朝
阳区东三环39号建外SOHO5号3层0102室
(5900 5376)
Union Bar and Grille
Daily 4-8pm, discount beer & cocktails.
3/F, Sanlitun Village Bldg 5, 19 Sanlitun Lu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯路19号院
三里屯Village 5号3层S6-31单元 (6415
9117)
Xiu
Mon-Thurs 6-9pm, buy one get one
free on selected drinks.
6/F, Park Hyatt Beijing, 2 Jianguomenwai
Street 北京柏悦酒店, 建国门外大街2号6
楼 ( 8567 1108)
Zeta Bar
Daily 6-9pm, half price drinks.
Hilton Hotel, 1 Dongfang Lu, 东方路1号希尔
顿酒店(5865 5000 ext. 5050)
Bar Blu
Free cocktails for ladies until midnight.
4/F-6/F Tongli Studio, Sanlitun Hou Jie,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯酒吧北街同
里4层-6层 (6417 4124)
Wednesday
Black Sun Bar
Women get 2-for-1 cocktails, guys get 30
percent off beer.
Chaoyang Park West Gate, Chaoyang District 朝
阳区朝阳公园西门 (6593 6909)
Elements
9pm-1am, free mojitos, champagne and
Cosmos.
58 Gongti Xi Men, Chaoyang District 朝阳区工
体西门58号 (6551 2373)
Eudora Station
8pm-12am, ladies ordering food from
the ladies’ night menu receive free
drinks from the same menu.
6 Fangyuan Xi Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区芳
园西路6号 (6437 8331)
Four Corners
Buy two get one free martinis for
women.
7 Dashibei Hutong, Dongcheng District 东城
区大石杯胡同7号 (6401 7797)
Haze
11pm-3am, free rosé and cocktails.
A101, Guanghua Lu SOHO, 22 Guanghua Lu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区光华路22号光华
路SOHO A101 (5900 6128)
Propaganda
All you can drink for RMB30.
100m north of the east gate of
Huaqing Jiayuan, Wudaokou, Haidian
District 海淀区
五道口华
清家园东
门向北100米
(8289 3991)
Q Mex
Free margaritas for
women.
4 Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区工体北路4号
(6585 3828)
The Stumble Inn
9pm-midnight, ladies get free
mixed drinks and RMB20
martinis.
S3-31, 3/F, Sanlitun Village
South, 19 Sanlitun Lu,
Beer Mania
Free Belgian ice cream with every order
of two Lindeman beers.
103-104 Taiyue Hotel, 16 Sanlitun Nan lu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯南路16号泰
悦豪庭103-104(6500 0559)
Hidden Lounge
9pm-12am, free drinks for ladies.
Room 101, Bldg 8, CBD Apartments,
Shuanghuayuan Nanlier Qu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区双花园南里二区, CBD总部公寓, 8号
楼101室(8772 1613)
Starfish
Wed 4-11pm, ladies enjoy 3 Kumamoto
oysters with a glass of Prosecco for
RMB150.
22-1 Dongzhimen Outer Street, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区东直门外大街22-1号 (6416
5499)
Solutions
Free drinks for ladies all night long.
1/F, Bldg 12, Huaqing Jiayuan, Haidian District
海淀区五道口华清嘉园12号楼1层 (8586
3517)
XIU
Mon-Thurs 6-9pm, buy one get one free
on selected drinks.
6/F, Park Hyatt Beijing, 2 Jianguomenwai
Street 北京柏悦酒店, 建国门外大街2号6
楼 ( 8567 1108)
Zeta Bar
9pm-late, head upstairs to the “ladies’
only” section for free cocktails.
2/F, Hilton Beijing, 1 Dongfang Lu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区1号希尔
顿饭店2层(5865 5050)
friday
Plan B
Free Sangria for ladies until
stocks run out.
2-012 Pingod North (22nd Art Street) Baiziwan
Lu 百子湾路32号苹果社区22院街艺术区
2-012 (5821 1353)
Saturday
R Lounge
Selection of drinks for free all night.
61 Dongsanhuan Zhong Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区61东三环中路(5863 8241)
BRunches
LUNCH deals
Agua
Sat-Sun 12-3pm, aperitivo brunch with
choice of tapas, Spanish mains and
dessert for RMB198.
4/F Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beilu, Chaoyang
District朝阳区三里屯北路81号那里花园4
楼D308号 (5208 6188)
Alameda
Mon-Fri 11.30am-3pm, weekday lunch
with two courses for RMB78 or three
courses for RMB98.
Sanlitun Bei Jie, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里
屯北街 (6417 8084)
Aroma
Sat-Sun 11.30am-3pm, international
buffet starting at RMB518 plus 15 percent service charge.
Ritz-Carlton Beijing, 83A Jian Guo Road, China
Central Place, Chaoyang District 朝阳区建国
路83甲 (5908 8161)
Colibri
Sat-Sun 9am-2pm, any dish from
brunch menu for RMB48, or add a cup
of coffee for RMB58.
LG51, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Sanlitun Village North,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯路11号三
里屯Village北区地下层51 (6417 0808)
Enoterra
Sat-Sun 11am-4pm, a la carte brunch
for RMB75-130. Free-flow sparkling
wine for an extra RMB80.
4/F Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beilu 朝阳区三里
屯北路81号那里花园4楼D308号 (5208
6076)
Eudora Station
Sat-Sun 10am-3pm, breakfast buffet
with one main and free-flow juice or
coffee for RMB98.
Opposite Lido Palace, 6 Fangyuan Xi Lu.
Chaoyang District 朝阳区芳园西路6号
(6437 8331)
Feast
Sun, 11.30am-3pm, brunch buffet with
free-flow wine, beer, juices and soft
drinks for RMB428, or with free- flow
champagne for RMB488.
Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng, 36 North Third
Ring Road East, Dongcheng District 东城区北
三环36号 (5798 8908)
The Garden Court
Sun 11.30am-3pm until Dec 30,
Christmas brunch with festive international dishes for RMB488, or with freeflow champagne for RMB588. Prices
subject to 15 percent service charge.
St Regis Beijing, 21 Jianguomen Waidajie,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区建国门外大街 21
号 (6460 6688)
Maison Boulud
Sat-Sun, 11am-4pm, a la carte set from
RMB128 (one course) to RMB288 (four
courses) plus 15 percent surcharge.
23 Qianmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng District
东城区前门东大街23号 (6559 9200)
The Rug
A la carte brunch menu offered daily
from 10.30am-5pm, ranging from
rmb48-RMB138.
1/F, Bldg 4, lishui jiayuan, Chaoyang
Gongyuan Nanlu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区
朝阳公园南路丽水嘉园4号楼1楼(8550
2722)
MoMo Cafe
Sun 11.30am-3pm. “Fast Casual”
brunch with free flow soft drinks and
juice for RMB288, or add champagne,
beer and wine for RMB388.
Courtyard by Beijing Marriott Northeast, 101
Jingmi Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区京迷路
101号 (5907 6658)
Pinotage
Opening special: Saturdays and
Sundays,
free glass of red, white or with every
brunch order.
Lane Bridge Villa Compound, 9 Laiguangying
Donglu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区来广营东
路9号 (6430 7010)
One East
Sun 12-3pm, American-style set lunch
from RMB188, plus DIY bloody mary
bar for an extra RMB98. Prices subject
to 15 percent surcharge.
2/F, Hilton Hotel Beijing, 1 Dongfang Lu, North
East Third Ring Road, Chaoyang District 朝阳区
东三环北路东方路1号北京希尔顿酒店2
层 (5865 5030)
Qi
Sun 11.30am-2pm, all you can eat dim
sum including one double boiled soup
for RMB288 per person. Add a bottle
of Dom Perignon for RMB1988 for two.
Ritz-Carlton Beijing Financial Street, 1 Jin Cheng
Fang Dong Jinrong Jie, Xicheng District 西城区
金城坊东金融街1号 (6601 6666)
Senses
Sun 11.30am-3pm, international and
Chinese buffet with free-flow champagne and cocktails for RMB428,
RMB398 without alcohol or RMB198
for children under 12. Prices subject to
15 percent service charge.
Westin Beijing Financial Street, 9B Jinrong Jie,
Xicheng District 西城区金融街9B (6629
7810)
Seasonal Tastes
Sun 11.30am-3pm Unlimited buffet for
RMB428-498 per person plus 15 percent surcharge.
Westin Chaoyang., 7 North Dongsanhuan Road,
Chaoyang District朝阳区东三环北路7号
(5922 8880)
Sureño
Check out the new brunch menu
for Sunday lunch, 3 or 4 courses for
RMB298 or RMB328 with desserts,
Both include soft drinks and juices,
Champagne package is RMB200, cocktail package is RMB150. Prices subject
to 15 percent service charge.
Bldg 1, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳
区三里屯路11号1号楼 (6410 5240)
Sui Yuan
Sat-Sun and public holidays 10.30am2.30pm, unlimited dim sum for
RMB128 plus 15 percent surcharge.
Hilton Double Tree, 168 Guang’anmen
Waidajie, Xicheng District 西城区广安门外
大街168号 (6338 1999 ext. 1726)
Vasco’s
Sun 11.30am-3pm, international buffet
with free-flow champagne for RMB458
plus 15 percent service charge.
Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, 8 Wangfujing
Dongjie, Dongcheng District 东城区王府井
东街8号 (5812 8888 ext. 8411)
Yi House
International set menu for RMB308.
Grace Hotel, Bldg 2, 1 706 Hou Jie,
Jiuxianqiao Lu, 798 Art District, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号院798艺术区
706后街1号 (6436 1818)
Get Listed!
Please send your venue details and
promotional information to
bjevents@urbanatomy.com for
consideration. Listing not guaranteed.
Aria
Mon-Fri 11.30am-2.30pm Three contemporary European courses paired with
coffee or tea for RMB198 with 15 percent
service charge.
L2, China World Hotel, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie
Chaoyang District 朝阳区建国门外大街1号
(6505 2266-36)
Bene Restaurant
Daily 11.30am-2pm. Dine on Italian
delights from pizza to Chef Francesco’s
unique creations. RMB98 includes antipasto with main course, pizza or pasta.
Sheraton Dongcheng, 36 Dongcheng Beilu,
Dongcheng District 东城区北三环路36号
(5798 8888)
Capital M
Mon-Fri 11.30am-2.30pm, locally-focused
lunch offering an appetizer, main
course, fresh squeezed juice and fruit
for RMB118. Menu changes every three
months.
3/F, 2 Qianmen Pedestrian Street, Dongcheng
District 东城区前门步行街2号3层 (6702
2727)
Cepe
Mon-Fri from 11.30am-2.30pm, antipasti or soup, choice of six mains
(pasta, meat, fish) and selection of desserts starting at RMB328/person.
Ritz-Carlton Financial Street, 1 Jin Cheng Fang
Dongjie, Xicheng District 西城区金融街金城坊
东街1号 (6601 6666)
Beijing Marriott Hotel
Daily 11.30-2pm, Complete with
dumplings,noodles,congee and dessert favorites,including your choice
of chilled fruit juice or Chinese tea
for RMB118. Sun and Sat 11.30-2pm,
Unlimited Dim Sum with a lobster and
unlimited beer for only RMB168.
26A Xiao Yun Road, Chaoyang District 朝阳
区霄云路甲26号北京海航大厦万豪酒店
(5927 8888)
Danieli’s
Mon-Fri 11.30am-2pm, Choice of three
business lunch menus including Italian
appetizers, main courses and specialty
Italian desserts for RMB118-168 with
15 percent service charge.
21 Jianguomenwai Street, Chaoyang District
朝阳区建国门外大街21号 (6460 6688)
Duck de Chine
11.30am-2.30pm. All dim sum half off.
Courtyard 4 ,Gongti Bei;u, Chaoyang District朝阳
区工体北路4号院 (6501 8881)
Flamme
Daily 11am-3pm, every pasta includes
a house-salad and garlic bread.
3/F, S4-33 Sanlitun Village, 19 Sanlitun Lu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯19号, 三里
屯Village南区S4-33 (6417 8608)
Le Cabernet
Mon-Fri 12-2.30pm, chef’s selection of
salad, main courses and homemade
ice creams for two for RMB180.
Novotel Beijing Peace Hotel, 3 Jinyu Hutong,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区金鱼胡同3号
(6512 8833)
Maison Boulud
Mon-Fri 11.30am-2pm, business lunch
consists of three courses for RMB198
plus 15 percent service charge.
23 Qianmen Dong Dajie, Dongcheng District 东
城区前门东大街23号 (6559 9200)
Migas
Mon-Fri 12pm-3pm, two courses with
snack and dessert for RMB85. All options are seasonal.
6/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beijie, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区三里屯北街81号那里花园6
层 (5208 6061)
Pinotage
Mon-Fri 12pm-6pm, RMB78 for two
course set lunch, add dessert for
RMB25 and glass of wine for RMB25.
Lane Bridge Villa Compound, 9 Laiguangying
Donglu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区来广营东
路9号 (6430 7010)
Building 2, 2-105, 1st Floor Sanlitun SOHO,
No.8 Gongtibeilu, Chaoyang District 朝阳
区工体北路8号三里屯soho2号楼2 105
5785 3538
Rumi
Mon-Fri, 11.30am-2.30pm, Buffet for
RMB88.
1-1 Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区工
体北路11号 (6467 2961)
Niajo
Mon-Fri 12-2.30pm, three course
lunch with a glass of wine, soft drinks
or coffee for RMB98.
3/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beilu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区三里屯北路81号那里花园三
层 (5208 6052)
One East
12-2.30pm, Mon-Fri. Two courses of
American cuisine for RMB128, or three
courses for RMB138.
Hilton Beijing, 1 Dong Fang Road, North Dong
Sanhuan Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区东三环北
路东方路1号 ( 5865 5030 )
Oakwood Residence Beijing
Daily 12-2pm. Two courses for RMB92
and 3 courses for RMB108. Menu
changes weekly.
8 Dongzhimenwai Xiejie, Chaoyang District 朝
阳区东直门外斜街8号 (5995 2888)
Starfish
Tue-Sun 11.30am-2pm. RMB58 for
express lunch or RMB 118 for Chef's
lunch 3 courses.
22-1 Dongzhimen Wai, Chaoyang District 朝
阳区东直门外大街22-1号(6416 5499)
S.T.A.Y Restaurant
Tuesday to Friday 11:30am-2:30pm Three
courses including coffee and tea for
RMB388/person with 15 percent service charge.
Level 1, Valley Wing, Shangri-La Hotel, 29
Zizhuyuan Lu, Haidian District 海淀区紫竹
院路29号香格里拉酒店1层 (6841 22116572)
Taj Pavilion
Daily 11.30am-2.30pm, thali with vegetables, dal, salad, rice, naan and dessert for RMB40, with chicken or lamb
for RMB45, plus starter for RMB65.
3/F, Holiday Inn Lido Place, Jiangtai Lu, Jichang
Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区将台路机场路
丽都饭店丽都广场3层 (6436 7678, www.
thetajpavilion.com)
Transit
Daily 12pm-2.30pm. Choice of appetizers, mains, rice or noodles with dessert
for RMB88.
N4-36/37 Sanlitun Village North, 11 Sanlitun
Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯路11号三
里屯VILLAGE北区N4-36/37 (6417 9090)
Taverna
Daily 11am-2.30pm. Two courses and
coffee/ tea for RMB78. Add a glass of
wine for RMB30 or dessert for RMB20.
Courtyard 4 ,Gongti Bei;u, Chaoyang District朝阳
区工体北路4号院 (6501 8882)
67
events
CITY SCENEs
Sanli-who? Beijing Swire Properties
renamed its prestigious Sanlitun
Village development “Taikoo Li
Sanlitun”. Will this end up another Ho
Chi Minh City/ Saigon thing – it’s too
soon to ‘Taikoo Li.’
This year, Migas reopened its
rooftop terrace (see p.48) with
two nights of partying, kicked off
on April 19th by a special guest
appearance from Alton Miller.
The Westin
Tianjin recently
appointed Mr.
Ugur Lee Kanbur
as General
Manager!
On May 1st, Sofitel Luxury Hotels presented exquisite
cultural performance Musique Littéraire, in which
celebrated artist Marie-Christine Barrault joined pianist
Frederic Chiu and actress Huang Huan to perform in a
memorable event showcasing French art de vivre.
The 6th Annual World Autism Awareness Day
Charity Dinner Event was held at the Beijing
Hilton Capital Airport Hotel to great success.
68
The 9th annual Art Show in the Suzhou
Garden at East Lake Villas was hosted
by the Ivy Academy on May Day.
Shangri-La’s China World Summit Wing Beijing organised its second Bridal
Fair at the city’s largest ballroom on 21 April with the theme ‘Love in the Air.’
As you can see from the picture, everyone is already under their chairs.
Yee-ha! Hilton Beijing’s Zeta Bar held their annual Big Texas
Rodeo Adventure featuring homestyle ranch eats from Home
Plate BBQ, competitive mechanical bull-riding and plenty
of drink (the two mix well, as this shot of Emile Otte (right)
proves). All proceeds went to Morning Tears Foundation.
New Belgian General Manager Koen Vermeersch of SK Tower hosts the SK
Tower 2013 Agency spring gathering, as people (judging from the image
above) swap business cards, cut cake and shower under confetti.
On May 15th, the Sheraton Great Wall invited guests to a
showcase evening where people were able to taste many
different wines from around the world.
Grand Millennium-Beijing hosted famous Hong Kong movie star
Karen Mok during her recent visit to Beijing.
At the QR Pub Crawl China, EG- Distriselecta invited Beijing drinkers to
follow QR codes around Sanlitun and discover five Belgian beers in five
exciting venues. And like drunken sheep, that’s just what they did!
The World of Suzie Wong has become a very popular venue
for FC Group’s Anything Goes monthly networking events in
Beijing. Nothing to do with its reputation for glamorous girls,
we suppose?
69
LISTINGS
listings
Expensive...................................................¥
Expense Account .....................................¥¥
win!
We have several RMB500 vouchers from Redmoon to give away
to loyal readers – enough to
enjoy sushi, then some cigars,
cognac and chocolates. To win,
send a favorite 3Cs combination
to bjeditor@urbanatomy.com
OPEN DOOR
Redmoon
Learn the 3Cs – that’s cigars, cognac, chocolate
Things got a little sexier in the CBD with the ‘3Cs,’ Redmoon’s
“classic range” of cognacs, cigars and chocolate by F&B director
Etienne Haro, who enjoys Hennessy XO with a Cohiba Siglo II (“a
strong, intense and fully-rounded flavor that perfectly complements the strong tobacco”). There’s little pretension here; as
Haro points out, the Hennessys indulge in tipples like Hennessy
VSOP with Ginger Ale (here paired with a Hoyo de Monterey
Epicure 1 and truffles; RMB178). The whole ‘schooner’ culture
is outdated, Haro argues. But for purists, Redmoon offers traditional choices, including a Davidoff Tubos 2000 with Davidoff
Extra Selection Cognac (RMB498). Females might try a fruity
Montecristo-Joyitas with a Cognac Royal: Smokin’!
// Sun-Thu 5pm-1am; Fri-Sat 5pm-2am. 1/F, Grand Hyatt Hotel, The
Malls at Oriental Plaza, 1 Dongchang’an Jie, Dongcheng District.东方
亮, 东城区东长安街1号东方君悦酒店大厅 (6510 9366)
Recommended ..........................................*
Top ten .....................................................**
RESTAURANTS
THE HOT ONE HUNDRED
About This guide represents our editors’ top
100 picks, and includes some That’s Beijing
advertisers. Restaurants rated(*) have been
personally reviewed by our experts, and
scored according to the cuisine, experience
and affordability.
Aria ¥¥ (European) *
A gold standard of opulence and, at RMB1,100
for the Wagyu beef and starters around
RMB150, the prices reflect that. In-house sommeliers help tailor your meal perfectly.
// Mon-Fri 11.30am-2.30pm, 6pm-midnight;
Sat-Sun 6-10pm. Second floor, China World
Hotel, 1 Jianguomenwai Waidajie, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区建国门外大街1号中国大饭店2层
(6505 0828)
Ai Jiang Shan (Korean)
This upscale seafood restaurant proves
that chargrill and composure can go
together. Their RMB58 bibimbap lunch is an
absolute bargain.
// Daily 11am-10pm, Sat and Sun until
9.30pm. 5/F, LG Twin Towers (East Tower), 12
Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District 朝
阳区建国门外大街乙12号双子座大厦东塔5层
(51096036/6037, for other locations visit http://
www.aijiangshan.com)
Alameda (Contemporary Western) *
Although styled as Brazilian, this laidback
eatery is a thousand miles from the frenetic
energy of the city’s Brazilian bar and grills.
With floor-to-ceiling glass interiors and
smart minimalist decor, Alameda is one of
the best places to while away a weekend.
The mushroom and shiitake white wine
risotto is also a must-try.
// Daily noon-3pm, 6-10.30pm, Sanlitun Beijie
(beside the Nali Mall), Chaoyang District
朝阳区三里屯北街(6417 8084)
Agua ¥ (Spanish)
Occupying the high end of Nali’s Spanish invasion, Agua offers solid, reasonably priced,
classics like suckling pig, chorizo and jamon.
// Daily Midday-2pm, 6pm-10pm. 4/F, Nali Patio,
81 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯
路81号那里花园 (5208 6188)
win!
OPEN DOOR
Fez
Effortless appeal
Want a rooftop romance? Email bjeditor@
urbanatomy.com with your favorite Tommy
Cooper joke to dine at Fez on us
The name may conjure up men in comedy hats, but this eminently
stylish rooftop terrace means business. Fez’s appeal is partly due
to its laidback approach: From pared-down lighting to discreet (but
attentive) service, Fez keeps it chic without being pretentious. Now
it has expanded to include food –expertly prepared by sister restaurant Agua. And though cocktails are still big part of the draw,
the food really stands out. Try the seared Mediterranean tuna
belly with mushrooms and balsamic refrito coupled with dashi rice
(RMB298) is incredible – a beautifully presented combination.
Couple this with Balik-style salmon (RMB220), slow-cooked in
sherry, with saffron sauce, mussels, crouton: a sumptuous feast.
// Sun-Thu 5pm-1am, Fri-Sat 5pm-2am, 6/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区三里屯路81号那里花园6层 (5208 6198)
70
Back Alley Bistro (Contemporary Western)
There’s not enough of this in Beijing: a cozy
joint offering top-notch ‘California-style’
cuisine at bang-on price points. A fresh,
revolving menu has everything from burgers (RMB 45/65) to braised oxtail (RMB138)
to seared scallops (RMB148).
// Tues-Sun 11am-2.30pm, 5-11pm. West side
of Jiezuo Dasha, Xingfucun Zhonglu (next to
Frost Nails), Chaoyang District 朝阳区幸福村中
路(Frost旁边)(6417 5430)
Baoyuan Jiaoziwu (Chinese regional)
Famous for their rainbow of dyed dumplings, Baoyuan have their jiaozi (six, under
RMB10) wrapped in a larger yuanbao
silver-ingot shape, with creative vegetarian
options and authentic Sichuan food.
// Daily 11am-10pm. North of 6 Maizidian Jie,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区麦子店街6号楼北侧
(6586 4967)
Beiluo Bread Bar (Cafés)
This local hipster café favorite offers inhouse baked bread and sandwiches but
we usually go for the hand-pulled noodles.
Gets cozy at night.
// Tue-Sun 12-10pm. 70A Beiluoguxiang,
Dongcheng District 东城区北锣鼓巷甲70号(近
南锣鼓巷)(8408 3069)
Bene ¥(Italian) *
Chef Ricci will have you singing like a soprano with his pork ravioli and prize-winning
tiramisu. Excellent set menus (RMB588) and
extensive wine selection.
// Daily 11am-2.30pm, 5.30-10.30pm.
Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng, 36 Northeast
Third Ring Road, Dongcheng District 东城区
北三环东路36号(5798 8995)
Baihe Courtyard (Vegetarian)
Don’t let the hairy chuan’r dissuade you.
This Confucian-style restaurant conjures
up wholly-meatless Chinese classics using
malleable mushrooms, tofu, and soy
protein. The Peking-style duck here is a
particular favorite.
// Dongzhimennei Bei Xiaojie, 23A Caoyuan
Hutong, Dongcheng District 东城区东直门北
小街草园胡同甲23号 (6405 2082)
Barolo ¥¥ (Italian) *
Average Italian abounds in Beijing: not
here, though. Quite the opposite, in fact,
meaning Barolo is as well-regarded as the
Piedmont wine it is named after.
// Mon-Sun 11.30am-2pm, 6pm-10pm. Ritz
Carlton Hotel, China Central Place, 83A
Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区建国路甲
83号华贸中心丽思卡尔顿酒店内 (5908 8151)
The Big Smoke (American)
Taking the Home Plate BBQ concept and
upscaling was a gourmet masterstroke.
Full menu evenings-only (also delivers
rotisserie chicken via Uncle Otis).
// Daily Mon-Sat 11am-midnight, Sun 11am10pm. First Floor, Lee World Building (opposite Frost Nails), 57 Xingfucun Zhong Lu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区幸福村中路 57号
楼利世楼 (6416 5195, 6416 268,www.uncleotis.com)
Bellagio (Taiwanese)
Where else can you carve through mountainous shaved ice desserts and suck down
creamy bubble teas at 5am? A favorite
among the city’s hip and young, this
swanky Taiwanese restaurant chain is best
enjoyed long after dark.
// 6 Gongti xilu Chaoyang District 6 号工体西
路(6551 3533) See www.bellagiocafe.com.cn
for more locations
Biteapitta (Middle Eastern) *
Enjoyed by vegetarians (hummus, falafel)
and RMB58 kebab-lovers alike, Biteapitta
has the Middle-East mid-range market all
wrapped up in a fluffy pitta.
// Daily 11am-11pm, Second Floor, Tongli
Studio, Sanlitun Houjie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区三里屯后街同里2层 (6467 2961)
Blue Frog (American)
This Shanghai hamburger franchise has
been keeping Americans in China obese
since it opened. Monday’s burger deal is
always packed.
// Daily 10.00am-late. Sanlitun: Level 3,
S4 Tower, 81 Sanlitun Village, Sanlitun Lu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯路三里屯
Village三层S4 (6417 4030, for other branches
see www.bluefrog.com.cn)
Brussels Bar and Restaurant (American)
Other than the brews, there’s little
still Belgian about this bar besides the
micturating kid on the logo. Some of the
best Happy Hour deals and pub grub the
Sanlitun bar district has to offer.
// Daily 6pm-2am. 4 Gongti Bei Lu (opposite
1949 The Hidden City), Chaoyang District 朝阳
区工体北路4号院机电研究院内 (6591 9525)
Brasserie Flo ¥ ¥ (French)
Marble slabs, mosaic floors and brass
fittings establish the Parisian bona fides;
dishes like snails (RMB78), oysters (RMB48
each) and steak tartare (RMB158) confirm.
The grandeur is matched only by the service, though how impressive you find the
food may depend on who’s paying.
// Daily 11am-midnight. 18 Xiaoyun Lu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区霄云路18号 (6595
5135, www.flo.cn/brasserie/restaurants/
beijing)
Café Ricci (Contemporary Western)
An excellent example of how Italian sensibilities can meld peaceably into a Chinese
context, Ricci offers a range of fusion creations, like Sichuan spicy-chicken focaccia
(RMB45) and a spicy mocha coffee. It’s a
paradise for those with a sweet tooth, too.
// Daily 8am-9.30pm 1/F, Keji Dasha
Tower D, Bldg 8, Tsinghua Science Park, 1
Zhongguancun Donglu, Chaoyang District 朝
阳区中关村东路1号清华科技园8号楼科技大厦D
座1层 (8215 8826 http://riccicafe.com)
restaurant. Eastern European and Central
Asian influences are evident throughout,
with peppery and cumin-spiced dishes
livening up traditional Chinese favorites.
// 弯弯月亮 16 Dongsi Liutiao 东四六条16号
(6400-5281)
Capital M (Contemporary Western) **
The Art Deco interior and breathtaking views over the archery towers from
Qianmen ensures the pinnacle of al-fresco
dining, with world-class modern European
stylings and deliciously posh afternoon tea.
// Daily 11.30am-10.30pm. Floor 3, 2 Qianmen
Buxingjie, Chongwen District 东城区前门步
行街2号3层 (6702 2727, www.m-restaurantgroup.com/capitalm/home.html)
Da Dong (Chinese, Peking duck) *
Among the city’s most famous haunts, Da
Dong guarantees slick carvings of Beijingstyle roast duck and delectable wrap fillings. The venue’s a class act and the plum
sauce is hard to follow.
// Daily 11am-10pm. No.22 Dongsishitiao,
Dongcheng District 22号东四十条甲 (5169
0328 See www.dadongdadong.com for more
locations Daily 11am-10pm)
Chef Too ¥ (Contemporary Western)
With its crisp white tablecloths and service,
this upscale New York diner serves up some
of the classiest burgers in town.
// Tue-Fri 11am-1pm; Sat-Sun 9.30am-3pm;
Tue-Sat 5.30pm-10pm. Opposite the West
gate, Chaoyang Park, Chaoyang District 朝阳区
朝阳公园西门 (6591 8676)
Dali Courtyard (Chinese Yunnan) *
If you like authentic Yunnanese food, you’ll
have to trust the staff: there’s no menu,
it all just arrives in an intimate courtyard
setting. The price (RMB120pp) matches the
rustic ingredients.
// Daily Midday-2pm; 6-10.30pm. Gulou Dong
Dajie, 67 Xiaojingchang Hutong, Dongcheng
District 东城区鼓楼东大街小经厂胡同67号
(8404 1430)
Café Zarah (Cafés)
Red armchairs, table candles and a matching
Gaggia machine harmonize the creamy,
minimalist interior of this cafe, popular with
young professionals. The Austrian-style
breakfast sets here are the real deal, while
Zarah’s coffee also trumps just about any
in town.
// Daily 9.30am-midnight 42 Gulou Dongdajie,
Dongcheng District 东城区鼓楼东大街42号
(8403 9807)
Cafe Sambal (SE Asian)
When it comes to Malay-style food in a
hutong, nowhere does it better. Admittedly,
it’s something of a niche category, but then
so is the food on offer. The spicy Kapitanstyle chicken is pricey, but worth it.
// Daily 11am-midnight. 43 Doufuchi Hutong
(just east of Jiugulou Dajie), Xicheng District
西城区豆腐池胡同43号旧鼓楼大街往东走
(6400 4875)
Cantina Agave (Tex-Mex)
Great selection of burritos, tacos and 80+
imported tequilas. Spice up dishes with the
walk-up salsa bar and don’t leave without a
bite of the custardy flan.
//Sun-Thurs 11am to midnight. Fri–Sat 11am
to 2am, S4-32 South Block, Sanlitun Village, 19
Sanlitun Lu,Chaoyang District, 朝阳区三里屯路
19号三里屯Village南区(6416 5212)
Cepe ¥ (Italian)
In a city inundated with Italian offerings,
Cepe manages to stand out thanks to it’s
attention to the smallest detail – everything
from the vinaigrette to the Parma ham
is import quality, and the wine is superb.
Consider it the culinary equivalent of a
finely tailored suit.
// Daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 6-10.30pm. The
Ritz-Carlton Financial Street, 1 Jinchengfang
Dongjie, Jinrong Jie, Xicheng District
西城区金城坊东街1号北京金融街丽思卡顿酒店
大堂 (6601 6666)
Chuan Ban (Chinese Sichuan) *
This bright, modestly decorated dining hall
is frequently cited as Beijing’s best Sichuan
restaurant. There are classics like lazi ji
(diced chicken buried under a mountain of
scorched peppers) and Kung Pao chicken.
The mashed potato with pickled cabbage
(suancai tudouni, RMB 12) takes the edge
off dishes like the spicy bacon (huiguo
larou, RMB 18) and the chilli-meets-green
pesto flavor of the “Tingle Pepper Chicken”
(Jiaoma Ji, RMB 22) – follow the star ratings
to gauge the burn.
// Mon-Fri 7-9am, 10.50am-2pm, 4.509.30pm; Sat-Sun 7am-10pm 5 Gongyuan
Toutiao, Jianguomennei Dajie, Dongcheng
District 东城区建国门内贡院头条5号 (6512
2277, ext. 6101)
Colibri (Cafés)
Its cheery, brightly lit veneer, spacious
seating and wide tables make it the darling
of the Macbook freelancer crowd. While it
serves a variety of standard café fare, the
main attraction are its wide array of colorful delicious, generously frosted,freshlybaked cupcakes.
// Sanlitun Village North11 Sanlitun Lu, Level
LG51 (bet. Dongzhimennei Dajie & Gongti Bei
Lu) 朝阳区三里屯路11号三里屯Village北区LG层
51号 (6417 0808)
Crescent Moon (Xinjiang) *
Roast mutton enthusiasts go over the
moon at this reputable Xinjiang Muslim
Din Tai Fung ¥ (Cantonese)
This Taipei-based franchise impressed Ken
Hom enough to call it one of the best 10
eateries in the world, back in 1993. Well,
expect high standards and a relaxed,
family-style setting at the least. Famous for
its dependably delicious xiaolongbao or little steam buns. Book ahead, there’s always
a long wait.
// 11.30am-2.30pm, 5-10pm Weekends
11.30am-10pm. No. 24 Xinyuan Xili Zhongjie,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区新源西里中街24号
(6462 4502)
Duck de Chine ¥ (Chinese, Peking duck) *
Good duck is meant to show your guests
how wonderful you are, as much as the
food. Duck De Chine does that in spades,
with fantastic presentation of its crispy,
succulent duck (RMB188). Daily 11.30am2.30pm; 6-10.30pm. Courtyard 4, 1949
// The Hidden City, Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区工体北路4号院 (6501 8881)
Da Gui (Chinese Guizhou)
Guizhou’s famed hot-and-sour cuisine nestled into a charming traditional alleyway.
Munch happily into pickled greens and
don’t miss the salty-sweet deep-fried black
sesame balls. They’re sensational.
// Daily 10am-2pm, 5-10pm. 69 Daxing
Hutong, Jiaodaokou, Dongcheng District 东城
区交道口大兴胡同69号 (6407 1800)
win!
OPEN DOOR
TRANSIT
Posh Spice
Can you handle the heat? Win dinner by
emailing bjeditor@urbanatomy.com with
your favorite Transit dish to win
Sichuan cuisine, without getting too hot and bothered: That is, you’re
chowing down in uber-chic digs, as opposed to throwing down at that
questionable neighborhood xiaochi. Transit, located in swanky Tai
Koo Li, puts the classics in “classy” with a contemporary twist. Coowner Catalin Ichim is influenced by his Romanian roots, and draws
from Balkan cuisine’s generous use of citrus flavors to liven up dishes. That’s demonstrated beautifully by Transit’s delectable steamed
sea-bass rolls, infused with litsea oil and lime juice (RMB158). For
the adventurous, dare to try the Crispy Wild Eel (RMB138). Regulars
swear by the creative dish – and the mix of toasted Sichuan chilies
and tasty eel is guaranteed to leave you sque-eeling for more.
// Daily 12-2.30pm, 6 -10pm. N4-36, Sanlintun Village North, 11 Sanlitun Lu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯路11号三里屯Village北区N4-36号 (6417 9090)
Ding Ding Xiang (Chinese hot pot) *
This institution continues to expand, with
a number of branches now open. Classier
than most hot-pot joints, this features
a spacious dining room of sweaty-faced
patrons enjoying high-grade huo guo in
their own individual pot. If you have a big
table, you get your own server. The delicious sesame sauce (the recipe is a closely
guarded secret) is a Beijing classic.
// Daily 11am-10pm. 2/F, Yuanjia International
Apartments, Dongzhimenwai, Dongzhong Jie
(opposite East Gate Plaza), Dongcheng District
东城区东直门外东中街东环广场对面元嘉国际
公寓2层 (6417 9289, for other locations visit
www.dingdingxiang.com.cn)
Drei Kronen 1308 (German) *
Authentic (in as much as any brauhaus
with a Filipino cover band can be) displays
of armour and brewing kits draw regular
evening crowds for the superb pork
knuckle (RMB148) and heavy-duty helles
(pale lager), wheat and dark beer (brewed
on-site, RMB48-108). It’s buy-one-get-onefree at lunch, too.
// Daily 11am-2am. 1/F, Bldg 5, China View,
Gongti Donglu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区工体
东路中国红街5号楼1层(6503 5555)
Ellingen Brauhaus (German)
Dead-on authenticity in the unlikely
environs of Financial Street means a spacious beer hall, and big shareable plates
of sausage, salad and the specialty, pork
cheeks in red-wine sauce (RMB117). Best of
all, no schlepping to Sanlitun.
// Mon-Fri 11am-12am. B114-115, 2
Jinchengfang Jie, Financial Street, Xicheng
District, Xicheng District 西城区西城区金城坊
街2号金融街购物中心B114-115号 (157 1284
4602)
Element Fresh (Contemporary Western)
Another import from Shanggers, this is
boutique salads-and-sandwich lunching,
win!
Does a noisy noise annoy an oyster? Enjoy a
seafood dinner on us, by emailing bjeditor@
urbanatomy.com with a logical answer
OPEN DOOR
hilton fizztastic
Savor the seas
Ahoy, me hearties! Fizztastic has taken on a seafood theme. Until
July 19, the hotel is pairing Champagne and great jazz with one of
the city’s very best seafood selections (RMB458 plus 15 percent service). Begin with steamed Alaskan King Crab legs, and fresh sashimi,
expertly sliced by the in-house sushi chef. The highlight, however, are
giant oysters: imported Fin de Claire and Special de Claire – served up
straight to your plate with a lip-smacking array of spicy garnishes. But
here’s a tip from us: save some space for the baby rock lobsters!
// Sundays, 11:30 am - 3:00 pm. Hilton Wangfujing, 8 Wangfujing Dong Jie,
Wangfujing, Dongcheng, 东城区王府井东大街8号 (5812 8888)
71
listings
with somewhat questionable price tags.
The recent revamp also affected the latter.
// Daily Mon-Fri 10am-11pm, Sat-Sun 7am11pm. 833, Building 8, 19 Sanlitun Village
South, Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三
里屯路19号三里屯Village南区8号楼833 (6417
1318)
Eudora Station
No need to mind the doors – this Lido
pitstop’s longevity tells you all you need
to know. An American-style restaurant-bar,
it caters comfortably for the local scene
with a pool table, sports TV, rooftop deck,
patio – did we mention the pool? Really,
this place is solid: great beer selection and
classic pub grub. Regular live bands keep
the weekends swinging.
// Daily, 11am-2am. 6 Fangyuan Xilu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区芳园西路6号 (6437 8331, www.
eudorastation.com)
Flamme (Contemporary Western) *
Expensive steaks are now invading Beijing.
Flamme remains top value, however,
especially on 2-4-1 Tuesdays, while bar staff
maintain an eclectic (and genuinely exciting) cocktail menu.
// Daily 11am-10.30pm Sun-Thur; 11am-11pm
Fri-Sat. S4-33, Third Floor, Village South, 19
Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯
路19号三里屯VILLAGE南区3层S4-33室 (6417
8608)
Four Corners (SE Asian)
Chef Jun Trinh took a break from his celebrity TV work to host this part-Vietnamese
venue, serving up steaming bowls of pho
with zesty, fresh rolls, as well as a great bar.
// Daily 11am-midnight. 27 Dashibei Hutong
(near west end of Yandai Xiejie), Xicheng
District 西城区大石碑胡同27号烟袋斜街西口附
近)((6401 7797)
Ganges (Indian)
Conveniently located above popular
Irish sports bar Paddy O’Sheas, this solid
Indian curry house provides the perfect
post-match culinary accompaniment. Or
put another way: it’s what you’ll be craving
after eight pints of beer.
// Daily 11am to 10.30pm. 2nd Floor, 28
Dongzhimen Wai Dajie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区东直门外大街28号2层 (6417-0900)
See www.ganges-restaurant.com/en/ for more
locations.
est and most celebrated restaurants is as
near to perfection as you’re likely to find.
Deceptively simple yet finely crafted, the
handmade Inaniwa udon (RMB 80) is not
to be missed.
// Daily 11am-3pm, 6-10.30pm. Rm 315, 3/F,
Park Life, Yintai Centre, 2 Jianguomenwai
Dajie, Chaoyang District 朝阳区建国门外大街2
号银泰中心悦生活3层315室 (8517 2838)
Ibn Battouta (African)
Hidden away in the depths of Gongti, this
charming little Moroccan eatery serves up
superbly authentic north Africa fare at a
modest price. Known for its excellent, attentive service, and cosy atmosphere.
// Daily 11.30am-3pm, 6-10pm. 4-103, China
View, 2 Gongti Donglu, Chaoyang District 朝阳
区工体东路2号中国红街大厦4-103(8587 1255,
139 1141 5052)
Indian Kitchen (Indian) *
The go-to curry house among Beijing’s
homesick Indian community, this everpopular no-nonsense friendly restaurant
has built up a solid reputation thanks to its
wide range of quality dishes served up at
affordable prices. The flavorful Rogan Josh
is a particular favorite.
// Daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.30-11pm . 2/F, 2
Sanlitun Beixiaojie, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三
里屯北小街2号2楼 (6462 7255)
Jade Garden (Chinese Shanghainese)
Southern cuisine in a sophisticated setting.
Jardin de Jade Jasmine-tea Smoked Duck
(RMB78), Xiaolongbao dumplings (RMB
22), Eight Treasure Rice (Babao Fan, RMB
22) and more. Particularly convivial on the
weekends with Cantonese families gathering for dim sum feasts.
// Daily 11am-10.30pm Bldg 6, Jiqingli,
Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区朝外大街吉庆里6号楼 (6552 8688, for
other locations visit www.jade388.com/su/
index.aspx)
La Pizza (Italian)
At the higher echelon of Beijing pizzeria is
this Sanlitun goldfish bowl with a woodfired oven and Neapolitan manners.
// Daily 10.30am-3pm, 6-11pm. 1/F, 3.3 Mall,
33 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里
屯路33号3.3服装大厦西北角底商(5136 5582)
Grill 79 (Contemporary Western) *
With views this good, Grill 79 would
probably make it onto the list even if the
food was terrible. It’s something of a
bonus then that the kitchen is superb, and
supported by one of the most extensive
wine lists in town. Daily 6.30-10.30am,
noon-2pm, 6-10pm.
// 79/F, China World Trade Center Phase 3, 1
Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District 朝阳
区建国门外大街1号国贸大酒店79楼 (6505 2299
ext 6424)
Hatsune ¥ (Japanese)
Less a Japanese than a California roll joint,
Hatsune is now an old favorite among the
sake-swilling, sushi-swallowing set, though
less so among sashimi purists.
// Daily 11.30am-2pm, 5.30-10pm 2/F,
Heqiao Bldg C, 8A Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区光华路甲8号和乔大厦C座2层
(6581 3939)
Haidilao (Chinese hot pot)
Hot Pot in China is like religion; everyone’s
got their own brand. Either way, the raw
meats and vegetables, cooked communally,
is divine, and the outstanding customer
service makes Haidilao a fitting church
// Daily, 24 hours. 2A Baijiazhuang Lu (beside
No. 80 Middle School), Chaoyang District 朝
阳区白家庄路甲2号 (八十中学西侧)(6595 2982,
for other locations visit http://www.haidilaohuoguo.com)
Home Plate BBQ (American) *
Scruffy looks and laid-back staff belie the
popularity of this entry-level brick-smoker
barbecue joint, that blossoms in the sunny
months. Pulled-pork sandwiches are the
favorites, followed by baby-back rib racks,
but lesser dishes like the rib tips, sides
and burgers are just as good. Beer and
bourbons are taken care of, too.
// Daily 11am-10pm. 35 Xiaoyun Lu courtyard
(20m north of Xiaoyun Lu intersection, first
right), Chaoyang District 朝阳区霄云路35号院
过霄云路路口,往北走20米,到第一个路口右转
(5128 5584)
Inagiku (Japanese)
This Beijing branch of one of Tokyo’s old-
Yang has world domination in mind. With
branches springing up across the States,
it’s hard to contend with the quality on
offer. Best experienced with your own loud,
drunken flock.
// 209 Dongzhimennei Dajie, Dongcheng
District 东城区东直门内大街209号 (8400 1669
See www.littlesheephotpot.com for more locations and hours.)
Mio (Italian) ¥¥
Glitzy Italian fare at the Four Seasons, with
a mobile Bellini cart, wheeled straight
to your table. Chef Marco Calenzo crafts
a superb squash tortellini by hand, and
pampers diners with desserts like the
deconstructed tiramisu.
//Daily, lunch 11:30am - 2:30pm, dinner
5:30pm -10:30pm Four Seasons Hotel, 48
Liang Ma Qiao Road, Chaoyang District, 北京四
季酒店亮马桥路48号, 朝阳区(5695 8888)
Lost Heaven ¥ (Chinese / SE Asian)
An emphasis on Yunnan characterises this
menu’s fresh journey through the SE Asia
passage, with a grandiose yet
dark teak interior.
// Daily noon-2pm, 5pm-10.30 (bar open till
1am). Ch’ien Men 23, 23 Qianmen Dongdajie,
Dongcheng District 东城区前门东大街23号
(8516 2698)
Maison Boulud ¥ ¥ (French) **
The heavy hitter. This French bistro par
excellence, located in the former Legation
Quarter, earns its spot with food that regularly garners praise from all clientele.
// Mon-Fri 11.30am-2pm, 6-10pm; Sat-Sun
(brunch) 11am-4pm, 6-10pm. Ch’ien Men 23,
23 Qianmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng District
东城区前门东大街23号 (6559 9200)
Makye Ame (Tibetan)
Determined to prove that Tibetan cuisine
consists of more than just yak-butter tea,
the Beijing branch of this nation-wide chain
serves up variations of nomadic classics
such as curried potatoes and roast lamb.
The original Xiushui location is cosy and
great for winter.
// Daily 10-midnight, 11A Xiushui Nanjie,
Jianguomenwai, Chaoyang District 朝阳区建国
门外秀水南街甲11号, (6506 9616
Mercante ¥ (Italian) *
Old World family charm in an intimate
hutong setting. Time (and, occasionally,
service) slows with a rustic menu from Bologna offering an assortment of homemade
pastas and seasonal mains.
// Tue-Sun 6-10.30pm. 4 Fangzhuanchang
Hutong, Dongcheng District 东城区方砖厂胡同
4号 (8402 5098)
La Dolce Vita (Italian)
This long-standing quality, if distinctly unremarkable Italian restaurant is a popular
choice for young families. Wholesome
pasta dishes, well-crafted wood-fired pizzas
and a great range of dessert options come
as standard.
// Daily 10.30am-10.30pm, 8 Bei Xindong Lu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区新东路北段8号 (6468
2894)
Mesa (Contemporary Western) *
Whether it is the tender, imported cuts of
meat or the long list of expertly made and
creative cocktails going down your gullet,
you can’t really go wrong at this refined
relaxed lounge like restaurant. Highly
recommended
// Daily 6pm-late. 32-33, 3/F, Bldg 3, Sanlitun
Village North, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯
Village北区3号楼3层32-33 (137 1851 7917)
Le Little Saigon (SE Asian)
Despite its odd obsession with French
occupied South East Asia, this colonial
themed eatery is saved by its excellent beef
pho, select wine lists, and stunning roof
top views.
// Daily 11.30-midnight 141 Jiugulou Dajie,
Dongcheng District 东城区旧鼓楼大街141号
(6401 8465)
Luce ¥ (contemporary Italian)
Low key and stylish, this compact Italian
eatery earns its place on the list thanks to
a combination of inventive menu options
(arugula salad with crab and orange) and
attentive wait staff. A rooftop terrance is
great for summer views over Gulou.
// Sun-Thu 12pm-2am; Fri-Sat 12pm-4am. 138
Jiugulou Daijie, Dongcheng District 东城区旧
鼓楼大街138号 (8402 4417)
Little Fat Sheep (Chinese hot pot) *
Ever-popular Mongolian-style hotpot restaurant franchise, but don’t let the chain’s
adorable sheep mascot fool you. Xi Yang
Moment Café (Cafés)
We would like to find out which embassy
Moment Café is stealing their sandwiches
from. There’s no way the crepes, coffee and
panini here can be this good at this cheap
a price legally.
// Daily noon-10pm. B1-525, Sanlitun Soho,
Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区工体北
路三里屯Soho B1-525 (8590 0724)
Morton’s of Chicago ¥¥ (American) *
Meat so tender the knife falls through it:
ritzy Morton’s deserves the worldwide
praise. Expensive, but where else are you
going to get steak this good?
// Mon-Sat 5-11pm, Sun 5-10pm. 2/F, Regent
Hotel, 99 Jinbao Jie, Dongcheng District 东城
区金宝街99号丽晶酒店二层 (6523 7777)
Mosto ¥(Contemporary Western)
A perpetually busy lunchtime and evening
spot, thanks to chef Daniel Urdaneta’s skill
for modernising South American-style
dishes like ceviche and risotto in his open
kitchen.
// Sun-Thu noon-2.30pm, 6-10pm; Fri-Sat
noon-2.30pm, 6-10.30pm. 3/F, Nali Patio, 81
Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯路
81号那里花园3层 (5208 6030)
Modo Urban Deli
(Contemporary Western)*
Yates wine lodge this is not. Unconventional and great fun, this compact eatery
was designed around an ever-changing selection of fine wines. Serves up fresh tapas
style food and original finger foods.
// Sun-Thu noon-10pm, Fri-Sat noon-10.30pm.
3/F, Sanlitun Village South(close to Element
Fresh), 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝
阳区三里屯路19号三里屯Village南区3楼(近
新元素)
Mr Shi’s Dumplings (Chinese Beijing) *
The ultimate in Beijing-style dumplings,
they really don’t come better than this. Find
it and you’ll never go elsewhere.
// 74 Baochao Hutong, Gulou Dong Dajie,
Dongcheng District 东城区鼓楼东大街宝钞胡同
74号 (8405 0399, 131 6100 3826)
Niajo ¥ (Spanish)
Homely Spanish restaurant, run by charming Mediterranean management. A little
price
// Daily 12.00am - 10.30pm. 3/F, Nali Patio, 81
81号那里花园3层 (5208 6052)
Najia Xiaoguan (Chinese)
A hugely popular Manchu restaurant,
first opened by an emperor’s doctor, you
choose your dishes from a carved wooden
tray: 18-hour stewed huang tanzi, fatty
ox hoof,crispy fried shrimp, chicken with
walnut. Reservations are required to get
a place in this two-storey, quintessentially
Imperial China restaurant.
// Daily 1130am-10pm. 10 Yonganli (south
of the LG Twin Towers, west of 119 Middle
School), Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区建国门外大街永安里10号(双子
座大厦南侧, 119中学西侧)(6567 3663, 6568
6553)
Migas ¥ (Spanish) *
The boys at Migas have turned a concept
bar into a thriving Mediterranean restaurant, bar and party venue, and one of
summer’s rooftop destinations.
// Daily 10am-3pm, 5pm- late. 6/F, Nali Patio,
81 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里
屯路81号那里花园6层 (5208 6061)
Middle 8th Restaurant 中八楼 (Yunnan) *
72
Make room for the mushrooms – especially the Kungpao – at this busy chain. Hip
and slightly swanky, without being pretentious, this is a celebration of all things
‘south of the clouds’ – so try crisp-fried
worms, or “crossing-the-bridge” noodles,
beef jerky-style yak meat and fresh, wild
herbs galore.
// Daily 11am-11pm, L404A, South Tower,
The Place, 9 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区光化路9号世贸天阶南楼L404A (6587
1431, for other locations visit www.middle8th.com)
NOLA (American)
N’Orleans finds a dark-wood home in
the leafy embassy area, with a jazz soundtrack, shrimp and grits, gumbo, fried
chicken, jambalaya and decent-enough
po’boys – yes’m. Excellent Cajun snacks,
craft beers and cocktail also make NOLA
a popular watering hole. Great service
comes as standard.
// Mon-Fri 8am-11pm, Sat-Sun 10.30am-11pm.
11A Xiushui Nanjie, Chaoyang District 朝阳区
秀水南街11号 (8563 6215)
Paulaner Brauhaus (German)
The grand old man of Beijing brauhauses,
Paulaner delivers the Teutonic goods in the
hands of lederhosen-clad staff from the
provinces. It can be pricey but is usually
worthwhile, especially during Oktoberfest.
// Daily 11am-1am. Kempinski Hotel, 50
Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区
亮马桥路50号凯宾斯基饭店 (6465 3388 ext.
5732)
Pie-Squared (American)
Detroit-style ‘square’ deep pan pizza. Gets
its name from when pizzas were baked
in industrial motor-parts trays back in the
1940s. Italian-American Strombolis, are a
savory upgrade on hot pockets, and well
worth the order.
// Daily 10am-10pm, Xiang Jiang Bei
Lu, Cathay View Garden (Behind DDs
Supermarket), Shunyi District, 顺义区香江北
路,观唐中式宅院(8430 8859)
Pinotage ¥ (South African) *
A seasonal blend of Dutch, English
and regional African influences, this
contemporary and stylish eatery has an
impressive selection of fine import-quality
meats, and wines to match. The traditional
borewor ground beer-sausage (RMB100) is
tender and sweet, while the red-wine pork
tenderloin (RMB120) makes the trip out to
Shunyi worth it.
// Tue-Fri noon-2pm, 6-9pm, Sat-Sun 12-10pm.
Lane Bridge Villa Compound, Laiguangying
Donglu, Chaoyang District, 朝阳区来广营东路
长岛澜桥别墅会所 (6430 7010)
Ricci Café (Cafés)
An excellent example of how Italian sensibilities can meld peaceably into a Chinese
context, Ricci offers a range of fusion creations, like Sichuan spicy-chicken focaccia
(RMB45) and Sichuan spicy mocha coffee.
It’s a paradise for sweet teeth, too.
// Daily 8am-9.30pm 1/F, Keji Dasha
Tower D, Bldg 8, Tsinghua Science Park, 1
Zhongguancun Donglu, Chaoyang District 朝
阳区中关村东路1号清华科技园8号楼科技大厦D
座1层 (8215 8826 http://riccicafe.com)
Rumi (Middle Eastern)
Worlds away from the filth of nearby dirty
Bar Street, Rumi dishes out plentiful helpings of traditional Persian stews and tasty
kebabs. Try the juicy Chicken Shish kebab,
the tastier cousin to cheap chuan’r.
// Daily 11.30am-12am, Gongti Beilu and Third
Ring Road 工体北路和三环内,兆龙饭店对面
(8454 3838)
Saveurs de Coree (Korean)
This upmarket Korean bistro has undergone
several changes in recent years, not least
its move away from the hipper-than-thou
confines of Nanluguxiang. Fortunately,
the menu remains largely intact. The Shin
Ramyun is among the best in Beijing, while
the Wagyu barbecued beef is almost too
good to be true.
// Daily noon-11pm. 128-1 Xiang’er Hutong,
Dongcheng District 东城区香饵胡同128-1号
(5741 5753)
niurou (fragrant beef), duojiao shuangse
yutou (dual-colour spiced fish head) and
meltingly tender frog dishes are among the
favorites with local gourmands.
// Daily 11am-10pm. 2/F, 230-232, Fenglian
Plaza, 18 Chaoyangmen Wai Dajie, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区朝外大街18号丰联广场2楼230232号 (6588 1797 for other locations, visit
www.southmemory.com)
Southern Barbarian (Chinese regional) *
Yunnan’s wide selection of savory, sour and
sweet, all in a smart hutong setting, with a
ton of beer selections to boot.
// Daily 11am-11pm. 107 Baochao Hutong,
Dongcheng District 东城区鼓楼东大街宝钞胡同
107号(6401 3318)
Steak Exchange ¥¥ (Contemporary
Western) *
The bill is hopefully on the company kuai at
this opulent eatery, where charcoal-grilled
cuts of 50-day, grain-fed Australian Angus
start from around RMB428 and merrily
spiral. But the meat is unquestionably succulent, and cooked exactly to order. Quality
seafood and gorgeous desserts, too.
// Daily 11.30am-2pm, 5.30-10.30pm.
InterContinental Beijing Financial Street, 11
Jinrong Jie, Xicheng District 西城区金融街11号
洲际酒店 (5852 5921)
Susu (SE Asian)
The first step is finding it. Follow that up
with a dreamlike renovated courtyard, extensive wine list and a listing of top-notch
Vietnamese curries, banh mi sandwiches,
stews, soups and la Vong fish.
// Tue- Sun 11.30am-11pm. 10 Qianliang
Hutong Xixiang, Dongcheng District 东城区钱
粮胡同西巷10号 (8400 2699)
Starfish ¥ (Seafood) *
Beijing’s leading oyster bar, Starfish is
among the very best seafood restaurants
in town. Renown for its friendly warm
atmosphere, this stylish low-key restaurant
is great for late-night dates, or just hanging
out along the large wooden bar and enjoying an Irish rock and a craft beer.
// 22-1 Dongzhimen Wai, Chaoyang District 朝
阳区东直门外大街22-1号(6416 5499)
Taverna ¥ ¥ (Contemporary Western)
Slick service helps this faux-rustic lunchtime
favourite into our list, with typical dishes
including salmon steak, ribs and salads. Dependable, slightly dull even, but solid fare.
// Daily noon-2.30pm, 6-10.30pm. 1949
The Hidden City, Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu ,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区工体北路4号院 (6501
8882)
Tori Tei (Japanese)
Japanese izakaya-style pub and eatery
stocked with Japanese beers and sake. Its
specialty lies in grilled yakitori – chicken
skewers and other meat and veggie sticks.
Lively atmosphere and best in large groups.
//Daily 5:30pm – 1am, 8 Xinyuanli Zhongjie,
Chaoyang District, 朝阳区新源里中街8号
(64614513)
SALT ¥ (Contemporary Western) *
One of Lido’s highlights, SALT offers an
alluring range of contemporary cuisine.
Evolving weekly prix-fixe menus help with
indecisive appetites. Enjoy the Brazilian national dish Feijoada and boozy Caipirinhas
on Saturdays.
// Mon-Sat 12-3pm, 6pm-10.30pm, Sun 12-4pm
2/F, 9 Jiangtai Xilu (opposite the Japanese
School, west of Rosedale Hotel) Lido 朝阳区将
台西路9号2层珀丽酒店西边(6437 8457)
of Russian peasant fare: anything crockbaked is usually good, as is sharing a range
of starters. Plus: copious cheap vodka (and
suspicious homebrew).
// 10am-midnight. 1A Xiyangguan Hutong,
Beizhongjie, Dongzhimennei Dajie,
Dongcheng District 东城区东直门内大街北中街
西羊管胡同甲1号 (6403 1690)
Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB) ¥ ¥ (Contemporary Western) **
Setting is everything here, especially if
it’s fashioned inside a restored Buddhist
temple. The bold contemporary European
cuisine is fitting in majesty and the service
alone is worthy of worship.
// Daily 11.30am–2.30pm, 6–10pm. 23
Songzhusi Temple, Shatan Beijie, Dongcheng
District 东城区沙滩北街嵩祝寺23号 (8400 2232,
www.temple-restaurant.com/)
the cheap booze.
// Daily 11am-midnight. 13A Beizhong Jie (off
Dongzhimennei Dajie), Dongcheng District 东
城区东直门内大街北中街甲13号 (8402 9595)
Wu Li Xiang (Chinese regional) *
Impressive views don’t detract from the
exquisitely presented cuisine of Chef Kam,
especially the famous dim sum. Swanky
classics from all the main culinary regions
of China, like Sichuan and Hong Kong, include “Monk Jump Over the Wall,” braised
pork in oyster sauce, poached Mandarin
fish as well as the usual “face” items, such
as sea cucumber, bird’s nest soup and
abalone: claim one of the 11 private rooms
for maximum bragging rights.
// Daily 11am-2pm, 5pm-10pm. 2-3/F, Traders
Upper East Hotel, Beijing, 2 Dongsihuan Beilu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区东四环北路2号北京上
东盛贸饭店二三层 (5907 8406)
Xinjiang Red Rose (Xinjiang) *
Beijing’s most famous Xinjiang restaurant
serves some of the tenderest lamb skewers
around, matched by enormous servings of
dishes like dapan ji (a chicken, potato and
pepper stew), latiaozi (noodles with a spicy
tomato sauce) and baked flatbread (nang).
Nightly performances (starting at 7.40pm)
feature live music and belly dancers with
snakes – you might find yourself dragged
on-stage to join in.
// Daily 10.30am-11pm. Inside 7 Xingfu Yicun
alley, opposite Workers’ Stadium North Gate,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区工人体育场北门对面
幸福一村7巷内 (6415 5741)
The Rug (Cafés)*
With ingredients supplied by local organic
farms like Dahe and De Run Wu, and an
emphasis on sustainability, this Chaoyang
Park café’s menu of locally milled bagels is
a hit with green types, bored foreign moms
and freelance Macbook types.
// 7.30pm - 11pm Daily. Bldg 4, Lishui Jiayuan,
Chaoyang Gongyuan Nanlu (opposite
Chaoyang Park South Gate), Chaoyang District
朝阳区朝阳公园南路丽水嘉园4号楼(朝阳公园南
门对面)(8550 2722)
Union Bar and Grill (American)
The definitive US-style diner in Beijing,
Union’s extensive menu – everything from
eggs Benedict to baby back ribs – covers
all bases and hours, served by attentive,
friendly staff. The warm atmosphere tempts
many to stay all day.
// Mon-Fri 11am-11pm,Sat-Sun 11ammidnight. S6-31, 3/F, Bldg 6, Sanlitun Village
South, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝
阳区三里屯路19号三里屯Village南区6号楼3层
S6-31(6415 9117)
Veggie Table (Vegetarian) *
Proving that Beijing-style vegetarian cuisine
is by no means the exclusive preserve of
Buddhist monks and soppy Jack Johnson
fans, this superbly honed eatery offers
some of the very best sandwiches – vegetarian or otherwise – found anywhere in
the city. The shiitake mushroom burger is
a sensation, while the crispy baked home
fries and fresh homemade dips will keep
you coming back.
// Daily 10.30am to 11.30pm (last order
10.30pm) 19 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng
District 东城区五道营胡同19号. (6446 2073)
Vineyard Cafe on the River (British)
New Vineyard offshoot opposite of the Liangma River. Menu features British classics
like Fish & Chips and Bangers & Mash. The
breezy terrace is primed for a pint of the
handcraft beer or a carafe of Pimms.
//Daily Tu-Fr 1130am-3pm 6pm-12am
kitchen closes at 10pm, Sa-Su 1130am-3ppm
6pm-12am, Liangmahe Nanlu, west side of
Xindong Lu, across the street from Yuyang
Hotel, Chaoyang District, 朝阳区亮马河南路
新东路西侧渔阳饭店对面(8532 5335)
Sake Manzo (Japanese) **
The barmen here are serious about their
sake. Boasting one of the best stocked drinks
cabinets in town with over 60 different sakes
on offer, this super cool little eatery is the
perfect place to unwind after a hard day’s toil
in the office. The sashimi is fresh to the cut,
and the beer marinated chicken is out of this
world. One of the very best and least appreciated restaurants in town.
// Daily 6pm-midnight. 7A Tuanjiehu
Beisantiao, Chaoyang District 朝阳区团结湖北
三条甲7号(6436 1608)
Transit ¥¥ (Chinese Sichuan) *
Sichuan is known for its spice. The creative
minds at Transit have made some fiery
additions to the classical, chili-thumping
canon, and they will charge you for that
knowledge. High-end Chinese dining at
its best.
// Daily 12-2.30pm, 6 -10pm. N4-36, Sanlintun
Village North, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区三里屯路11号三里屯Village北区
N4-36号 (6417 9090)
Wagas (Contemporary Western)
Quality eats with minimal pretension. This
stylish, no-fuss Shanghai rival to Element
Fresh offers some of the best and most
affordable Western lunch options in town.
The zesty carrot-and-zucchini cake is a
crowd pleaser.
// Daily 8am-10pmS8-33, 3/F, 8 building, 19
South Sanlitun Street, Chaoyang District 朝阳
区三里屯Village南区三层 (6416-5829)
South Memory (Chinese Sichuan)
This chain restaurant redefines Hunan
cuisine, with exquisite food and an elegant
atmosphere. The trademark shilixiang
Traktirr Pushkin (Russian)
By no means high-end, you visit Traktirr (or
its dearer cousin round the corner) for the
boisterous nighttime atmosphere and array
White Nights (Russian)
You certainly don’t go to White Nights for
the service. Or for the food. Or the tiny
helpings. But people do go. Oh yes – it’s for
Xiangmanlou (Chinese regional)
Xiang Man Lou is little-known among the
expat community, but many Beijingers
say it has the best duck in town. The
restaurant looks like a New York diner
from the outside, and the booth seating by
the window adds to that. However, Xiang
serves traditional duck, with all the fixings,
like pancakes (thin but with the chewy
resistance that is key) and deliciously fresh
accoutrements. At RMB118 for a whole bird
(with condiments), it’s also a steal. Large
portions of genuine, Shandong-style food
are also available.
// Daily 11am-4.20pm,4.50pm-10pm. Xinyuan
Xili Zhongjie (opposite Yuyang Hotel),
Chaoyang District 朝阳区新源西里中街(渔阳
饭店斜对面) (6460 6711) Daily 10am-10pm
Chaoyang Park West Gate, near No.8 Hot
Spring 朝阳区农展南路1号朝阳公园西门(近八号
公馆) (65950969)
Yi House (Contemporary Western)
Nestled in the confines of the 798 Art
District, Yi’s great tasting brunch is bettered only by their wide range of cocktail
concoctions.
// Daily 11am-3pm, 6pm-12am. 2 Jiuxianqiao
Lu, 798 Yishu Qu, No.1 706 Houjie, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号院798艺术区706后
街1号 (6436 1818)
Yu Xin (Chinese Sichuan)
Open since 1993, Yu Xin has a loyal fanbase
through consistently offers authentic
Sichuan dishes. Their liangfen – a jelly-like
substance cut into chunky strips and
dressed in an addictive spicy sauce – hits
the spot. Also not to be missed are koushui
ji, mouthwatering cold chicken, and
shuizhu niurou, fiery boiled beef slices.
Enjoy its rustic, intimate setting of bamboo
cubicles and swift, friendly service.
// Daily 11am-10pm. 5A Xingfu Yicun Xili,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区幸福一村西里甲5
号 (6415 8168 for other locations, visit www.
yuxin1997.com)
Yue Lu Mountain House (Chinese)
Another brainchild of the artist Fang Lijun,
the mastermind behind South Silk Road,
Hunan-style cuisine (e.g. duojiao yutao,
fish head with pickled chili; hongshao rou,
braised fatty pork; lei qiezi, a cold, stone
bowl of refreshing mashed eggplant) in a
classical Chinese room with a nice view of
Lotus Lane and Qianhai.
// Daily 11am-11pm. 51-10 Di’anmen Xidajie,
in Lotus Lane, Xicheng District 西城区地安
门西大街51-10号天荷坊内 (6617 2696). Also,
Sat-Wed 11am-2.30pm, 5-10.30pm; Thu-Fri
11am-3pm, 5-10.30pm Opposite Gongti 100,
Bldg 1, Jiqingli, Gongti Xilu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区工体西路吉庆里1号楼(工体100对面)
(6551 0806)
Yuxiang Renjia (Chinese Sichuan)
Most branches maintain simple decorations, with black-and-white photos of
traditional houses, river towns in the south,
and strings of dried red chilis and garlic
73
listings
hanging on the wall. So too is their menu:
old-fashion and reliably good. The lazi ji is
crispy but not too greasy, the pepper-sauce
noodle, with spinach, is filling and refreshing. Assorted confections are guaranteed
to offer comfort to numbed-and-burned
tongues, too.
// Daily 11am-2pm, 5-9pm 5/F, Lianhe Dasha
(Union Plaza), 20 Chaoyangmenwai Dajie,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区朝阳门外大街20号联
合大厦五层 (6588 3841 for other locations visit
www.yuxiangrenjia.com)
Yun’er Small Town (Yunnanese)
Folksy Yunnanese fare on Beiluoguxiang.
Fragrant and light dishes including the
jasmine bulbs with scrambled eggs, lemongrass shrimp, and banana leaf wrapped
bolete mushrooms will keep us crawling
back.
//Daily 10am-11pm, 84 Beiluoguxiang,
Dongcheng District, 东城区北锣鼓巷84号
(8404 2407)
TOP 50 BARS AND CLUBS
About This guide represents our editors’ top
50 picks, and includes some That’s Beijing advertisers. Bars rated(*) have been personally
reviewed by our experts, and scored according to pours, experience and affordability.
Apothecary ¥ *
Golf ball-sized ice cubes, infusions, fussy
bar-tending and (allegedly) snooty staff
have made the Japanese-style Apothecary
bar a divisive choice to visit. See for yourself: they also serve quality Cajun food.
// Tue-Sun 6pm-late (kitchen closes 1am). 3/F,
Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区三里屯路81号那里花园3层 (5208 6040)
Atmosphere ¥¥
Beijing’s highest bar, on the 80th floor of
the 1,082-ft China World Tower, offers 300+
swanky cocktails from RMB65 with 360-degree views of the 700AQI PM2.5.
// Mon-Fri noon-2am, Sat and Sun noon4am. 80/F, China World Summit Wing, 1
Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District 朝
阳区建国门外大街1号北京国贸大酒店80 (6505
2299 ext. 6433)
The Bar *
This relative newcomer (sometimes known
as Third Floor) has years of savvy behind
it, meaning you can absolutely trust the
cocktail menu. Manager Jack Zhou and his
brother offer sterling service, while the
décor is handsome and low-key.
// Daily 4pm-late. 3/F Friendship Youth Hostel,
(100m west of Sanlitun Houjie), Chaoyang
District 朝阳区北三里屯友谊青年酒店三层(3.3大
厦西侧) (6415 9954)
The Bar at Migas ¥
A place to dance and prowl, perhaps,
rather than a drinks destination, TBAM, as
no one calls it, focuses on upscale local
DJs to get the party started. Good-enough
cocktails range from RM55-70 but mostly
it’s about the music, man.
// Sunday to Wednesday 6pm-2am, Thursday
to Friday 6pm-late. 6/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun
Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯路81号
Bar Blu
Three floors of DJs, bars and somewhatsweet cocktails prove popular with tourists
and the teeny crowd. But as the night
wears on, so does the sense of desperation on the dancefloor.
// Daily 6.30pm-late. 4/F, Tongli Studio,
Sanlitun Houjie, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里
屯后街同里4层 (6417 4124)
Bar Veloce ¥ *
A New York import specializing in fine Italian wine, light tapas-style food and good
service, Veloce is unpretentious, while still
pleasing those who care that the furniture
is from Sean Dix.
// 6pm-12.30am Wed-Sun. Courtyard 4 (inside
1949 The Hidden City), Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区工体北路4号院1949西门对面
(6586 1006)
Beer Mania
With no pint below RMB50 on tap, the
Belgian-run Beer Mania really is for those
who are manic about their Trappist beer.
A pool table and new kitchen are welcome
additions to the large lager list.
// Daily 2pm-late. 1/F, Taiyue Fang, Nansanlitun
Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区南三里屯路泰乐坊
1层 (6500 0559, http://www.beermania.cn)
Black Sun
There’s not a lot of choice for locals
around the Chaoyang Park area. With
74
darts, pool, food and pub quiz, Black Sun
is probably the best, even if a depressing
air occasionally pervades the clientele.
// Daily 5.30pm-3am. Chaoyang Park West
Gate, Chaoyang District 朝阳区朝阳公园西门
(6593 6909)
The Brick
A Cheers-style atmosphere ensures you’ll
find this neighbourhood drinking hole-inthe brick-wall faux dive bar either cliquey
or inclusive. The heavy-duty cocktails
(including the devastatingly boozy RMB80
Terminator) are probably needed for the
bizarre Wednesday pub quiz.
// Daily 4pm-late. Unit 2-11, Bldg 2, Tianzhi
Jiaozi, 31 Guangqu Lu (northeast corner of
Shuangjing Qiao), Chaoyang District 朝阳区
双井桥东北角广渠路31号院天之骄子2号楼底商
2-11 (134 2616 6677)
Brussels *
After a quiet opening, this beery bar has
come into its own, with large yet strangely
unobtrusive screenings of sports and political events, quality edible fare and a nice
selection of draughts and bottles.
// See Hot 100 Restaurants for details.
Centro ¥
Although it’s no longer quite the go-to
place for the beautiful people it once was,
Centro still draws a cute crowd with its
nightly jazz performaces, spacious and
recently renovated lounge areas and classic
drinks like the blue-cheese martini.
// Open 24 hours. 1/F, Kerry Hotel, 1
1号北京嘉里大饭店1层 (6561 8833)
China Bar ¥¥
Top views from the 65th floor and flash
drinks are the attractions on offer at this
hip hotel bar.
// Sun-Thu 5pm-1am, Fri-Sat 5pm-2am. 65/F,
Park Hyatt, 2 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区建国门外大街2号柏悦酒店65层
(8567 1838/40)
Chocolate ¥
It’s impossible to discuss Chocolate
without mentioning gold leaf, dwarves,
cabaret dancers and oddly-friendly Russian
women. Timed right, a visit can be raucous
fun, with bottles of spirits from around
RMB200, cocktails under RMB50 (including the absinthe-based Flaming Armageddon) and regular floor shows. Best to avoid
this cavernous slice of underground kitsch
after midnight, though.
// Daily 7pm-6am. 19 Ritan Beilu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区日坛北路19号 (8561 3988)
Cuju *
This tiny sports bar is frequently packed
with NFL fans but don’t expect rowdy
jocks. Great Moroccan food and a connoisseur’s selection of rums and beers lure a
more sophisticated set. It’s popular with
the owner’s friends but all are welcome.
// See Hot 100 Restaurants for details
d.lounge ¥ *
The fancy spelling tells you all you need to
know about this chic cocktail lounge in a
stunning archway location. Great on school
nights, this place can become horribly
busy at weekend.
// Daily 8pm-late. Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu
(opposite the Rock and Roll Club), Chaoyang
District 朝阳区工体北路4号 (6593 7710)
The Den 敦煌
At the opposite end of the 24-hour drinking spectrum from Centro, The Den is a
seedy sports joint that starts off sedate
and grows steadily sadder as night turns
to day. Solid (cheap) menu, good location
and those opening times earn it a place,
though.
// Open 24 hours. 4 Gongti Donglu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区工体东路4号城市宾馆正门旁边
Drum and Bell 鼓钟咖啡馆
The location of this rooftop hutong bar, in
the historic (and threatened) Gulou neighbourhood, makes it a great place to hang
out with a cool one and watch the day go
by. Daily 1pm-2am.
// 41 Zhonglouwan Hutong, Dongcheng
District 东城区钟楼湾胡同41号 (8403 3600)
El Nido *
The first hutong hang-out to patent the
fridge-full-of-cheap-imports formula, El
Nido inspires a loyal following, particularly
in summer. The roast leg of mutton place
next door is one of the best locally.
// Daily 6pm-late, 59 Fangjia Hutong,
Dongcheng District 东城区方家胡同50号(158
1038 2089)
Enoterra
Looking for an affordable glass of wine
with that date? Look no further than Nali
Patio’s wine center. Although the food
leaves a bit to be desired, the selections
are vast, and if anything, you can enjoy
a nice cheese plate with that tart glass
of vino.
// Daily 10am-2am, 4/F Sanlutun Nali Patio, 81
81号那里花园D405室 (5208 6076)
First Floor
First Floor is like that friend who’s too
popular to properly enjoy their company.
At weekends, it gets aggressively full, with
regulars and the passing tourist trade all
baying at the bar. A good place to meet
new friends, perhaps.
// Daily, 4pm-late, Sanlitun Beixiaojie,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯北小街 (6413
0587, first.floorbeijing.com)
Fubar
Long past its prime, this basement bar
has ditched all the speakeasy pretence
that made the place its name, and instead
hopes that live music and plentiful pours
are enough to coast on the legacy. Plenty
think it is, though.
// 4pm-2am Sunday to Thursday, 4pm-4am
Friday and Saturday. 8 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang
District, Workers’ Stadium East Gate 朝阳区工
体北路8号工人体育场东门内 (6593 8227)
George’s ¥ *
Taking the Q Bar formula and ditching the
absurd serving system and mind-numbing
waits has served original mixologist George
Zhou and his clientele well. The chic looks
are more than matched by the superb
cocktails (usually RMB48-80), with even
old-timers like Martinis and Margaritas
poured to perfection.
// Daily 3pm-2am. Near Gate 12 of Workers’
Stadium East Gate, Gongti Donglu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区工体东路工人体育场东门内12号
进口 (6553 6299)
Glen ¥
Experiences can vary at Glen (we’ve
endured poor service and drinks that are
scandalous at the price), which is located
in a decidedly downbeat compound. But
whisky lovers have been known to swear
by its selections and dark, intimate atmosphere. See for yourself.
// 6.30pm-2am. 203, 2/F, Taiyue Suites
Hotel Beijing, 16 Nansanlitun Lu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区南三里屯路16号泰悦豪庭2楼203
室 (6591 1191)
Great Leap Brewery 大跃啤酒 ¥ *
The bar that began the whole Beijing
microbrewing frenzy (yes, frenzy) specializes in idiosyncratic, local-style brews
(RMB25-40) with intriguing flavors – their
Sichuan peppercorn ale was memorably
good. It’s also popular enough that reservations are recommended.
// 5pm-late Tuesday to Friday, 2pm-late
Saturday. 2-10pm Sunday.6 DouJiao Hutong,
Dongcheng District 东城区豆角胡同6号 (5717
1399, 156 1121 8019, www.greatleapbrewing.
com, contact reservations@greatleapbrewing.com)
Haze *
Hugely popular with the so-called ‘underground’ lot, despite the taxi-unfriendly
location, basement club Haze’s DJ sets
feature techno, electro, nu-disco (really,
anything ending in ‘o’) to Beijing’s pofaced White Rabbit clubber crowd.
// Daily 10.30-2pm. B1/F, Guanghua Lu Soho,
光华路Soho地下1层 (5900 6128)
Heaven
A purgatory of bottles, bongs and bedraggled English teachers, Heaven sells the
cheapest alcoholic takeaways in town. You
can also hang around and appreciate the
afterlife (clientele) if you want. Caveat: the
food is straight from Hell’s own kitchen.
// Daily 12pm-4am. 12 Xindong Lu (next to
The James Joyce), Chaoyang District 朝阳区新
东路16号 (6415 6513)
Hidden Lounge *
Although frustrating to find, Hidden
Lounge rewards the intrepid with good artwork and comfortable seating, suggesting
a Kasbah, plus well-made drinks at great
prices (wine from RMB100 a bottle, mix
drinks from RMB25). You’ll probably have
to call them to find it, though.
// Daily 6pm-1am. Room 101, Bldg 8, CBD
Apartments, Shuanghuayuan Nanli Erqu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区双花园南里二区CBD公
寓8号楼101屋 (8772 1613)
Ichikura ¥
One of the best-known ‘secrets’ in town,
this Japanese whisky bar tucked behind
a theater also offers terrific cocktails.
Although less expensive than several rivals,
you’ll want to indulge.
// Daily 7pm-2am. 2/F Chaoyang Theater, 36
Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区
东三环北路36号朝阳剧场南侧 (6507 1107)
The Irish Volunteer
Everything – from the red-faced owner to
the pub grub – seems authentically Irish.
That is, tinged with alcoholism, doggerel
and drunken regrets. A good place to down
a pint and a pizza before heading into
town, in other words.
// Daily 9pm-2am. 311 Jiangtai Lu (opposite
Lido Hotel East Gate), Chaoyang District 朝阳区
将台路311号 (6438 5581)
The James Joyce *
With its roaring fire and portraits of Joyce,
the ‘JJ’ is a homing beacon to anyone craving an authentic Irish pub atmosphere (i.e.
without tacky Guinness-related gimmicks).
// Daily 11am-2am14 Xindong Lu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区新东路14号 (6415 9125)
Kokomo Bar and Restaurant
One of several rooftop bars that suffer
through winter, Kokomo has a game stab
at Caribbean culture with its beach cocktails and sandy floor, plus occasional DJ
nights in the summer. Also a restaurant,
apparently.
// Daily 6pm-2am, 4/F, Tongli, Sanlitun Houjie,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯后街同里4层
(6413 1019)
Lantern *
Founded by now-defunct Acupuncture
Records, Lantern is a beacon of light in the
strip of truly ghastly nightclubs and bars
known as ‘Gongti.’ Serious about its music, it also makes good drinks and attracts
international electronica DJs.
// Thurs-Sat 9pm-6.30am. 100m north of
Worker’s Stadium West Gate, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区工人体育场西门向北100米(139
119 77989)
Lucky Man ¥ *
The cognoscenti rate this quiet Gulou
whisky bar as one of the smartest places
to satisfy your lust for the other amber
nectar.
// Daily 7pm-1.30am. 157 Gulou Dongdajie,
Dongcheng District 东城区鼓楼东大街157
(6405 4167)
Luga’s
The closest Beijing has to a municipal
drinking hall, the four-storey Luga’s has
it all: terrible Tex-Mex, a busy pool table,
loud music, smoke, 400 flatscreen TVs all
showing different sports… yet still we like
it. Basement bar Taps provides a Germanthemed refuge, with serve-your-own
draught Paulaner and quality food.
// Daily 11am-2am. 2/F, 7 Sanlitun Houjie,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯后街7号2
层 (6416 2575)
Maggie’s ¥
A notorious sausage fest (we refer, of
course, to the hot-dog stand outside),
Maggie’s has been providing its special
comforts for so long, it’s practically a timehonored Beijing brand – although it’s also
a bastion of Mongolian culture.
// Sun-Thur 8pm-4am, Fri-Sat 8pm-5am, Ritan
Park South Gate, Chaoyang District 朝阳区日坛
公园南门 (8562 8142)
Mao Mao Chong **
The cocktails at Mao’s – such as their sublime ‘Mala’ Mule, a Sichuan peppercorninfused vodka drink that’s a long way from
Moscow – are unique infusions using local
ingredients and know-how. Grungey without
being grimey, Mao’s eschews flash while
still keeping it real. And those pizzas.
// 12 Banchang Hutong, Jiaodaokou,
Dongcheng District 东城区交道口南大街板厂
胡同12号 (6405 5718, www.maomaochongbeijing.com)
Mesh ¥
Whether it’s an early evening cocktail or a
late-night infusion, Mesh’s moody interior
and underground soundtrack draws the
bright young things (and on LGBT Thursdays, quite a few old things, too).
// Daily 5pm-1am. Building 1, 11 Sanlitun Lu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯路11号院1号
楼 (6417 6688)
Modernista Old Cafe and Tapas Bar ¥ *
The hipsters love this little brasseriethemed absinthe bar. Regular live shows
mean it can often get pretty crowded. That
should piss off the hipsters, yet still they
keep coming.
// Tuesday to Sunday 12pm-2am. 44 Baochao
Hutong, Dong Cheng District 东城区鼓楼东大
街宝钞胡同44号(136 9142 5744)
Paddy O’Shea’s
Owner Karl Long has airlifted an entire
Irish theme pub, including residents, from
a council estate in Limerick and gently
deposited it in central Beijing. With plenty
going on, including pub quiz and sports,
no one seems to have noticed.
// Daily 10am-late. 28 Dongzhimenwai Dajie,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区东直门外大街28号
(6415 6389)
Propaganda
This sweaty student sauna is either the
best place in Wudaokou (if you’re a Korean
student, or like to pick up said students)
or some kind of fresh Circle of Hell (if
you’re anyone else). Fake booze (and fake
orgasms) abound.
// Mon-Fri 8pm-4.30am, Sat-Sun 8pm-5am.
100m north of the east gate of Huaqing
Jiayuan, Wudaokou, Haidian District 海淀区五
道口华清嘉园东门往北100米 (8286 3991)
Q Bar ¥
Atop one of the city’s most average-looking
hotels is one of its classiest (and certainly
oldest) institutions. Be prepared to wait for
your drinks, though. The rooftop terrace
is one of the main lures, so in winter, you
may want to look elsewhere.
// Daily 5pm-2am. Top floor of Eastern Inn
Hotel, 6 Baijiazhuang Lu (on the corner of
Sanlitun Nanlu), Chaoyang District 朝阳区白家
庄6号朝阳门医院北门东100米三里屯南路逸羽连
锁酒店顶楼 (6595 9239, www.qbarbeijing.com)
Salud 老伍 *
A Nanluoguxiang institution, with everything from cheap beer to (loud)live music
and low beams. The rum infusions are a
particular favorite on cold nights.
// Mon-Fri 3pm-late, Sat-Sun noon-late. 66
Nanluogu Xiang, Dongcheng District 东城区南
锣鼓巷66号 (6402 5086)
School Bar
Crap drinks and regular, unscheduled
fights: no wonder the cool kids adore this
alternative livehouse/ DJ bar, founded by
Beijing and Shanghai rock n’ rollers.
// Daily 8pm-late. 53 Wudaoying Hutong,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区五道营胡同53号
(6402 8881)
Slow Boat Brewery Taproom *
This popular microbrewery finally gets its
own comfortable location in Dongcheng’s
hutong district. Quality ales (such as the
vanilla stout (RMB55) or crisp Dragon Boat
Ale (RMB25), heated floors and a kitchen
round out the deal.
// Mon Closed, Tues-Wed: 4pm-12am, ThurFri: 5pm-1am, Sat: 2pm-late, Sun: 2-10pm. 56
Dongsi Batiao,Dongcheng District 东城区东四
八条56号 (6538 5537)
Smuggler’s
The high watermark among the ailing divebar scene of Sanlitun, Smuggler’s caters
to a rambunctious, friendly crowd of
scallywags, rapscallions and ragamuffins.
Don’t drink too many of their spirits; do
ask why the men’s bathroom hasn’t been
fixed in three years.
// 8pm-late. 43 Sanlitun Houjie, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区三里屯后街43号 (138 0107 1230)
The Stumble Inn
Aesthetically something of an eyesore, the
huge drinks list and reliable Western food
at this ‘funky’ sports bar in the Village are
definite plus points.
// Daily 12pm-2am. S3-31 South Sanlitun
Village, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝
阳区三里屯路19号三里屯Village南区3楼S3-31
号 (6417 7794)
The Tree 隐蔽的树
A cozy stalwart of the Beijing bar scene,
you’ll find wood-fired comfort pizza, beer
aplenty and a hearty, mature atmosphere.
Has two neighborhood offshoots: By the
Tree (brickwork, pool, old man’s pub) and
Nearby the Tree (live music, two floors).
// Daily noon-2am. 100m west of Sanlitun Bar
Street, Youyi Youth Hostel, Chaoyang District
朝阳区三里屯酒吧街往西100米友谊旅馆后面三
里屯医院东面 (6415 1954)
Twilight ¥ *
A downtown version of Apothecary, complete with mood jazz and those premium
cocktails, makes you feel as far away from
the busy boulevards below as you’d want.
// Daily 6pm-2am. 3/F, villa 5 east Jianwai
SOHO, Dongsanhuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区东三环中路39号建外SOHO东区5
号别墅3层 (5900 5376)
XIU ¥¥
While Thursday’s Ladies Nights attracts
the sort you’d sooner avoid, XIU is beloved
among aspirational white-collar Chinese,
wooed by its sprawling chic-ness and playboy clientele. A lively house band keeps
you indoors, but a superb terrace.
// Daily 6pm-2am. 3/F, villa 5 east Jianwai
SOHO, Dongsanhuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区东三环中路39号建外SOHO东区5
号别墅3层 (5900 5376)
10 Best Livehouses
Hot Cat Club 热力猫
A true stalwart of the Beijing scene, Hot
Cat is the type of hard-working venue that
helps cement a city’s music scene. From
Afro Funk to Math Rock to painful openmic nights, this everyman’s club breeds
good vibes. Decent drinks, lots of loungy
seats and plenty of space.
// Daily 10am-late, 46 Fangjia Hutong (just
south of Guozijian Jie), Dongcheng District 东
城区方家胡同46号(6400 7868).
Jianghu 江湖酒吧
This former Qing Dynasty courtyard home
is exactly where you’d take that friend from
out of town to prove you’re cool. Its cozy
atmosphere is also its downfall – any show
with under 40 people and you’re stuck
looking through the windows. Hip and
casually familiar, the jazz and folk bookings keep things low-key enough for the
get-home-for-the-babysitter crowd.
// 7 Dongmianhua Hutong, Jiaodaokou Nan
Dajie, Dongcheng District 东城区交道口南大街
东棉花胡同7号 (6401 5269, site.douban.com/
jianghujiubar, jincanzh@gmail.com)
Temple *
Probably the manliest venue in town, this
dimly lit and unventilated space is owned
by rockers (Gao Xu, Gao Jian and Clement
Burger) and known for late sets of hard
rock, punk and ska, with weekend gigs
and DJ sets every fortnight. It offers a long
drinks menu, with plenty of cheap pastis
and shooters, but you’ll probably stick to
the RMB15 draught. When the smoking
gets fierce, head to the spacious terrace
for a big drag of bad air.
// Daily, 7pm-late. Bldg B, 206 Gulou Dong
Dajie, Dongcheng District 坛东城区鼓楼东大街
206号B楼202 (131 6107 0713)
XP 小萍
From the ashes of Beijing’s now-legendary
D-22, rises the brave new experimental
club XP. Operated and owned by former
D-22 main man (and noted economist)
Michael Pettis, XP is more avant-garde
than its previous incarnation. Expect sonic
projections, drone-core jazz and the latest
in cutting-edge Beijing sound.
// 1pm-late, closed Monday, 2 Silouxiang (just
south of Gulou Xidajie, Xicheng District. 西城
区地安门内大街四楼巷 (6406 9947)
Zajia Lab 杂家
A Daoist Temple is exactly where you’d
expect an Italian Sinologist to open a
venue – big on film screenings, A/V projects, avant-garde puppetry and choice but
obscure live music for the adventurous.
// Hong En Daoist Temple, Doufuchi Hutong,
Dongcheng District 东城区旧鼓楼大街豆腐池
胡同宏恩观前殿 (156 0112 2252, 8404 9141,
www.zajia.cc)
2 Kolegas 两个好朋友酒吧 *
Call it what you will: Dos Kolegas. Fire
trap. That place by the drive-through. But
there’s no denying that this artsy alternative venue has its fingers on an eclectic
musical pulse. In summer, it really comes
alive with barbecue pits, all-day parties
and a whole lotta love.
// Daily 8pm-2am. 21 Liangmaqiao Lu
(inside the drive-in movie theater park),
Chaoyang District 朝阳区亮马桥路21号 (6436
8998,www.2kolegas.com)
798 Art District Picks
Yugong Yishan 愚公移山
We’ve lost more body weight than we’d
care to remember in YY’s mosh pit.
Fortunately, almost all the acts – usually
hip-hop DJs, emo rocks and obscure indie
outfits from across the globe – were worth
it. The upstairs bar area is a refuge from
the sweat glands below.
// Daily 7pm-late. 3-2 Zhangzizhong Lu (100m
west of Zhangzizhong Lu subway station),
Dongcheng District 东城区张自忠路3-2号
(6404 2711)
The Post Mountain 后山
Built into a man-made hill in the center of
the MOMA Complex, this new addition to
Beijing’s growing livehouse empire is The
Hobbit meets Manhattan. With as much
vibe as a sterile modern-art gallery. Its
imported sound system and ramped floor
makes for decent sound and sightlines.
Almost exclusively featuring Chinese rock,
folk and electronic artists you’ve never
heard of (but should).
// Bldg T8, MOMA, 1 Xiangheyuan Lu,
Dongzhimenwai, Dongcheng District (next to
MOMA Cinemateque) 东城区东直门外香河园
路1号当代MOMA园区T8楼北百老汇电影中心北
侧 (8400 4774)
Mako Live 麻雀瓦舍
Nestled in the old Beijing Jeep plant, this
former warehouse plays host to a Silk
Road smorgasbord of musical encounters
from western China and the ‘Stans. Forget
the overpriced bar and come for the killer
sound, comfortable wraparound balcony
and five-meter replica of Optimus Prime,
followed by a hearty meal at the Xinjiang
restaurant upstairs.
// Hongdian Art Factory, 36 Guangqu Lu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区广渠路36号红点艺术
工厂院内(5205 1113, www.mako001.com)
Mao Livehouse
From the denim-jacketed doorman to the
well-grafittied walls, Mao leans on every
Hollywood rock club cliché without feeling
scripted. Besides boasting the worst bar
in town, Mao delivers with great sound
and the best billings of heavy metal, punk
hitting this side of the Drum Tower.
// 111 Gulou Dong Dajie, Dongcheng District
东城区鼓楼东大街111号(6402 5080, www.
maolive.com)
GALLERIES
Galleria Continua *
In the often-insular 798, Galleria Continua
is the international gallery. Their warehouse space is a forum for high-caliber artists from nearly every continent, including
several of China’s artistic nobility.
// Free. Tues-Sun 11am-6pm. 798 Art District,
2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区酒
仙桥路2号798大山子艺术区 (5978 9505, www.
galleriacontinua.com)
Long March Space
Founder and curator, Lu Jie abides by
exacting standards from both the 20-odd
Chinese artists he represents and the
overall design of his topical and uncompromising exhibitions. International clout
was inevitable.
// Free. Tues-Sun 11am-7pm. 4 Jiuxianqiao
Road, Chaoyang District 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798
艺术区 (5978 9768, www.longmarchspace.com)
Pace Beijing
With locations in New York, London and
Beijing hosting the likes of Zhang Xiaogang, Yue Minjun, Robert Rauschenberg,
Mark Rothko, Kiki Smith and Sol LeWitt,
Pace inhabits Bauhaus-style buildings 798
is idealized for. Go there!
// Free. Tues-Sun 10am-6pm.798 Art District,
2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区
酒仙桥路2号大山子艺术区 (5978 9781, www.
pacegallery.com)
Space Station
Not often shown in 789’s sea of elites,
Space Station presents a younger generation of domestic artists. Exhibitions tend
to have a good curatorial understanding of
space and high-quality 2D work.
// Free, Tues-Sun 10am-6pm. 4 Jiuxianqiao
Rd798 Art District, Chaoyang District 朝阳区酒
仙桥路4号798艺术区中一街 (5978 9671)
Tang Contemporary Art
Stressing cutting-edge exhibition installation and curatorial theory. With locations
in Bangkok, Hong Kong and Beijing, Tang
focuses on promoting artistic exchange
throughout East Asia.
// Free. Tues-Sun 10.30am-6pm. 798 Factory, 2
Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District 朝阳区大
山子酒仙桥路798工厂2号入口前行300米 (5978
9610, www.atngcontemporary.com)
Ullens Center for Contemporary Art
Filling the largest factory space in 798 with
Chinese and international art, the UCCA
has the curatorial power and financial
backing to put together some of Beijing’s
most impressive exhibitions.
// RMB10, free Thursdays. Tues-Sun 10am-7pm.
798 Art District, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798艺术区 (5780
0200, www.ucca.org.cn)
Caochangdi Art Village
Chambers Fine Art Beijing
With its compeer gallery in New York,
Chambers is a matriarch with extensive
roots in the local-studio scene that allows
Big Apple headhunters to cull next generation avant-garde and provide a stepping
stone to international recognition.
// Free. Tues-Sun 10am-6pm. Red No.1-D,
Caochangdi, Chaoyang District 朝阳区草场地
红一号D座 (5127 3298, www.chambersfineart.
com)
Galerie Urs Meile
Recently upgrading to one of the courtyards designed by artist-architect Ai
Weiwei, this Swiss-owned gallery has two
intimate spaces, allowing pairs of solo
exhibitions from leading contemporary
Chinese artists.
// Free. Tues-Sun 11am-6.30pm. 104
Caochangdi, Cui Gezhuang Xiang, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区崔各庄草场地村104号(近电影博
物馆路)(6433 3393, www.galerieursmeile.com)
Platform China *
Platform China has a Gallery A & B, one
directly across from the other, about equal
in size and each devoted to the promotion
of experimental creation, from sound
installation to performative, 3D and 2D art.
// Free. Tues-Sun 11am-6pm. No. 319-1, East
End Art Zone A, Caochangdi Village, Chaoyang
District 朝阳区草场地村319-1艺术东区A区内
(6432 0091, www.platformchina.org)
ShanghART Beijing
Originating in 2007 in Shanghai, this
institution skyrocketed as a major exhibitor
of Chinese photographic and digital media
art. Now representing over 40 artists with
five Asian locations, ShanghART is an
international festival regular.
// Free. Tues-Sun 11am-6pm. 261 Caochangdi,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区草场地261号 (6432
3202, www.shanghartgallery.com)
Three Shadows Photography Art Centre
Elegantly utilitarian in design, the
V-shaped gallery is an ideal venue to
accommodate all sizes and forms of photography. The courtyard also hosts lavish
openings, screenings and concerts.
// Free, Tues-Sun 10am-6pm. 115A
Caochangdi, Chaoyang District 朝阳区草场地
155号 (6431 9693, www.threeshadows.cn)
White Space Beijing
There are no restricting on the art this
gallery supports, leading to some of the
area’s more perplexing exhibitions. Always
fun and on the pulse of vitality, though
empirical value is pushed to an extreme.
// Free. Tues-Sun 10am-6pm. 255 Caochangdi,
Airport Service Road, Chaoyang District 朝
阳区机场辅路草场地255号(8456 2054, www.
whitespace-beijing.com)
Citywide Picks
Arrow Factory
This space is one of a kind in Beijing, an
independently run alternative space in the
hutong of Beijing’s center. Showing young,
experimental artists, Arrow only takes up
about 15sqm and is viewable 24/7. As
a backlash against artists being pushed
outside the city limits, this space tries to
reinstall art inside an urban setting so
everyday experience and creativity remain
intertwined.
// Free. Everyday 24hours. 38 Jianchang
Hutong, Dongcheng District 东城区箭厂胡同38
号 (www.arrowfactory.org.cn)
CAFA Museum
Attached to the northeast corner of the
Central Academy of Fine Art, architect
Arata Isozaki built a slate-rock shell to
house the museum’s 13,000+ collection
of modern to contemporary art. Opened in
2008, exhibitions range from Chinese Modern masterworks to current avant-garde
experimental.
// RMB10. Tues-Sun 9am-5.30pm. No. 8
Huajiadi Nan Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区花
家地南街8号中央美术学院美术馆 (6528 2022,
www.cafamuseum.org)
Today Art Museum *
As China’s first non-profit, non-governmental art museum, this institution embodies
the country’s 20th-century leap to develop
academic and progressive exhibitions.
Opened in 2002, Chinese superstars and
university prospects all get wall space
here.
// RMB10. Tues-Sun 10am-6pm. Building 4,
Pingod Community, No.32 Baiziwan Road,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区百子湾路32号苹果社
区4号楼今日美术馆 (5876 0600, www.todayartmuseum.com)
75
listings
Independent cinemas
Broadway Cinematheque MOMA *
Opened in 2009, this arthouse film venue
boasts the largest screens for independent
cinema in Beijing. It has three theaters
with a total of 400 seats and a 300-sqm
cafe-bookstore, aptly named Kubrick.
// RMB30-120. Mon-Sun 11am-10pm. F3,
Building T4, The North Area, MOMA, 1
Xiangheyuan Lu, Dongcheng District 东城区
东直门香河园路1号当代Moma北区T4座 (8438
8258 ext. 8008, www.bc-cinema.cn)
Instituto Cervantes
Showing popular independent films from
Latin American Directors monthly, the
Instituto Cervantes is a forum of Spanishspeaking culture that also hosts public art
exhibitions and lectures. They even have a
video library!
// Prices vary. Daily 7am-10pm.1A Gongti
Nanlu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区工体南路甲1号
(5879 9666, www.pekin.cervantes.es)
Bookstores
The Bookworm *
This glass cube looks over Sanlitun Village,
providing a cozy atmosphere for browsing bibliophiles. The Western bookstore,
library, film house, bar, bistro-cafe and
event space always has a cultured evening
on its shelves for both adults and kids.
// Daily 9am-2am. Building 4, Nan Sanlitun
Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 三里屯南街4号
楼 (6586 9507, www.beijingbookworm.com)
Page One
The go-to shop for new releases and special requests. With sister venues in Hong
Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, and two
locations in Beijing, its network allows for
fresh authors whilst upholding an extensive
collection of titles.
// Daily 10am-9pm. Shop 3B 201, Zone 3 China
World Mall, No.1 Jian Guo Men Wai Avenue,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区国贸商城三期地下二层
3B201 (8535 1055, www.pageonegroup.com)
Page One Indigo. Shop LG50, INDIGO, 18
Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区酒仙
桥路18号颐堤港商业中心B1楼50号(8426 0408,
www.pageonegroup.com)
BEAUTY & FITNESS
Alona Pilates Studio
Pairing up traditional Pilates with an innovative, full-body workout, Alona Pilates
offers classes designed to tone and whip
you into shape fast. It also provides a personalized experience for all its students,
regardless of fitness, strength and
flexibility levels.
// Daily, 7.30, late. 5/F at Heavenly Spa by Westin, 1 Xinyuan Nanlu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区新源南路1号威斯汀酒店五层 ( 139 1029
0260, www.alonapilates.com)
Broadwell International Tennis Academy
Located inside Chaoyang Park’s Tennis
Center, this indoor club boasts a complete
state-of-the-art air-supported structure
for all-weather year-round indoor tennis,
with an advanced lighting system and
controlled climate. Ideal for peeps looking
to perfect their service and batting a few
balls.
// Nongzhan Nanlu, Chaoyang District 朝阳
区农南路1号朝阳公园网球中心(4006406800/
65958885,www.broadwell.cn1)
DNA Fitness Studio
Catering for both athletes and normal
folks, DNA Fitness Studio specializes in
one-on-one personal training, weight loss,
spine care, body building and more, with
personalized classes and training systems.
// Mon-Fri, 10am-9pm.Unit 1135, 3F, Bldg 11,
Jianwai SOHO, 39 Dongsanhuan Zhonglu,
Chaoyang District 朝阳区东三环中路建外SOHO
西区11楼3层 (5869 1607)
Faith tattoo
Faith tattoo is one of Beijing’s most
popular tattoo studios. Their friendly
service -- and Western-standard facilities
and hygiene -- nets them a large clientele
within the expat community, and they can
offer a range of tattoo styles and sizes on
request.
// Daily, 10am-10pm. Ginza Mall,Rm 202, Unit
1, Bldg 1, 48 Dongzhimenwai Dajie (southeast
of Dongzhimen Bridge), Dongcheng District东
城区东直门外大街48号东方银座1楼1单元202室
(东直门桥东南侧) (133 6648 3206)
76
Fine Yoga
This airy studio offers a diverse range of
style and classes, including Ashtanga,
Hatha, Anusara, soft Yin and Hot yoga.
Teachers are top notch and international,
and classrooms spacious and bright, with
stylish, clean changing-rooms. Classes
taught in both Chinese and English.
// Mon-Fri 7am-9:30pm, Sat- Sun. 10am-6pm.
16/F, Tower 2, Blue Castle International Centre,
3 Xi Dawang Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区西
大望路3号蓝堡国际中心2号楼16层 (85999566/
85997702)
Kinway
A hidden gem, Kinway offers a variety of
products and treatments in a relaxing
atmosphere, as well as some of the best
nail-art services in town.
// Daily, 10am-10pm. B1-13 Ginza Mall, 48
Dongzhimen Waidajie, Dongcheng District 东
城区东直门外大街48号东方银座B1-13号
Luxura Tanning Center
This tanning salon has some of the city’s
best state-of-the-art tanning beds, all
imported from Europe. For the sexiest tan
possible, get custom-made tanning tips
from the well-trained staff.
// Daily, 10am-10pm. 1) Rm 307, Bldg 4,
Jianwai Soho 39 Dongsanhuan Zhonglu,
Chaoyang District朝阳区东三环中路建外SOHO
西区4楼307室(5900 0427, www.luxura.net) 2)
5005, 5/F, 3.3 Sanlitun, Chaoyang District朝阳
区三里屯3.3大厦5层5005号 (5136 5186, www.
luxura.net)
Lily Nails
A long-time favorite among locals and expats alike, Lily Nails is much more than a
nail spa; they have a variety of pampering
treatments and waxing services too.
// Daily, 10am-10pm. 1) 2 Ginza Mall,
48 Dongzhimenwai Dajie (southeast of
Dongzhimen Bridge), Dongcheng District东
城区东直门外大街48号东方银座2楼(东直门桥
东南侧) (8447 7178); 2) Shop 2049, 2/F, 3.3
Shopping Center, 33 Sanlitun Beijie, Chaoyang
District朝阳区三里屯北街33号3.3大厦2层2049
号 ( 5136 5829, 136 8148 3308)
Yoga Yard
Whether you’re looking to develop your
spiritual wellbeing, body toning or just
socialize with the hip young crowd, Yoga
Yard will have the right class for you.
// Daily, 7am-9.30pm. Yoga Yard, 6/F , 17
Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang District朝阳区工体北
路17号6层 (6413 0774, www.yogayard.com)
Nanlu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区朝阳公园南路
1号朝阳公园网球中心 6592 2791/92 ; 2) North
Gate, Ritan Park Chaoyang District 朝阳区日
坛公园北门 (8561 5506/5507); 3) 5/F, Oriental
Plaza, 218-2 Wangfujing Dajie Dongcheng
District东城区王府井大街218-2东方广场西配楼
五层 (6513-2188, 6522-7168); 4) 8/F, Zhongxin
Shuma Plaza, 52 Beisihuan Xilu Haidian
District海淀区北四环西路52号中芯数码大厦8
层 6269-2352
DENTAL
Arrail Dental
Affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, Arrail Dental has access to top-class
equipment. Its well-trained staff, multiple
locations across town and excellent
facilities make it one of the best dental
providers in Beijing. English-speaking staff.
Dental services including examinations,
whitening, root-canal treatment, orthodontics and implants.
// 1) Rm 201, the Exchange-Beijing, 118B
Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District朝阳区建国路
乙118号国贸桥东南角京汇大厦201室 (6567
5670); 2) Rm 208, Tower A, CITIC Building, 19
Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District朝阳
区建国门外大街19号国际大厦A座208室 (6500
6473); 3) Rm 308, Tower A, Raycom Info Tech
Park 2 Kexueyuan Nanlu, Haidian District海淀
区中关村科学院南路2号融科资讯中心A座308
室 (8286 1956); 4) Rm 101, Bldg 16, China
Central Place, 89 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区建国路89号华贸中心公寓16号楼101室
(8588 8550/60/70); 5) 1/F, Somerset Fortune
Garden, 46 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区亮马桥路46号燕莎东侧盛捷福景苑1层
(8440 1926)
SDM Dental
The full spectrum of non-surgical dentistry. Services include teeth cleaning,
root-canal treatment, porcelain crowns,
dental implants, orthodontics, cosmetic
dentistry, fillings, pediatric dentistry,
extraction, teeth-whitening and veneers.
A basic consultation costs RMB50, with a
first-time registration fee of RMB50. Credit
cards accepted.
// 1) LB107, Euro Plaza, 99 Yuxiang Lu Tianzhu
Zhen, Shunyi District顺义区天竺镇裕翔路99号
欧陆广场LB107 (8046 6084, www.sdmdental.
com); 2) Rm 106, Bldg 11, 22 Yuanda Lu, Haidian
District 海淀区远大路22号院11号楼1层106
室 (8859 6912,8859 6913, www.sdmdental.
com); 3) Rm305, Bldg 1, China Overseas Plaza
8 Guanghua Dongli, Jianwai Dajie Chaoyang
District 朝阳区建外大街光华东里8号中海广
场1号楼3层05 (5977 2488,5977 2486, www.
sdmdental.com)
United Family Shunyi Dental Clinic
The Beijing United Family Dental Clinic in
Shunyi is a satellite of the main hospital
in Lido (which has its own dental clinic
onsite). A comprehensive range of services
are at hand, including restorative dentistry
and cosmetic dentistry. Call ahead for all
appointments.
// 818 Pinnacle Plaza, Tianzhu Real Estate
Development Zone, Shunyi District北京和睦家
医院牙科诊所, 顺义区天竺开发区荣祥广场818
(8046 1102)
HAIR SALONS
Yihe 42° Hot Yoga
Counting on certified Bikram yoga teachers, Yihe 42° Hot Yoga provides three
locations with a calm, relaxing and clean
environment for people from all walks of
lives to learn and grow through the regular
practice of Hot Yoga. This is a place where
you can dedicate time for yourself, relax
your mind and restore your strength.
// Daily, 10am-8pm. 1) 3/F, No. 2 South
Building, Blue Castle, Dawang Lu, Chaoyang
District朝阳区大望路蓝堡国际中心南写2座3层
(8599 7395/96, www.yh42.com); 2) 3/F, Bldg.
14, Solana, No. 6 Chaoyang Gongyuan Xilu
Chaoyang District朝阳区朝阳公园西路6号,蓝
色港湾14号,三层 (5905 6067/77, www.yh42.
com) ; 3) 3/FA Shimao Plaza 13 Gongti Beilu
Chaoyang District朝阳工体北路新中西里13号
巨石大厦3FA
YogiYoga
True boutique-style yoga, YogiYoga has a
mostly Chinese clientele and classes average about eight people. Their instructors
come from all over the world, and teach a
wide range of classes.
// Daily, 10am-8pm. 1) Chaoyang Park Tennis
Center, Chaoyang Park, 1 Chaoyang Gongyuan
Catherine de France
Chi-chi French salon headed by globetrotter stylist Catherine Colin. With its sleek
decor and mod-black leather treatment
chairs, the bright salon space is chic, and
the international staff of stylists equally
so–you can trust them to always be up on
the latest hair fashions from around the
globe. If you’re looking for an avant-garde
look, Catherine develops a unique haute
coiffure collection every season.
// Daily, 10am-8pm. Ground Floor, East Avenue
bldg, 10 Xindong Lu,Chaoyang District 朝阳区
新东路10号逸盛阁首层 (135 2147 3492, 8442
5120, www.catherinedefrance.com)
Eric Paris Hair Salon
With several well-located Beijing branches,
this salon is still most expats’ default
hairdresser. It targets high-end consumers
seeking luxury and beauty services, including tanning, waxing and manicures.
// Daily, 10am-8pm. 1) 43 South Sanlitun Beijie,
Chaoyang District朝阳区三里屯北街南43号
(135 0137 2971; www.ericparis.com ); 2) 1/F,
Jiali Center, 1 Guanghua Lu朝阳区光华路1号嘉
里中心1楼 (139 1179 8376;)
Franck Provost Paris
A chic and stylish import from France,
Frank Provost is one of Beijing’s most
high-profile and hip salons, offering
cutting-edge cuts for the city’s elite. The
staff consists of international and inter-
nationally trained stylists and technicians,
and stocks an imported range of products
and accessories.
// Daily, 10am-8pm.1) Shop D2001-1, 2/F, Shin
Kong Place 87 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区建国路87号新光天地二层D2001-1店
铺 (6530 7669); 2) Parkson Shopping Center
Fuxingmen 37 Jinrong Jie, Xicheng District
西城区金融大街37号百盛购物中心二期夹层
(6653 5248)
Tony & Guy
A favorite of many Beijing expats, the
trendy British chain features international products, knowledgeable (generally
somewhat English-speaking) staff, and a
never-ending stream of well-heeled hip
clientele. Cuts run the gamut from basic to
haute coiffure, depending on which grade
of stylish you select.
// Daily, 10am-9pm. LG 41, INDIGO, 18
Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District朝阳区酒仙桥
路18号颐堤港地铁层41号 (8426 0688, for other
branches see)
Tic Tac Hair Salon
Trendy, artsy and welcoming, Tic Tac is
one of Beijing’s best-kept secrets and a
real beauty gem. Staff are friendly and
multilingual (we counted five last time).
A shampoo, cut and blow-dry starts at
RMB200 and goes to RMB780.
// Daily, 10am-9pm. Suite 2-06, Tower AB, The
Office Park, 10 Jintong Xilu, Chaoyang district
朝阳区金桐西路10号远洋光华国际AB座2层06单
元 (8590 6899, www.tictac-hair.com)
HEALTH SERVICES
Amcare Women’s & Children’s Hospital
With a zero waiting-time policy, top-quality
inpatient facilities, home visits, night
services and transportation assistance,
Amcare provides a remarkable, trustworthy
health-care experience. Services include
pediatrics, gynecology and obstetrics.
English-speaking staff.
// 9 Fangyuan XiLu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区
芳园西路9号 (6434 2399, 24hr hotline 800 610
6200, www.amcare.com.cn)
Beijing International Medical Center (IMC)
Established in 1993, the International
Medical Center-Beijing counts on an expert
team of foreign doctors, offering a wide
range of medical services, including family
medicine, psychological services, dental,
ob/gyn, pediatrics and TCM. Drop-in services for travelers; x-rays and ultrasounds
are also available. English, Farsi, Japanese,
Chinese, Arabic and Russian spoken.
// 24hours. Room S106/111 Lufthansa Center,
50 Liangmahe Lu, Chaoyang District朝阳区
亮马桥路50号燕莎中心写字楼1层S106 (6465
1561/2/3, 6465 1384/28, www.imclinics.com)
Beijing Vista Clinic
This comprehensive medical and dentistry
clinic features traditional medicine, physiotherapy, a pharmacy and lab, ob/gyn,
pediatrics, ophthalmology, dermatology,
ENT and psychiatry services among others. Multi-lingual doctors always available
on-site.
// Daily 24hours. Kerry Hotel, 1 Guanghua Lu,
Chaoyang district朝阳区光华路1号 (8529 6618,
www.vista-china.net)
IMC
Established on April 1st, 1993, the International Medical Center – Beijing (IMC)
locates in the Central Business District of
Beijing next to the Kempinski Hotel in the
North-East part of the Third Ring road.
IMC offers a full range of medical services
including Family Medicine, Pediatrics, Internal medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology,
Surgery & Orthopedics, Gastroenterology/
Hepatology; it also provides Dental Service, TCM & Acupuncture, Physiotherapy
and Psychological services. The department of Emergency Care at IMC opens
24/7 with all foreign trained and board
certified doctors on site.
All staff at IMC-Beijing speaks at least
bilingual languages. From management to
our medical team, we have citizens from
China, America, Russia, Canada, Britain,
Jordan, Japan and many other countries.
This is a real multi-national and multicultural medical center that serves people
from all over the world!
// 50 Liangmaqiao Road, Chaoyang District,
Beijing Lufthansa Office Building
(6465 1560/1/2/3 Mail:clientservices@imcclinics.com www.imcclinics.com)
SOS
In China since 1989, SOS is run by globally trained medical
professionals and provides medical, secu-
rity and travel advice, as well as emergency
help 24/7. Its alarm centers operate
house calls, ambulance and evacuation
services, and standard health treatments.
Languages spoken include English,
German, French, Mandarin, Spanish,
Japanese, Italian and Cantonese.
// Suite 105, Wing 1, Kunsha Building, No.16
Xinyuanli, Chaoyang District朝阳区新源里16号
琨莎中心1座105
室(6462 9112/ 6462 9100, www.internationalsos.com)
OASIS Healthcare Clinic
Boasting a strong team of international
experts, OASIS Healthcare Clinic specializes in serving the expatriate community
with the latest world-class technology and
a broad range of services, all in a pristine
facility designed to provide patients with
the utmost comfort, care and privacy.
// Mon-Fri, 8.30am-5.30pm; Sat-Sun, 8.30am12.30pm; 24 Hour Emergency Bldg C1, 9
Jiuxianqiao Beilu Chaoyang District朝阳区酒
仙桥北路9号C1栋 (400 876 2747, 5985-0333,
www.oasishealth.cn)
SPA&MASSAGE
Aqua Salus
Providing an array of massage, face and
body-care treatments, waxing treatments
and salon services, Aqua Salus is a onestop solution for almost any beauty needs.
// Daily, 12am-12pm. 1) Taiyue Height 106, 16
Nan Sanlitun Lu Chaoyang District朝阳区南三
里屯路16号泰悦豪庭底商106 (6501 2881, www.
aquasalus.cn); 2)Lucky Street 1-17, 1 Chaoyang
Park Lu Chaoyang District朝阳区好运街1-17朝
阳公园路1号 (6501-6639, www.aquasalus.cn)
Suites, 16 Nan Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区南三里屯路16号泰悦豪庭2座5层 (6507
1517)
Long Island Spa
Bringing a whiff of Siam to Beijing, Long
Island Spa stems from the Long Island
Resort and Spa on Koh Samui, Thailand.
Indulge in a wide array of Thai-style treatments, and try the selection of healthy
foods available from their cafe.
// Daily 10am till late. 1) B1, Jiahui Center, 6 Jiqingli
Chaoyang District朝阳区吉庆里6号佳汇中心B1
层 (6551 6112/6113) ; 2) 5/F Nuo’an Building, 18
Guanghua Lu Chaoyang District朝阳区光华路甲14
号诺安大厦5层 (5130 9718, 6591 6247)
Herborist
TCM-inspired, Herborist is a Chinese skincare brand that also has a chain of spas
offering therapeutic massages with herbs.
Based on the philosophy that natural
beauty is bound to stem from the root, the
spa observes time-honored Chinese health
and beauty practices, with treatments
inspired from acupuncture techniques in
Traditional Chinese Medicine.
// Daily 10am-10pm. 1) Bldg 9, Sanlitun Village
South, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District朝阳
区三里屯路19号三里屯Village南区8号楼S8-33
(6416 5179); 2) Shop 39, Subway Level, Indigo
Mall, 18 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District朝阳
区酒仙桥路18号颐堤港商场地铁层店铺号LG39
(8426 0455)
The Wellness Spa by Hummingbird
A favorite among locals and expats alike
for its professional pampering know-how
and services, the Wellness Spa by Hummingbird is a slick and serious urban
retreat in the heart of Central Park.
// Daily 10am-10pm. Tower 26, Central Park,
Chaoyangmen Wai Chaoyang District朝阳区朝
阳门外新城国际26号楼 (6533 6922)
Oriental Taipan Massage & Spa
Since 2002, Oriental Taipan has been
pampering Beijing’s finest in their small
chain of contemporary spas dotted across
the city. Calming flower aromas, Zen
music, and trickling feng shui fountains
create a soothing atmosphere in each of
their locations, while a long list of treatments from around the world cater to all
pampering needs.
// Daily, 12am-midnight. Sunjoy Mansion, 6
Ritan Lu, Chaoyang District朝阳区日坛路6号
(400 001 0202, www.taipan.com.cn)
Angel Hands
Choose from a variety of treatments by
professional masseuses in relaxing, minimalist surroundings.
// Daily, 24 hours. Rm 1801, Bldg 2, Jianwai
SOHO, 39 Dongsanhuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang
District朝阳区东三环中路39号建外SOHO2号楼
(8631 0801)
Dragonfly Therapeutic Retreat
True relaxation begins with a state of
mind. Created as a contemporary urban
retreat, Dragonfly is an oasis of peace and
tranquility in the midst of the hectic city.
// Daily, 10am-late. 1)60 Donghuamen Dajie
(near The Peninsula Hotel and Oriental Plaza)
Dongcheng District东城区东华门大街60号(近
王府饭店和东方广场) (6527 9368, www.dragonfly.net.cn); 2) 1/F Eastern Inn, Nan Sanlitun
Lu, Chaoyang District朝阳区南三里屯路逸羽酒
店一层 (6593 6066); 3) Grand Summit Plaza, 19
Dongfang Donglu (100m north of Lufthansa
Center), Chaoyang District朝阳区燕莎桥东方
东路19号外交会所1层(燕莎中心路北100米)
(8532 3122)
Fspa
This spa in Chaowai SOHO is a delightful
retreat from the often-overwhelming CBD
throng. Featuring sleek décor and an entire
wing devoted to female guests complete:
with swanky locker rooms, drench showers
and private suites, it offers a wide array of
pampering treatments.
// Daily 10am–10pm. B115-121, Basement
One, Zone B.C Chaowai SOHO, 6B
Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District朝
阳区朝阳门外大街乙6号朝外SOHO B.C区 B115121 (5900 1868)
Ispa
A comprehensive range of both traditional
spa rituals and modern foot reflexology
awaits you at Ispa. This ultra-Zen oasis has
treatments that beautifully blend Eastern
and Western healing ideologies, for an
ultra-relaxing experience.
// Daily 10am-10pm. 5/F, Tower 2, Taiyue
EDUCATIONS
MBA & EMBA SCHOOLS
BBA at BFSU-SolBridge
北京外国语大学国际商学院
8881 6563/8881 6763/8881 8537
19 Xisanhuan Beilu, Haidian District
solbridge.bfsu.edu.cn
海淀区西三环北路19号
Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business
8518 1050
Tower E3, 3/F, Oriental Plaza, 1 Dongchang’an
Jie, Dongcheng District
东城区东长安街号东方广场东3座3层
Rutgers International Executive MBA
5877 1706
www.rutgersinasia.com
5/F China Life Tower, 16 Chaowai Dajie
Chaoyang District
朝阳区朝阳门外大街16号中国人寿大厦
Tsinghua University
6278 9437/8286 3785
Chengfu Lu, Haidian District
海淀区成府路
University of Maryland
www.umd.edu
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS
Beijing BISS International School
北京BISS国际学校
6443 3151
www.biss.com.cn Building 17, Area 4, Anzhen Xili Chaoyang District
朝阳区安贞西里4区17楼
Beijing City International School
北京乐成国际学校
8771 7171
www.bcis.cn
77 Baiziwan Nan’er Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区百子湾南二路77号
Beijing International Bilingual Academy海
嘉双语国际学校
8041 0390
www.bibachina.org
Building 11, 5 Yumin Lu, Houshayu Shunyi
District 顺义区后沙峪裕民大街5号11号楼
Beijing Rego British School
北京瑞金英国学校
8416 7718
www.bjrego.org
15 Liyuan Jie, Tianzhu Town, Shunyi District
顺义区天竺镇丽苑街15号
The British School of Beijing
Lower School北京英国学校
8532 3088
www.britishschool.org.cn
5 Xiliujie, Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区三里屯西六街5号
Upper School
8047 3588
South Side, 9 Anhua Lu, Shunyi District
顺义区安华路9号南院
Canadian International School of Beijing
北京加拿大国际学校
6465 7788
www.cisb.com.cn
38 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区亮马桥路38号
Dulwich College Beijing
北京德威英国国际学校
1) Legend Garden Campus
6454 9000
www.dulwich-beijing.cn
89 Jichang Lu, Shunyi District
首都机场路89号丽京花园
2) Beijing Riviera Campus
8450 7676
1 Xiangjiang Beilu, Jingshun Lu
Chaoyang District
朝阳区京顺路香江北路1号香江花园
3) River Garden Campus
8046 5132
River Garden Villas, Houshayu Baixinzhuang,
Shunyi District
顺义区后沙峪白辛庄裕京花园别墅
Harrow International School Beijing
北京哈罗英国学校
www.harrowbeijing.cn
Lower School
8951 6680
Grassetown, Gequ Village, Songzhuang
Tongzhou District
通州区徐新庄镇葛渠村格拉斯小镇
Upper School
6444 8900
5, 4th Block, Anzhen Xili
Chaoyang District
朝阳区安贞西里4区5号
International Academy of Beijing
Elementary School
6430 1600
www.iabchina.net
Lido Office Tower 3, Lido Place
6 Jiangtai Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区将台路6号丽都广场3号办公楼
Middle and High School
8493 8680
Olympic Forest Park East, 2 Yangshan Lu
Chaoyang District
朝阳区仰山路2号奥林匹克森林公园东侧
International School of Beijing
北京顺义国际学校
8149 2345
www.isb.bj.edu.cn
10 Anhua Lu, Shunyi District
顺义区安华路10号
SIBS Springboard International Blingual
School 君城国际双语学院
www.sibs.com.cn
8049 2450
15 Gucheng Duan, Huosha Lu, Houshayu
Zhen, Shunyi District
顺义区后沙峪镇火沙路古城段15号
Western Academy of Beijing
京西国际学校
5986 5588
www.wab.edu
10 Laiguangying Donglu
Chaoyang District
朝阳区来广营东路10号
Yew Chung International School
耀中国际学校
8583 3731
www.ycis-bj.com
Honglingjin Park, 5 Houbalizhuang
Chaoyang District
朝阳区后八里庄5号红领巾公园
KINDERGARTENS
Beanstalk International Bilingual School
青苗国际双语学校
Kindergarten
6466 9255
1/F, Tower B, 40 Liangmaqiao Lu
Chaoyang District
朝阳区亮马桥路40号B座一层
Primary School
5130 7951
Block 2, Upper East Side, 6 Dongsihuan Beilu,
Chaoyang District
朝阳区东四环北路6号阳光上东二区
Middle & High School
8456 6019
38 Nan Shiliju, Chaoyang District
朝阳区南十里居38号
Etonkids International Kindergarten
伊顿国际幼儿园
1) 6436 7368
www.etonkids.com
Room C103 Lido Country Club, Lido Place
Jichang Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区蒋台路机场路丽都广场
2) 6506 4805
3/F, Block D Global Trade Mansion
Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区光华路世贸国际公寓D座3层
3) 8437 1006
Southwest corner of Beichen Xilu and Kehui
Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区北辰西路与科荟路交汇处西南角
4) 8480 5538
Kehui Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing
朝阳区科荟路大屯里社区
5) 6533 6995
Bldg 19, Central Park, 6 Chaowai Dajie
Chaoyang District
朝阳区朝外大街6号新城国际19号楼
6) 6539 8967
Palm Springs International Apartments
8 Chaoyang Park Nanlu
Chaoyang District
朝阳区朝阳公园南路8号棕榈泉国际公寓
7) 6749 5008
Bldg 21, Guangqu Jiayuan, Guangqumen- wai,
Dongcheng District
东城区广渠门外广渠家园21号楼
8) 8478 0578
Baoxing International Phase 2, Wangjing
Chaoyang District
朝阳区望京宝星园国际社区2期
9) 8047 2983
Block 1, Arcadia Villas, Houshayu
Shunyi District
顺义区后沙峪罗马环岛北侧天北路阿凯笛亚
庄园1座
10) 5870 6779
20A Xidawang Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区西大望路甲20号首府社区内
International Montessori School of Beijing
北京蒙台梭利国际学校
6432 8228
www.msb.edu.cn
18 Maquanying, Xiangjiang Beilu
Chaoyang District
朝阳区香江北路马泉营18号
Ivy Schools
艾毅幼儿园
www.ivyschools.com
East Lake Campus
8451 1380/1
C-101, East Lake Villas, 35 Dongzhimenwai
Main Street, Dongcheng District
东城区东直门外大街35号东湖别墅C座101室
Ivy Bilingual School
艾毅双语幼儿园
Ocean Express Campus
8446 7286/7
Building E, Ocean Express, 2 Dongsanhuan
Beilu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区东三环北路2号远洋新干线E座
Orchid Garden Campus
8439 7080
Orchid Garden, 18 Xinjin Lu, Cuige Xiang,
Chaoyang District
朝阳区崔各乡新锦路18号卓锦万代
Wangjing Campus
5738 9166/1332 110 6167
Kylin Zone, Bldg 11, Fuan Xilu, Wangjing,
Chaoyang District
朝阳区望京阜安西路11号楼合生麒麟社内
Muffy’s Education
儿童英语之家
www.muffys.cn
1) Shijicheng
8843 0104/8843 0373
5/F West of Huibo Building, Opposite to
The elementary school affliated to Renmin
University Landianchang Lu, Haidian District
海淀区蓝靛厂路人大附小对面汇博大厦西侧5层
77
CLASSIFIEDS
Accommodation
Ascott China
www.ascottchina.com
Ascott Beijing
No.108B Jian Guo Road, Chaoyang District
Tel: 6567 8100
Ascott Raffles City Beijing
Located in Dongzhimen, one of the most
vibrant areas, Ascott Raffles City is near the
second embassy district, which is rich in
cultural heritage and is only a 15 minute
drive to The Forbidden City.
Other nearby leisure attractions include
Food Street (Gui Jie) and Sanlitun nightlife
district.
No.1-2 Dongzhimen South Street
Dongcheng District
Tel: 8405 3888
Somerset Grand Fortune Garden Beijing
Enjoy gracious living at Somerset Grand
Fortune Garden in the prime Chaoyang
District, where the business district,
embassies and international schools are
within close proximity.
Unwind with a medley of recreational
facilities and the convenience of a retail
mall at your doorstep.
No.46 Liangmaqiao Road, Chaoyang District
Tel: 8451 8888
Somerset ZhongGuanCun Beijing
Somerset ZhongGuanCun is in the heart of
Beijing’s high technology zone. Enjoy many
recreational facilities and business services
in this stylish residence, which is close to
the Olympic Village, Tsinghua, Remin, and
Peking universities, and Haidian Theatre.
No. 15 Haidian Zhong Street, Haidian
District
Tel: 5873 0088
FraserResidence CBD East Beijing
Our location on the Fringe of the CBD with
excellent connections to the subway line
1 (Sihui station), BRT Lines (Ciyunsi) and
public bus system mean that wherever your
intern needs to be in the city, getting there
is relatively fuss free!
One bedroom deluxe: RMB16,000 /month
Two bedroom Executive: RMB26,000 /
month
Three bedroom Deluxe: RMB33,000 /month
Email: sales.frbeijing@frasershospitality.
com
Website: http://beijing-east.frasershospitality.com
Tel: 010-58709188 / 400-881-6988
FraserSuite CBD Beijing
The ultimate luxury in apartment living,
Fraser Suites CBD Beijing epitomizes style
and comfort, that surpasses the service
level of many Beijing hotels. The 357
Gold-Standard Beijing apartment features
contemporary concepts designed for luxury
living.
12 Jintong Xilu Chaoyang District Beijing
Tel: 5908 6000
Lanson Place
Lanson Place Central Park Serviced
Residences, located in the Central Business
District of Chaoyang, offers spacious
apartments in two, three and four bedroom
configurations as well as penthouses
overlooking a charming landscaped garden.
The interiors are contemporary and restful
while marble-clad bathrooms and kitchens
are fully equipped.
Website: www.lansonplace.com
Lanson Place Central Park Residences
Tower 23, Central Park, No.6 Chaoyangmenwai Avenue,Chaoyang District, Beijing
Tel: 8588 9588 Fax: 8588 9549
The Millennium Residences of the Beijing
Fortune Plaza
The Millennium Residences of the Beijing
Fortune Plaza is located in the heart of
78
the Beijing CBD which bears the most
momentously potential of development
and value elevation. While 25 minutes away
from the Beijing International Airport, the
Millennium Residences is walking distance
from nearly all Embassies.
7 Dongsanhuan Zhonglu Chaoyang District.
Tel: 8588 2888
Oakwood Residence Beijing
Oakwood Residence Beijing offers 406
fully equipped luxury apartments ranging
from studios to four bedroom penthouse
and terrace apartments, all exquisitely
furnished in elegant and stylish decor. Each
apartment is fitted with a state-of-the-art
air purification and air conditioning system
which ensures 99.9% pure, triple filtered
air, so you can trust in Oakwood and
breathe easy.
No. 8 Dongzhimenwai Xiejie, Chaoyang
District, Beijing 100027, China
reschaoyang@oakwoodasia.com
Website: www.oakwoodasia.com/resbeijing
Tel: 5995 2888 Fax: 5995 2999
THE WESTIN EXECUTIVE RESIDENCES
The Westin Executive Residences at The
Beijing Financial Street offer an array of
world-class cuisine options and Westin’s
signature amenities designed to elicit
personal renewal. Just 40 minutes from the
airport, the Westin Executive Residences
provides direct access to Beijing’s business,
entertainment and shopping district and
close proximity to cultural landmarks such
as The Forbidden City and Tiananmen
Square. Each apartment is also fitted with
contemporary furnishings, fully equipped
kitchens, state-of-the-art appliances, home
entertainment system and LCD flat screen
televisions.
Email: reservation.beijing@westin.com
Website: www.westin.com/beijingfinancial
Tel: 6606 8866
Beauty Services
Black Golden Tanning Salon Sanlitun
Branch Grand Opening
Black Golden Tanning Salon is the only fivestar China flagship store by Ergoline. As
the 2011 model of Ergoline Esprit 770’s,
to bring a continuous tanning effect 25%
above standard machines with unique
aquacool and aroma functions, we provide
customers with the safest and most
comfortable tanning space.
Open time:11:00-21:00
Sanlitun SOHO Branch
Add: 2rd Floor Building 3, Sanlitun
SOHO,Chaoyang District
Tel: 57853711
Wangjing Branch
Add: Room T5 3rd Floor, BOTAI International Building, No. 36 North Guangshun
Street, Wangjing, Chaoyang District
Website: www.bjtanning.com
Tel: 84722855
LA BELLEZA
La Belleza means Beauty and Aesthetics in
Spanish. Professional hair-designers from
Hong Kong ,Korea and China gather here.
LA BELLEZA is the hairdressing salon for
you with its pleasant atmosphere, excellent
service, and finest products.
New haircut! Good mood! Excellent life!
Add: F4 No.408, Jinbao Place .Jinbao Street
No88,Dongcheng District, Beijing, china.
Website: www.labelleza.com.cn
Tel: 010 8522 1626
Luxura tanning 乐晒日光浴中心
For everyone that always needs to have a
healthy and sexy tan,
luxura tanning centre is the #1 professional
tanning chain in china. We use hapro’s UV5
top end ultra power tanning beds and red
light collagen anti-aging beds that you can
say goodbye to fine lines and wrinkles.
Daily 11am-8:30pm Add:5005,F5,3.3 clothing plaza,33 sanlitun
road,chaoyang District
Web: www.luxura.net
Tel:(010-51365186)
MegaSun Tanning Salon
As the only flagship store for this popular
German tanning salon, megaSun Tanning
will provide for each client the finest sun
tanning experience.
Our center has prepared the newest
functional 7900 alpha and pureEnergy
chamber systems, combined with easyCare
optical testers. At megaSun, enjoy our
professional UV and tanning services.
Add: #8 Dongdaqiao Road, Shangdu SOHO
North Tower, Rm. 2302
Chaoyang District, Beijing
Website: www.imegasun.com
e-mail: 1019771453@qq.com
Sina Weibo: @ 麦肤堂
Tel: 5900-2236/2238
BUSINESS CENTER
CSO (Singapore) Beijing Business Center
We have 10 years experience in
managing serviced offices in the Asia and
Pacific region, and our headquarters is in
Singapore. CSO Beijing is our first business
center in China . We are mainly providing
fully renovated and equipped offices to
clients for immediate use, and all the
serviced offices can be used as incorporation purpose, and we offer maximum
flexibility and complete smart office system
to help our clients save cost. We also
provide virtual offices, meeting room and
conference room, video conferencing,
incorporation services and many other
services.
Add.: Level 6, Sun Palace Building,
Taiyanggong, Beijing
Ms. Stephanie Yan, Mobile: 18210080591
Email: sales.beijing@corporateso.com
Website: www.csochina.cn
Tel: 86 10 64697000
Close to Guomao station (Line 1, 10)
Regus IFC
10/F, IFC East Tower
8 Jianguomenwai Avenue
Chaoyang District
Close to Yong’anli station (Line 1)
Regus Kerry Centre
11/F Kerry Centre, North Tower
1 Guanghua Road
Chaoyang District
Close to Jintaixizhao station (Line1, 10)
Regus Lufthansa Center
C203 Lufthansa Center
50 Liangmaqiao Road
Chaoyang District
Close to Liangmaqiao station (Line 10)
Regus NCI Tower
15/F NCI Tower
12 A Jianguomenwai Avenue
Chaoyang District
Close to Yong’anli station (Line 1)
Regus Pacific Century Place
14/F IBM Tower, PCP
2A Workers Stadium Road North
Chaoyang District
Close to Tuanjie Lake station (Line 10)
Regus Parkview Green
15/F Office Building A, Parkview Green
9 Dongdaqiao Road
Chaoyang District
Close to Dongdaqiao station (Line 6)
Regus Prosper Center
6/F Tower 2, Prosper Center
No.5 Guang Hua Road
Chaoyang District
Close to Yong’anli station (Line 1,10)
Regus Financial Street Excel Centre
12/F Financial Street Excel Centre
6 Wudinghou Street
Xicheng District
Close to Fuchengmen station (Line 2)
Regus Zhongguancun Metropolis Tower
7/F Metropolis Tower
2 Dongsan Street, Zhongguancun Xi Zone
Haidian District
Close to Zhongguancun station (Line 4,10)
CAR RENTAL SERVICE
Beijing TOP-A Vehicle Service Co., Ltd
Beijing TOP-A Vehicle Service Co., Ltd was
set up specifically to cater for the needs of
the expatriate communities, we provide:
English -speaking driver, Long-short term
leasing, Airport-Pick up/ Drop off, Sedan,
Van and Bus.
Email: service@expatslife.com
Website: www.expatslife.com
Tel: 64381634 Mobile: 13501237292
Regus Business Centre
Premium Business Centre
12 in Beijing, 70+ in Greater China
Tel: +86 400 120 1205
Website: www.regus.cn
Regus is the world’s largest provider of
workplace solutions, with products and
services ranging from fully equipped offices
to professional meeting rooms, business
lounges and the world’s largest network of
video communication studios.
Regus China Central Place
9/F Tower 2 China Central Place
79 Jianguo Road
Chaoyang District
Close to Dawanglu station (Line 1)
Regus China Life Tower
5/F China Life Tower
16 Chaoyangmenwai Street
Chaoyang District
Close to Chaoyangmen station (Line 2)
Regus China World Tower 3
15/F China World Tower 3
1 Jianguomenwai Avenue
Chaoyang District
Catering Services
Aurora Catering
An 100% authentic Italian experience
whether tasting a mouthful Lasagna or a
juicy Carpaccio. Our international team
brings to you the authentic freshness and
tidbit of an Italian Espresso or a homemade
tastiness of a Mozzarella.
We offer a full range of catering and event
planning services for all types of business
and personal functions that are tailored for
you. The best service, at your service.
Contact Jacopo Tomé at 137 1794 0458
jacopo.tome@gptinternational.com
Zone de Comfort
With our professional service, you can focus
100% on your event at Zone de Comfort,
every single assignment is unique for
us. Our experience helps us understand
your objectives with thorough planning,
and of course, exquisite food with elegant
presentation.
In the past 5 years, we have handled numerous catering projects covering diplomatic/
business functions for embassies, highend cocktail receptions for luxuries brands,
automobiles and month-long hospitality
center services. Find out more from our
Website: www.zdc-catering.com
CONSULTING SERVICE
Beijing Office-TMF Group
In order to enable clients benefit from
the increasing globalization of the worlds
economy, TMF Group offers a comprehensive range of corporate administrative
outsourcing services in 67 counties across
the globe. With a genuine global network
and qualified staff, TMF group provides an
array of accounting, corporate secretarial
and HR administrative outsourcing services.
Colin.Zhang@TMF-group.com
Website: http://www.tmf-group.com
CCTV Tower and Kerry Centre
Suite 3107, Tower A Beijing Fortune Plaza,7
Dongsanhuan Zhong Road, Chaoyang District
Tel: 65330533-860
EDUCATIONAL SERVICE
Ivy Bilingual School
Ivy Bilingual School offers a curriculum
based on the Multiple Intelligences
theory and provides an immersive bilingual
program, where both Chinese and Western
teachers interact with children throughout
the day. There are two Ivy Bilingual Schools
in Beijing.
Address:Building E, Ocean Express, No.
2 East Third Ring North Road, Chaoyang
District, Beijing 100027
Website: www.ivyschools.com
Email: Info-OE@ivyschools.com
010 8446 7287
LEMBA
The Leadership EMBA from the University of
Maryland
Robert H. Smith School of Business is a
unique learning experience in Beijing. The
program offers world class executive and
leadership education from some of the best
professors the world has to offer. Every
month one of the professors from the
University of Maryland comes to Beijing
to instruct the class for 4 consecutive
days (Thurs – Sun). The program lasts 18
months; the impact lasts a lifetime.
Email: beijing@rhsmith.umd.edu
Tel: 8526 2528/29
Live the Language (LTL) Mandarin School
LTL is a reputable Mandarin language
teaching school, which makes sure the
students who come to us will benefit from
the best teaching methods, taught by
the best teachers in Beijing, Tianjin and
Chengde. Every teacher we recruit must
hold a BA or MA in ‘Teaching Chinese as a
Foreign Language’.
Address: 1611, Building C, Sunshine 100, 2
Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District
Website: www.livethelanguage.cn
Email: Alexander@livethelanguage.cn
Tel: 186 1263 8209
win!
Email Alexander@livethelanguage.
cn with the subject line “Free Mandarin
Classes” to win vouchers for 3 free hours
of Chinese language classes.
employment
Looking for a showgirl?
Hi! This is Miss La-tonya! Are you looking
for fun and energetic entertainment?
Then look no further! I am a professional
Australian circus performer living in Beijing.
My shows are energetic, dazzling, and sexy,
incorporating acrobatic skills like trapeze,
hula hoops and contortion.
Whether you have a corporate dinner in
need of a unique performance, a family
event looking for memorable entertainment
or something in between – I have an act to
suit you! Check out my website for more
information and cool pics: http://misslatonya.com/
FURNITURE
Crossover
Crossover Center Flagship Store, is
mainly marketing international super home
furnishing brand products.
Our agent brands include Poltrona Frau,
Cassina, Fritz Hansen, Moroso, Cappellini,
Timothy Oulton, Tom Dixon etc, over 20
international super home furnishing brands.
Our products are covered with all of fields
in daily-life home furnishing, including
furniture, furnishing, lighting, dinning, and
office supplies etc.
Website: www.crossovercenter.com
NO.81 North Road San-Li-Tun Bar St. ChaoYang District.Beijing.100027,P.R.C.
Tel: 5208 6112/6113 Fax: 8610-5208 6123
Hotels
Lusongyuan Hotel
A traditional quadrangle compound
composing of 5 courtyards, in the “hutong”
area of Beijing. The hotel building is famous
for its imperial Qing Dynasty style, and
boasts a history dating back 170 years. The
original owner of this large private house
was the former defense minister, Grand
General Sengge Rinchen, who lived here
while carrying out official duties.
Tel: (86 10) 6404 0436
Fax: (86 10) 6403 0418
Address:
No.22 Banchang Lane , Kuanjie, Dongcheng
District, Beijing 100009, China
中国北京东城区宽街板厂胡同 22 号
www.the-silk-road.com
E-mail: webmaster@the-silk-road.com
HOUSEKEEPING
JNY Home Service
JNY Home Service was established in
2007, supplying foreign families with
English speaking/non-English Speaking
nannies(maids), either daily or live-in.
As a part of our service,we make sure all
references and ID cards are thoroughly
checked to guarantee the safety and health
of your family.
Email : jieniyou@hotmail.com
Mobile: 13426362833(24h)
Beijing EX-PATS Service
Healty, reliable, experienced, Englishspeaking housemaid/ nanny. Free agency
and 24- hour English service. Medical
and Accident insurrance covered. EXPATS
Life Group also serves with Mandarin, car
leasing, English-speaking driver, Chinese
driving license, vehicle registration.
service@expatslife.com
Website: www.expatslife.com
Tel: 64381634
Mobile: 13501237292
MOVING & SHIPPING
Seven Seas Worldwide
Save up to 50%! We’re the first choice when
it comes to moving baggage internationally
from one box up to 2M3. We offer a global,
door-to-door service with prices starting
from RMB 999 by sea and RMB 1580 by air.
Call 400 181 6698 now for an instant quote
or book online at www.sevenseasworldwide.com
RECRUITMENTS
The Pearl Golf Club
The Pearl Golf Club, an American owned
and operated company is the largest
luxury golf simulation club in Beijing. The
Pearl Golf Club is an exclusive, membersonly club designed to serve the unique
needs of Beijing’s elite. We are looking
for an energetic, vibrant and responsible
Sales Associate with outstanding sales
and communication skills who can work
under pressure. The responsibilities for
this position will include developing and
maintaining a client pipeline and planning
and hosting luxury events.
If you are interested this opportunity and
meet our requirements please send your
CV to mia@pearlgolfclub.com
Recording Studios
Baihua Recording Studio:
This is our story: Baihua Recording Studio
was established in 1981, with a total
expenditure of almost RMB10 million and a
total space of 400sqm. Our studio is built
on a foundation of spring-formed cement
suspension structures.
This is a place worthy of being Asia’s finest
recording studio. Here you’ll find China’s HIFI music holy land, the fountain of Chinese
Rock and Roll music.
We’ve recorded eith artists like Tang
Dynasty, Black Panther, Compass, He Yong
– “Garbage”, Zhang Chu - “Sisters”, Chen
Sheng – “One Night in Beijing”; this is just
the tip of the iceberg.
Many musicians have come here to record
their music, and Baihua Studio is THE place
to make music.
Equipment Sales, Speaker/Equipment
Rental, Music Training, and practice
sessions are all available.
You can find everything you need in
regards to music…HERE.
We are the home of your imagination, with
quality level equipment and top level music
designed recording studio. Here is where
musicians make music happen.
The Baihua Music Education Team is
formed from professional 1st line music
artists, with professional attitudes and high
quality programs taught by knowledgeable
music professors you can trust, in areas of
guitar, bass, drums, and computer musicial
programs.
Baihua Recording Studio, No.16, Xinjiekou
South Street, Baihuashenchu Xicheng
District.
百花录音棚 , 北京市西城区新街口南大街百花
深处 16 号
Tel: 13910502958
SPORTS
California Fitness Beijing Club.
California Fitness Beijing is over 3,000
sqm, with modern exercise equipment,
cardio and resistance training, steam
rooms, group exercise studios and more.
Our Group X program is among the best
in the region, and with membership you
have access to over 150 weekly Group X
classes and a team of professional personal
trainers in Asia. Your membership also
includes free towel usage and a fitness
assessment.
Address: South Tower,L4,No.9 Guanghua
Road ,Chaoyang District , Beijing .
Fax: 010-65871477
Website: www,californiafitness.com
Tel: 4008-100-988
Cycle China Inc. 北京非常之旅
Cycle China provides organized cycling and
hiking tours in and around Beijing as well
as longer tours throughout China. Some
of their more popular tours take cyclists
through the Olympic Green, Tian’anmen
Square, and Beijing’s traditional hutongs.
Address:No. 12 Jingshan East Street,
Dongcheng District, Beijing 东城区景山东
街 12 号
Email us at reserve@cyclechina.com or
cyclechina@hotmail.com
Tel: 6402 5653 Mobile: 13911886524
Storage
Koala Ministorage
Koala Ministorage is the first professional
self-storage provider in Beijing. To learn
more, visit our website www.koalaministorage.com. To make a reservation, call us
toll free at 400-017-8889, email us at
questions@koalaministorage.com, or visit
one of our stores.
TRAVEL SERVICES
The China Guide
The China Guide prides itself on giving
clients high quality service. Whether
for family travel, business trips, or offthe-beaten track adventures, the China
Guide can accommodate any type of
travelers. Guide and travel agent service
is available in English, French, German,
Spanish, Japanese, and Korean. Visit www.
thechinaguide.com to view itineraries and
travel tips. To start planning your next trip,
email book@thechinaguide.com or call
8532-1860.
7-1-81 Jianguomenwai Waijiaogongyu
Beijing China
Travel-Stone
We organize tailor made travels in China &
Asia for expats.
We speak English, French & Chinese.
Room 1001, DongWai GongGuan,
XinZhongjie Yi 3, Dongcheng Dist., Beijing
Contact us: booking@travel-stone.com
Tel: 5670 7458
TUI China
An affiliate of World of TUI, the world’s
leading tourism group, TUI China was
established in late 2003 as the first joint
venture with foreign majority share in the
Chinese tourism industry. Its headquarters
are in Beijing whilst its operations reach
deep into the far corners of China. World
of TUI generated approx.50,000 predominantly western tourists to China yearly and
provides M.I.C.E services for renowned
companies worldwide. Add: Bright China Chang An Building,
Tower 2 Unit 921-926 7 Jianguomen Nei
Avenue
Fax: +86 (0)10 6517 1371
Email: sales@tui.cn
Website: www.tui.cn
Tel: 8519 8800
Real Estate Agents
JOANNA REAL ESTATE RELOCATION
SERVICE
We are one of China’s leading real estate
agencies boasting an extensive database
of high-end properties for rent. We have
helped thousands of expatriates find their
homes as well as hundreds of companies
re-locate their employees. Once we have
found you your ideal home we will be on
hand to deal with any post move issues
and our dedicated after sales team will be
contactable 7 days a week to help you with
any queries you have throughout your stay
in our country.
For more information please contact us:
Email: paulquin@joannarealestate.com.cn
Website: http://beijing.joannarealestate.
com.cn/
Tel: 84585667
Mobile: 13501358971
Replus-Benchmark
“Replus-Benchmark” is one of the leading
real estate agencies and relocation service
provider for expatriates in Shanghai,
Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and
Shenzhen.
• Residential Home Search Service
• Visa Application
• Commercial Office Space Search Service
• Buying and Selling Property Service
E-mail: marketing@replus-benchmark.com
Website: www.replus-benchmark.com
A-1509,Xiaoyun Center, No.15 of Xiaoyun
Road, Chaoyang District Beijing
Tel: 84467119
Fax: 84467577
Silk Road Travel Management Ltd.
Silk Road Travel is a pioneer in organizing
Silk Road tours and other classic routes
through China. Founded in 1997, we are
specialized in tailor made travel packages
that allow travelers to truly experience
local cultures and explore China’s amazing
cultural heritage. Whether you are a small
group of 2-9 persons or a corporate group,
our professional staff will design a tour
program based on your needs. Email: travel@the-silk-road.com
www.the-silk-road.com
Tel: (+852) 2736 8828
Fax: (+852) 2736 8000
79
Win!
CRYPTIC PICTURES
WIN A SWANKY FRENCH MEAL – YES, SWANKY!
We have a table booked, candles lit, the claret breathing and steak tartar being... tartar-ed. All that’s
need is a pair of readers. To celebrate, this week’s cryptic pictures are all classic French novels – though,
being tricky, we want the answers in English. Email prizes@urbanatomy.com with the subject ‘Cryptic
Pictures’ for a chance to win.
How it works: Each picture represents a word or syllable. Spoken out loud the below combinations will create the title of a classic French novel.
1
2
3
4
5
6
8
7
10
9
Last month’s answers: 1. Chariots of Fire 2. Dances With Wolves 3. Driving Miss Daisy 4. Midnight Cowboy 5. Brave Heart 6. Crash 7. Hurt Locker 8. The King’s Speech
9. Million Dollar Baby 10. Slum Dog Millionaire 11. No Country For Old Men
80
Enter coupon code “CleanAir”
to receive 10% Off all air purifiers.

china world

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