It's hard to believe it's been a year since the new China World Mall extension barreled onto the scene with its dizzying array of restaurant options. One of China World's most popular venues, F Bistronome, is celebrating their first year with a competition giving you the chance to win a free dinner. 

FB is all about reflecting on and recreating authentic home-style dining experiences, using recipes passed down from generation to generation. To celebrate that idea, they are inviting diners to share their best pictures with their mums. Pictures must be uploaded via a special H5 WeChat page (link here) and the five most popular pictures will win a free first anniversary dinner set menu valued at RMB 788 for two, including French classics like charcuterie, Gillardeau oysters, and Grand Marnier soufflé. All entrants will receive some level of discount on the special menu, from 5-20 percent. 

Speaking of oysters, this Saturday, May 26, Xian Bar at EAST, Beijing will host the Shuck Off World Cup. Watch some of the world's fastest oyster shuckers compete, while you enjoy the fruits of their labors. Presale tickets, which are being sold via the Oysterlicious WeChat (ID: oystershuckfest), are priced at RMB 120 for six oysters and one drink, RMB 200 for 12 oysters and two drinks (the best value it seems to me) or RMB 360 for 24 oysters and four drinks. No word on whether you have to eat all two dozen by yourself ...

Finally, prepare your stretchiest pants, because every Friday this summer,La Villa Italian trattoria is offering unlimited pizza and draft Beijing Beer from 6-10pm for just RMB 150 per person. A nice way to end the week and chill out on their big terrace (which recently made it onto our updated 2018 list of the best terraces/rooftops/courtyards).

For this week's food events, deals, and promotions, click here.

More stories by this author here.

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

Photos courtesy of Groupe Flo

Add a little magic to warm summer afternoons and evenings at NUO Hotel Beijing, with a range of comfortable outdoor spaces designed to brighten your day. Enjoy the energy of O’Bar, experience gourmet treats at all-day dining restaurant N’Joy, relax at the serene Yuan Tea House or find a touch of sweetness at U’Deli.

O’Bar Terrace
Spend your summer nights with a glass of champagne, a cocktail or a hand-rolled cigar al fresco at O’Bar, Beijing’s most impressive roof-terrace bar. At over 2,200 square meters, O'Bar has all the space you need to party.

N’Joy Garden 
Our new private garden space connected to N’Joy Restaurant is the ideal spot for summer, where you can enjoy freshly shucked David Hervé oysters, ice-cold draft beer, and a selection of barbecued meats and seafood al fresco.

Yuan Tea House Garden
Sample China’s finest seasonal teas at Yuan Tea House Garden, an outside space with a touch of Ming Dynasty elegance – perfect to while away a warm afternoon.

U’Deli Garden 
Summers just got more fun at U’Deli with our seasonal selection of iced teas, lattes, and traditional suanmeitang sour plum drink, perfect to cool off in the hot weather.

This post is provided by NUO Hotel Beijing
Photos courtesy of NUO Hotel Beijing 

Your privacy in exchange for convenience: that's the continuing trade-off the Beijing Metro commuters as the city's public transportation system is set to introduce facial recognition technology to subway station entrances before the end of the year.

No specific details have been announced yet, but a subway spokesperson said the company plans to incorporate biometric authentication as part of subway entrance policies, thereby suggesting that commuters that allow their faces to be recorded and scanned may be allowed to cross subway security checkpoint without having to submit to a baggage search.

READ: Forget QR Codes, China’s Next Favorite Payment Method is Your Face

We cannot say for sure if this is the case; it could be that face-scanning may just be used as a way to pay for subway fares. And yet, this seems to be a safe bet when considering the way the city has long been looking to adopt this technology.

Last year, the head of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau said the city will promote the use of facial recognition technology at subway security inspection areas as a way to reduce waiting times for the public.

Besides using a transport card or paying for a one-way ticket, there have never been more ways for Beijing commuters to pay for their subway fares.

This past week, Beijing Metro formally adopted a QR system reading system that allows commuters to pay for fares using e-commerce systems like Alipay and WePay (shown above). In the 20 days since it was introduced last month, some 5.32 million Beijing commuters have used the service, mostly traveling on Lines 10 and 4.

READ: Traffic Surveillance Cameras Now Installed at Nearly 1,000 Beijing Intersections

The year before that, the Beijing Metro introduced a new feature that allowed Android users to bind their transport cards to their phones, a feature finally offered to iPhone users this past April.

Even though these new features are not mandatory, the Beijing Metro is unabashedly accepting that they are nothing short of necessary in light of the subway's inefficient and crowded service. As a Beijing Metro spokesperson said, commuters who don't sign up for the QR code service are forced to endure a 30-minute-long wait to buy subway tickets at certain stations.

Facial recognition technology is already widely-used throughout Beijing at train stations, airports, staffless convenience stores, fast food restaurants, universities, and public restrooms, and was even used as part of the Didi Hitch destination-sharing car ride app.

More stories from this author here.

E-Mail: charlesliu1 (at) qq (dot) com
Twitter: @Sinopath

Images: Qihoo, Jieman

Beijing cocktail aficionados have plenty to look forward to this week, as two top-notch international bartenders arrive to showcase their individual techniques and far-flung flavors.

First up: Hiroyasu Kayama (pictured above), one of Tokyo's most famous bartenders will be shaking up drinks at CBD stalwart China Bar at the Park Hyatt tonight, May 22. His Bar Benfiddich is not only an institution in the Japanese capital's nightlife scene, it is also ranked among the World's 50 Best Bars thanks in no small part to the wide range of "herbs he grows and forages." Aside from his creative usage of local ingredients, Bar Benfiddich is also renowned for its offbeat ambiance, and for good reason, according to the Worlds 50 Best Bars' website: "He’s converted his childhood bedroom, just north of Tokyo, into a drying room" for those aforementioned herbs. He also has the knack for surprises, often reaching for "one of his unusual infusions, or perhaps a vintage liqueur, many of which are older than he is."

Kayama's innovative use of homegrown Japanese ingredients should certainly endear him to Beijing's adventurous drinkers, whose taste for the exotic are expanding thanks to creative implementation of Chinese herbs at local cocktail bars.

After sampling the best of what Tokyo has to offer tonight, leave some space in your calendar for the hotly anticipated return of award-winning Lebanese bartender Jad Ballout at Bulgari's Il Bar from May 25-26. The last time this top-notch Mediterranean talent stopped by the capital, for a guest stint at Infusion Room, he told us about managing Central Station Boutique Bar, one of the most popular establishments in Beirut's trendy, shoreside Mar Mikhael neighborhood that, like Kayama's joint, also snagged a spot on the World's 50 Best Bars list. Ballout's other accolades include securing the runner-up spot for the Bacardi Legacy Global Final and being a finalist for the Diageo World Class Global bartender competition.

It's not often that two of the world's best bartenders visit the capital within such close proximity to each other but such visits bode well for the state of Beijing's cocktail scene as well as for local mixologists and drinkers who want to taste something new.

Photos: Punch Drink, courtesy of Il Bar

From having legendary producer Steve Albini helm their latest LP, to getting a loving shout out from notoriously brazen rockstar Liam Gallagher, it would indeed be an understatement to say Metz have had quite a year.

The Ottawa, Canada-hailing post-punks recruited Albini (famous for his work behind the boards with Nirvana, Fugazi, The Breeders, and a litany of other bands, along with his own troupes Big Black and Shellac) to produce their latest LP, Strange Peace which they released last fall. Critics, fans, and yes, even the Oasis co-founder all fawned over the LP. Soon Beijing fans will also be able to join the chorus at Metz's May 25 gig at Yue Space.

Below, guitarist and frontman Alex Edkins tells us about those recent breakthroughs; the importance that Metz places on music videos, album covers, and other visuals; and what they enjoyed most about their last Beijing stop in 2016.

I love your video for "Cellophane". Tell me about how you think director Shayne Ehman successfully complemented the music with these visuals.
Shayne is a genius. We love his art. It expands on our music, it takes the viewer somewhere new that the song couldn’t do alone. I think his videos make you scratch your head and think “what am I missing?” We’ve always considered our music to be a little “strange” and we like that Shayne’s art compliments that side of us.

I also really enjoy your drummer Hayden Menzies' artwork for the band's various releases. Can you tell me about how his visuals suit Metz well?
Hayden’s work was the obvious fit for our early 7-inches. Very abstract and bright and it really jived well with the more experimental, non-traditional music we were making back then. He continues to design several of our merch items.

Speaking of experimental, boundary-pushing artists – what was it like to work with Steve Albini on your latest album, Strange Peace?
It was a very enjoyable and easy experience. I think Steve’s tastes are very similar to ours. He helped us streamline our approach. His instincts are good and we trusted him. We didn’t overthink the process because we knew that his methods work. We wanted to submit to his way of working and we are all glad we did. It made a very distinctly different sounding Metz record of which we are very proud. We spread our wings in many ways.

A review of the album by the AV Club says: "Metz specializes in a sound that’s both cutting and pummeling, and Albini famously has a knack for capturing bands at their grittiest. Not to mention Metz bears the influence of Albini’s band Shellac, and all signs point to a perfectly symbiotic partnership." Would you agree with that comparison?
I’ve never considered our music to be influenced by Shellac, or Big Black for that matter. But art and music is subjective. I certainly don’t take any offense to the comparison. If anything it is flattering. We are fans of both bands as well as many bands he has worked with. It was a perfect working relationship and I do agree that it is our most serrated or rough around the edges record. There is less gloss on this one.

Liam Gallagher recently described your music thusly: "They sound pissed off, which I f**kin' like." How does it feel to get that kind of praise from that particular rock legend?
I loved it. I thought it was totally hilarious and surreal. I’m not sure if his taste can be trusted but we will take what we can get.

Tell us about your fondest memories of your last show in Beijing, back in 2016.
Just the fact that we are able to play in China is incredible to me. I remember the crowd being so excited and energetic. We felt loved and comfortable halfway across the globe. It was something we never imagined possible when we started playing in Metz. We are looking forward to returning.

Metz will perform at Yue Space on May 25 at 8.30pm. Tickets are RMB 140 at the door, RMB 120 presale. For more information, click here.

Photos: Pizza Fm, courtesy of the band

Burgers, burgers, burgers. Is there truly a better self-contained meal out there? We're increasingly spoilt when it comes to the number of vendors in Beijing willing to try something new, experimenting with a food form that can be as simple or as complex as the mind allows but rarely the worst thing that has passed our lips in the ___ years we've been alive.

So bustling is the capital's burger scene that we're now struggling for a big enough space to hold the 40 vendors that'll join us on the weekend of Jun 16-17 at Galaxy Soho, during what will be our sixth annual Burger Festival (scan the QR code in the poster above to buy tickets).

And while we don't have any science to back-up why burgers are so damn tasty (a hunch tells us it's something to do with the dripping, juicy meat, the squishy, doughy bun, and tangy, vinegary sauce), essential research – by none other than our zany Japanese brethren – has gone into how best to actually hold a burger so that none of it goes to waste. Without further ado, the ultimate burger grip:

Now that that's out of the way, below are just a handful of some of the more creative, mammoth, and stupendous options that'll have you salivating at this year's festival alongside the usual suspects like Q Mex, Home Plate, Slow Boat, and Great Leap i.e. the perfect subjects upon which to practice your newly learned burger moves (see the vendor list as it currently stands at the bottom of this post).

3 Little Pigs - Donut Burger
"A donut, a cheeseburger, and a rasher of bacon walk into a hutong. After getting stuck behind a taxi cab and a trike stacked with cardboard, they get bored and decide to get frisky." Or at least that's the story Andy Horowitz tells when he describes his donut cheeseburger, a beautiful American blend that can be ordered either as two grilled half-donut buns, or topped on the cheeseburger inside normal burger buns.

Billy's Fish and Chips - Fish 'n' Chips Burger
Billy's, who have built a loyal following across Beijing courtesy of their fluffy cuts of battered fish and authentic thick-cut chips, one-up themselves this pairing of the two: Meet the Fish 'n' Chips Burger, stacked with a beautiful fillet alongside a generous helping of chips (go on, throw some on top for the real chip butty experience – the Queen would be proud).

Common Burger - The Uncommon Crab Burger
If you're more of a crustacean person, Common Burger from Arcade by Hatchery go all-out with their Uncommon Crab Burger (they're not lying). We're not even sure how they make this bad boy but we do know that it's soft crab molded into legit crab shape being crispified in the deep fat fryer. From there, they've added sesame slaw, jalapeno mayo, and coriander to a sesame bun for a burger we're not entirely sure how to eat (sorry science, you lose this one). Expect to see us taking notes on drool-coated notepads at their booth.

Fatburger - Cheeseburger
Eschewing whackiness in favor of good ol' straight American burger-style values, LA's Fatburger combines a hulking patty with an avalanche of melted cheese and some much-needed fiber courtesy of a thick wad of shredded lettuce. It may not be pretty but who said burgers were meant for ogling.

Hulu - Mini Beef Sliders
Hulu, the newest outing from Beijing's much-lauded TRB team, are a relative newbie to the burger scene. Despite its lavish upbringing in the shadow of their well-to-do sister restaurant, Hulu still manages to get down and dirty with the plebs thanks to their set of three mini beef sliders, each stacked with a smoky patty, gooey Emmental cheese, tomato, purple onion, and romaine lettuce for a decidedly indulgent experience.

Bodensee Kitchen - Pretzel Burger
Bodensee Kitchen, Chaoyang's primo haunt for a slap-up Bavarian meal have exploited what they know best, the bread of Bavaria itself, to create this Pretzel Burger. Between the buttery pretzel bun sits an Australian beef patty, grilled bacon, grilled onions, Swiss Emmentaler cheese, German-style gherkins, and a smoky thousand island sauce that'll have you licking your fingers clean.

Joe's Bar and Kitchen - Chicken Burger
Joe's Bar and Kitchen has opted for the sweet gratification that can only come from two grilled and succulent chicken breasts covered in cheese and plonked between a grilled brioche bun. Depending on the situation, sometimes burgers taste best when they're not tinged with regret.

Mr. Eel - Grilled Eel Burger
Certainly not your run-of-the-mill combo, Mr. Eel has done something that I don't think they would mind us saying is a little odd: they've paired eel and kabayaki sauce with – wait for it – cheese, a slice of pineapple, and a beef patty. If that's not enough to have your taste buds doing loops then just wait until the cocoa buns grace your palate. This concoction may very well spell a new beginning for the Burger Fest as we know it and will certainly be "an irresistible magic taste," as Mr. Eel describes it himself.

If that's got you in the mood for burger love, then simply scan the appropriate QR code below to bag yourself an advance ticket for a mere RMB 17. Buying ahead of time for Jun 16-17's event will also get you a special Burger Festival branded bandana (more on that here).

Scan with WeChat to buy tickets
in English

Scan with WeChat to buy tickets
in Chinese

The vendor list as it currently stands is:

• 3 Little Pigs by Andy's Craft Sausages
• Billy's Fish & Chips
• Bodensee Kitchen
• Boxing Cat Brewery
• Brewonly
• Caravan
• CHEE(R)S Burgers
• Common Burger @ Arcade by Hatchery
• De Refter
• Drinking Buddies
• East Hotel
• FATBURGER 
• Flora Steak and Bar
• Four Ace
• Great Leap Brewing 
• Homeplate
• Hot Beer Brewing
• Hulu
• Jay Dream Factory
• Joe's Bar & Kitchen
• Joe's Café 
• Laker's
• Legend Beer
• MR. EEL'S LOVE
• Nbeer
• Panda Brew
• Peiping Machine Taphouse
• PictureMyCup burger at KIMO kids café
• Pinvita
• Pop Up Kitchen
• Punjabi Indian Restaurant & Cultural Center
• Pushers
• Q Mex Bar & Grill
• QS
• RegainElement
• Side Street Bar & Grill
• Slow Boat Brewery
• The Bell
• The Butchers Club 
• The Great Outdoors
• TOUGH TONGUE CRAFT BBQ
• URBREW
• V Sports
• Zeffer

Images: YouTube, Kotaku.com, courtesy of the vendors

Google-ch (www.google-ch.com) went live in China recently, raising public speculations of a possible Google comeback in China. But a closer look into the site shows that it is founded by a group of Google fans and not affiliated to the US company in any way.

The site performs simple search functions and offers a directory service that guides people to Chinese websites and chat boards. They claim that search results on the site are filtered to comply with local regulations and no filter keywords are disclosed. But the team pledged that they would not adjust Google’s search results or add floating adds, and the service is open to the users free of charge.

The site was not accessible when TechNode tried to test it, possibly due to the heavy traffic. Our tests were done inside and outside China. An industry insider explains to local media that “running a Google Chinese site needs lots of servers to support [it] and that’s not something that can be managed by a fan team.”

Google-ch is not the first Google knockoff site in China. Such sites could be dated years back when Google left China. “Goojje”, a site made in response after Google threatened to pull out of China back then, accumulated over 40,000 visitors in two weeks after it launched in January 2010.

In addition to the hype, there are possible risks in visiting such knockoff sites. Wang Boyuan, editor-in-chief of TechCrunch.cn told TechNode: “We are now educated to use all these techniques (OpenDNS, spam filters, extended validation certificate) to prevent people from visiting knockoff sites from DNS hijack, links in spam mail and so on. How can you tell the search results are not altered from the original site? What if they hook any malware/coin-mining script to the site? What if they collect your information for any bad purpose?”

The news got wide attention since the US search giant has gotten more proactive in pushing its China comeback. Yao Xinyu, a founding partner of Seven Seas Partners and former China Chief Strategy Officer at Microsoft 365, joined Google China last week. Over the past few months, Google got an official WeChat account for TensorFlow and started promoting its translation app on WeChat. In addition, mobile apps with map functions based on Google data have become accessible in China.

Image courtesy of TechNode

If you love munching on “dirty buns” — those chocolate dusted desserts prompting long queues at Bad Farmers Our Bakery, your local 7-Eleven, and seemingly everywhere in between — then brace your taste buds for the perfect liquid accompaniment: dirty drinks.   

Recently launched by Lelecha (which has a branch in Shuangjing's Viva Mall) “dirty tea (脏脏茶, zangzangcha)” is essentially an updated version of regular old milk tea, replacing conventional sugar with hot brown sugar that is combined with cold milk, boba (tapioca pearls), and sometimes mesona (仙草, grass jelly). The “dirty” bit refers to the layer of brown sugar that slowly mixes and swirls with the milk when you shake it up.    

Unfortunately (unlike many other milk tea varieties) Lelecha has yet to offer a delivery service for this dirty tea. Thankfully, we found a substitute rendition from Yifang, a popular Taiwanese milk tea shop from Shanghai that just opened its first outlet in Beijing. Their signature brown sugar milk tea with pearls (RMB 22) is a fantastic summer drink. Its caramelized boba (tapioca pearls) are small, sweet, and bouncy with a not-so-smooth surface, the latter being proof that they are handmade. Meanwhile, its mesona (仙草, grass jelly) gave the drink a slightly bitter finish. This drink is cold and lighter in texture than heavy flavored cheese tea. It offers five sugar levels, and six variations of temperature. Be warned, though: don’t expect the beautiful marble pattern that can be found in-store if you order delivery (how can the shīfu guarantee that after the bumpy ride to your door, after all?).

Yifang Taiwan Fruit Tea
Daily 10.30am-9.30pm. 19 Chaowai Dajie, Chaoyang District (152 0110 0490)
一芳台湾水果茶：朝阳区朝外大街乙19号

Aside from ”dirty tea”, “dirty coffee (脏脏咖啡, zangzang kafei)” is also becoming popular at a bunch of cafés in Beijing. Prime examples include Metal Hands, Barista Specialty, Coffee Cuore, and Greybox. Lazy as we are, we ordered a cupful of Greybox's version delivered, which arrived within 20 minutes. Dirty coffee is made by pouring a shot (30ml) of hot espresso into cold milk to give it eye-catching lines. Waiting and watching those colors coalesce will leave your taste buds tingling in anticipation. Sadly, we were robbed of that aesthetically pleasing in-store feature by ordering delivery, so we highly recommend you drink dirty coffees on site. And, more importantly, getting it delivered renders the combination of cold smooth milk with hot espresso into a chilly, mixed-up coffee with a disheartening roasted flavor. 

More stories by this author here.

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

Photos:  ifeng, dianping

Since CCTV first aired the UK children's cartoon Peppa Pig in 2015 it has taken the country by storm, surpassing 1 billion views on Youku alone. However, earlier this month the popular cartoon was removed from widely used short-video platform Douyin amid concerns that the seemingly innocuous pig had become hijacked by China's gangster subculture.

Despite literally meaning "a person of society," shehuiren has come to represent individuals who consider themselves a rebel and in opposition to the norm. Whereas it’s trendy for youngsters to use Peppa Pig stationary, wear Peppa Pig merchandise, and even get Peppa Pig temporary tattoos, others have gone one step further, getting the hairdryer-headed pig permanently inked on their skin, which depending on the context can be considered a transgressive act in the eyes of government censors.

The ban, however, has only stretched to one site. This is good news for fans of the show given that they can still watch Peppa Pig on various streaming platforms, use Peppa Pig emojis on WeChat, and watch spoof video clips with dubbing via social media.

It also means that companies can repackage Peppa for their own branding needs, which is exactly what one shopping center will do between Jun 1-Oct 7. The long-running promotion, at Suprise Outletsjust south of Beijing International Airport, will have 12 different Peppa Pig-themed areas with games and activities, and six themed backdrops so that you can take Peppa Pig selfies to your heart's content.

There will also be an eight-meter-tall Peppa Pig statue, gigantic mud pits to splash around in, a miniature train to ride, and more. Attendees pay RMB 120 at the door for a prepaid card to spend on rides and events within the fair.

Merlin Entertainment Group, who operates Legoland and Madame Tussauds, also wants to cash in on the popularity of the show by opening permanent Peppa Pig theme parks in both Beijing and Shanghai by 2019. They will also create a Peppa Pig stage show that will tour around the country for three years. 

So, even though some portions of society have a problem with the way our porcine friend Peppa is being re-appropriated, others are free to use her image as long as it brings in the big bucks. In that regard, it seems like Peppa's here to stay. Perhaps George isn't as silly as he seems.

The Peppa Pig fair at Surprise Outlets runs from Jun 1-Oct 7, 10am-9pm. There are shuttle buses that run to the shopping center from around town. Find more info here (in Chinese).

Surprise Outlets
1 Forest Park East, Jinzhan, Chaoyang District (8434 0006)
朝阳区金盏乡森林公园东1号斯普瑞斯奥特莱斯内(机场二通道西侧)

Images: urban-family.com, WeChat

Beijing may be famous for its culture, history, and ducks (of both varieties), but a new survey suggests that the capital is getting a new reputation for having the most frequent dating scene in the entire country.

Coinciding with the recent 5/20 Festival (yet another Chinese Valentine's Day that gets its name for being a pun on "I love you"), Chinese dating platform Zhen'ai published a survey that named Beijing singles as having gone on the most number of dates, called xiangqin (相亲) in Chinese.

Although it is often described as a "blind date", a xiangqin doesn't take after the Western concept of dating. Instead, a xiangqin is a high-pressure pre-arranged date in which a man and a woman try to determine if the other party is a suitable marriage partner. As part of negotiations, xiangqin participants are expected to balance personal expectations of prospective marriage partners with those that are vitally important to family members, such as salary and education.

READ: Beijing Boyfriends Among the Best in China, Says Chinese Dating Website Survey

As one of China's first-tier cities, this ranking could just be a sign of Beijing's population advantage over the other cities that rank after it, those being Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Wuhan. However, other parts of Zhen'ai's survey suggest that Beijing singles go on so many xiangqin not because of the opportunity afforded to a big city, but because they're simply not good at finding marriage partners.

Some 90 percent of survey respondents say their xiangqin skills need improving, of which half of these people admit their xiangqin negotiating skills are only at an adequate level. Furthermore, over half of single male respondents admit they are "perfectionists" who expect high standards from their xiangqin partners.

Whether or not Beijing singles are less effective at xiangqin than their peers, the fact remains that there are comparatively fewer of them. Last year, a MarryU survey found Beijing to be the eighth highest Chinese city for unmarried adults in their 20s while statistics released by the Bureau of Civil Administration ranked Beijing as the ninth most popular Chinese city for single adults.

Even if a perfect match can be found, getting married in China remains an elusive task.

READ: Singled Out: Beijing Neighborhoods With High Concentrations of Unmarried Adults Marked As "Disaster Epicenters"

As a result of a massive gender imbalance and rising education and salaries, men who marry Beijing women are forced to pay the most expensive betrothal gifts in China. Meanwhile, some Chinese are eschewing their familial responsibility altogether to either become one of China's affluent "leftover women" or one of many perpetually unmarried men who will fill their loneliness with pets and anime.

However, more dates don't necessarily mean better results. Beijing's propensity for going on xiangqin is only outmatched by its sky-high divorce rate where the average failed Beijing marriage lasts for just five years.

But, when all is said and done, Beijing singles remain committed to finding true love.

Taken from a sample of 6,131 respondents, the Zhen'ai single survey found Beijing singles to most value talent in potential marriage partners. By comparison, Shanghai singles put the heaviest emphasis on hukou residency while Shenzhen singles pay the most attention to salary.

Are you going on a xiangqin and want to make a good impression? Bachelor men should note that Chinese single women despise xiangqin partners that are sloppy, fidget with their hands and feet, and have a smoking habit, according to the Zhen'ai survey. On the other hand, Chinese single men hate xiangqin partners who misrepresent themselves in photographs, dress poorly, and constantly inquire about how much money they earn.

More stories from this author here.

E-Mail: charlesliu1 (at) qq (dot) com
Twitter: @Sinopath

Images: hfhouse, sohu, hangzhou

One of the advantages of being a food writer is having your appetite whetted by juicy gossip about new openings. Such sunny news has helped us stave off the despair that La Dolce Vita and Fu Tapas wrought when they were shut down. Yes, that's right: a hot new Mediterranean joint is here to fill the void on the second floor of The Crib.

Despite the sunny region of Northern Italy's wine country from which its name hails from, Sorì Tapas & Wine is tucked behind a stark concrete-gray wall. After you enter via a hidden door on the left, you're immediately struck by both its posh decor and its relatively small, albeit suitably intimate, square meterage. Next to the open kitchen sit stools around a white marble bar, allowing diners to watch the chef's every move. Yes, Sori offers both dinner and a show in that regard.

This tapas joint opens at 6pm, focusing its efforts on luring the Sanlitun crowd after work and in a much need of freshening up via the rejuvenating powers of Mediterranean food and wine. During the daytime, the space doubles as a cooking studio, training center, and gelato lab, explains co-founder Fabio Falanga.

The menu's focus is narrow but not at the expense of depth. There are less than a dozen tapas options (RMB 38-138), including Caponatina (Sicilian-style stew), Italian cold cuts with cheese, fried scallops, sautéed mussels, roasted octopus and pepper skewers, and anchovy balls, as well as a couple of pasta dishes.

The garlic flavored fried Argentine prawns in Kataifi (RMB 58) exceeded our expectations of what simple tapas can be, the prawns rolled in crunchy threads of shredded wheat – reminiscent of the famous Greek desserts soaked in honey from which they get their name – and laid on a crumpled metal net. The homemade tartar sauce and a drizzle of lemon help the crisp and fresh prawns pop.

The almond-crusted croquettes (RMB 38) were another highlight. Stuffed with pancetta and provola cheese, the croquettes come on a tangy bed of pureed eggplant and cherry tomato that'll see the underlying slate wiped clean.

However, the true star of this meal was the white truffle flavored ravioli (RMB 88). The ravioli's creamy sauce features their homemade and organic ricotta cheese and diced walnuts and is topped with parmesan to lift the mellower notes of the sauce to another level. It's absolutely impossible to eat this one without uttering a few "ooh's" and "ahh's."  

To wash those delicacies down, Sorì has enlisted the help of sommelier Ben Zhang, founder and owner of Xiaoju Courtyard and Xiaoju Wine Bar, and an expert in Mediterranean wines. The Barco Negro from Portugal was rustic, has a full body, notes of dark berries, and a hint of spice, and was a great pairing for the tapas we munched through.

As for dessert, not only do they make the bread, tortellini, and ricotta cheese in-house, the gelato is also handmade by the multi-talented Gelato Lab's Nicola Saladino (also located on the second floor of The Crib) given that she also designed the venue. The pistachio flavored gelato came with plenty of grounded nuts and had dense texture overall, a welcome break from some of the lighter renditions you find. The rum and raisin, meanwhile, boasted an intense aromatic rum flavor that'll make you want to jump over the bar and finish the whole bucket.

In the coming weeks, the Sorì team will host a number of events to help gets Beijing's foodies equated with their premise, the likes of which include chef’s tables, chef’s set dinner, guest chef stints, special product tasting dinners, and cooking classes. But even without those laudably ambitious flourishes, there's more than enough on offer at Sorì Tapas & Wine to have you head over and try their small bites in the meantime.

Sorì Tapas & Wine
Daily 6pm-late. 2/F, The Crib, 1 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District
工人体育场北路1号育膳房2楼

More stories by this author here.

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

Photos: Tracy Wang, courtesy of  Sorì

On Saturday, Jun 2, 30 of our lucky readers (you!) will have the chance to attend an exclusive tour of the newly opened Van Cleef & Arpels When Elegance Meets Art exhibition, on display at the Today Art Museum.

The French jewelry company was founded in Paris by Alfred Van Cleef and his uncle Salomon Arpels in 1896 and rose to international prominence courtesy of a combination of intricate, lavish, yet refined metalsmithing and stone-encrusted pieces that feature animals alongside otherworldly elements such as fairies.

Now Van Cleef & Arpels bring 400 pieces from throughout the company's century-plus existence to China, a collection that was first presented in 2012 at Paris’ Musée des Arts Décoratifs. The pieces come from both the Van Cleef & Arpels Collection and private collections and are displayed chronologically so as to better reflect the jewelry maker's evolution.

In 2006, Van Cleef & Arpels opened their first store in China, here in Beijing. They now have four stores in the capital and 15 total across China. You can read more about the company via this sponsored post recently published on the Beijinger.

If you would like to see this one-of-a-kind collection, we're giving away 15 pairs of tickets as well as a small gift from the jeweler for each lucky winner. All you need to do is send an email to win@truerun.com by midnight on Sunday, May 27, and include your name and phone number. In return, we'll send you the exact time and meeting place for the Jun 2 tour. The first 15 applicants will win a place on the tour and will be contacted by us early next week.

If you don't win or can't make it until later, the Van Cleef & Arpels Collection is on display at the Today Art Museum until Aug 5.

Images courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels

Late night diners, beware: What you see may not be what you get. A fresh round of allegations continue to drag Beijing's online food providers in an ongoing food safety scandal, this time involving numerous late night take-out restaurants.

As reported by Beijing Business Today, several restaurants on the Ele.me online food delivery service have been discovered to have blatantly misrepresented themselves to the public.

READ: Beijing Online Food Providers Revealed to Be Using Fake Credentials and Restaurant Fronts

Certain restaurants have displayed fake business or food operating licenses on their Ele.me accounts, while others have provided phony addresses. 

So although everything looks in order on the Ele.me account for Huangcheng Late Night Diner (皇城夜宵) in Hepingli, a trip out to its listed address reveals there to be a Shaxian Delicacies in its place. Meanwhile, the Chenmiyu Pizza Restaurant (which offers service in English) is revealed to be a stall instead of having its own walk-in location (shown above). 

And while the Shenye Eatery (深夜食堂) Diner may appear to be a good place to order from, the Beijing Business Today reporter found its location to be mysteriously closed instead (watch the video here).

READ: Beijing O2O Food Delivery Platforms to Guarantee Food Safety With Self-Inspections

Things become stranger still when considering the similarities between some of these late night operators. A new restaurant franchise called Yemao (夜猫) has recently appeared on the local late-night scene but somehow uses the same photos and certification as Huangcheng.

Other late night food providers named in the report include Dingding BBQ (丁丁烧烤) and Mankouxiang Dumplings (满口香水饺). And, as it turns out, even if Beijing online food providers can make delicious food and deliver it on time, what you don't know may, in fact, hurt you.

The Beijing Business Today was able to track down some of the physical locations of these elusive online food providers only to find less than ideal circumstances. Instead of a sit-down restaurant, the Wangjing Xiaoyao in Shunyuanli was revealed to have been operating in a cramped and dirty 2-by-3 meter space with barely enough room for an oven, roaster, and refrigerator.

These revelations come after recent news that numerous online food providers were shown to have been using fake certifications and restaurant fronts. While fake business licenses can be bought for under RMB 1500, other unscrupulous restaurants have chosen to share the same certification, involving up to as many as 13 online food providers.

Since that time, Beijing authorities have shut down at least two illegal restaurants.

Misrepresentation and scamming the public has been a long-standing problem for online food providers in China, supposedly rectified by newly-passed government regulations.

More stories from this author here.

E-Mail: charlesliu1 (at) qq (dot) com
Twitter: @Sinopath

Images: Weibo

The Chinese archaic notion of "face" defies all logic, and yet, manages to persevere into the twenty-first century as the country's defining social trait. As a fundamental social construct, even the poorest man values "face" over riches in China when the alternative is too terrible to consider. No one is immune to "face" in China, and that includes the country's highest echelon of academia whereby a simple mistake is threatening to ruin one of the country's top universities.

Celebrations for Peking University's 120th anniversary were recently derailed when headmaster Lin Jianhua made an embarrassing gaffe. During his speech in front of important dignitaries and celebrated alumni, Lin inaccurately read out the wrong pronunciation for the Chinese term for a "large swan," saying "hào" instead of "hú."

As seen in this video, Lin stumbled over the misstep for only a couple of seconds, but the ramification would be severe. Given that the Chinese written language is based upon thousands of individual elements, knowledge of the written word signifies a fluency with its spoken counterpart, thereby giving rise to the suspicion that there was no way that Lin wrote his own speech.

Chinese language fluency entered an unprecedented era with the introduction of computers and cell phones because Chinese writers no longer had to manually spell out their words. However, what could be a forgivable error made by the common layman won't pass mustard in the context of the 120th-anniversary celebration.

READ: Expat Disrespect of US President Warmly Received in Peking University Valedictorian Speech

But, Lin's mistake isn't the real controversy. Instead of ignoring it or laughing it off, Lin rationalized that he is completely blameless for the unforgivable sin of publicly embarrassing himself. And, as dictated by the tenets of "face", he didn't just give one reason. He gave all of them.

Lin began his defence by appealing to the reader's sense of sympathy, revealing that he "isn't perfect" and is prone to making mistakes like we all do. But instead of being satisfied with a personal apology in which he attempted to "reveal his true self," Lin continued in his letter to lay the blame on everyone else.

To explain his poor reading fluency, Lin actually went way, way back to his childhood in rural Inner Mongolia, blaming the error on his poor education. Without considering that vast swaths of the Chinese population have the same background, Lin went on to blame his embarrassing gaff upon one of modern China's most devastating tragedies: the Cultural Revolution.

READ: Tsinghua University Landmark Featured an English Mistake for Years Without Correction

Still a sensitive subject among polite Chinese conversation to this day, Lin blamed the Red Guard purge for his "incomplete education" because, in lieu of proper textbooks, all Lin could study from were books like Quotations from Chairman Mao. 

"People of today will find it hard to imagine the way things were obstructed back then," Lin wrote, further explaining that "Not only was there no internet, but there weren't any of the good books we have today." 

But wait, there's more. Lin wasn't done yet. At the end of the letter, Lin concluded with a quote from his speech in which he turned the tables on his critics, accusing them of having disingenuous motives: 

No value can come from worries and doubt, but instead will hinder our steps towards the future. To help us in this endeavor, we need firm confidence, the courage to face reality and the impetus to face the future.

True enough; Lin is right to say that we need confidence and courage as we move forward. Unfortunately, there may be greater forces at work.

READ: Tourists are Taking Photos In Front of a Fake Tsinghua Landmark... In Front of the Real Tsinghua Landmark

After causing an online furor that attracted some 15,000 responses, the comment section of the Beijing Youth Report Weibo post on the story about Lin's speech has been shut down, preventing any further discussion. To date, it's the only Weibo account that seems to have taken this action.

It could be that none of this controversy would have ever happened if Lin never wrote that letter. However, by any means necessary, it seems that Lin wants us all to know that he isn't to blame for his mistake. In fact, in his "apology" letter, Lin proves his Chinese fluency by promoting his own book to his readers.

Whether or not the head of Peking University is subject to the same fear of shame as the rest of China, we at least know that he isn't shameless.

More stories from this author here.

E-Mail: charlesliu1 (at) qq (dot) com
Twitter: @Sinopath

Images: Southcn, Sohu, Weibo

The free discussion will focus on the topic of “Beijing: A Gold Mine of Stories” (click here to register or scan the QR code in the poster below). Being a city full of history, Beijing gives everyone a feel of what life in a highly cultural but very contemporary setting is. But beyond the tourist sights and daily urban living lie a wealth of fascinating stories that can inspire budding writers and bloggers.

Seasoned historian, educator, and Beijinger contributor Jeremiah Jenne of Beijing by Foot will talk about exploring Beijing’s extraordinary historic areas, whereas chef-turned-writer and Blogging in Beijing founder and beijingkids editor Pauline van Hasselt of Beijing Mothers Guild will talk about how living in Beijing for the past two years has helped her manage her dyslexia to become an intrepid storyteller. Multicultural blogger Jackie Park of Bringing Up the Parks will moderate the subsequent panel discussion with the two speakers. Park has been living in Beijing for over eight years and documents her experiences raising two third-culture daughters in China.

Full disclosure: the gathering will be hosted by myself, founder of the Cool Kid Andy travel blog, co-founder of Blogging in Beijing, and editor at beijingkids.

Blogging in Beijing is also looking for volunteers for their upcoming autumn and winter activities. Responsibilities include creating posters and visual materials and helping with event organization. No prior blogging/writing/reporting experience is necessary, but a willingness to learn basic journalism skills and events management is a bonus. Volunteers should also be able to speak some English. For those who are interested, contact Andy Penafuerte (WeChat ID: anp3rd) and add “BlogBJ volunteer” to your message.

This article originally appeared on our sister site beijingkids.

Images: Negative Space via Pexels.com, Blogging in Beijing

Since the Great Brickening, we've stopped by the hutongs less and less and instead flock to shopping malls more frequently. During one such trek at Raffles City, Dongzhimen, we spotted newly opened locations of Nestgram and Blanko.

After enduring closures at Sanlitun North and Ritan Park, bread shop Nestgram has now found a safer home in this mall. Despite this new location being much smaller than the Ritan branch (which had a beautiful yard nearby), this Raffles iteration at least ups the ante for baked goods in Dongzhimen. Offerings include Nestgram's signature colorful, bagel-like bread, baozi-like bread with salted egg and other fillings, and other carb-y items all made with locally-raised enzymes that are added to the dough.

Then there's, Blanko, a mini market chain that is part café, bookstore, furniture, and stationery shop. The new Dongzhimen iteration doesn't bother with furniture and instead focuses mainly on coffee, tea, and French-style confectionaries. While tables and chairs aren't for sale here, they still sell tableware, stationery, picture frames, and canvas bags.

Blanko's hazelnut, mango, and peppercorn cakes are served on stylish plates, and their chocolate mousse was covered in a ganache, with a white chocolate frame and a single piece of gold foil on top. The center contained several layers, the combination of different textures teaming well with a subtle hint of Cointreau. It all amounts to a convenient spot to have a cup of coffee and grab a last-minute gift.

These two new Raffles outlets are small and different, but both provide more choices for the Dongzhimen set looking for breakfast and a cup of joe, or a sneaky afternoon tea near their office.

Nestgram
Mon-Fri 8am-10pm, Sat-Sun 10am-10pm. B1-13b, Raffles City, 1 Dongzhimen Nandajie, Dongcheng District (6406 5760)
东直门南大街1号来福士B1-13b

Blanko
Daily 9.30-10pm. B1-11b, Raffles City, 1 Dongzhimen Nandajie, Dongcheng District (159 0411 6606)
东直门南大街1号来福士B1-11B

More stories by this author here.

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

Photos: Tracy Wang, dianping (1)

After scorching their way through School Bar and Temple in August of last year, Japanese noise rockers The Devils & Libido return to Beijing with a triple-threat run of gigs, Jun 1-3.

This time, bassist Kuniomi Taira and drummer Ken will hit up DDC on Jun 1 (RMB 80/60), Temple on Jun 2 (free), and School on Jun 3 (price TBA), which mark the end of an eight-day tour around China.

Thanks to an infectious, high-energy drum and bass pairing, The Devils' 2017 shows immediately grabbed the attention of many a Beijing gig-goer, with a sizeable portion attending the shows back-to-back (a taster of their Temple night can be seen here). With Beijing's run of canceled Japanese acts, here was a band that not only made it through the capricious Chinese visa office but put on a show that left the room jumping.

As Live Beijing Music described the gigs at the time, "[The Devils & Libido are] a bass drum noise core duo (very much in the vein of Lightning Bolt) that set Temple ablaze with their assault of technical mind-blowing two piece waltz of musical mayhem."

The excitement that is derived from Tokyo band's instrumentals is largely the effect of Ken's precision drumming, laying a foundation for Taira to riff and play with his arsenal of pedals, swinging between crazed feedback and dabblings with 8-bit-tinged solos. It's a combination that holds listeners' attention, distracting from the fact that someone's probably just poured a beer down their back. For that, it's a welcome return and the perfect show(s) to kick off the summer proper.

Catch The Devils & Libido at one of their Beijing stops between Jun 1-3 and will be joined by several Beijing-based acts.

Images courtesy of Borderless

Unsatisfied with simply stealing the trademark of one of Beijing's most famous restaurants, an unscrupulous restauranteur was discovered to have brazenly set up his fake restaurant within walking distance of its inspiration's most famous location.

The Dongcheng District Industry and Commerce Bureau is investigating complaints that a Quanjude restaurant in Wangfujing is not the real thing.

Instead of the iconic Wangfujing landmark with its larger-than-life outdoor marque (shown above), this "Quanjude" restaurant is located on the sixth floor of the Wangfujing Department Store.

Although they have different addresses, online map services like Baidu Map have difficulty distinguishing between the two Quanjude restaurants, suggesting that confused newcomers to Beijing may have been hoodwinked by the doppelganger. 

Besides the unlicensed use of its English and Chinese name, the knock-off restaurant even used the venerable laozihao brand trademark in its menus, WeChat pages, and billboards. What's more, the fake Quanjude even had listings featured on the Dianping and Ele.me food review and order platforms.

As one of Beijing's "time-honored brands" that has had the honor of serving foreign dignitaries like US President Richard Nixon, Quanjude has achieved a number of successes before lapsing into a less-than-glorified state.

After the success of opening multiple Beijing branches (like Silk Street) and even its own museum (shown above), Quanjude fell on hard times in 2013 when profits slumped amid ongoing austerity measures. In 2016, Quanjude was named one as one of Beijing's best restaurants on international aggregator La Liste, but not before it shut down its home delivery service after losing RMB 15 million.

With its glory days well behind it, Quanjude has been surpassed by its competition, only becoming relevant in the news again when it was discovered to have been building illegal structures at its Wangfujing location. 

If you're interested in eating the same food Nixon did, you should know that the Beijinger has a hard time recommending Quanjude because of its "uneven service quality" and exorbitant costs by which "duck prices rise to RMB 298 a pop."

We'd never recommend a counterfeit restaurant to anyone for any reason, but we'd have to admit that there may be at least one good thing about the fake Quanjude restaurant: its prices were probably lower.

More stories from this author here.

E-Mail: charlesliu1 (at) qq (dot) com
Twitter: @Sinopath

Images: Baidu Travel, Beijing Business Today, Tour BJ XCH, Sina

The US State Department issued a health alert to its citizens residing in China of a possible "sonic attack" after one of its employees was diagnosed with a brain injury after complaining of strange "sensations of sound and pressure." 

As seen on its official website, the US Embassy said a Guangzhou-based employee experienced "subtle and vague, but abnormal, sensations of sound and pressure." 

The notice said the cause of the symptoms remains unknown, and that this is the only known case of its kind to have happened to a US citizen in China, whether from inside or outside the diplomatic community.

A US Embassy in Beijing spokesperson said the employee reported the symptoms during their stay in Guangzhou between April 2017 and April 2018. Upon returning to the USA for medical treatment, the embassy said they learned of the mild traumatic brain injury diagnosis on May 18.

According to the embassy warning, US expats are advised not to attempt to locate the source of "any unusual acute auditory or sensory phenomena accompanied by unusual sounds or piercing noises" during their time in China. Instead, they are advised to simply leave for another location where the sounds are not present.

For any concerns about medical conditions that developed during a stay in China, US citizens are advised to consult a medical professional.

The Guangzhou incident comes after similar incidents happened to US and Canadian diplomats stationed in Cuba. Numerous members of embassy staff from both countries were removed after they complained of symptoms like hearing loss, dizziness, tinnitus, visual difficulties, and headaches.

Although technological advances have allowed sound to be weaponized, experts interviewed by CNN say they are unfamiliar with any known device that can cause the symptoms experienced in Havana or Guangzhou.

"I know of no acoustic effect that would produce concussion-like symptoms; according to my research, strong effects on humans require loudness levels that would be perceived as very loud noise while exposed," said Jürgen Altmann, a physics professor at Technischen Universität Dortmund in Berlin. 

Yesterday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said his department is investigating both the Guangzhou and Havana incidents, noting that the symptoms suffered by embassy staff are "very similar and entirely consistent" with each other.

The embassy spokesperson said the Chinese government is also investigating and taking "appropriate measures."

More stories from this author here.

E-Mail: charlesliu1 (at) qq (dot) com
Twitter: @Sinopath

Images: pwpla

Beijing Beats brings you the best in Beijing nightlife each weekend so that you can soothe the woes of a long and stressful week with some out-of-body gyrating and some experiences you'd rather forget come Monday. Check the weekend's full list of nightlife events here.

Friday, May 25

Zatox
Italian hardstyle DJ Zatox has been on the scene since 2002, working under various pseudonyms. He frequently collaborates with fellow hardstyle vet Tatanka and has been on the DJ Mag Top 100 list since 2011. RMB 100 presale, RMB 180 at the door. 11pm. One Third

Lantern Club Night + Blackout
Lantern Club Night brings together house favorite DJs like BB Deng, QQ, Weng Weng and Jackson Lee in Room #1, while Micro/Wave’s Thomas Futoso, ByeByeDisco’s Pei, Toxic’s Nigls and Blackout’s Rhom Omit take over Room #2 for Blackout. RMB 50. 10.30pm. Lantern

Dance With Us
The DJ's will take to the dance floor for the intimate, in-your-face new party series at Aurora. The lineup includes Pancake Lee and Mario Yu, Aida, Kimo, Tucoco, and Yuze. RMB 50. 10pm. Aurora

Thuvndr x Antidote Present Ikonika
This British dubstep producer and DJ has taken enormous strides since her classic 2008 single 'Please' (Hyperdub). Following the release of her 2010 debut album Contact, Love, Want, Have (Hyperdub), Ikonika toured everywhere from Europe to Asia to Australia to North and South America. Her Pitchfork approved 2012 EP I Make Lists, explored a more club-focused direction whilst retaining her melodic sensibility. Azealia Banks also used her production on the mixtape track "Neptune."RMB 60 presale, RMB 80 at the door. 10pm. Dada

From Soul to Disco
CBD star venue Migas Mercado (pictured in the lead image above) will host DJ Cad 73 and Jay 1,2 for a night of soul and disco classics that'll transport you straight to the 70's. Free entry. 10pm. Migas Mercado

Saturday, May 26

Made in China Music Festival (Day 1)
One Third puts on its first Made in China Music Festival featuring an all-Chinese musical line-up. Groove to beats from DJL, Carta, Xu Mengyuan, Warz, Whybeatz, Dirty Class and Unity from throughout Saturday and Sunday all the way until 4am Monday, May 28, all in celebration of China’s electronica talent. RMB 100 (one day only), RMB 180 (both days). 3pm onward. One Third

Back2Basics Hutong Sessions
The fun starts at huge hutong bar Salud, as eleven DJs from China, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, Portugal and Serbia hit the decks from 1pm-10pm. The promoters promise "the best summer vibe four-by-four grooves this city has to offer." An afterparty will be held at Aurora. Free entry. 1pm onward. Salud

Keep On Deepin’ On
This lineup features Elvis T., arguably China’s top techno talent, and electronic DJ and elder statesman of the Beijing nightlife scene, Weng Weng, along with other popular techno acts. RMB 50. 10.30pm. Lantern

Syndicate Sessions Presents Tsuruda
The first Syndicate party of 2018 brings California-based bass slinger Tsuruda to Dada Beijing. With his roots planted firmly in the Low End Theory sound, Tsuruda's wonky UK bass and halftime-influenced music has sprouted off in all kinds of weird and wonderful directions, reaching sonic tentacles into such illustrious labels as Noisia's Division, Ivy Lab's 20/20 and Alix Perez's 1985 Music. RMB 60. 10pm. Dada

Sunday, May 27

011 Brunch and Day Party
The Bookworm's recently revamped terrace will play host to brunch and a DJ backed dance party this Sunday. Longtime classics and the latest hits will be featured in the playlist. Brunch ticket: RMB 200 presale, RMB 250 at the door. Afterparty only (no food and drinks) ticket: RMB 30. Brunch time: Noon-4pm, Afterparty time: 4pm-8pm. The Bookworm

Made in China Music Festival (Day 2)
The second day of One Third's first ever DJ festival is sure to keep dance music fans satisfied all day and well into the wee hours. Let's hope those attendees don't have to work the next morning. RMB 100 (one day only), RMB 180 (both days). All day until 4am Monday, May 28. One Third

Photos: Guide In China, courtesy of the venues