After initiating a city-wide smoking ban, raising cigarette taxes, and banning their depiction from TV and movies, Chinese authorities are redoubling their efforts to get people to stop smoke by incentivizing them with contest prizes.

At last Wednesday's release for an annual white paper on smoking, Beijing Health and Family Planning Commission spokesperson Gao Xiaojun said health authorities will organize contests to encourage smokers to quit.

READ: Lungs to Get a Lift: Smoking Banned From All Beijing Taxis

Specific details weren't released, but the Beijing municipal government has already held one such contest last year that gave away three top prizes worth 20,000 yuan each. In the contest, 8,857 eligible participants quit for 100 days from July to October for a chance to win 30 prizes valued at 1,000 yuan and 300 prizes worth 100 yuan.

Due to the contest, by which participants had to attend anti-smoking clinics and seminars, authorities claim 656 Beijing residents successfully quit smoking.

And while Beijing is not currently hosting a cigarette-quitting contest, other Chinese cities like Kunming and Tangshan hope to entice smokers to quit their habit with similar contests.

Cigarette-quitting contests have been around for a while. Here's a Henan man who won 2,000 yuan in a contest held back in 2008:

READ: Beijing's Smoking Ban Cuts Nicotine Fiends, Though 22 Percent Still Toke

Just as we told you back in January, Wednesday's white paper said 200,000 Beijing residents have stopped smoking, reducing the city's cigarette users to just 22 percent. That's a 1.1 percent decrease from statistics taken in 2014 from before the smoking ban was first implemented.

At that time, we told you that less than a third of Beijing adults said they understood the health consequences that come from lighting up. And yet, the quitting rate of Beijing smokers rose last year by almost 2 percentage points to 16.8 percent while another 16 percent of smokers say they plan on smoking in the next 12 months.

In addition to the 10 Beijing hospitals offering anti-smoking clinics, Chinese smokers have tried to kick the habit through a variety of techniques that include vaping, tobacco patches, and nicotine-replacement gum. Some smokers have opted to replace their regular cigarettes with slim menthol and green tea cigarettes because they are considered to be "less harmful."

What many smokers don't realize is that these "light" cigarettes may actually increase chances of cancer, not reduce them.

However, there is always one surefire, final option: an outright ban on smoking throughout the country, just as proposed by the World Heath Organization. 

In 2015, 733,000 Chinese smokers were diagnosed with smoking-related illnesses. Every 30 seconds, somebody in China dies as a result of smoking-related causes.

China has some 316 million smokers.

More stories from this author here.

Twitter: @Sinopath
E-mail: charlesliu1@qq.com

Images: SDART, China News, China Daily

Summer is often linked to fun. However, it can also be a season of illness, especially when you consider the number of warm month-specific illnesses that occur in children, which are compounded by our little ones' love of playing in pools and overgrowth, areas that are often the breeding grounds for viruses and bacteria.

Dr. Eisel Go Palestroque, a board-certified pediatrician at Vista Medical Center who moved to in Beijing in November 2016, cautions parents to be on the lookout for common summer diseases. Dr. Palestroque got his medical degree and license in his home country, the Philippines, back in 1995. After finishing his pediatric residency training, he opened a private practice in Manila, the Philippines' capital city, from 2000-2013. He then took a job in Shanghai, before a brief stint back at home, and then moved to Beijing.

According to Dr. Palestroque, there’s a higher prevalence of common diseases among children in summer compared to other seasons. Below are the most common ones that parents should keep a lookout for:

1. Foodborne Illnesses (Food Poisoning)

The incidents of foodborne illnesses spike during the summer season because bacteria multiply much faster in hotter weather.

Symptoms: Vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, dehydration, and fever. The major concern about foodborne illness (poisoning) is dehydration (kids are prone to becoming dehydrated faster than adults).

Treatment: Oral rehydration solution for the replacement of water and electrolytes in mild cases and intravenous (IV) treatment to hydrate the patient for a few hours for severe cases.

Dr. Palestroque said, “Usually, we advise parents that when they see symptoms of food poisoning, especially vomiting and diarrhea a few hours after eating something, they should visit a physician immediately for assessment of possible dehydration of the child. Usually, this is easily treated if properly diagnosed immediately.”  

Advice to parents: Keep food refrigerated to preserve it. Always make sure that the drinking water is clean or sterile. When heading out for picnics, place the food in an ice cooler or use ice packs to chill the food. Food that is not kept cool should not stand for more than 1-2 hours, especially when in temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius.

2. Swimmer’s Ear

Swimmer’s ear, or otitis externa, is the inflammation or swelling of the ear canal and is most commonly caused by a bacterial infection. When children go swimming, they often don't notice if water gets stuck in their ears.  

Symptoms: Itching, discharge, severe pain, and tenderness in the ear, especially when moving the head or when pulling the earlobe; a foul-smelling, yellowish discharge can be seen from the ear which can cause muffled or decreased hearing due to blockage of the ear canal.  

“We advise parents to dry ears thoroughly but gently after swimming using a cotton towel or a dry soft tissue as first aid treatment. If after drying the child still feels like there’s water inside, tilt their head to the side and pull the ear lobe gently to help drain the water out. If the child still feels that there’s still water inside then they have to go to a physician for a check up and treatment,” said Dr. Palestroque.  

Advice to parents: Parents are cautioned against using a cotton swab to dry the ear canal because of the possibility of causing abrasions of the skin within the ear and the risk of pushing bacteria further in is much higher.

3. Viral Infections

Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease (HFMD)

The most common viral infection is hand-foot-and-mouth disease. Vista has seen a rise in the number of cases in this type of infection since the beginning of July. The virus is self-limiting and symptoms usually last for about seven days often with mild symptoms that don’t require specialized treatment.  

Symptoms: Fever, sore throat, drooling (in some cases, even the young ones around 3-4 years old), mouth sores on the lips and tongue, decreased appetite or refusal to eat, rashes with blisters on hands and feet as well as sometimes in the upper thigh and buttocks area after a few days.

“Usually, parents come to the clinic because of the incidence of fever and decreased appetite. This is a viral infection and as with most viral infections, is self-limiting, meaning that there is no specific treatment and that supportive treatment will usually suffice. We suggest giving the child small, frequent amounts of cold soft foods and fluids or rehydrating solutions, pain relievers for mouth ulcers, and in some cases wherein children really cannot eat and drink, IV treatment is necessary to rehydrate the child," said Dr. Palestroque.

Herpangina

Herpangina is also a viral infection and is similar to HFMD disease.  

Symptoms: Fever, sore throat, drooling, rashes (oral ulcers) concentrated in the mouth area, none on the hands, feet, or other parts of the body. The ulcers often occur at the back of the mouth, which means that they're often hard to see to the untrained eye. The ulcers cause pain during swallowing which results in a decreased appetite or dehydration, which might require an IV treatment similar to what is needed for HFMD. 

Both illnesses are transmitted through saliva, mucus from the nose, traces of stool (fecal-oral route), or direct contact with an infected child. Children under 10 years of age are more likely than adolescents or adults to get one of the two diseases.

“The good thing about viral infections is that they are often easily treatable if the parents/guardians are observant and take the child to the physician soon after spotting symptoms. Complications are very rare for children with competent immune systems, and they tend to recover quickly,” said Dr. Palestroque.

Advice to parents: HFMD and Herpangina are usually entirely preventable with frequent hand washing using soap and water. Parents should teach their children to wash their hands often, especially after using the bathroom. It is also important to keep the home clean and to disinfect tabletops, toys, and other things that children might touch.

This post is paid for by Vista Medical Center.

Photos: Uni You, picphotos.net, yahooimages.com, sunfm.co.nz

Our Events Watch series aims to highlight happenings that aren't focused on alcohol and drinking, but instead take a more educational or productive approach. Events include comedy, talks, networking events, markets, dinners and more.
 

Monday, Jul 31 

Free One-Hour Salsa Lessons
There is officially no acceptable excuse for still having two left feet as of today. Self-love and acceptance are encouraged but so is learning how to dance (or making a complete fool of yourself) and having fun after the first work day of the week. Drop off our blazer at home and sprint down to Nali Patio where you will be treated to some Southern beats, and if you are doing it right, a healthy sweat. Mingle after the lesson and try out some new moves on the dancefloor because we are promised the Latin rhythms into the night. Lesson starts at 9pm. Free entry. Migas
 

Tuesday, Aug 1

Summer Nights Lacrosse Practice
If this still looks like a device for fishing out some noodles out of the bowl, then, like me, you're probably not one hundred percent sure what lacrosse is. One thing that is for sure is that it involves seemingly frightening devices pairing up with an even more terrifying name for a great load of fun. Test out your fitness abilities (or remember school times) and dive head-first into one of the most kinetic and exciting sports of modern times. All are welcome and gear is provided. 8-10pm. First lesson is free, RMB 60 after. Chaoyang Park

Wednesday, Aug 2

Chinese Film Night and Q&A
Make good for all the times you've tried to squeeze in a Chinese movie night for educational purposes but gave up when the hunt for subtitles proved unfulfilled with Camera Stylo's showing of Lu Chuan's Nanjing! Nanjing!, which details the Japanese occupation, and subsequent massacre of, Nanjing during the second Sino-Japanese War in 1937. Stick around after the film for a Q&A session with a local film critic Xu Jiahan. 7.30pm. Camera Stylo
 

Thursday, Aug 3

Book Talk With Choo Waihong - The Kingdom of Women
This Thursday, The Bookworm brings the stories from Yunnan's Mosuo Tribe, the last matrilineal and matriarchal society in the world. Author Choo Waihong was the first outsider to move into the community after she became godmother to a young Mosuo girl, living with the tribe, and detailing her experiences in her book The Kingdom of Women. Choo will talk about what she learned from this intriguing time. Read our preview of the event here. 7.30pm. RMB 50, The Bookworm

Friday, Aug 4 

Awake LOVE Orchestra: Story-telling Music Journey
Awake Project's team constantly explores various kinds of performing arts from Scandinavia, Europe, USA and even Australia. Join them for a unique experience of gypsy, pop, and classical music spiced up with humorous storytelling. The members of the orchestra set out to mesmerize audiences with the incredible range of vocals, cello, guitars, and percussion. 7.30pm. RMB 60-300. National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA)
 

Saturday, Aug 5

Pierrick Sorin - A Very Fulfilled Life 1992-2017
Amy Li gallery hosts a retrospective of the contemporary visual artist Pierrick Sorin. The exhibition comprises of 19 works that will drown your senses in colors and sounds and have your mind questioning what exactly it is that you are seeing as the pieces seemingly push the limits of the natural laws. Expect unexpected French humor, surprising combinations, and mixed media galore. 4pm. Amy Li Gallery
 

Sunday, Aug 6

East Meets West Hutong Tour
An afternoon stroll in hutongs? Seems like a pretty standard set. But there is a plot twist in this one. Instead of focusing on Chinese heritage, the "East meets West" tour takes a special look for Western-style buildings in Beijing. You may have spotted some of them yourself, but what's the story behind them? This tour offers the history to go with the sights, filling in the gaps for some of the details that may go unnoticed as a passerby. RMB 190. 4pm. Biking Café

Images courtesy of the organizers

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

This is the second part of a three-part series in which we take a look at Hong Kong cinema from the time of the 1997 changeover up to today. To read Part I, click here.

Johnnie To has been working in the Hong Kong film industry since 1978; he has been a director and a producer. In 1996, he created Milky Way Productions in association with Wai Ka-Fai; it has become one of the premier motion picture companies in the period since the changeover. The Mission (1999) was one of his first films made in the period immediately following the political changes in Hong Kong, and it remains one of his most accomplished films.

As usual with a lot of the plots in these films, there is a great deal of improbability, but the rapid pace makes it almost impossible to apply logic when there is so much action. The story seems simple: a triad boss hires five killers as bodyguards. But there are many twists to the plot, as it becomes increasingly clear that the relationships of these men are not what they seem.

But it’s hard to say exactly what political message can be gauged from The Mission; of course, it’s a depiction of loyalty, but in the case of Johnnie To, his later trilogy, Election (2005), Triad Election (2006) and Exiled (2006), has a more directly political statement. Though set within the precincts of the triads, these films use the idea of governance as the germinal plot, with the question of who controls the organization and how the organization is to be run making not-so-veiled allusions to the then-current situation of Hong Kong.

As one of the most prominent figures in Hong Kong’s film industry, Johnnie To has given many interviews, and he has expressed his skepticism about the need that many critics have to politicize what is happening in Hong Kong. Of course, films cannot help but reflect the society from which they came. Johnnie To is an example, in that his Election trilogy made many explicit connections to the actual political situation in Hong Kong during 2005 and 2006; for those of us who are not Hong Kong residents, some of the references may seem obscure, but the films do succeed as thrillers irrespective of the overtly political content.

Stanley Kwan was one of the first Hong Kong directors to gain “art house” renown in the West with his film Rouge in 1987 (pictured at top). By that point, the Chinatown circuit was in the throes of collapse, which created a very different commercial situation for films from Hong Kong. (Quite simply: since the end of the 1940s, there were movie theaters in the Chinatown areas in the major cities of the US, Canada, and the UK, and all films produced commercially in Hong Kong would circulate in those theaters; this was a contractual condition, and it precluded any Hong Kong film from getting distribution in any other way.)

One of the highlights of Kwan's work has been his sensitivity to performers, in particular, to his actresses, and this can be seen in Center Stage (1989) with a performance by Maggie Cheung as the silent film star Ruan Ling-Yu which remains a career peak.

Hold You Tight (1998) was Kwan’s first movie after the changeover, and it remains one of his most provocative movies. It is also quite problematic, because the narrative is fractured into flashbacks, and there are times when narrative coherence is lacking. It also complicates matters that the actress Chingmy Yau is playing two parts, in different time periods (the fact that one character looks like the other character is the point: a man becomes obsessed with a woman who looks like his dead wife), but there are times when it is hard to differentiate the times.

Hold You Tight is perhaps best remembered for the opening: a scene of sexual encounters in a gay spa. The shock of the opening then becomes a series of complicated storylines in which people become romantically entangled, both in the past and the present. One aspect of the film which proved highly amusing was the emphasis on travel: it seemed as if the major characters were always waiting to fly off to another place, and this seemed to suggest that Hong Kong was filled with a nomadic population. Yet Hong Kong, at home, seemed to be a city of constant flux, and the complications of the plot seemed to mirror that fact.

Of course, testing the limits of sexual representation was one way of seeing if there had been changes to the problem of censorship; the Hong Kong film industry had a system of ratings, and there were always subjects which were considered quite incendiary.

READ: 20 Years of Hong Kong Cinema Pt. I

Though to us, the many films about triads and the hostilities between rival organizations seem as stylized as the workings of the typical gangster film, but in Hong Kong, these films receive a great deal of scrutiny, because the corruption which is revealed is considered detrimental to the image of Hong Kong. For that reason, a great many of those films wind up with very restrictive ratings, so that the audiences for those films are only for adult audiences. It is feared that these films about the triads would prove to glamorize criminal activity, so children must be kept from seeing them.

Daryl Chin is a co-founder of the Asian-American International Film Festival. He is a multimedia artist, critic, and curator. He was Associate Editor of PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art from 1989 to 2005. He was on the Board of Directors of NewFest (The New York Lesbian and Gay Film Festival) and Apparatus Productions. With Larry Qualls, he created over 30 theater/performance pieces from 1975 to 1985.

Image: pgw.udn.com

Put that slice down! Or don't, and navigate to the weekend of September 16-17 on your calendar using those greasy mitts, and use God's greatest food creation as a makeshift cheese pen instead. Go on, smear it real good.

That's because not only have we now announced our incoming 2017 Pizza Festival, the mother of all pizza parties to kick off the voting bonanza that is the Pizza Cup, but you can now go ahead and purchase advance tickets for the event, ensuring that you're first in line for the warmest slices and up front for the best entertainment.

We'll also be giving away a special picnic blanket to whoever books ahead of time and to make your weekend out just that much sweeter.

This year's Pizza Cup will take place at Wangjing Soho, which last year proved a great space for pizza gorging thanks to its long layout, providing a street party atmosphere and more than enough space so that you can retreat to a quiet spot eat your pizza in comfort (on your shiny-new picnic blanket).

It also bodes well for our carnival theme, including dancers, games, and magic as well as music from some of the city's best live performers, including The Hunters, The Mac Daddies, and DJs to maintain the momentum from 11am to 8pm both days.

So, what are you waiting for, grab your tickets now for RMB 20 to make sure that your future-self doesn't go hungry.

Purchase your tickets in English

Purchase your tickets in Chinese 

Images: Uni You, the Beijinger

@all: Redirect your flights from Shanghai to Beijing and expand your mind and lose the contents of your wallet exploring the cultural heart of China's capital with a new 144-hour visa-free entry, to be implemented by year's end.

The vice-mayor of Beijing, Cheng Hong, made the announcement late last week, saying that Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei province will provide 144-hour visa-free entry, doubling the previous 72-hour length, in an effort to modernize and improve the area's service industry.

The vice-mayor did not specify the details regarding how exactly the visa-free entry will work, but we assume it will be similar to that of the regulations that were implemented in Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangdong last year. In those areas, citizens of 53 countries have the option to land in and then freely roam for six days.

Vice-mayor Cheng Hong added that the change in policy should allow and encourage "the free circulation of resources" in the area of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the government's plan to boost the region's economy under its Jing-Jin-Ji project.

The adjustments seem to mainly be oriented to travelers with business interests and it should allow them to attend the conferences and other events in the area.

Together with the change of visa regulations, the local authorities also plan to reduce the hassle of setting up business and investments in the country. Currently, approximately 15 licenses are required from 11 different departments in order to even gain the right to set up a business as a foreign investor. Beijing hopes to offer a one-stop service for foreigners intending to invest in China, shortening the whole process to around five days. 

While the government officials seem to be mostly focusing on business related trips, we'd be surprised if we didn't see a whole host of "arrival-to-departure tours" of Beijing and surrounding areas once the new regulations are ushered in. Let's just hope they don't require a VPN to book once you touch down.

Images: Wikimedia commons, TCT

In a city famous for its more than 3,000 years of history, relics of the past offer stark and stunning contrast as a backdrop for Beijing's rapid changes. Today's developments are no less "Beijing" than the temples of dynasties past, and the city's locally owned eateries and breweries are as unique and attractive to visitors as the historical specimens surrounding them. Bridging the gap between the attractions of yesteryear and today is Lost Plate's new tuk tuk-powered beer tour.

Lost Plate is best known for their food tours centering around locals' favorite family-run restaurants in Xi’an, Chengdu, and Beijing. This new, beer-focused tour began in April and is composed of a trip to three or four of the city’s best and most popular taprooms and brewpubs, providing guests a chance to taste over 12 different varieties of beer in a well-curated and enlightening pub crawl. The choices are carefully considered and, on our tour, happened to feature my go-to watering holes in town. That being said, I still learned a lot of from the knowledgeable and affable guides on hand, but you'll find no spoilers here – take the tour yourself to see whether you can guess the locations correctly.

Greeted at Shichahai subway station by Brian Bergey, Lost Plate's co-founder, beer lover, and seasoned guide, we took a short walk through the hutongs, reaching our first stop, one that many of you have probably frequented and is credited as one of, if not the first, craft brewery in Beijing. Proud of its locally-sourced recipes, the first brew we tried from a flight of four proved extremely drinkable and infused with Sichuan peppercorns and local honey from an apiary located near the Great Wall. The flight also included another of my favorites, a beer that features Chinese cinnamon, Chinese rock candy, local malted barley, and local Qingdao flower hops from Xinjiang and Gansu.

Having failed to rinse the guides of all their boozy knowledge, but succeeding in rendering our glasses dry, it was time to travel to the second location using Lost Plate’s exclusive tuk tuk (complete with cooler and local roadies). The second venue, a decently sized taphouse in the heart of some of Beijing's liveliest hutongs, provided us with a flight of six of their in-house brewed beers and was accompanied by a bite of everyone's favorite street eat, jianbing. By this point, we couldn't be sure if our senses were acting up but we could have sworn that there were notes of baijiu in the bean sauce.

After one last joy ride, we were transferred to our final destination, where we had four of this venue's most popular summer brews: German-style Kölsch; a dry-hopped and funky sour saison; a malty and biscuity American-style IPA; and a classic Seeing Double IPA (OK, you probably know where we are now), universally loved for its zesty flavors and notes of tropical fruits – a perfect wrap for the night.

The brewery tour sets of every Monday (7pm), Thursday (5pm), and Saturday (3pm), and has a maximum yield of 10 people so that the guides can dedicate their time to answering all of your curious sud-related questions. RMB 450 (USD 67) per person will get you over four pints of beer in total at three (or sometimes even four) breweries, a local Beijing snack, a souvenir pint glass, tuk tuk transportation, understanding behind the local brews, and a guaranteed tipsy and fun experience. To book, visit lostplate.com or email info@lostplate.com.

More stories by this author here.

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

Photos courtesy of Lost Plate, Tom Arnstein, Tracy Wang

Are you looking to perfect your beach body for the remnants of Beijing's burning summer? If so, we got what you need. Below we list some of Beijing’s best gyms by location.
 

Sanlitun

SpaceCycle
Patronized by stars all over the world, SpaceCycle (also pictured at top) is known for its trendy and funky and upbeat environment. SpaceCycle sees working out as something way beyond a physical experience, but more about positive energy, fun and vibrancy in life. It mixes music, technology, and pop culture to provide a close-knit instructor and peer support system, fuel individuals’ training with upbeat music, and offer signature music-themed cycling and barred classes. "At SpaceCycle, music is the secret sauce."

Price: RMB 15,000 for unlimited classes per year, RMB 5,100 for 30 classes

Daily 7.30am-10pm. N4-40A, F4, Taikoo Li North, 19 Sanlitunbei Lu (84516101)
三里屯北路19号三里屯太古里北区4层N4-40A

READ: Get on Yer Bike at New SpaceCycle, Gu Cycle, and Base Fit Locations

LeFit
LeFit is a completely new concept gym. As an O2O gym, it is self-service, runs 24/7, and is heavily integrated with its app. For those who work overtime almost every day, this is the perfect place to work out their fitness regime. At LeFit, you can definitely expect smart air purifiers, central air conditioning and imported facilities with cool new methods of creative training. Last but not least, the dirt-cheap price make it accessible on almost any budget.

Price: RMB 99 per month, RMB 150 per class

24-hours. B1, Jiasheng Center, 19 Dongsanhuanbei Lu JIa (400 1501 866)
东三环北路甲19号嘉盛中心B1

Base Fit
What’s distinct about Base Fit is that it pays great attention to your overall health. The “B Fit” creative training method developed by Base Fit combines quintessential facets of physical training – body building, body weight training, running, cycling, boxing, yoga, etc. – and is suitable for all age groups. The signature “B Fit” program is professionally accredited and puts emphasis on the dynamics, diversity, and intensity of training, and all clients’ health conditions are scientifically tracked.

Price: RMB 13,000 for annual pass, RMB 4,200 for seasonal pass

Daily 7am-10pm. 39-3 Xingfuercun (5727 6060)
幸福二村39-3
 

Zhongguancun

Le Wellness
Situated in the Gate City Mall, Le Wellness enjoys an exceptionally great location, making it very convenient for IT professionals, high school students and college students in the Zhongguancun area to train after work or study. However, the facilities' exceptional accessibility has made it a popular choice, resulting in some crowding during peak hours. But this won't be a problem for those accustomed to working out in the day time.

Price: RMB 3,888 per year

Daily 7am-10pm. 5/F, Xinzhongguan Shopping Center, 19 Zhongguancun Street (8248 8899)
中关村大街19号新中关购物中心5楼

Khoo Teck Puat Gymnasium
Peking University's Khoo Teck Puat Gymnasium is an indoor arena originally constructed for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Built in an architectural style called "China Ridge" to reflect the spirit of sports, the gymnasium was remodeled after the Olympics Games to become a sports complex including a fitness club, swimming pool, courts, and facilities for a variety of sports including badminton, table tennis, squash and billiards. The grand scope of the area, comprehensive functionality, and exceptionally low price are definitely great motivators to help anyone get into the gym and the swing of things.

Price: RMB 980 per year

Daily 9am-10pm. Peking University, 5 Yiheyuan Lu (6275 0789)
颐和园路5号北京大学内

Bally Total Fitness
This internationally recognized brand never fails to fascinate sports lovers. Bally Total Fitness is one of the best-equipped fitness centers in Beijing, with its Life Fitness facilities imported from the US. People who train here generally rave about it, especially the range and sheer amount of equipment it offers. It is huge, with everything you’d want in a gym, and is designed to accommodate those serious about lifting. Bally Total fitness is a solid choice for fitness lovers in Zhongguancun.

Price: RMB 3,400 per year

Daily 7am-10pm. B101, Bldg C, Rongkezixun Center, 2 Kexueyuannan Lu (8286 1881)
科学院南路2号融科资讯中心C座B101室
 

Wangjing

Gym Box
With 104 different classes every week, an army of very personal trainers to push you to your limits and the best and newest equipment you’ve ever tried to lift, pull, push or beat into submission, Gym Box is a nice place to stay fit in Wangjing. The environment is enjoyable and comfortable. It is huge and well-lit, with massive windows and high ceilings, and you can even watch the musical fountain out the window while on the treadmills.

Price: RMB 388 per class

24-hours. 2611, 6/F, 2A, Wangjing SOHO, 7 Fu'anxi Lu (8429 4778)
阜安西路7号望京SOHO塔2A座商业6层2611室

D Fitness
D Fitness aims to provide great service and experience for fitness lovers. Coaches here are friendly, interesting and easy to get along with. Private shower rooms are clean and provide shampoo, bath gel, and even cleansing oil for girls, giving it the feeling of a luxury spa. Air purifiers here are fit to fight even the worst air conditions in Beijing. This is the perfect place for those who are looking for a pleasant training experience.

Price: RMB 400 per class

D Fitness 9am-10pm. 1606-07, 16/F, Bldg A, Botaishangye Square, Wangjing (6478 7680)
望京博泰商业广场A座16层1606-07

Life Gym
Life Gym is spread out over three floors and is approximately a 10-minute walk from Wangjing South subway station. Life Gym offers a variety of classes throughout the day, with a focus on boxing. Both the classroom and central workout space are clean, bright, and equipped with air purification systems. They constantly update their equipment and have even added a turf area with big tires for flipping and a prowler. Fuel yourself for your workout and the resultant gains by dining in; the gym serves up healthy dishes on site.

Price: RMB 500 per class

Daily 9am-10pm. A706 Jiajingtiancheng, 2 Zhonghuannan Lu (8410 0400)
中环南路甲2号佳境天城A706室
 

Dongzhimen

Combo Fit
Located in an office building, Combo Fit is nothing high-profile, huge nor fancy, but it is quiet and has everything you need for a decent workout. Coaches there are known to be friendly and engaging, with most specializing in fat loss and flexibility. Many of the center's customers have given this gym positive feedback and sing the praises of the coaches' expertise. The only downside is crowding during peak hours.

Price: RMB 580 per class

Daily 9am-10pm. 5-602, Jinchengjianguo, 5 JIanguomen North Street (8410 0400)
建国门北大街5号金成建国5号-602

Hosa Fitness
Tons of machines, all shiny and seemingly well maintained. There are plenty of benches for every conceivable type of barbell press – flat, incline, decline, and overhead. The setup would be perfect for someone who wants to isolate muscles and work them from every angle.

But for those who are used to watching videos when training, this seems not to be a perfect choice. Located in the basement, the Internet signal there is not so good. It can get a bit boring while running without access to your favorite online entertainment.

Price: RMB 700 per class

Daily 9am-10pm. B1, 29 Dongzhong Street, East Gate Plaza
东中街29号东环广场B1层

Get Body Fitness
Get Body Fitness can easily be regarded as one of the best-looking clubs available. The design is simple and the environment is clean and tidy.

Trainers here never give you the sense of salespeople who are more eager to target your wallet than your fitness goals. They come across as friends. They always keep track of you and offer guidance on diet and exercises. In the long run, you will not only have a better build but, more importantly, a better understanding of your own health.

Price: RMB 666 per class

Daily 24-hours. 27G, Bldg C, Dongfangyinzuo, 48 Dongzhimenwai Street (8453 1301)
东直门外大街48号东方银座C座27G

Images: Uni You, Dianping

Instagram's favorite dish, the poke bowl (although Instagram loves anything in a bowl, to be honest), is definitely catching on in Beijing, for which we are very grateful. In addition to their regular selection of poke bowls, Moka Bros has teamed up with Chinese food blogger Wei Xue Yi (aka 造洋饭书) to create two limited-edition color-themed poke bowls (pictured in lead blog image). The "black" bowl includes a base of quinoa-black rice mix topped with omega 3-rich smoked mackerel, braised shiitake mushrooms, roasted eggplant, and two types of seaweed, while the "white" bowl features white tuna, boiled egg, heart of palm, and crisp radish on a bed of sushi rice. Both bowls are priced at RMB 68. 

The steamier Beijing months have us heading to the livelier bars in town and none is perhaps more lively than La Social, tucked away on the third floor of Nali Patio, at the weekends. Now the crew behind this South American bar is trying to tempt you to start your weekends early with their new Arepa Social Club deal. For RMB 78, you can now get any cocktail and arepa pairing between Tuesday and Thursday until 10pm. If you’ve never seen La Social’s arepas then you should know that these are hulking buns of ground maize stuffed with the likes of shredded pork, chicken, avocado, cheese, and beans, and one will do the trick quite nicely before you find yourself flung onto the dance floor. Of the cocktails, we particularly enjoy the Resurrection Lemonade courtesy of its frothy and not-too-sweet mix of mint, fresh lemon juice, coconut, and Diplomatico Rum.

If you're in the mood for a rather more substantial meal, head to creative cocktail bar Botany on August 6 for a five-course, cocktail-paired dinner. The brains behind Botany, Frankie Zou, has teamed up with a talented chef to create a menu of dishes inspired by the Basque country, featuring plenty of seafood and other flavors of the region like fennel and tomato. Each dish is paired with one of Frankie's unique cocktails, such as pearl oyster with heirloom tomato, green apple, and seaweed paired with a cocktail of gin, lemongrass, cucumber, and lemon. The dinner is priced at RMB 888 per person if paid in advance (search for "Botany" on WeChat and follow their official account for more information) or RMB 1,000 at the door. A small price to pay for what promises to be a very interesting culinary experience. 

Finally, join the SOAS Alumni Association for a charity dinner at 99 Yurts (read our previous review of this awesome Mongolian-themed restaurant here) on August 5. Meet old and new friends while dining on spit-roasted lamb and other delicacies in a traditional Mongolian yurt setting – no need to be a SOAS Alumnus! All proceeds from this event will go to the SOAS Sanctuary Scholarships appeal, which gives refugees and displaced people the chance to get a higher education at SOAS, University of London for free. Tickets are RMB 300 per person, which includes a hearty dinner of roast lamb, beer and wine, entertainment during the meal, and transportation to and from the restaurant (the pickup point is the southwest corner of Andingmen Qiao at 5pm, sharp). Register via Yoopay here.

More stories by this author here.

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

Images courtesy of Moka Bros/Wayne Wei Xue Yi, Tom Arnstein, Botany, SOAS Alumni Association/99 Yurts

A fatal accident claimed the life of a woman riding a motion simulator at the Fun Capital vacation resort in Beijing's northern Changping suburb this past weekend.

Reports say the woman, a 51 year-old Shanxi resident named Ding, fell from a height of 10 meters while taking part on the "Dream Time Machine" motion simulator. A park medical worker said the woman died at the scene.

Police say an investigation is pending, and few details have been released about the incident. The motion simulator has been closed to the public since Sunday.

The Dream Time Machine is a motion simulator that has its audience sit on a moving platform that is hoisted in mid-air. Combining real-time movement and special effects, the Dream Time Machine depicts the culture and history of Beijing by giving its audience a bird's eye view of such landmarks as the Great Wall of China and the Olympic Bird's Nest from various points in time.

Called "Forbidden Flight" in Chinese (翱翔紫禁), the motion simulator accommodates 100 audience members per six-minute show, totaling 2,400 people every day. Here's how a promotional photo depicts the Dream Time Machine:

This is by no means the first alarming incident at a Chinese amusement park in 2017.

A teenager died when she was flung off a motorized ride at the Chaohua Amusement Park in Chongqing this past February, while a woman suffered severe head trauma this past June while riding the "Tornado" ride at the Happy Water Rubik's Cube, Beijing's largest open-air water park. 

Malfunctions have plagued Beijing's Happy Valley Amusement Park, causing visitors to get stuck on its rides this past Mother's Day as well last year when an errant bird inadvertently activated a safety override, stranding riders 30 meters above the ground on the Crystal Wing roller coaster.

While Shanghai has seen the most active development in its amusement parks recently, a number of ambitious plans are in store for those located in Beijing.

After last year's unveiling of a 100 meter-high ferris wheel at Shijingshan Amusement Park, the next major development will be the opening of Universal Studios theme park, expected to open in 2020. Meanwhile, Bejing's restaurant industry recently announced plans to team up with local amusement parks and build "old-style experience streets" to attract diners.

For all of Beijing's successes with amusement parks, there have also been failures. The Beijing Amusement Park finally shut down in 2010 after serving the public from its central Chongwenmen location for 23 years. Before that, plans to build Asia's largest theme park in 1996 came to an end when land negotiation for Beijing's Wonderland stalled indefinitely, leading to its eerie legacy of abandoned structures.

And, for the record, there hasn't been any further developments regarding Jackie Chan's plans to build his own museum/theme park in Beijing.

More stories from this author here.

Twitter: @Sinopath
E-mail: charlesliu1@qq.com

Images: iscp, diyitui, sohu, Qunar

Summer 'tis the season for our loved ones to travel miles to visit us and experience the city. After an exhausting day of visiting crowded tourist sites, some of us require a cool and calm respite from the heat and hordes. Cantonese restaurant 8 Qi Nian's RMB 98 all-you-can-eat-dim-sum buffet offers an alternative to the classic Peking roast duck or sweat-inducing hot pot.

Located on the second floor of New World Hotel, 8 Qi Nian just has changed 80 percent of its a la carte menu with more Cantonese dishes. Instead of providing luxurious birds' nests, shark fins or sea cucumbers, they offer more home-style and hearty dishes, such as chili braised pig’s ear (千层耳, qiāncéng ěr), poached chicken with chili oil (口水鸡, kǒushuǐ jī), deep-fried river shrimp with soy sauce (油爆河虾, yóubào héxiā), steamed Chinese yams with blueberry jam (蓝莓山药, lánméi shānyào), and roasted Australian Black Angus beef ribs with barbecue sauce. These tempting dishes were created by new executive Chinese chef Yuen Yiu Fat, the Honorary President of the World Association of Master Chefs (Beijing Branch). We were invited to preview some of the dishes on the automatically rotating table (!) for 25 to share. (Pricing is still yet to be determined.)

The meal kicked off with appetizers. Our favorite was the poached pork belly (蒜泥白肉, suànní bái ròu), which was seasoned with garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, white sesame, and soaked in chili oil. Under the pork, shredded cucumbers soaked up the trickled-down juices and spices for a fresh and flavorful accompaniment. The double-boiled fish soup with apple and almond was hearty without being too heavy.

Of the main dishes, steamed pork belly (梅菜扣肉, méicài kòuròu) was the winner. Originally a Hakka specialty, this dish's preparation if work intensive – the meat must be blanched, fried in a wok, soaked in water, sliced, stuffed and steamed for hours. In this rendition, they slow-cooked the pork to make it more seasoned, and cut the pork belly into thick slices. The skin was glazed and golden brown, the fat was irresistibly soft, and the Chinese cabbage under the meat was soaked in delicious meaty flavor. The steamed mandarin fish was huge, but seemed lacking in seasoning due to the thickness of its cut.

To round it off, we had a bowl of hearty fried rice, featuring chopped Chinese sausage, preserved pork, barley, millet, and coix seed. It might look a bit plain, but the flavor and texture was complex thanks to the different softness of the grains. The heartiness and homeliness of the dish best suits it to a chilly winter evening after a night of drinking. If you happen to dine here for dinner, head upstairs to Yin on 12 to end the night with cocktails and views of the sunset over ancient architecture in the heart of Beijing.

More stories by this author here.

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

Photos Courtesy of New World Hotel, Tracy Wang

Concluding my interview with Italian architect Virginia Chiappa Nuñez, who has now lived and worked in Beijing for six years, our discussion naturally moves onto future plans and how long she intends to stick around. Nuñez playfully describes Beijing as great boyfriend material but she’d never go as far as to marry it – a metaphor that most if not all expats here can relate to. The initial thrill of being all-consumed by life in China can quickly transition into habitual living that is later accented with tedium and frustration and the occasional blowout, promising that you’ll get the hell out. Something else also happens during the seemingly endless trawl of unavoidable house hunting upon arrival; an accrued snapshot of fellow foreigners’ broken homes and dirty secrets also begins to emerge: insecure Ikea shelving, tainted grotty walls, and bloated, unkempt furniture that is overdue a wash.

But there is an alternative. A small contingent, predominantly architects like Nuñez, have long been undertaking the task of transforming their homes as pet projects, driven by the simple belief that they can do better. Granted, they usually have cheaper access to materials and labor and have the necessary know-how, but that doesn’t make their makeovers unattainable. The initial trick is not just to look for a suitable home – keep in mind a hutong house will be easier to restructure than an apartment – but also one with potential (in Nuñez’s case it was the Confucius Temple-facing view from her Andingmen apartment). Chinese agents are more likely to show run-down apartments that are cheaper and riper for a facelift. If you go all-in and structurally remodel, you will want to secure a long enough contract to make the augmentation worth your time, as well as negotiate specific changes with the landlord. They are likely to show steadfast incredulity, but can be swayed by the thought of higher future rent.

Such adjustments may seem drastic and costly but they soon repay in the contentment they provide. Aurélien Chen, a French-Chinese architect who remodeled his entire Zhangzizhong Lu-adjacent pingfang for a surprisingly low total of RMB 50,000, says of his family’s abode: “We love this house and it feels like we’ve been living in it for longer than we actually have because we designed it for our needs.” Chen states that the most effective alteration came by knocking down the wall that separated the kitchen from the main house. This allowed for space to build a glass hallway to connect the whole structure and leaving a boxed-off leafy courtyard. Failing the want to indulge in your sledgehammer fantasies, Chen also suggests a number of minor tweaks that go a long way to soothing cold feet, literally and figuratively. Those tips include buying a made to measure wooden floor to place on top of austere tiles, hiding unsightly electricity cables, moving gas canisters and water boilers to safer confines, and installing windows for added insulation and light.

Nuñez, who estimates her apartment remodeling to have cost a similar amount to Chen’s, echoes his sentiment, observing, “The point of renovating is that you can return home and feel like it’s your own, to enjoy the quality of what you end up with. It’s not going to be cheaper; it’s just going to be better.” She recommends saving money by seeking out raw materials for the interior yourself, which also gives you the ability to prioritize what you want to look nice, using a mixture of market-bought products (wood, stone, fabrics, etc.) and final flourishes like handles for wardrobes and taps for sinks from Ikea or Taobao.

Nuñez also exalts the ease of use of free design programs like SketchUp, which allow you to create furniture outlines, designs, and blueprints. She finishes by saying that, “this is something anyone can accomplish, but do expect it to be stressful and challenging.”

Opting for a less radical approach, Chen Xuan, whose company Shishang Architecture specializes in luxury-focused interior design and architecture, advises that if nothing else, the first thing you should do is banish any sign of China’s ubiquitous fluorescent lighting, opting instead for a warming spotlight or lamp. A lick of paint or wallpaper can also make a big difference: “Before I used to hate wallpaper because my design background defines that the less material used the better, but now there are  many interesting options.”

Similarly, old furniture can be disguised with patternless, colorful fabrics, pairing them with curtains and getting rid of the tacky nylon drapes that usually come standard. For a final and inexpensive personalized touch, blow up pictures and print on canvases to hang, can be an instant way to enliven your home. Chen laments that markets for interior design goods are slowly being forced out of the city but a few hang on, including Chengwaicheng Furniture Market, Gaobeidian Furniture Street, and Shilihe Lighting Market.

The impetus to transform your residence from temporary dwellings to an actual home is not one that comes easily in Beijing. Whether it’s because of indifference to change, perceived lack of better alternatives, or simply because we tell ourselves we might have to leave at any minute, expats here often settle for less. Do yourself a favor: you may have already accepted your time in Beijing as just a naughty fling, but you never know, with an open mindset, some chiseling, and fair amount of turning the other cheek, it could become so much more.

More stories by this author here.

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

Photos courtesy of Virginia Chiappa Nuñez , Aurélien Chen

Plenty of soul searching has been prompted in Beijing after the release of a survey called "100 best LGBT cities in the world,” conducted by German-based housing rental website Nestpick, which ranked the Chinese capital dead last. 

Heated debates ensued on many forums and outlets, including the comments section of a Beijinger article about the ranking, with commenters posting gripes like “I bet it's far worse to be LGBT in Riyadh, Tehran and the entire Middle East” and another who wrote, “Just visit Destination in Beijing. Being gay is as Chinese as foreign.” Some of those readers might have merely glanced at the piece’s headline, “Beijing is Worst-Ranked on a List of Gay-Friendly Cities” and not read carefully enough to realize that the capital is still among the world’s most LGBT livable locales, albeit at the tail end of that list.

Nevertheless, that ranking might have come as a surprise for some, given innovative initiatives like last year’s All Gender Toilet Program by the Beijing Gender Health Education Institute (BGHEI). It provided safe space washrooms at some of the capital’s most progressive venues in trendy neighborhoods like Sanlitun and Gulou. The effort made Beijing look downright progressive at the time, at least in the capital's more cosmopolitan neighborhoods, especially compared to the concurrent anti-transgender bathroom bill in North Carolina.
Martin Yang, sustainable development project manager at BGHEI, says another recent positive on Beijing’s LGBT front is the funding breakdown of this year's AIDS walk, with 60 percent of that money being raised and contributed by local Chinese. “In the past, expats were the biggest donors. So I feel very hopeful that Chinese people living in Beijing are gradually becoming more accepting,” Yang says of the increased support among locals for an epidemic that, while obviously posing a danger to heterosexual citizens, has devastated the gay community all the more. Yang adds that he was also impressed by a recent segment about China’s LGBT rainbow economy on none other than the state-run CGTN English news network.

And yet those promising points are, in Yang’s view, marred by even more recent, albeit nationwide, developments (it's good to keep in mind that, while the Nestpick survey listed Beijing last, other Chinese cities like Shanghai and Hong Kong didn’t fare much better, ranking 89 and 83, respectively). Yang says he is particularly troubled by news from earlier this month of the state banning homosexuality from internet videos as part of a “crackdown on 'vulgar' and 'unpatriotic' content” (you can read more about that at The Shanghaiist).
That dramatic online policy shift was equally bitter, though sadly all too familiar, for Fan Popo, the director of LGBT themed documentary Mama Rainbow which was also officially banned in 2015. However, he chalks much of that crackdown up to ongoing, subtler censorship in the media, explaining: “We don’t usually have public figures that come out in show business, and none of our politicians are out. We grew up with no real role models, which is a challenge for all queer people in China.”

Similarly broad issues are cited by Chao Xiao Mi, the owner of a hutong fashion boutique whose issues with harassment in Beijing’s public washrooms, as a transgender person, prompted BGHEI to begin the All Gender Toilet project. Chao says the “great firewall” that blocks websites with sensitive content on the Mainland, along with general limitations on NGO’s, are especially trying for the LGBT community. After all, they rely on such outside information and the support of such organizations (respectively) so much more than mainstream Chinese society. “These are terrible rules that put pressure on LGBT people again and again,” she says.
And while Ying Xin, director of the Beijing LGBT Center, is galled by those numerous limits and more, it’s the restrictions on information and media visibility that galvanize her most of all these days. “It is impossible for us to be invisible and silent and still fight for our rights,” she says of how those issues not only presently inhibit LGBT people, but also greatly impede their future. She goes on to explain that much of her center’s reach is at risk of plateauing: ”Now most of our volunteers are students. We need forces from different areas, of different ages. We need more people to join us,” she says, adding that such breakthroughs remain elusive in such a restrictive media climate.

Nevertheless, Ying is heartened by the growth her center has been able to attain, explaining: “One third of our volunteers are heterosexual,” which leads her to believe that “many young people in Beijing are really friendly to the LGBT community.”

“Now what we need is more people to speak out on social media, and in daily life, to affect other people,” Ying adds.

Yang, of the Beijing Gender Health Education Institute, agrees. When it comes to Beijing specifically, he feels pride parades and pride month campaigns in the media that were allowed to be highly visible would all lead to some of the breakthroughs that Ying is referring to.

“Can we help the city to become more welcome and open?” he asks. “And can we help LGBT people accept themselves, so that if you want to watch a gay film or read a gay book to learn more, you can? Can we not let Beijing’s LGBT people dare to dream?”

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

Photos: Sixth Tone, Courtesy of BGHEI, the Beijinger, CNN/Courtesy of Chao Xiao Mi

Though Beijing bibliophiles were broken hearted this past fall after The Bookworm announced it would not be holding its annual literary festival in 2017, we can all look forward to a promising new chapter early next year. That’s right: the Sanlitun literary stalwart recently announced via WeChat that its annual authorly extravaganza will be back on March 8-24, 2018.

The social media post said the forthcoming eleventh Bookworm International Literary Festival will “bring together writers and readers from China and around the world to celebrate literature and ideas in Beijing, Chengdu and Suzhou.”

Bookworm Beijing general manager Peter Goff tells the Beijinger he and his colleagues were deeply disappointed to announce the festival's cancellation last fall. And yet, the bad news prompted an inspiring outpouring from fans.

"We ran this festival for 10 years and then took a breather, and we were really taken aback by the reaction from the community and the groundswell of public support it seemed to have generated,” says Goff, adding that such heartening sentiments were voiced from writers, readers, publishers, embassies, arts agencies, the media and more. He was also moved by such reactions from both foreigners and local Chinese fans. “It seemed there was a huge amount of genuine support for it, and people wanted to see it as a fixture on the cultural landscape.”

Indeed, the festival had already become an institution in Beijing, offering the capital's literary devotees rare opportunities to attend talks and panel discussions with high profile authors from around the world.
This past November the Bookworm team announced the “indefinite postponement” of the annual festival, citing financial difficulties in an official statement where they also promised to "take some time to regroup and consider sustainable alternatives moving forward." Goff has since gone on to say that staffing the event has also been a major challenge.

It was quite a cliffhanger for fans of the festival, who were left to anxiously await for news about the event’s future. While smaller subsequent events like the Australian Writers Week, along with a regular slew of appearances of individual writers, kept those throngs satiated, news of the bigger festival’s return will surely leave them far more enthused.

The Bookworm announced the festival's return along with news about two other events. First up: the Beijing International Book Fair Literary Salons from Aug. 20-27, featuring appearances by Chinese and international writers. That will be followed by the EU-China International Literary Festival from Nov. 21-28, for which various authors from Europe and China will attend.

Details on which authors will be attending these festivals is still pending, though we have plenty of reason to keep our expectations high, considering the top notch talent featured in the past (for more on that click here). 

In a recent interview with The Global Times Goff said we should expect this month's Beijing International Book Fair Literary Salons to include authors like Yu Hua, Liu Jianjun, Xi Chuan and others. Authors from other locales like Croatia, Serbia, and the Czech Republic have also been invited, though the specifics are still being finalized.

The talent featured at the bigger festival in March also remains to be sorted. In the meantime, just like any good page turner, the Bookworm is sure to keep us hanging on their every word with subsequent announcements about the return of its highly anticipated international festival.

That comeback is not only exciting for Goff, but also daunting.“No mistake, these are challenging climes; it's challenging to financially cover the costs of a big cultural project like this, and it's challenging to put on something that is hopefully progressive and stimulating and yet still passes muster with all levels of officialdom."

Despite all that, Goff adds: "It has clearly become something of an institution, it’s something we love and feel passionately about, and so are excited to relaunch it and see how, with the community’s support, we can move it forward.”

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

Photos: Blangua, the Beijinger, The Global Times

You may be as excited as we are about the newly opened north zone of China World Mall, which just finished its final lick of paint in May. With over three dozen restaurants in the new area, such as Atta BJ, Susu, Putien, F Bistronome, The Mission, Nyonya Kitchen, Brotzeit, Beef Hot Pot, Sproutworks, Dongtian, Kitchen Bar, Venchi, Blue Frog, and Migas Mercado, it has become a gastronomic haven.

While walking around the mall's seven floors, you might wonder what else is in the building beyond its food offerings, since you can’t eat all the time, right? Well, there are a bunch of shops, including many famous (and luxury) fashion brands. Ready? Let’s go – Celine, Dior, Calvin Klein, Armani, Balenciaga, Bvlgari, Chloe, Coach, McQ Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton, La Perla, Jimmy Choo, Givenchy, Cotton Republic, Ecco, Ed Hardy, Falke, Max&Co., Please Please Issey Miyake, Ugg, Versace, JNBY, MaxMara, Prada, Shiazy Chen … I could go on.

Among the shops are several celebrated sports brands, supporting the tone of the new zone with a brand-new, largest-in-CBD gym with a lively vibe. As you jump into the new wave of exercise, there are several highlights for your consideration.
 

Nike Beacon, covering about 1,400sqm, it is the second outlet after Nike's opening in Solana. The store rises through three floors, offering the brand's Air Jordan, basketball, running, and training gear, as well as sportswear and football wear. You can also design your own t-shirt and training shoes in the store, where they also organize workouts from time to time.

NL1019-1021, 1/F, North Zone, China World Mall, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie (6504 3221)

建国门外大街1号国贸商城北区NL1019-1021

Also try: Adidas Original and Y-3 (NL3022, 3/F, North Zone, 6505 3078)

Under Armour, an American brand for footwear, sports and casual apparel, specializes in heat gear, cold gear and footwear.  

NB115&117, B1, North Zone, China World Mall, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie (6505 6066)

建国门外大街1号国贸商城NB115&117

At Uhut — offering sportswear, swimming attire, training shoes, and outdoor wear — customers can measure their feet to ensure the perfect fit of their shoes, which you can wear during their organized runs.

NL4008, 4/F, North Zone, China World Mall, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie (8580 6047)

建国门外大街1号国贸商城北区NL4008

More stories by this author here.

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

Photos: China World Mall, dianping, Tracy Wang

As has been the trend recently, Beijing's Third Ring Road has once again fallen victim to sinkholes, causing traffic chaos to the city's east downtown area.

The latest sinkholes are a pair of small-sized perforations that opened up Tuesday morning right after rush hour. Located on the Jingguangqiao stretch of the north-south road that flanks both sides of Line 10's Hujialou Station (south of Sanlitun), the sinkholes disrupted traffic on the busy thoroughfare, causing the rerouting of public transporation like busses #113, 350, 402, 405, and 671.

By 5pm, emergency repairs to the East Third Ring Road were completed. A preliminary investigation concluded that the crevice was caused by an accumulation of rainwater under the road.

The city has experienced a full crop of sinkholes this past year, some of them located here in the downtown core.

A week ago, a large sinkhole on Xie'erqi Boulevard in Haidian District swallowed a car (shown above), trapping three of its occupants for ten minutes. Earlier the same day, a massive sinkhole appeared on the North Third Ring Road at Lianxiangqiao, said to have been caused by a 3-meter-long crack in a drainage pipe. Two weeks before that, at the east end of Chaoyang, a 2-meter-wide sinkhole caused by underground rainwater accumulation opened up at Baiziwan South First Road.

And then there are the close calls. Last week saw city workers with the water department discover a 1.5-meter-long crack in drainage pipe buried nine meters underground while on patrol in Xuezhiqiao East, Haidian.

Without repeating any of the well-known sinkholes that have already been listed, there have been a lot of them.

Last Halloween saw a 20-square-meter sinkhole open up at Wanquanhe Road (shown above), while a three-meter-wide sinkhole appeared the previous July near Shilipu Station on Line 6. And while we've recently told you about a car-swallowing sinkhole in Fengtai in September 2015, the same Beijing suburb also happened to have another car fall into a sinkhole earlier that summer (shown below). 2015 also saw the Third Ring Road get a sinkhole as well.

READ: Massive Sinkhole Latest Reminder That Beijing Is Still Sinking Into the Ground

While we've openly suspected the cause behind all these sinkholes must be somehow related to Beijing literally sinking into the ground, some people have other ideas.

According to the Weibo account for the Beijing People's News, non-Beijing residents are responsible for causing this city-wide calamity. According to this account, the Chinese capital is unable to bear the strain of these outsiders who have been "exploiting the city's underground water", causing a financial burden of 773.64 billion yuan.

Well, we don't know about that. But, we do know that the city's sewage pipes and road infrastructure will be tested once again. 

Even though Beijing's rainy season has passed, the city will expect more precipitation on Wednesday, which will turn into heavier showers by evening.

More stories from this author here.

Twitter: @Sinopath
E-mail: charlesliu1@qq.com

Images: Beijing Youth Report, NetEase, Beijing Focus, Weibo

Nali Patio, known as the hub of the delicious Spanish restaurants in Sanlitun, is always our go-to spot for breezy brunches or dressed-up formal occasions. After the former executive chef Jordi Valles Claverol left Agua last August, a fresh vibe was brought in with the appointment of a new executive chef from Madrid. Alberto Becerri’s culinary experience is shining – he worked as chef de partie at 2-star restaurant El Portal de Echaurren, then sharpened his claws at Tickets of Ferrán Adriá and Albert Adriá in El Bulli, and at five-star hotels in Asia, South America and the Middle East.

Revamping the summer menu with 21 new dishes, some of them childhood favorites which were prepared by his grandmother, Becerri has added some twists from different cultures. He kicked off our meal with a local Madrid specialty tapas, bocatitas de calamares (RMB 48), a sandwich with black buns (colored with squid ink), filled with fried squid and seasoned with parsley alioli. This sandwich (or burger, if you share our zest for the burger life) is rich in flavor, the squid is tender with a crunchy crust, and the alioli is rich and creamy.

The Japanese tuna tarta (RMB 188) is a strong representation of Becerri’s new concept. The raw tuna is marinated in a kimchi sauce, providing spice with a hint of acidity, while the white sesame and cherry tomatoes bring more texture and nutty and fruity flavors. The portion is sizeable – you may want to add a bowl of rice to convert it into a poke bowl and call it a day.

But we hope you press on, as the marinated Japanese mackerel is our winner (RMB 298). The mackerel is cooked to perfection and seasoned with sea salt. The fish rests on a bed of jelly made of rebujito (a cocktail of sherry and soft drinks), which adds some boozy and aromatic flavor to the dish. The sauce elevates the dish to another level by adding some nori to accent the umami flavor. For steak lovers, the Wagyu tenderloin with glazed baby potatoes (RMB 318) will satisfy your carnivorous needs, rounded out by peanuts, praline and black truffle. The black sausage creamy rice with wild mushrooms and truffle (RMB 268) is full of earthy flavor and balanced with blood sausage, with rice cooked al dente with a rich flavorful sauce.

For dessert, we tried the cauliflower with vanilla and coconut from the tasting menu. The coconut and vanilla mousse pair well, but the flaked cauliflower still dominates the taste, for an unusual but intriguing combination.

To try his new menu, Agua offers a six-course tasting menu at RMB 498, including Marinated tomato tartar with garlic-almond velouté (ajoblanco); confit and grilled artichokes with roasted red bell pepper sauce and Iberico ham; and one of Alberto’s signature rice dishes – salmon creamy rice with mascarpone, seaweed and citrus zest; to codfish and cod tongue (kokotxa) with spinach and callos sauce; and Iberian oresa oork with grilled white asparagus, cured Machego cheese sauce.

The atmosphere at Agua is not pretentious, and is in fact very down to earth and muydelicioso. We can see ourselves making our way back here to try more dishes and desserts, and have some cava in the breezy al fresco dining area.

More stories by this author here.

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

Photos: Agua, Tracy Wang

Whether traveling for business or pleasure, many of us operate on a budget. While it is important to, on occasion, treat yourself to a taste of the high life, all we actually need while on the road is a safe space, a clean bed and access to a hot shower. 

In China, the first capsule hotel was opened in 2011 near the Shanghai Railway Station, a foothold from which the phenomenon spread to the rest of the country. Thanks to the influence of Japanese efficiency capsule hotels (カプセルホテル) and rising real estate prices, there are now many capsule hotels with cheap, clean and safe accommodations in Beijing to save us all (and our money.)

Mini Me Capsule Hotel, RMB 88

Mini Me has three sections: a public area with TV, internet bar, bar, and common area for card games (think hostel-style); four public bathrooms and two toilets; and the sleeping area with personal storage and a small dressing table. It is a ten-minute drive from Beijing Railway Station. The staff can speak English and can assist with bicycle rental.

Bldg 10, Guanghe Nanli Ertiao, Chaoyang District (6773 8258)

Mini Me特色太空舱主题酒店：朝阳区广和南里二条10号楼

Dajingyu Capsule Hotel, RMB 78

Whatever dreary decor low-cost hotels normally provide, Dajingyu is far from it. Located in the southeast of the second ring road, it provides two different options for accommodations — a “high-tech spaceship” style (think neon lights and touchscreen LCDs), and a “rainbow retro vintage” style (more conservative and traditional.) Both include 100M internet, a mirror, storage, and a hot shower.

2/F, Caiyuan Jie, Bldg 3, Jiangong Beili Wuqu, Xicheng District (8349 5005)

北京大鲸鱼太空舱青年旅舍: 西城区建功北里五区三号楼菜园街二层

Simple Capsule Hotel, RMB 79

Opened in 2016, the new Simple Capsule Hotel is around 700m away from Chedaogou subway station (Line 10) near the third ring road in Haidian District. Belonging to a company in Xi’an, this chain hotel features hot showers, small TVs, WiFi, independent bathrooms, hair-dryers, and an internet bar.

Chedaogou location. 2/F, 59 Banjing Lu, Haidian District (177 7818 0120)

尚俭太空舱酒店（车道沟店）：海淀区板井路59号二楼

Jingsong location. 2/F, Unit 6, Ducheng Xinyu, 229 Jingsong Erqu, Chaoyang District (5904 3508)

尚俭太空舱酒店(劲松地铁站店)：朝阳区劲松二区229号都城心屿6单元2楼

Youjia Capsule Hotel Beijing, RMB 79

The only capsule hotel that can be booked through booking.com, Youjia opened in January of 2017, and is located at Chengshousi, 5 km from the Temple of Heaven. The hotel provides slippers, hot showers, storage, and free WiFi, but only serves mainland Chinese citizens.

134-3-102, Zhonghaicheng Zixinge Residence, Chengshousi Road, Chaoyang District (180 0120 3488)

有家太空舱酒店：朝阳区成寿寺路中海城紫鑫阁3号楼134-3-102

Galaxystars Capsule Hotel, RMB 69-79

Located at Songjiazhaung, Yuhaixingguang is just about 200 m from Zongjiazhuang Subway station. Opened in 2014, it provides the basics, such as WiFi, AC, bedding, power sockets, and even a small TV.

2/F, Bldg 5.6, Zhengxinyuan Sanqu, Songjiazhuang ( 8768 7321)

御海星光太空舱酒店：宋家庄政馨园三区5.6号楼二层

Some of these hotels may remind you of the small, cozy blanket forts built in your youth, only now they're the stuff of childhood dreams with TVs and Wifi access. Aside from these pod hotels, you can always look for hostels on hostelworld and booking. They may be slightly more expensive, but provide friendly service at convenient locations all over town. Beijing is a safe city, but keep your wits about you in these tourist-heavy locales. Make good choices, kids, and have fun!

More stories by this author here.

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

Photos: Dianping

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

This is the third part of a three-part series in which we take a look at Hong Kong cinema from the time of the 1997 changeover up to today. Click for Part I or Part II.

In 1993, the Hong Kong film industry packaged a number of films, which played at festivals and museums around the world. Representatives from the film industry accompanied the films; when this touring program played in New York City, the opening night film was Johnnie To’s The Heroic Trio (1993), starring Maggie Cheung, Michelle Yeoh, and the late Anita Mui. Introducing the film, there were constant references to the “high-octane” energy and the “kinetic” style as characteristic of Hong Kong cinema. And there was a definite sense that the qualities that were to be emphasized were the energy and the style, rather than any sense of political meaning.

That energy and style would prove to be captivating to many filmmakers around the world. It is widely known that Quentin Tarantino has been enamored of Hong Kong cinema, and Martin Scorsese has been a vocal advocate for Hong Kong cinema, certainly starting with the films of John Woo. (When The Killer was shown in the US, it came with the announcement that it was “presented” by Martin Scorsese.) But the meanings behind so many of the films have not been explored, as the assumption of the films simply belonging to the genre of action cinema has been so prevalent.

For that reason, many filmmakers have been overlooked in most discussions of Hong Kong cinema. For example, Mabel Cheung. She has never really worked in what many regard as the typical Hong Kong genres of action films or thrillers; Instead, she has crafted a series of dramas and comedies featuring women as central figures. Perhaps her most ambitious film was made right at the time of the Hong Kong changeover, the historical epic The Soong Sisters (1997). Though heavily fictionalized, the film did provide a look at one of the central families in 20th Century Chinese history.

The next year, Cheung directed City of Glass, with a plot derived from the Billy Wilder film Avanti! (1972): two people meet in a foreign country, where they have come to bury their parents. To their surprise, they discover that their respective parents (her mother, his father) had been having an affair which lasted decades, always claiming the same business meeting during the summer. In City of Glass, the locale has been moved to London, and there is a nostalgia for the British way of life, which had been a dominant factor in Hong Kong culture throughout the 20th Century.

Yonfan is a director from Singapore, who has worked in China and in Hong Kong; he is notable for being an outspoken and “out” gay director. Bugis Street (1995) was a look at the denizens of the infamous street in Singapore noted for its transvestite prostitutes. Bishonen (1998, pictured above) was set in Hong Kong, and told a romantic tale of a gay hustler who falls in love with the new policeman on the beat. As with Stanley Kwan’s Hold You Tight, the decidedly up-front depiction of homosexuality was part of the Hong Kong cinema’s defiance in terms of maintaining the relaxed censorship which had been central to the film industry.

During the 1980s, the critical attitude towards Hong Kong cinema from the West emphasized the immense commercial resources at play: it was looked on as another Dream Machine, as potent as the cinema of old Hollywood. In many ways, this view of Hong Kong cinema played on a nostalgia for a unified popular culture, at a time when Hollywood had diminished in terms of its popular culture reach. When independent cinema came to the fore, with its lack of strict narrative and structural cohesion, there was a deep-rooted need to assert the conditions of a popular culture phenomenon which remained connected to a mass audience. In short, it was becoming difficult to talk about movies in simple terms of mass appeal. And Hong Kong cinema seemed to fill a void.

But it would be naive for us to simply align ourselves to the view of Hong Kong entertainment as a panacea for popular culture’s revival. It would also be rather patronizing to try to impose meanings which might not be inherent in the films themselves as if the films were not the result of very careful craftsmanship and conscious artistry.

Since there are directors such as Mabel Cheung and Ann Hui who have been quite explicit in their political views, to try to align every director with a political agenda would be disingenuous. When I started to research this essay, as I tried to remember some of the films which I had seen, and began researching some of the directors, I was struck by the differing responses which came over time.

Recent critics have tried to look at the Hong Kong film industry since 1997 in terms which are much more political than the critics who deigned to regard Hong Kong as the New Hollywood in the 1980s. But is that response valid, or is it wish fulfillment on the part of those who want to find a political statement on the very conflicted values found in Hong Kong’s position as the capitalist avatar of the New China?

Right now, Hong Kong cinema remains an industrial complex which continues to make entertainment of many genres. Perhaps the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema has passed, but in all likelihood the changes in Hong Kong cinema’s efficacy have much to do with the changes in technology as much as with anything else. But the films themselves, both the ones featured and the many more which have been produced, do tell, not a single story of political attitudes, but a multifarious story of many differing cultural and social impulses, which have combined to continue the vitality of this most anomalous entity – the commercial cinema of Hong Kong as it faces its future.

Daryl Chin is a co-founder of the Asian-American International Film Festival. He is a multimedia artist, critic, and curator. He was Associate Editor of PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art from 1989 to 2005. He was on the Board of Directors of NewFest (The New York Lesbian and Gay Film Festival) and Apparatus Productions. With Larry Qualls, he created over 30 theater/performance pieces from 1975 to 1985.

Image: theboy.vn

There'll be nary a dry eye at the Beijing Exhibition Center on Aug. 18, after Tom Odell finishes serenading the crowd with one earnest, heartstring-tugging ballad after another.

Even before the millennial piano man came on the seen with his 2013 debut LP Long Way Down, most of England's music insiders were already swooning over him. That all began with a signing by none other than electro-pop queen Lily Allen, who compared Odell's stage presence to that of David Bowie. Having a record deal on Allen's In The Name Of label boded well, and the hype just kept growing when he was awarded a BRIT Critics Choice trophy in 2012 and then debuted at number one on the UK album sales charts with Long Way Down.

At the time, Tom Lamont (one of my all time favorite rock journalists) profiled Odell in The Guardian, describing an onstage mastery ("he convulses impressively on his stool") that's undercut by offstage anxiety ("though there was great assurance about him at soundcheck, that seems to have melted away" during their subsequent Q&A at a pub). That said, any shy-yet-talented bloke would surely squirm if a journalist was pressing him for details about his highly publicized date with Taylor Swift.

All that scrutiny and success during the period of his debut was, sadly, a bit blemished by the mixed reviews that Long Way Down received. Some outlets praised the LP but others griped, like the The Independent, which complained that Odell sang in an "overwrought cry-baby warble." The consensus, however, seemed to be that Odell would appeal to fans of folk-pop stars Mumford and Sons, though his visible talent had yet to be honed into a style of his own. The NME were even bigger haters, cheekily describing the LP as “five parts Adele, four parts Keane ... and 500 parts Marcus Mumford’s arse”
However, the average critical response to his 2016 followup, Wrong Crowd, was much stronger, with Clash Music lauding the sophomore LP's "unmistakably catchy piano riffs and heart wrenchingly honest lyrics." And the snarky writers at the NME went on to write about how Odell redeemed himself performing live at Glastonbury in June of last year. This leads us to believe that cynical fellows who dread being dragged to this gig by their better halves might very well be pleasantly surprised by Odell's superior live playing, though those blokes still might be unimpressed by how he makes all the ladies in attendance swoon.

Tom Odell will perform at the Beijing Exhibition Center on Aug. 18. Tickets are now available for purchase at Damai here and range from RMB 280-1080, depending on the seat. That entire Damai page is in Chinese, but we'll update this blog once an English ticket seller pops up.

Photos: qromag.com, birminghammail.co.uk, NME, Daimai