You know the drill by now: the AQI is pushing 300 for the fifth day in a row and you're starting to just feel generally gross. "I know," you think to yourself, "I'll eat only salads for the next couple of days so at least something healthy is going into my body." But are there specific foods you should eat to make sure your body is in tip-top shape to fight off pollution?

So-called "antioxidant foods" are the go-to choice here - we've given a couple of examples below, along with suggestions for dishes that use the ingredients to their full effect. 

It is worth noting that no single diet or ingredient can drastically improve your health just by itself and neither has a single diet or ingredient been definitively proven to combat the effects of pollution. Eating a generally healthy diet and exercising regularly will give your body the energy and nutrients it needs to fight off pollution.*

Of course, since you probably don't want to venture out in these conditions, the majority of the restaurants below offer delivery through Sherpa's, Jinshisong, Baidu Waimai or another similar service.

Broccoli

Order: Grilled broccolini with roe and konbu butter, Obentos

Broccoli, along with its cousins from the cruciferous vegetable family, is widely touted online as a "cancer fighter" and a key source of antioxidants. A clinical trial conducted in Jiangsu found that people who were given a broccoli-based beverage excreted a great degree of benzene, a known carcinogen, and acrolein, a lung irritant. Broccoli is widely available on most menus (清炒西兰花, anyone?), so it's not difficult to get your fill, but restaurants are doing interesting things with it, too. A fixture on the evening "shared plates" menu, Obentos' broccoli dish feels at once healthy and hearty, the broccoli boasting a charred flavor from the grill and the butter and ikura (salmon roe, which is also a source of omega-3, see below) adding richness. 

Turmeric 

Order: Tumeric latte, Tribe Organic or Pollution Fighter shot, Juice by Melissa

The main component of turmeric, curcumin, is widely renowned as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, particularly in ayurvedic medicine. It is thought to aid the body in fighting off the invasive effects of foreign particles and help repair internal damage to the respiratory system. Juice by Melissa's Pollution Fighter juice shot combines turmeric with three other hero ingredients - honey, lemon, and cayenne pepper - for an easy boost of nutrients. Alternatively, and a relatively new addition to the menu at Tribe, the turmeric latte is an on-trend health booster (try searching #turmericlatte on Instagram...). Made with turmeric powder, organic honey, and organic milk, the latte is lightly sweet and very soothing. 

Omega-3

Order: Grilled mackerel, Hatsune or Obentos

The side effects of air pollution (specifically, the intake of particulate matter) are thought to include inflammation and oxidative stress. All is not lost, however: some studies have found that a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids has anti-inflammatory effects. You can take an omega-3 supplement such as fish oil or, alternatively, omega-3 can be found in flaxseeds, walnuts, chia seeds, and oily fish such as mackerel and salmon.

One of the richest sources of omega-3 is mackerel, a staple on the menu of many Japanese restaurants, where it can be found grilled and served with lemon and grated daikon radish. We're partial to the grilled mackerel served at Hatsune, where the skin is always crispy and the flesh still juicy.  

*It is also worth noting that I am not a nutritionist, just someone with an interest in healthy eating and sharing that interest with others.

More stories by this author here.

Instagram: @gongbaobeijing
Twitter: @gongbaobeijing
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Photos: Wikimedia, Pixabay

The Great Nanluogu Xiang Facelift is over and the result is a resounding "meh."

Those harboring secret fantasies of having the alley revert back to the days of the late Qing Dynasty (or at least the late 1990s) will no doubt be disappointed.

Despite a Beijing News report claiming that almost one in three businesses have been shuttered on the popular shopping street, NLGX remains as crowded -- and tacky -- as ever.

According to local media sources, the total number of businesses fronting the busy lane has dropped from 235 to 154 after authorities closed the street for renovations late last year. Many of those businesses have shuttered for good and there are several vacant storefronts waiting to be filled by new occupants with pockets deep enough to afford the notoriously exorbitant rents charged by area landlords.

Some of the more popular fast food kiosks have been combined and moved indoors, sharing space together in mini food courts that have replaced streetfront service windows.

Attempts to inject a more authentic Beijing cultural flavor to the street have also mostly fallen flat, apart from ersatz indoor "food streets" with vendors hawking overpriced chuan and sweets. Cultural flavor is provided instead by tourists from Anhui spearing you in the back with half-eaten chuan sticks while local high school students dribble frozen yogurt on your trousers.

One noticeable change is that many of the smaller outlets are gone or have been consolidated with their neighbors.

One long running Nanluogu Xiang clothing shopowner says that the changes are part of an effort to phase out the quirky street eats that have long made the street popular in favor of less generic fare. "They want to move away from snacks and towards more creative businesses," he says, adding that many of the axed outlets were smaller than 10 meters square in size.

However, we didn't notice any evidence of such a boost in creative businesses during our recent visit, despite what the authorities told that shop owner. But who knows? Maybe the tacky snack hawkers and other exorbitantly priced newbies will become more inspired soon enough (though we're not overly optimistic).

Chatter about major changes on Nanluogu Xiang began in earnest  in October when the street was temporarily closed for what authorities called a repaving.

When we visited a reopened portion in late November, many of the street's store fronts were spiffed up, while others were boarded up or undergoing refurbishment. With all the reconstruction now complete, casual visitors are unlikely to notice any significant change in the experience.

Most of our favorite spots -- places like Passby Bar, Sandglass Cafe, Reef Bar and Plastered T-Shirts -- remain.

An owner of a Nanluogu Xiang bar said that many of the businesses that remained open have been paying their taxes and are properly licensed, as opposed to many of the businesses that were shut down. He remains uncertain about whether the recent changes are overall for the better, voicing concerns about officials "managing the area too stringently."

However, another Nanluogu Xiang bar owner was more optimistic, saying she wasn't worried about the street losing much of its personality during the purge of these smaller businesses. "Were they really that fun or interesting?" she asked rhetorically of the shuttered shops, adding that the recent changes have cleaned up the street and improved it.

It's clear from the holiday crowds that the changes have done little to affect the street's popularity. Despite heavy security and restrictions remaining from last year preventing large tour groups or motorized traffic from accessing the street during peak hours, the crowds on a Wednesday afternoon were as thick as ever.

Photos by Jeremiah Jenne

Like a burly NFL quaterback quickly lumbering to tackle his opponent, several Super Bowl 51 is fast approaching, and several Beijing bars and restaurants are getting in on the football frenzy. Chances are you won't have to run further than the proverbial ten yard line to find a venue in your neighborhood showing the big game.

Fans will eagerly rise in the wee hours Beijing time to catch the intense matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots. The Bleacher Report describes the former as "a bit of a... surprise based on preseason expectations" while calling the latter "the most consistent franchise in the NFL, and they still have arguably the best quarterback of all time in Tom Brady."

Popular sports-watching-spots like The Local and The Garage have yet to let us know about their Super Bowl (though we'll update this blog when they do), while some other venues like The Brick have opted not to host a vewing because of the game's proximity to CNY this year. 

Here's a rundown of some of the top spots showing the game.
Caravan and Paddy O'Shea's
Both venues have been delighting football fans for weeks now with ongoing collaborative showings of the playoffs, and soon the climactic game can also be seen at both. We don't have updated information on food or drink specials just yet, but will update this blog right away once we hear more.
Caravan's doors open at 7am; Paddy's doors open at 5am, no reservations. Click here for more information about Paddy's showing.

Home Plate BBQ
The southern BBQ style restaurant will serve a buffet breakfast and drinks while screening the big game. For more details, click here.
Doors open at 6.30am. RMB 275 presale, RMB 300 at the door.

The Irish Volunteer
The IV's Zach Lewison laments this year's Superbowl falling on the Monday immediately after most workplace's CNY holiday. "Kinda hard to call in after a week off," he says, but quickly adds: "I'm guessing a full house as usual, just will make more coffee than usual."

The Lido bar and restaurant will also be serving Tsingtao's bloody mary's, Bailey's and coffee, and more, all of which are covered by the entry fee.
Doors open at 7am, RMB 150

The Kerry Hotel's Grand Ballroom 
The venue invites fans to "watch the game live on the giant screens complete with US half-time show and unlimited Budwiser beer or fruit juices." You can also opt to stay overnight with a room package.
7am-1pm, RMB 388

Plan B 
Owner Trevor Metz calls this: "The best deal in town. A free flow build your Caesar bar." Judging by the delicious outcome of the bar and restaurant's last big Caesar extravaganza, we'd say Plan B will be a winning spot to catch the game.
6am onward, RMB 200

QMex
Courtyard 4's popular Mexican/American restaurant and bar will broadcast the game and offer some tasty early day eats that include drink specials (along with RMB 10 tequila shots for less responsible patrons).
6.30am-4pm, RMB 80 for Breakfast Burrito Combo; RMB 95 for an American breakfast. Reservations are recommended, call 135 2069 3900.
Slow Boat Sanlitun Brewpub
The popular brewpub will show the game on three big screens on its third floor. A special Super Bowl breakfast skillet (consisting of eggs, pancakes, sausage, toast, hash browns and cold brewed coffee) will also be available, while a 10 percent drink discount will be given to those supporting the winning team. No reservations, first come first served.
Starting at 6.30am

Tim's Texas BBQ
Tim's Wangjing location will broadcast the game with surround sound and they'll feature its popular US commercials. No reservations will be offered.
Doors open at 6am, free entry and RMB 51 breakfast buffet RMB 25 for bloody mary's and screwdrivers (first come, first serve seating)

Photos: Getty Images, The Venues

T

… tea eggs 茶叶蛋
The humble tea egg is the most portable of all Chinese breakfast foods. Pots of tea eggs can be found outside most convenience stores and hole-in-the-wall breakfast dives, drawing in passers by with the scent of their spiced broth. Traditionally, the eggs are hardboiled, then the shells are cracked before being returned to a broth scented with star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, bay leaves, and of course, tea leaves. The tea gives the broth a slightly bitter character, which infuses the eggs during their long soaking.

… tong sui糖水
Literally translated as sugar water, tong sui is a catch-all Cantonese term for any kind of sweet soup or custard served at the end of the meal. The term tong sui is predominantly associated with Cantonese cuisine, since although similar desserts appear frequently in other Chinese regional cuisines they tend not to be counted as a separate category of dessert. Popular tong sui include black sesame soup (ground black sesame seeds cooked with water and rock sugar), guiling gao (a jelly-like dessert traditionally made from the powdered bottom shell of the three-lined box turtle), and sweetened soft tofu (douhua). Their frequently gelatinous and gloopy textures mean tong sui are often an acquired taste for the uninitiated.

… twice-cooked pork 回锅肉
One of the marquee dishes of the Sichuan culinary canon, twice-cooked pork might not have the eye-catching nomenclature of dishes like “pock-marked old woman’s bean curd” (mapo doufu) or “husband and wife lung slices” (fuqi feipian) but is nevertheless delicious. The twice cooking in the name refers to the preparation of the pork, which is first simmered in water and spices and then refrigerated, before being stir-fried briefly with garlic, leeks, and spicy broad bean paste (douban jiang).

This article first appeared in the Jan/Feb 2017 issue of the Beijinger.

More stories by this author here.

Instagram: @gongbaobeijing
Twitter: @gongbaobeijing
Weibo: @宫保北京

Photos: asiansupper.com

After weeks of walking on the street (and trying not to be blown away) this winter, there’s only one thing left in my mind – hot pot. Opposite to the constantly occupied Taiwanese hot pot Coucou, Sulyi has a modern and chic décor with grey tiles and a shining (but not tacky) lightbox “Sulyi” on the walls.

The menu is relatively simple, focusing on pots. Prices are not too cheap, ranging RMB 128-168 for small, and RMB 168-268 for large. We arrived at lunch time on a weekend, and there was only one couple dining there in the vacant place. After we ordered, the waitress brought four small cold appetizers for us, the traditional kimchi, soy beans, preserved vegetables, and some mayonnaised macaroni.

We opted for rib pot (RMB 168), which took half an hour to prepare, until they brought a gas stove, and put a pot on it with already-cooked rib chops, raw onions, Chinese cabbage, dates, and carrots, covered with cheese. Each bite seemed quite dry, until the waitress switched on the gas, and cooked for another 10 minutes, the whole pot became juicy. We liked the vegetables, especially the onions which soaked up the sauce and flavor of the rib. It contained a lot of ribs, but the added dates and peanuts gave the pot too much sweetness in the end, making you feel like you were drinking a sweet soup. We also tried the kimchi pancake (RMB 42), which was quite simple and spicy but without too much heat.

They offer a bunch of cocktails, soju (relatively cheap, RMB 35-88 a bottle), and homemade Makguli (Korean rice wine), as well as Korean beers like Max Larger and Kloud Pilsener. The pomelo flavored Homemade Makguli with 4 percent ABV was a little too sweet to our liking. They also offer dinner sets at RMB 228-318 for tofu quesadillas, kimchi pancakes, soup, cheese pot, and a dessert. 

Maybe we prefer the traditional budae-jjigae (Army stew), which is spicy, meaty, and full of kimchi. But Sulyi has a huge space to place around (almost as twice big as Coucou), and a nice terrace, so just imagine how delightful it will be to have a drink in the breeze there this summer.

Sulyi
Daily 11.30am-9pm. 3-1, 3/F Topwin Center, 1 South Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District (5624 1034
朝阳区南三里屯一号通盈中心3楼 3-1

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
Instagram: @flyingfigure

Photos: Tracy Wang

Beijing’s LGBT scene is pretty active, but where do you go if you’re not surfing the usual apps or meeting people in bars? Hoping to fill this gap, and make it easier for the introverted or the technologically-challenged, Mark Bayles has taken on the Beijing chapter of Open Doors, started by Arizona-native and Shanghai-resident Andrew Shainker (known to his friends as AJ), organizing events throughout the city. We talked to him about Open Doors’ origins, organizing for all different types of people, and how you as a Beijinger can get involved.

Shainker started Open Doors in Phoenix, Arizona, as a means to organize social activities outside of the bar scene and by the time he decided to move to Shanghai it had over 1,000 members. As of last year, the Shanghai branch had accrued over 350 members.

When Bayles first touched down in Beijing, he surfed social website Meetup.com for Beijing LGBT events but was disappointed by the offerings. From there he took matters into his own hands and founded Open Doors Beijing with Shainker, as a way of creating their own social network and providing the opportunity for others to do the same. The group had over 280 members as of the end of 2016.

“We’ve got everything including picnics, hikes, walks, a lot of dinners, movies, museums, and more,” Bayles tells us. “We just had our first poker night last week. It’s been a really great experience for me because I’ve met people from all over the world. I’ve met Beijing residents and it’s really opened my eyes to how everyone seems to be totally the same: they just want to love, be loved, be happy.” He adds: “I had one Chinese guy who told me that he had been a hermit after he broke up with his boyfriend about a year ago. After he saw my post on Meetup, and gave it a try, he has made a lot of friends and he’s doing a lot of activities with people he’s met through Open Doors, even outside of Meetup.”

This platform is important, Bayles argues, because not everyone is confident enough to walk into a bar or start swiping on an app. “I’m kind of an introvert, and just going to a bar or just walking up to somebody is intimidating. This has been a very good avenue for me, getting together with people with similar interests through the Meetup platform.”

Open Doors is always looking for more people to help organize events and get involved. If you are interested, get in touch with Open Doors at opendoorsaz@gmail.com. For upcoming events, check out their page meetup.com/opendoorsbeijing or their website opendoorsbeijing.com.

This article first appeared in the Jan/Feb 2017 issue of the Beijinger.

More stories by this author here.

Email: margauxschreurs@truerun.com
Instagram: s.xuagram

Photo courtesy of Mark Bayles

This post comes courtesy of our content partners at TechNode.

This year’s hongbao war winner goes to WeChat, who sent out 14.2 billion red envelopes on New Year’s Eve. Alipay adopted augmented reality technology to its lucky money promotion, inspired by PokemonGO, but was not strong enough to battle WeChat’s hongbao feature, which became a hugely common culture in China.

A total of 14.2 billion red envelopes were exchanged via WeChat on New Year’s Eve alone, peaking at midnight with 760,000 transactions per second, according to state-run Global Times. The figure was up 75.7 percent in comparison with the same period in 2016, according to WeChat’s press release.

Zhang Xiaolong, head of WeChat, previously announced that there would be no red envelope promotions on WeChat for the coming Spring Festival. However, we witnessed that WeChat, which has 80 percent weekly active penetration rate among other social apps in China, appealed to its users as a dominant app to send out hongbao against its counterpart Alipay. Grabbing hongbao on WeChat groups became a popular and common culture in China, and local smartphone companies even rolled out some useful features to help its users grab hongbao earlier than other peers.

As you can see from 2016 WeChat data report, WeChat lucky money is not only sent during Spring Festival, but also other Chinese holidays, like Mid-Autumn Festival or Valentine’s Day.

Apart from its AR-powered lucky money promotion, Alipay continued last year’s theme of collecting five different styles of fu (福 fú or “good fortune” in English), giving away RMB 200 million (USD 29 million) in cash and coupons to users who completed the collections.

Tencent’s other instant messaging tool QQ also rolled out AR-featured marketing campaign, which attracted 342 million users, 68 percent of whom are from the post-90 generation, according to Global Times.

Images: chinainternetwatch.com, chinachannel.co

With Spring Festival well and truly out of the way, it's time to start thinking about where to take your chosen someone for Valentine's Day. With only a handful of days left to go, you'll want to get your reservations in early at Beijing's more popular romantic venues. We'll be updating this blog as and when we find out about events, otherwise you can stay up to date with all the latest love-laden listings on our Valentine's Day events page.

DINNERS

Atmosphere, China World Summit Wing*
Take your love to new heights while taking in a memorable view of the city at Atmosphere or The Lounge, where they will be serving a four-course set dinner with two glasses of champagne. Chill with "Only Love," an exclusive cocktail from Atmosphere that is priced at RMB 125 per glass. RMB 1,314. 5.30-11pm. Atmosphere

Blue Frog
From 4pm till close on Valentine's Day, you will receive two glasses of special pink sparkling wine or a Valentine’s Day strawberry cake for every RMB 388 spent per table. Available at all blue frog locations. RMB 388 minimum spend. 4pm-late. Blue Frog

Cépe, Ritz-Carlton Beijing Financial Street*
Cépe is serving a special five-course menu to celebrate the most romantic day of the year, featuring selected ingredients such as parsley risotto, caviar, wild Dover sole, and black label angus beef. RMB 1,888 per couple. 5.30-10.30pm. Cépe

Chapter, Conrad Beijing*
Everything is coming up roses for Valentines this year as Chapter transforms for your night of romance. Treat your loved one to an evening starting with a chilled glass of sparkling pink rose, then indulge in a lover’s feast of fresh oysters, the finest freshest seafood and a medley of classic French dishes followed by a dessert bar filled with tempting heart-shaped sweet treats. A night of French romance with unlimited house wine, beer, and soft drinks. RMB 888 per couple. 6-10pm. Chapter

The Georg*
Designed to be shared, The Georg's Valentine's Day dinner menu is made up of six courses tailored to ignite your senses. Beginning with two glasses of champagne and a trio of tasty starters, the menu will also delight you with courses showcasing oysters, scampi, chicken and caviar, wagyu beef rossini, a strawberry and cream dessert, and a red velvet cake to finish. RMB 1,888 per couple. 6-10.30pm. The Georg

Greenfish, Ritz-Carlton Beijing Financial Street*
Greenfish will enchant you with a menu sure to inspire true love, featuring the following dishes: Maine lobster ballotine, duck rilletes ravioli, wagyu beef, and warm chocolate passion fruit gateau. RMB 1,088 per couple. 5.30-9.30pm. Greenfish

Kerry's Kitchen, Kerry Hotel Beijing*
Indulge in an intimate evening and captivate your partner's heart and tastebuds with delicious and lavish choices at Kerry’s Kitchen while being serenaded by a five-piece live band. Couples also stand a chance to win romantic prizes in a lucky draw. RMB 388. 5.30-10.30pm. Kerry's Kitchen 

Migas
Give your Valentine's Day dining at Spanish twist at Migas, where couples will be treated to a menu that includes Iberian favorites like ham croquettas and sharing main courses including lamb loin and roasted scallops. Add RMB 250 for a jar of white or red sangria. RMB 588 per couple. 5.30-10.30pm. Migas

Okra
This Valentine's Day, Okra 1949 is here to help pave the way to your lover's heart. Each dish in our indulgent eight-course Valentine's Day Menu will awaken the senses, stimulate the imagination, touch the soul and melt your hearts. And the sake pairing? Like you two: a perfect match! (Sake pairing an additional RMB 418 per person). RMB 999 per couple. 6-10.30pm. Okra 

Swissôtel Beijing
Enjoy a night of perfect romance at Café Swiss, with a buffet of romantic dishes accompanied by free-flow wine, beer, and soft drinks. Ladies will get roses and sweet surprise upon departure. RMB 520. 6-10pm. Swissôtel Beijing

29 Grill, Conrad Beijing*
Find love, show love, and eat love this Valentine's Day at 29 Grill, with a menu for two of classic romantic dishes, finished with a box of chocolates to take home. RMB 988 per couple. 6-9.30pm. 29 Grill

PARTIES/NIGHTLIFE

Jody Watley at Blue Note Beijing
Treat your partner to an evening of love and soul at Blue Note Beijing, accompanied by the musical stylings of Grammy Award-winning Jody Watley. Tickets from RMB 520. 8pm. Blue Note Beijing

Valentine's Traffic Light Party at Centro
You know the drill for a traffic light party: wearing red means "I'm taken," yellow is a firm "maybe," and green means "I'm single and ready to mingle, baby!" Lucky draw and door gifts for the ladies. Free entry. 9pm. Centro

HOTEL STAYS

China World Hotel*
From February 10-19, stay at China World Hotel at the special rate of RMB 2,299 and enjoy a deluxe room, dinner for two in the room, a huge buffet breakfast, and a complimentary bottle of imported sparkling wine. 

OTHER EVENTS

British Club Beijing Valentine's Breakfast
The British Club of Beijing and the Westin Chaoyang join forces for a bubbly brunch on Valentine’s Day. The event is open to all foreign passport holders, and is a chance to meet and mingle with other expats in Beijing. The admission includes a glass of sparkling wine, a light buffet breakfast, and a ticket for the raffle. RMB 150 per person. 10am-midday. The Westin Beijing Chaoyang

Play: Lovers, by Brian Thiel
A Chinese-language version of the play Lovers by the playwright Brian Thiel, known to some as the ‘Irish Chekov,’ will take place at the Beijing Super Theatre. The play has two sections; the first follows a pair of teenage lovers – Margaret Mary and Joseph – who are expecting a baby out of wedlock. The second section concerns two middle-aged lovers whose relationship is constantly thwarted by noisy neighbors. The play takes a dark look at the consequences of love and Catholicism in Ireland in the 1960s. RMB 180-380. 7.30-9.30pm. Beijing Super Theater

*Prices are subject to service charge and VAT

More stories by this author here.

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Twitter: @gongbaobeijing
Weibo: @宫保北京

Photos: theatlantic.com, courtesy of the venues

Although Beijing Guo'an – and the Chinese league it plays in – has yet to develop the same kind of international prestige as its European counterparts, the Chinese capital's footie club is now at least becoming equally formidable on a financial level.

The team is now worth more than major Western institutions like AC Milan, thanks to a recent USD 512 million investment (or roughly RMB 3.5 billion, according to guancha.cn) from local property developer Sinobo Land Co., bringing Guo'an's total value up to USD 800 million, according to Bloomberg. The company's 64 percent purchase of the team is leading to an official name change: Beijing Sinobo Guo'an, a major marketing score for the property developer.

And flush with new cash, the club is throwing some of that money around like a major contender, making a reported GBP 32 million (RMB 278 million) per year offer for Manchester United captain and all-time leading scorer Wayne Rooney, which England's Metro calls "staggering" and which "may convince Rooney to exit United in the next few weeks," if he doesn't accept a bid from US league MLS, that is.

Though the English Premier League's transfer window closed January 31, the Chinese leauge's window is open until February 28. That means even though Rooney can no longer accept a transfer to an English Premier or European League team, he could still theoretically come to the Chinese league.

Even if that ploy doesn't pan out, Guo'an still claims bragging rights for some major league level ballsiness.

However, all this money floating around the Chinese pro league has some people worried, even including league officials. Some onlookers say the league's clubs spend too much on foreign talent while short-changing its local players.

A recent Forbes essay details how the league's Chinese players have been sidelined by their pricey overseas teammates, leading to a new quota that reduces the number of foreign players at four per squad instead of five.

Even though improved facilities and school sports curriculum are improving the prospects of local players, the league needs to stop relying so heavily on foreign acquisitions, essayist Andrew Brennan writes.

"The vast and increasing pool of domestic players need to rise in standards across the board, and receive regular match inclusion," Brennan argues. "This means not being left to dwindle and stagnate on the side of the pitch, while the first teams of Chinese Super League (CSL) clubs are comprised foreign players enjoying all the match-time."

Nevertheless, the draw of star power is hard to resist, particularly for a league that is considered by many to be trailing European leagues by a large talent margin.

Though he's in the twilight of his career, Rooney's presences on a Beijing side could do wonders for name recognition overseas for Guo'an, and would easily be the biggest international star ever to play for the team.

A late-career resurgence in Beijing could make Rooney into another foreign sports legend for the city, much in the same way former NBA player Stephon Marbury has become iconic with his presence on the Beijing Ducks.

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
WeChat: 13263495040

Photo: Metro

After considerably placated attack from firecrackers and fireworks, Beijing seems much quieter than usual – shops and restaurants remain closed, the subway is still pretty empty, and even the streets are not as lively as before. That's because 8.48 million people left Beijing over the past week, which equates to 40 percent of the city's total resident population (21.73 million), as reported by Sohu.

According to the chart above, this year differed to last year in that the number of residents fleeing the city rose day-on-day, reported Beijing News. Volume of traffic was about 1.1 million on January 27 and 28, rising to 1.4 million on January 29, before hitting a peak of 1.7 million on February 1 and 2. The average of daily volume of traffic was 1.47 million, an increase of 8.39 percent on last year, and includes 0.73 million arriving to Beijing and 0.74 million leaving.

Beijing attracted 9.61 million tourists in total during this year's ushering in of the cock, up 4.6 percent compared to last year, which brought RMB 5.22 billion in revenue, up 6 percent against last year, according to Xinhua. “China’s retail and catering firms saw sales over the week-long holiday of around RMB 840 billion, up 11.4 percent over 2016,” said the Ministry of Commerce.

In comparison, major Beijing parks received 1.37 million visitors throughout the holiday period, with a record single day high of 0.46 million set on February 1.

Want to see where the crowds are headed? Take a look at which venues are reopening their doors this weekend.

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
Instagram: @flyingfigure

Photos Courtesy of mydrivers, BJnews，fengniao

Hey beer drinkers, welcome back! Congrats on surviving CNY (with a special thanks to The Big Smoke, Great Leap Brewing, and Slow Boat Taproom who saved us by staying open during the week-long holiday). You might finally be getting used to these firecracker-heavy days, the lack of our favorite restaurants and Taobao deliveries, and other things that remind us of old Beijing – less traffic, less people, blue skies, and an overall slower pace. The good news is that most of the city's brewpubs and bars have finally reopened. That’s a good reason to raise your glass, right?

To mark Jing-A Taproom's reopening today (Feb 3), the team releases two new seasonal beers: a Pomelo Xanadu (5.5 percent ABV), the latest in the Xanadu series of Berliner Weisse-style beers that is soured with lactobacillus and loaded with pressed pomelo juice for citusy notes and a lower hoppy bitterness; and a Lucky 8 Lager (6.5 percent ABV) with a hoppy and citrusy aromas and, thanks to the addition of fresh pomelo, the perfect way to celebrate making it halfway through a grueling two-day work week.

NBeer Pub (Huguosi location) has 15 new bottled beers including four sour beers from Swedish Tempel Brygghus: Monstrosity, Gehenna, Surpene, and Morker. And they also have beers from Swedish Dugges Bryggeri, such as their High Five IPA, Never Mind the Bollox Double IPA, Topical Sunrise Sour Fruit Ale, All The Way Session IPA, Tropic Folk Sour Fruit Ale, Orange haze IPA, Avenyn Ale American Pale Ale, Mork Lager. Three new drafts: Dugges Bryggeri’s Black Currant Organic Nordic Sour, Tropic Thunder Sour Fruit Ale and Omnipollo’s Fatamorgana Imperial IPA call also be found on tap.

Super Bowl lovers, Slow Boat Sanlitun Brewpub has three brand-new big screens on the third floor to make sure you don't miss a second of action come February 6. They're also offering a special breakfast on the day (opening at 6.30am), with 10 percent off if you choose the winning team.

RELATED: Where to Watch Super Bowl LI in Beijing on Monday, Feb 6

This is the first What's Up in Beer in the year of Rooster and, as you may have noticed, it is more on the sour side. A greater variety of beers are coming soon, so you'd best prepare your liver!

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
Instagram: @flyingfigure

Photos courtesy of the venues

Flying and eating – there's barely a worse combination to experience during our short lives on this planet, and yet it's something that we all must endure.

By now, I've got my system down – skip all food outlets at the terminal because I'm a cheapskate and hold out for that sweet, colon-clogging combination of lukewarm meat, carbs, and maybe a stale lump of bread, or if I'm really lucky, all of the above rolled into this monstrosity "served" to me last year by Air China:

In many ways we're lucky that our senses are diminished while in the sky. But what if you're unlucky or silly enough to turn up at the airport desperate for a square meal before you spend hours in a cramped space with hundreds of strangers?

This month nine years ago Beijing Capital International Airport unveiled its gift to the culinary world: Terminal 3 and its tidal wave of shitty (and not so shitty) dining options, tempting flyers to take their physical health and their fellow travelers mental health into their own hands, 30,000 feet above civilization.

We already scoured the terminal for potential Michelin star contenders and came up short, despite this solid 8 kuai effort from one outlet:

Now, due to a lack of resources and a crippling awareness of my dwindling days, I've opted out of running that abdominal gauntlet and will instead browse the dregs of Beijing's gastronomic delights from the safety of my desk. I shall do so by compiling the words of those travelers truly dedicated to the cause of filling us in on the highly banal; those pour souls that want to make the most of their free Wi-Fi connection by eating at Terminal 3 to then spend valuable minutes, if not seconds, reviewing the establishment via Trip Adviser. A special breed, for sure.

Without further ado, revel in frustration voiced in these reviews of the top places to avoid out of all the places you should avoid at Beijing's Terminal 3, written by some very confused individuals, typos and all.

Pizza Hut - 2 star average

Evangelos P: "Unreasonably bad service" - 2 stars
Despite the sign "please wait to be seated" (which I observed) people came from behind, skipped the line and seated themselves ... while I was waiting to be seated. After seven minutes, they noticed us and they gave me a hard time when I asked tobe seated at a booth .. which was taken 2 mins ago .. by the people who skipped the line. : -(

Jay P: “One of the Worst Pizza Hut Pizzas Ever!” - 1 star
I was excited that there was a Pizza Hut at this airport. The waitress coldly warned me about a 30-minute wait (although it took about 45,) so I didn't mind it that much. However, after the long wait for only a personal pan pizza, I was appalled when I received this overdone circle of garbage without any sauce on it. There was some burnt cheese and a few pepperonis spread throughout (as evidenced in my picture.) The crust wasn't nice and buttery. These people were obviously not trained properly. The waitress was only there to tell me where my seat was and to hand me my food.

T C: “I Never Thought I Would Have Eggs at Pizza Hut” - 2 stars
We missed our flight and were in desperate need of protein in the morning. Pizza Hut was our only option. Plastic utensils, poor food quality, but friendly servers. There is a good view.

Joeirei: "Worst breakfast ever" - 1 star
Was walking by and the big full colour hoarding portraying bacon, eggs, and sausage looked to good to miss. It bore no resemblance to what arrived at the table. Anaemic sausage, slabs of fat with the odd bit of bacon attached and toast that was very cold and rubbery. The butter was hard from the fridge, so with the skill of a surgeon I managed to partly spread the lump of frozen lard on my "toast" then I carefully dissected the fat from the bacon and manager to place my eggs on the heap with the help of a plastic fork that has the structural integrity of a dead worm. The coffee was ok. The orange juice that cost half the price of the breakfast as an add on reminded me of the crap I was given as a child.

jiminpgh: "don't order steak at pizza hut" - 2 stars
I should have known better but after three months in asia i thought it was time for something more western like steak...... and after eating 4 tiny scoops of bland potato salad lost on a huge plate and about 20more minutes..... the pepper steak finally arrived ..... it covered more than half the plate and was about a quarter inch thick....... kinda like the bottom of a shoe in more way than one.... the highpoint of the meal was a small pile of steamed unsalted vegetables...... should have just got pizza

Starbucks - 3 1/2 stars average

Paige L: "Worst starbucks i have ever been to" - 1 star
Starbucks is usually a place you can go to get a guaranteed smile to start your day. I have been told that customs are different in China so not to expect a smile, but somebody who is working for as big and successful company as Starbucks should take a lesson from that company's success.

There were 3 people behind the counter, one of whom was taking orders. She was extremely rude, barking questions and at us and barking answers to our questions as well.

I would say that yes, maybe it was just an issue of differing demeanors between the two of us, but she would be angrily barking at us, then turn to her coworkers and make a joke in Chinese and giggle.

Ironically, her name tag said "Sunshine."

I was lucky that the man who had ordered after me was paying attention while the guy was making my drink, and thought it was his, because even though I'd specifically said no whipped cream, he was putting it on anyway. The man behind me stopped him.

Three people behind the counter working one order at a time, and the employees could neither provide pleasant nor competent service.

Pat F: “coffee machine broken???” - 1 star
was looking forward to having a nice CM while waiting in the lounge for my international trip. Imagine my surprise when I was advised that the coffee machine was broken, and I could have milk if I wanted? anyone hear about backups???

Costa Coffee - 3 1/2 stars average

Lolita Y: “DON'T DRINK THE COFFEE!” - 1 star
Bought a hot cappuccino for my friend and an iced Mocha for myself. We got very, very sick with vomitting and diarrhea. Totally ruined our vacation. Was it bad water? Dirty hands? I don't know but DON'T DRINK THE COFFEE!

Jessica B: "Watch out - I got burned!" - 1 star
Watch out - I got badly burned after ordering two cups of tea from this Costa... the lady served boiling water in two tall cups and they were filled right to the brim. I picked up the cups and I took a couple of steps away from the counter holding one in each hand and within seconds the lids of both cups had popped off and boiling water went all over my hands. Sat with ice on them for over an hour and now nearly a month later I still have burn marks on my hand... : (

***

Ok, that last one really sucks.

Judging from these reviews, you'd be well advised to leave enough time to eat in the center of town if you need to fill up before boarding your flight. Or go ahead and risk it by snacking on the best Asian cuisine T3 has to offer ...

More stories by this author here.

Email: tomarnstein@thebeijinger.com
WeChat: tenglish_
Instagram: @tenglish__

Images: Tom Arnstein, Jerry Chan, Trip Adviser (Jay P)

This post comes courtesy of our content partners at TechNode.

China’s O2O market has seen quite a few companies doing interesting things, some succeeding, some failing. The latest hot vertical is bike-sharing.

According to the China’s bike sharing industry mini-report by China Channel, Mobike (backed by Tencent and Foxconn) and Ofo (backed by Didi and Xiaomi) are clear market leaders amongst growing competitors. Founded in January 2015, the orange Mobike boasts about 400K Tencent Android app store downloads, mostly in Shanghai. The Beijing-based yellow Ofo bike, on the other hand, lags behind with about 170K Tencent Android app store downloads.

Both companies have their apps, but Ofo lowers friction by linking the app to WeChat without having to download a separate app. The users can either register their mobile phone or log in via WeChat account and unlock bikes on the streets at their convenience.

While many business analysts predict how the two rivals will merge eventually, Jeffrey Towson, consultant and professor at Guanghua Peking University, thinks otherwise. He explains why bike-sharing is nothing like ride-sharing of Didi and Uber. The professor compares the bike-sharing economy to a vending machine business than a ride-sharing one. 

“Unlike ride-sharing, bike-sharing does not have a network effect,” he says. “The ride-sharing experience is a two-sided network, in which additional riders increases the networks’ value to the drivers and each new driver increases to value each rider. Through customer rating and recording of wait-time, the service gradually improves as its user population grows.”

“The problem with bike-sharing, however, is that there is no second population of drivers using the platforms and providing the bikes,” he adds. “The bikes are constantly replenished by companies themselves as opposed to each rider adding any value to the other riders. It seems that bike-sharing isn’t really part of the sharing economy.”

Bike-sharing (or more accurately, bike-rental) is simply a traditional merchant B2C service. It’s the size of the company that helps (seeing Mobike and Ofo’s leads) but does not prevent other competitors from joining the market (i.e. Bluegogo, Unibike, Ubike, WeBike, etc). Ofo and Mobike should thrive as they are in the short-term by providing innovative new service. However, unless they come up with some means to actually share, it’s hard to predict the long-run.

RELATED: Could the Mobike App Do For Cycles What Uber Has Done for Cabs?

Another question bike-sharing companies face is their compatibility to other modes of transportation. Bike-riding isn’t the only cheapest way to run around the city. The most affordable new bike costs about RMB 200, less than the cost of the Mobike deposit (RMB 299). The value of bike-sharing limits itself to convenience than replacement of traditional means of transport.

Bike-sharing is a welcome change from the usual transportation problems. The business had substantial contributions to the way people commute, reshaping the dynamics of the city. As Chinese urban population grows, there will be demand for more innovative ways to commute. Only those who adapt in the most creative and fastest ways will survive.

Photo: theguardian.com

If you're thinking now is a convenient time to go traveling, think again.

With Spring Festival over, it's time to go back to work. And with 8.48 million Beijing residents having left the city for the holidays, their imminent return means another travel rush is upon us. 

The first two days of this month have already seen close to 2 million passengers passing through Beijing's railway stations. And with Thursday's returning total reaching 530,000, these record-breaking crowds signify just the beginning of the massive rush of people to come.

The mass influx of Spring Breakers back into Beijing will take place over two time periods: between February 1 and 6, and again February 11 to 16. 

The return travel rush will make things very busy throughout China this week, accounting for some 11.5 million trips on China's trains. In fact, things have gotten so busy on Shanghai's highways that traffic police are allowing motorists to legally use the emergency lane on the G1501 for the first time ever.

And if you're thinking of welcoming a returning friend at the train station, you may want to reconsider. Lines to enter Beijing West Railway station are reportedly over a hundred meters long, while the wait to cross the security check at the local subway stop takes over seven minutes.

Making things better (or worse) is that local police will be cracking down on illegal taxis during the return travel rush. Cars with out-of-town license plates will face spotchecks when coming to pick up station passengers.

RELATED: Did Beijing Seem Empty This Past Week?

But it's not just a crowded journey that Beijing returnees have to contend with. Out of all urban residents in China, Beijing residents pay the most for Spring Festival tickets at an average cost of 2,836 yuan. Additionally, Beijingers wanting to make it home for the holidays need to purchase their tickets an average of 33 days in advance.

Approximately 2.98 billion trips will be made between January 13 and February 21 during this year's Spring Festival travel rush, the world's largest annual migration of human beings.

More stories from this author here.

Images: CCTV, Shanghai Daily, EastDay, Xinhua

The Spring Festival holiday is over and now we're looking at two whole months of work before the next national holiday – Qing Ming – in early April. However, it's not all doom and gloom. Rejoice in the fact that all your favorite venues are back open for business or take advantage of the pervasive "new year, new you" type vibe at this time of year to try one of the many excellent new openings from over the past couple of months (note: call in advance to double check opening times, as some venues will still closed long past the official end of the holiday).

RECENT REVIEWS

Grain bowls and smoothies for vegans and carnivores alike at Nooxo
Located in Chunxiu Lu dining destination Yu 育膳房 (or The Crib, as we are used to calling it), new concept Nooxo does just that, serving a range of dairy-free (and often plant-based and gluten-free) soups, grain bowls, and smoothies, with plenty to enjoy for vegans and carnivores alike. 

Schoolhouse-themed Taiwanese bento at Topwin Center's Little Ming
Featuring school-themed decor (right down to the waitress's school uniforms and the homework-like multiple choice menu), Little Ming serves Taiwanese-style bento boxes, of the type you would traditionally find sold at railway stations in Taiwan. Bentos are great value for money at around RMB 50, including lots of healthy vegetable sides dishes. The crispy chicken leg comes highly recommended.

Suika: Your new favorite Japanese izakaya
Suika is a small Japanese izakaya located within the rather marvelous First Avenue Food Court (一番街 Yī fān jiē) near Maizidian, home to a slew of good quality Japanese restaurants. The wide-ranging menu includes a selection of the classic izakaya snacks and dishes – fried chicken (RMB 38), edamame, grilled eel rice – but for us the real attraction is the kushikatsu, deep-fried skewers of meat and vegetables (sometimes known as kushiage).

Sushi, sashimi, and Japanese cheese fondue at third Sake Manzo location
It hasn't even been a year since Sake Manzo opened the doors to its second branch on the northeast corner of 21st Century Hotel near Liangmaqiao, but as of mid-December they now have a third location at Tianshuiyuan, just south of Chaoyang Park. Food at this newest location upholds the quality we have come to expect from foodie and sake connoisseur Chef Taka Yamamoto who continues the tradition of making fresh tofu daily, and serving up the restaurant's signature dish: his popular eel rice. 

Try successful Peruvian pop-up Pachakutiq at their new Sanlitun Soho location
We visited the Peruvian eatery, which serves dishes from the Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei tradition, earlier this winter, not long after it moved from its original CBD pop-up locale into a more permanent space that it shares with Cafe Flatwhite in Sanlitun Soho; the café is open during the daytime, while this Peruvian restaurant takes over the space in the evenings. 

Fancy western and Chinese vegetarian fare at Lin's Dining Lounge
Tucked away on the second floor of the New Grand Dynasty Hotel on Maizidian Jie, Lin's Dining Lounge is a fashionable vegetarian restaurant incorporating both elements of Chinese and Western dining at reasonable prices. The decor is modern, with neutral-colored furniture and a low-hanging lights spread out across the sizable dining room.

Delicious high-end dim sum at Dawang Lu restaurant The Beijing Kitchen
This new restaurant might be called The Beijing Kitchen, but it actually brings a taste of fine Hong Kong dining to Beijing's CBD. Having recently opened in the Dawang Lu-adjacent SKP, the restaurant is unassuming upon entry, decorated in muted earthy colors, and featuring standard latticework dividers to section off the tables and the Din Tai Fung-style open kitchen that has become a prerequisite at many eateries around town.

Mediterranean fusion tapas and organic wine at Fu Tapas & Wine
Fu is the perfect date spot, with its modern, quiet, and relaxing atmosphere coupled with delicious bites. The first floor bar and dining area is especially suited towards a more intimate night whereas the larger second floor with its longer tables is good for larger groups, and the third caters for private parties. All in all, Fu lives up to the hype, and we're glad to see a new, elegant venue open in the hutongs, and can’t wait to see how it grows.

NEW MENUS

New chuan'r and excellent seafood rice at White Tiger Village
From the get go, Xiang'er Hutong restaurant White Tiger Village offered a new and interesting take on that most satisfying of street foods: chuan'r. Around a year and a half after opening, they are taking their creativity even further with the latest iteration of their menu, featuring 13 different skewers and a truly excellent risotto-like seafood rice.

Tasty comfort food classics at Domain
East's latest addition, chef Tim Hunt (read our recent interview with him here) who came back to Beijing and took over from Rob Cunningham last summer, has been busy throughout the hotel's numerous F&B outlets. His latest changes can be oggled on Domain's menu, the home of East's more casual dining options, which now includes comfort food such as cheesy lasagne.

Casa Talia by Tiago revamps menu with 48 new dishes
We believe that one of the key ways to keep people interested in Beijing is by revamping your menu with new, good dishes. Thankfully, we find that there is no shortage of new dishes, including, most recently, at Mediterranean restaurant Casa Talia by Tiago in Raffles City. Aside from the original delicious tapas and dishes, we were invited back to try the 48 new dishes adding just a little extra innovation to their menu. 

The Georg's new 'Fat Freddy's Brunch'
The Georg, ever the ones to conjure up a tasty meal, have launched their next brunch concept, and this time the name alone already has us salivating: 'Fat Freddy's Brunch.' This new brunchy beast costs RMB 350 per person, a pretty great deal for this much food, with the option to add RMB 148 per glass of Champagne, and RMB 55 per person for free-flow Voss water.

Food coma-inducing delicacies and Instagram-ready desserts at revamped Tiago
We were invited to the flagship Tiago brach to try its new menu. We sampled enough dishes to leave us in a food coma, beginning with the burrata cheese and grilled vegetable salad. Another new highlight is the Boston lobster with seafood paella to share. The portion of huge paella with two massive imported Boston lobsters was stunning and seasoned well.

More stories by this author here.

Instagram: @gongbaobeijing
Twitter: @gongbaobeijing
Weibo: @宫保北京

Photos: Robynne Tindall, Tracy Wang, Uni You, courtesy The Beijing Kitchen Margaux Schreurs, courtesy Casa Talia

This post comes courtesy of our content partners at China Film Insider.

After three chaotic days of five wide-release Chinese New Year (CNY) films jockeying for the hearts and wallets of Chinese moviegoers, a clearer picture of the holiday’s box office winners and losers has begun to emerge.

Journey To The West: The Demons Strike Back(西游伏妖篇)
Journey To The West: The Demons Strike Back (西游伏妖篇, pictured at top), a sequel to the massive 2013 hit Conquering the Demons, was quickest out of the gate, and the combination of Tsui Hark as director, Stephen Chow as producer, and a story familiar to Chinese audiences of all ages propelled the comedy to an all-time single day record at the box office on its opening Saturday and a three-day total of RMB 728 million (USD 105.9 million).

After last Saturday’s smashing debut, local pundits were quick to draw comparisons to The Mermaid. After three days, however, The Demons Strike Back is already lagging behind The Mermaid’s RMB 770 million (USD 117.4 million) and that difference will continue to widen throughout the rest of the holiday.

In the end, The Demons Strike Back will likely gross just over half of The Mermaid’s RMB 3.39 billion (USD 526.8 million) total.  The biggest culprit? Audience reception and word of mouth. Culling together average user ratings from China’s major online film portals (Douban, Maoyan, Gewara, and Mtime), The Demons Strike Back scored just 6.9/10 compared to The Mermaid’s 8.0/10.

Additionally, against its own competition, The Demons Strike Back’s user scores average close to the bottom of the year’s CNY wide releases (See chart above), and that will cause the film to lose its dominant screen share in the coming days.

And while no one should scoff at a final tally in the vicinity of RMB 1.8 billion (USD 260 million), after record-setting pre-sales and opening day numbers, The Demons Strike Back could have reached greater heights with a more positive reception.

Kung Fu Yoga (功夫瑜伽)
Conversely, the Jackie Chan-starring Kung Fu Yoga (CFI review here) is on the rise thanks to surprisingly strong word of mouth. A USD 65 million China-India coproduction, hoping to capture both markets, Kung Fu Yoga debuted in third place on its opening Saturday behind both The Demons Strike Back and the freewheeling kung fu comedy, Buddies In India, but quickly leapfrogged to second place and is projected to take the top spot on Tuesday and throughout the rest of the holiday. The film grossed RMB 390 million (USD 56.7 million) in just three days.

Unfortunately, Kung Fu Yoga’s coup looks like something to file under “all is maya,” as its reported earnings are drawing accusations of fraud. Data from Maoyan’s real-time box office tracking app indicates Jackie Chan’s Sparkle Roll (Yaolai) Cinema Line, which operates 49 cinemas across 19 Chinese cities, allotted nearly 40 percent of Saturday’s showtimes to Kung Fu Yoga, hugely disproportionate to its 17 percent nationwide average. This manipulation in box office receipts follows hot on the heels of Chan and Sparkle Roll’s recent collaboration on Railroad Tigers, which exhibited similarly shady numbers.

Last March, after the box office scandal involving the distributors of Ip Man 3, Chinese officials threatened a swift crackdown on subsequent parties caught in the act, but the emergence of evidence pointing first to Wanda and now Sparkle Roll rigging the system without suffering even a wrist-slap, creates the possibility for future such manipulation and calls into question the whole system’s integrity.

Even more baffling in Sparkle Roll’s (and, by association Chan’s) decision to place their film under this kind of spotlight is the fact that Kung Fu Yoga would have likely overtaken Buddies In India and The Demons Strike Back even without deceptive measures.

Buddies In India (大闹天竺)
In third place and CNY’s biggest loser by far, Buddies In India (reviewed here) has been well-thrashed by moviegoers and critics for overt sexism and shallow cultural stereotypes, as well as first-time director Wang Baoqiang’s ineptitude behind the camera. Heavily subsidized tickets and Wang’s devoted following in the lower-tier Chinese cities thrust Buddies into a second-place debut on Saturday, but the film’s standing has plummeted due to toxic word of mouth, and will likely end the CNY holiday behind even the local animation, Boonie Bears: Entangled Worlds. Currently, Buddies In India stands at RMB 382 million (USD 55.5 million).

Duckweed (乘风破浪) and Boonie Bears: Entangled Worlds (熊出没·奇幻空间)
The holiday’s biggest winners both find themselves unsurprisingly at the bottom of the box office charts after their first three days in cinemas, but positive word of mouth will catch up and give Duckweed and Boonie Bears far more powerful legs than the films currently sitting atop them. Through the third day of the Chinese New Year, Duckweed grossed RMB 183 million (USD 26.6 million) and Boonie Bears earned RMB 160 million (USD 23.2 million).

China Debuts New Box Office Reporting System

Easily as important as the performance of any of these films, while the box office exploded over the weekend, Chinese film officials quietly announced major changes to the national box office reporting system.

From Saturday, January 28 onward, all box office grosses will now include the RMB 3-5 service fee that is charged to consumers for each ticket purchased online.

Such a sweeping change will not only cause headaches for beleaguered number crunchers such as this writer, who will henceforth need to draw box office comparisons between current films and ones released using the old reporting system, it is sure to break the brains of Hollywood studio accountants, because the added box office revenue from the service fees goes directly to third-party ticketing apps and will not be included in their 25 percent revenue-sharing agreement. (Yeah, no. Email me and I’ll walk you through it.)

Officials believe this shift will help realign the discrepancy between last year’s total box office growth (3.7 percent) and the larger growth in moviegoing attendance (8.9 percent), a difference compounded by the drop in average ticket prices due to heavy subsidies. Skeptics, however, suspect the government of attempting to pad slowing box office growth and create the illusion of a robust industry (thinking in this direction also points toward a possible reason why Wanda and Sparkle Roll are not penalized for inflating their numbers).

As a quick illustration: last Saturday’s total daily box office hit a record RMB 755 million (USD 110 million) before taking into account online ticketing service fees, but with fees included, the count would have climbed to RMB 797 million (USD 116.1 million).

That means RMB 42 million (USD 6.1 million), or 5.5 percent of the daily total, went straight to the coffers of online ticketing apps. Distribution and production companies will receive nothing out of that pot.

Regardless, for now, some local outlets have started reporting grosses both with and without the additional service fees until the old system has been completely phased out, and CFI readers will continue to see grosses without service fees included unless specifically noted.

Images: edn.vn, China Film Insider

Deep down, everyone has a little Peter Pan living in their heart which is why we assume that Line Friends, a Korean-owned spinoff of the banned-in-China Japanese messaging app Line, has done so well. Over here, the brand is known best for its cutesy animal mascots that would normally grace the app in sticker form. With the opening of its new flagship store in Guomao's Yintai Centre, it should also now be known for some of the most overpriced tat to ever come to Beijing (more on that later).

The first hint that mad amounts of money are about to be splashed around is provided by the store's surrounding outlets: Bottega Veneta, Tom Ford, and Ralph Lauren. The Line Café & Store, the brand's sister café and indoor playground (called in Kids with Line Friends) sits seperate on the third floor. Despite the prices, a mere 12 seats dotted around the mall's corridor make up the "seating area."

Starting at the café, there's quite a short menu on offer, providing coffee (RMB 27-38), five teas (RMB 32), a range of cakes (RMB 42-48), paninis (RMB 98), and sausages and toast (RMB 98).

Admittedly, the desserts look cute in the fridge and are all designed based off of characters from Line. We opted for both a Brown Bear and Cony Rabbit Mousse (RMB 48). The Cony version is made of cream cheese, sponge, and a slightly tart strawberry jelly, while Brown Bear Mousse is largely chocolate cream with an orange jelly middle which was far too sweet for our taste. We did feel a little sadistic slowly cutting into the characters bite by bite, from cheek to ear, mouth to eye.

They were out of cupcakes during our visit, since all of their food is made and delivered from Shanghai, which in itself is little concerning in terms of freshness. “Due to slow delivery times during the holiday some of the dishes are out of stock,” explained the staff. Instead we tried the Brown Bear hot cakes (re: egg puffs in a bear shape), which are the only dish made on site. Photogenically, they definitely didn’t measure up to the mousses and were about on par with egg puffs that you can get from anywhere else on the street for one third of the price and from a choice of many more flavors.

We declined to order the panini, not because of the outrageous RMB 98 price tag, but instead because the staff were kind enough to confide in us that, “it’s not tasty, or worth the money,” which bodes well for the store.

You would be wrong to think this café exists to ease the nerves of the anxious parents, as it will undoubtedly be adults who flock here to be a kidult with these cute little characters and document their exploits (in selfie form) via Weibo and Dianping, and leave with the pseudo high that only spending extortionate amounts money can sometimes give you.

We also checked the Line Friends Store at the door of the playground, which also falls on the pricey side; for example, a simple Macbook case for RMB 368 or a palm-sized “air purifier” for RMB 998! Excuse me?

To gain access to the In Kids with Line Friends Playground, a) you have to be a kid or come with a kid, and b) it’s RMB 588 for two hours. Knowing that we're too broke to pay the entrance fee and severely lacking in kids to borrow, we gave up and went home.

All in all, this eye candy is made for Beijing's wealthiest and spoiled kids, not us. If you're an extreme fan of Line Friends and you've got more money than sense then this is just the place for you. If you're an adult with a life then you'll have already forgotten that you ever knew about this place.

Line Friends Café & Store
Daily 10.30am-9pm. 3-328, Beijing Yintai Centre, 2 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District (8517 1506)
朝阳区银泰中心in01购物中心三层328号

More stories by this author here.

Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @flyingfigure
Instagram: @flyingfigure

Photos: Tracy Wang

Though it might be hard to believe, you don’t need to journey far for a bowlful of wholesome, homestyle Qinghai soup. In fact a humble new little Xindong Lu eatery is readying piping hot servings of that exotic western Chinese province’s fare, and each steaming sip will serve as your own little personal escape from the Beijing’s oppressive noise, smog, and traffic.

Named Gewa, the restaurant is run by Jiaming Xing, the same fellow behind the Gongti hip-hop club Room 79, and though he was raised in Beijing, he is a Tibetan that was born in Qinghai. He says the restaurant’s moniker comes from his grandma’s nickname for him, which he often heard as she called him for dinner, preparing the same dishes that he now nostalgically serves at his restaurant.

Jiaming imports the restaurant’s ingredients directly from his homeland, but he makes little effort to play up the dish’s attributes with a flashy presentation. In fact the restaurant’s appearance is quite unimpressive, looking similar to any standard mom-and-pop run joint on any Beijing street, and being housed in an alley of Xindong Lu that gives it a blink-and-you’ll-miss it quality.

But, to be fair, the restaurant is in a state of (very) soft opening. And, more importantly, the food doesn’t need the sort of ostentatious marketing that unfortunately become so common these days. Instead it’s delicious and deftly – albeit straightforwardly – prepared in such a fashion that’s already drawing a crowd on these cold winter days.

We started with a bowl of 穰皮 ráng pí (more commonly known as 酿皮 niàng pí; priced at a more than reasonable RMB 22), consisting of thick square flour noodles dosed with chili sauce that has a smouldering and spicy after taste. Fans may have ordered a similar rendition at somewhere like Xibei, though their version has thinner and less chewy noodles (and therefore less satisfying) than Gewa's.

Next up, we tried a bowl of 双腕 shuāng wàn soup (also a great bargain at RMB 28), which featured a spectrum of colorful vegetables and chunks of tender lamb. The flavorful broth was a testament to how long the mutton had been stewed, rendering it so delicious that we could only gripe about wanting heftier slices in the soup (we can't deny that the lamb portions were a bit scant). However, that very quality makes the shuāng wànjust hearty enough without leaving you bloated, making it a just-right light lunch option.

Indeed, Sanlitun and Dongzhimen throngs looking for a distinctive, warming, low key and affordable midday option will be hard pressed to find a better noodle and soup purveyor than this promising newcomer.

Gewa
Daily, 11am-9pm. Bldg 1, Xingfuercun (on Xindong Lu, behind the Xingfusa bus stop) (6409 4020)
尕娃: 幸福二村1号楼（新东路。 公共汽车站背后）

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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
WeChat: 13263495040

Photos: Kyle Mullin

Beijing's expat community is mourning the January 6 passing of Agape Family Life House director Keith Wyse, whose legacy of helping orphan Chinese children with special needs is sure to long live on.

The 58-year-old Ohio born expat's work at Agape Family Life House – situated in Langfang between Beijing and Tianjin – was mostly dedicated to helping forsaken youngsters stricken with a bone weakening condition called osteogenesis imperfecta (leaving victims colloquially known as "children of glass" because of their frail demeanor and brittle bones).

Keith is survived by his wife and Agape co-director Cheryl and family back in the States.

In a recent Facebook post friend Naomi Jean called Keith a "humble, funny, wise, resourceful, kindhearted Mr Fix It." That sentiment certainly seems to encompass his eclectic skills and the wide sweep of his life – from which work as a mechanic in the Ohio beginning in the late 1970s, to the mission work he embarked upon in China in 2001.

Those seemingly different facets of his life frequently converged, according to Jean, who wrote on Facebook about first meeting Keith, tools in hand, as he worked away at building a child's bathroom at an orphanage. She latter accompanied him to the rumble strewn site of what would become Beijing's Bread of Life Bakery, detailing his hopes to make the business wheelchair accessible and a place for orphans to learn practical skills.

In a 2010 article about Bread of Life in our sister magazine Agenda, Cheryl recalled how she and Keith "adopted four girls from China back when we lived in Ohio. Knowing that there were so many orphaned children in need of help – medical help mostly – made us eager to do more research. In the adoption of our twins, we learned a lot about the brittle bones disease – they both have it."

She went on to say, "My husband had wanted to move to China right after our first adoption. I told him that I wasn’t going anywhere with a baby girl. It took about seven years for me to realize that maybe he was right. We did a mission trip to China in 2001, and realized that we had been called to help orphaned children in China."

We at TBJ plan to conduct a new interview with Cheryl Wyse about her husband's legacy soon.

People magazine profiled the couple in 2013, shortly after their return to Ridgeville Corners Ohio. The story detailed how Keith and Cheryl laudably raised their adopted Chinese daughters "Rachelle, 15, who has endured more than 75 bone breaks while maintaining a straight-A average (along with twin Rebekah), to seven-year-old Lydia and four-year-old Esther, both abandoned as babies." CNN also made a video about Bread of Life that you can view here. 

In the past few days, a crowdfund has been set up to help the Wyse family cover the expenses of Keith's passing and overcome other financial hurdles. For more information on how to lend a hand, click here.

This artilce originally appeared on our sister site Beijing Kids.

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
WeChat: 13263495040

Photos: CRI, Youcaring

London soccer teams Arsenal Football Club and Chelsea Football Club will meet for the first time ever outside of London on July 22 at Beijing's National Stadium (The Bird's Nest) in a pre-season friendly match, the two sides announced Saturday. 

The English Premier League (EPL) pair, who play Saturday night in London at Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, are playing as part of a three-match, two-city tour for Arsenal, who will first visit Sydney before coming to China for their second visit to China in five years. It's current EPL leaders Chelsea's first visit to Beijing, although they have played previously in Guangzhou and Macau. Chelsea announced the match is part of an Asia tour, but did not release any other plans.

Arsenal last came to the Bird's Nest in 2012, where they lost 2-1 to Manchester City.

No ticket information has yet been released. Of course, all of this depends on weather and field conditions. A proposed, first-ever derby outside of Manchester between Manchester City and Manchester United was canceled when the July 25 match was hit by a series of mishaps, torrential rain, and the unscheduled landing of a team plane in Tianjin.

Photos: Ekimeeza, Sky Sports