That's Beijing - May 2015

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4 00 8 2 0 8428 城市漫步北京 英文版 05 月份 国 内 统 一 刊 号: CN 11-5232/GO China Intercontinental Press

ISSN 1672-8025

m ay 2 0 1 5

2015 BEST OF BEIJING AWARDS

主管单位 ：中华人民共和国国务院新闻办公室 Supervised by the State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China 主办单位 ：五洲传播出版社 地址 ：北京市海淀区北三环中路 31 号生产力大楼 B 座 602 邮编 100088 B-602 Shengchanli Building, No. 31 Beisanhuan Zhonglu, Haidian District, Beijing 100088, PRC http://www.cicc.org.cn 社长 President of China Intercontinental Press 李红杰 Li Hongjie 期刊部负责人 Supervisor of Magazine Department 邓锦辉 Deng Jinhui 编辑 Editor 刘扬 Liu Yang 发行 / 市场 Distribution / Marketing 黄静，李若琳 Huang Jing, Li Ruolin

Editor-in-Chief Stephen George Deputy Editor Oscar Holland Senior Editors Karoline Kan, Marianna Cerini Designers Tin Wu, Xiaoran Li Staff Photographer Holly Li Contributors Andrew Chin, Mia Li, Trevor Marshallsea, Qiao Zhi, Lacey Kang, jocelyn Richards, Naomi Goddard, Fahy Yen, Zhao Juanyang, Jacob Sun

Urbanatomy Media Shanghai (Head office) 上海和舟广告有限公司 上海市蒙自路 169 号智造局 2 号楼 305-306 室 邮政编码 : 200023 Room 305-306, Building 2, No.169 Mengzi Lu, Shanghai 200023 电话 : 021-8023 2199 传真 : 021-8023 2190 (From February 13) Beijing 广告代理 : 上海和舟广告有限公司 北京市东城区东直门外大街 48 号东方银座 C 座 9G 邮政编码 : 100027 48 Dongzhimenwai Dajie Oriental Kenzo (Ginza Mall) Building C Room 9G, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100027 电话 : 010-8447 7002 传真 : 010-8447 6455 Guangzhou 上海和舟广告有限公司广州分公司 广州市越秀区麓苑路 42 号大院 2 号楼 610 房 邮政编码 : 510095 Room 610, No. 2 Building, Area 42, Lu Yuan Lu, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, PRC 510095 电话 : 020-8358 6125, 传真 : 020-8357 3859-800 Shenzhen 广告代理 : 上海和舟广告有限公司广州分公司 深圳市福田区彩田路星河世界大厦 C1-1303 C1-1303, Galaxy Century Building, Cai Tian Road, Futian District, Shenzhen 电话 : 0755-8623 3220, 传真 : 0755-8623 3219

朝阳店 CHAOYANG PARK STORE 东湖别墅店 EAST LAKE STORE

TEL: (010) 84511168 B1 of East Lake Villa Club, Dongcheng District 东城区东湖别墅东湖俱乐部地下一层 观湖国际店 GREEN LAKE STORE

TEL: (010) 59283525 \ 59283723 A1 Building of GreenLake International Apartment, Chaoyang District 朝阳区观湖国际甲 1 号楼 新城国际店 CENTRAL PARK STORE

TEL: (010) 65336791 No. 101, Tower 17, Central Park, NO.6, Chaowai Ave. Chaoyang District 朝阳区朝外大街 6 号新城国际 17 栋 101 海晟店 SEASONS PARK STORE

TEL: (010) 64175815 First floor of Dongchengyishu No.6, Shizipo Street, Chaoyang District 朝阳区十字坡街 6 号东城逸墅 1 层 逸盛阁店 EAST AVENUE STORE

TEL: (010) 64602658 Room 108 ,East Avenue, No.10 Xindong Road, Chaoyang District 朝阳区新东路 10 号逸盛阁 108 室

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TEL: (010) 65016249 \ 65931220 West Gate of Chaoyang Park, Chaoyang District 朝阳区农展南路 1 号（朝阳公园西门南 60 米） 三里屯店 SANLITUN STORE

TEL: (010) 64616928 \ 64635156 No.6 Sanlitun Beixiaojie, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯北小街 6 号 芳草地店 RITAN STORE

TEL: (010) 85630626 No.4 Ritan North Road, Chaoyang District 朝阳区日坛北路 4 号 香江花园店 RIVERA GARDEN STORE

TEL: (010) 84701557 \ 84704095 No.1 Laiguangying East Road, Chaoyang District 朝阳区来广营东路 1 号

Operations Manager Ning Zhu Sales Manager Louise Chen Sales Emma Cao, Lucy Denton, Morri Qin, Christina Zhuang Marketing Manager Justin Culkin Marketing Assistant Vivid Zhu Distribution Manager Yang Juan Web & IT Amul Qiu, Ken Zhou

Management CEO Leo Zhou Financial Manager Laura Lu HR Manager Penny Li Digital Project Manager Bridget O’Donnell General enquiries (010) 8447 7002 Editorial (010) 8447 7069 bjeditor@urbanatomy.com Events (010) 8447 7069 bjevents@urbanatomy.com Distribution/Subscription (010) 8447 7002 bjdistribution@urbanatomy.com Marketing (010) 8447 7603 bjmarketing@urbanatomy.com Advertising (010) 8447 7073 bjadvertising@urbanatomy.com Fax (010) 8447 6455

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TEL: (010) 58692326 \ 58692253 0413 of Building 4, Jianwai SOHO, No. 39 Middle Dongsanhuan Road, Chaoyang District 朝阳区东三环中路 39 号建外 SOHO4 号 楼 0413

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editor’s note

DEALS

We‘re giving away tickets to some of

may

the very biggest

There is a theory, popular among Chinese scholars, that sees Chinese history

re-imagined as a ‘snowball.’ This snowball, used as a metaphor for assimilation or mutual acculturation, grows in size as it rolls through time, collecting things – ideas, people, religions – along the way. But its core remains steadfastly Chinese, no matter how big it becomes or what new things happen to stick to it.

It’s a process, that in many ways continues to this day – and one that we grapple with in this month’s cover story, ‘Reds on the Table’ (page 38), in which Oscar Holland explores the recent sino-fication of the once uniquely British sport of snooker. It’s a fascinating and strangely gripping read, that has been months in the making – and one that I’m genuinely excited to finally put out into the world.

Elsewhere in the magazine, Karoline Kan enters into the peculiar and niche world of sneakers fetishists: young men obsessed with collecting limited edition import Nike Air Jordans (page 24); Andrew Chin hangs out in the studio with most exciting band in China right now, Queen Sea Big Shark, as they put the finishing touches to their as yet unnamed new album (page 32); Marianna Cerini finds out why Beijing’s concrete jungle is a skateboarding paradise (page 10); and I meet with Italian Photographer Adriano Madaro, whose ultra-realist portraits of 1970s Beijing can be found on page 14.

And so, until the next time,

Beijing events, parties, openings, shows and talks throughout May, alongside a whole other host of free meals, drinks discounts and giveaways. All you have to do is scan

Stephen George Editor-in-Chief CORRECTION: In the March issue of That’s Beijing we mistakenly attributed the design of

Parkview Green to Kengo Kuma, when it is of course the work of the brilliant Winston Shu (of Integrated Design Associates Ltd.)

the QR code below, follow us on WeChat and stay alert for your chance to win.

We're Hiring

We’re expanding our sales team – come and work for China’s leading Englishlanguage media company. A full-time position, the ideal candidate will be an outgoing and driven young professional with excellent communication skills.

The job will require the establishment, development and maintaining of relationships with clients, both new and current, in order to generate new business. Additionally, you will be required to write clear and effective proposals, and work with a team to produce weekly reports. The job requires a minimum 40-hour, 5-day week,

with readiness to work overtime where required – a good work ethic is vital.

We’re looking for a candidate with one to two years of sales experience in the advertising industry and an established track record. Bilingual English/Chinese written and verbal skills are a must. College degree preferred.

Candidates should be comfortable working in an international environment, while a knowledge of all things Beijing is vital. If you think this sounds like you, send a resumé and cover letter to bjadvertising@urbanatomy.com.

F O L L O W U S ON SO C I A L M EDI A

T hats_Beijing t w i t t e r. c o m / T h a t s _ B e i j i n g facebook .com/pages/ T hats-Beijing

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Q U OTE O F T H E M ONT H “I have some crazy clients, like this sixteen-year-old boy who, each month, gives me 20,000 kuai to keep him a pair of anything new that might come in. He’s a fu’erdai for sure” Chen Siyuan, Owner of Brooklyn sneaker shop on Gulou Dongdajie, page 24

6 C I TY 8 CA L L I T Q U I TS Will Beijing’s smoking ban ever work?

9 HO N G B AO R E G R E TS Confucius tackles corruption and media ‘gifts’ 10 FLIPPING OUT On board with China’s skate scenesters

10

2 0 L I F E & STY L E 2 2 F ASH I O N P I C K S Put some spring in your step (and wardrobe)

2 4 S N E A K E R O F TH E HO U S E We meet Beijing’s basketball shoe fanatics 2 8 SC E N E & H E A R D The best of Beijing’s latest openings

24

3 0 A R TS

30 DRUMROLL Violinist Zhang Zhang is heading home 3 1 CA N VASS E D Chinese artist meets Italian filmmaker

3 6 OW L C I TY The electro-pop star is a real hoot. Kind of.

36

5 0 E AT & D R I N K 52 NIAJO Culinary road trippin’ through the heartlands of Spain

5 4 TAV E L I N B AG E L S Like donuts, but less sweet: baker boys return 5 5 GO D F ATH E R S An offer you may, or may not, be able to refuse 4 | m ay 2 0 1 5 | w w w.t h at s m a g s . c o m

52

THE WRAP 32 QUEEN SEA BIG SHARK

An exclusive photo shoot and album preview in the studio of China’s biggest band

3 8 S N OO K E R ’ S N E W WO R L D O R D E R We travel from London to Beijing in search of the players, fans and cash reviving the struggling sport

1 4 re F O R M A snapshot of pre-reform Beijing from one of the first foreign photographers allowed in

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THE BUZZ RANDOM NUMBER

… is the number of foreigners arrested on drug charges in Beijing since 2013, despite last year’s high-profile crackdown. The figure, published by China News Service on April 20 – a day of observance for cannabis counterculture in many countries – claimed that 13 of those cases related to trafficking. The number appears to contradict earlier reports that as many as 30 foreign dealers were arrested between February and May 2014.

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O L D S U M M E R PA L AC E S U E S N E W O L D S U M M E R PA L AC E Officials responsible for Beijing’s Old Summer Palace may take legal action a replica in Zhejiang province for intellectual property infringement, despite the fact that less than 10 percent of the original buildings still stand.

The management at the imperial complex – which was abandoned and inhabited by farmers after its destruction by British and French led foreign forces in 1860 – has expressed concern about the quality of the copy.

"The construction and development of the site should be planned by authoritative national organizations, and any replication of it should reach certain standards," a Summer Palace official with nothing else to do told the news agency.

Built by a Chinese movie studio at a cost of over RMB30 billion, the replica attraction is due to open this month. In response to the criticisms, Zhejiang’s Hengdian World Studios claimed that the site has been built to help educate young people about China’s past.

b j e d i t o r @ u r b a n a t o m y. c o m

A L Arm i n g f i g ure s

As k a L ao be i j i n g

One in every five young people in Beijing is obese, up from 14 percent in 2006, according to official statistics. China still falls behind the US in the global obesity ranks.

But while children with weight problems in the West are more likely to come from poorer backgrounds, China’s well-off families are considered higher risk. Recent studies found a direct correlation between increasing levels of obesity in China and households’ rising car ownership.

As a sandstorm raged, we were invited into the home of 73-year-old Song, a retired steel researcher for a stateowned enterprise.

oad e abr u m ov e n ? o y d l r Wo u child yo u r with

Q u ot e o f t h e M o n t h

SC E N IC S M OG Visitors at the Beijing Botanical Garden marvel at a mysterious natural fog.

“We plan to replace it with a bigger one with advanced features, like air-conditioned cabins where people can drink tea and coffee” Wu Hailong, general manager of Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park, offers a glimmer of hope to those mourning the closure of the capital’s only Ferris wheel.

After almost 30 years, the warranty for the 50-meter wide attraction could not be renewed, due to its age. Plans for a larger replacement are yet to be approved by Shijingshan District Government.

t o l iv

e

“I have never considered moving abroad. My life in Beijing is satisfying and I have a considerable pension, so I can live decently here. My daughter is in her forties, but she has never planned to live abroad either. It is my granddaughter’s generation that needs to gain international experience if they are to be competitive in the job market. But still, we won’t leave Beijing with her.

Many of my former colleagues’ children now live abroad. My nephew and niece have also built a career overseas – one in America and another in the UK. But none of the parents I know have gone abroad with their kids. The most they can do is look after their grandchildren for a few years.

Settling in another country is like being a fish out of water. The first real problem is the food. I went to Russia several times for conferences and while I found the climate easy to adapt to, the food never met my expectations. I think Chinese food is the best cuisine in the world.

There are many advantages of living in a more developed country, like better medical care for old people. But don’t forget, if you need an appendix operation, for example, it is quite convenient and quick to get it done in Beijing. In a country with free medical treatment you might have to wait for one or two months.

Another reason why I’ll always stay in Beijing is that it feels like my own ‘territory.’ In foreign countries I feel I’m a complete outsider. Also, in some developed countries, it seems that locals are prejudiced against Chinese. I’ve got my social network here – I always bump into acquaintances for a chat when I go for a walk. In a foreign country I’d face a language barrier, which is a huge obstacle to setting up a new network.

Maybe I could live overseas for a couple of months but I’d never settle. I enjoy my life here. Beijing’s only flaw is the air quality but I think it’s tolerable – we’ve seen so many improvements take place already that a solution can’t be far away.

As told to Fahy Yen w w w.t h at s m a g s . c o m | m ay 2 0 1 5 | 7

c i t y | t a le s

photos by holly li

TALES OF THE CITY

Beijing's New Smoking Ban , Will it Work?

Ma L ao w u | 4 0

L i Yu n fe i | 3 0

Manager of a tripe and ears restaurant As a non-smoker, I am 100 percent on board in support of any type of ban, though i’m not so sure about the gestures.

I think a ban would help to change the environment in our restaurant for the better. In addition, setting a smoking area for chain smokers will make their lives easier too.

X i ao Q i a n g | 4 2

Self employed I don’t know anything about it, or the weird hand signals, but there are lots of well-educated people living here who would benefit from a smoking ban.

Public smoking is unhealthy for both the smoker and for those around them. Lots of people today use e-cigarettes, myself included.

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On June 1, a citywide smoking ban will go into effect across Beijing, prohibiting the city's four million smokers from lighting up in all indoor public spaces, including offices. To help with the efforts, the municipal government has released three official hand gestures (above) to discourage smokers. We hit the streets to see what the public thought of the ban – and whether they recognized the gestures.

Q i u Z he n g | 8 4

Retired district government official I’ve been smoking for over 60 years, but I see the ban as a positive thing [lights up a cigarette]. However, the government should not just ban public smoking, they should also provide spiritual and medical support to those trying to quit.

Li Hong| 30

Unemployed I know about the ban and the gestures. I think they're great! [imitates gestures] The smoking ban is a good thing. Actually, I’ve noticed that the number of people smoking on the street has reduced recently. Beijing is a modern city and smoking is an old person’s habit.

Lamb soup restaurant owner There’s a ban? I had no idea! But I already have a ‘No Smoking’ sign in my restaurant, so I don’t think it’ll affect my business.

Even though I’m a smoker – and have been since the age of 12 – I still believe that if a ban was enforced strictly, really strictly, it would reduce the number of smokers. The stricter the better.

Dav e A n de r so n | 2 5

Engineer I don’t know anything about it.

Didn’t they try to ban it before, in 2008? I don’t think a smoking ban could ever work in Beijing, it’d be impossible to enforce.

Everyone smokes here. I mean some street stands are also illegal, pirate DVD sales are illegal, tons of stuff is illegal, but it’s all still here.

W.W. C . D . | c i t y

Q

I am a journalist. Last year, I met a local official at a banquet and his secretary handed me a red envelope with a significant amount of money inside, saying that it would be nice if I could provide “positive coverage” of a project under his name. Sadly, despite my ethical objections, I obliged. The official is now under investigation for corruption and I’m deeply afraid that the red envelope will also be uncovered in due course. I desperately want to return the money and admit my mistake before I am caught. But by doing so, my reputation as a journalist would be damaged forever. What should I do?

A

When Confucius’ student Sima Niu asked him how to become a gentleman of noble character, Confucius said: “A man of noble character never feels worried or terrified.” Sima Niu was confused and thought the answer was far too simple. Sima Niu was often worried.

So he returned to Confucius, who elaborated further: “If you don't feel ashamed when you review everything you did in the past, then how can you feel worried or terrified?”

The key here is found in our ability to review: to look back with clarity and honesty and not be afraid of our mistakes.

It is our sense of guilt that continuously generates unrest and unease. As long as we dodge our past faults, shame will revolve around us forever. If we want relief, we should face the guilt head on, and that means accepting the consequences, whatever they may be.

The opening chapter of the Confucian

text The Great Learning starts with “[People should] reach for, and remain in state of goodness.” For us ordinary people, how to achieve this goal? According to Confucius: “Having a sense of shame is brave.” It is understandable that all people can make mistakes. Even those who have committed crimes have a chance of forgiveness, so long as they are willing to undergo a period of rehabilitatation and learn from their mistakes.

As Confucius said: “If you have made a mistake, do not be afraid to redress that afterwards.”

You must now readdress your mistake. wang Xuejun is a lecturer at Beijing Language and

Modern Dilemmas, Age-Old Wisdom

What Would confucius do

culture University, specializing in chinese culture. his most recent book is entitled teaching Methods

of chinese Language and traditional culture . send your ethical dilemma for Professor wang to bjeditor@ urbanatomy.com

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c i t y | Fe a t ure

On a gloomy Saturday afternoon

in the suburban district of Daxing, a 7-year-old is learning how to ‘drop in’ – a skateboarding move for novices in which skaters prop their boards up on the edge of a ramp and plunge down the incline.

Sporting a helmet, knee-pads and holding a board almost half her size, she calls out to her dad – a 30-something man in skinny jeans and a flat cap standing a few meters away – to make sure he’s watching, before flying down the ramp.

Not far away, a couple of teenagers are getting ready to skate down a slide, while Li Chenggao, a 31-year-old computer programmer, is mastering a casper flip – where the board is flipped, caught with the foot mid-air then spun 180 degrees on its vertical axis. Li has been practicing the same move repeatedly for weeks.

I am at Woodward Beijing, the largest indoor skate park in China and among the best equipped in Asia. Opened in 2010 by the Chinese Government and Camp Woodward – a US venture known worldwide as a promoter of action sports and skateboarding camps – it boasts a 40,000-square-foot indoor facility featuring two different street courses with rails, banks and pyramids; a multi-level mini ramp; a wooden bowl with a spine; and a giant vertical ramp with a foam pit attached.

There are similar spots elsewhere in China, like the Shanghai Multimedia Park (SMP), formerly the country’s largest skate park, and the epic Guangzhou University City Skate Park (GZ Uni Mega Park) which, at almost 17,000 sqm, is currently the largest in the world. All were built with government backing.

Skateboarding – a quintessentially American sport –grew from a movement of bored Californian surfers looking for something else to ride when the waves were flat. It first appeared in China nearly 30 years ago, as a predominately underground activity: an embodiment of the spirit of American cool.

“China is probably the biggest and best skate park in the world... You might occasionally get kicked out of a spot, but there are millions of other places to take your board. It’s incredible“ Why China's Concrete Jungles are a Skateboarding Paradise

Skaters gonna 1 0 | M ay 2 0 1 5 | w w w.t h at s m a g s . c o m

Skate

by Ma r i a n n a Ce r i n i , a d d i t i o n a l re s e a rc h by To n g fe i Z h a n g , Zo ey Z h a a n d W i l l Wu

Legend has it that skating arrived in China via American students, who came to Beijing to study Mandarin in the early reform period. But a more likely scenario is that Chinese teens, hungry for American cultural imports, picked up bootleg copies of classic skateboarding films like Thrashin’ or The Search for Animal Chin.

Easy to come by in first- and secondtier cities, bootleg VHS tapes offered a way for kids across the country to learn about Western pop culture – and the lifestyles and sports that came with it.

Shanghai-based Jeff Han, one of the first Chinese skaters to become a professional – an O.G. ‘original gangster,’ as I am to learn – got hooked through watching skateboarding on screen.

“I remember watching this film called Gleaming the Cube [featuring Christian Slater as a 16-year-old skateboarder investigating the death of his adopted Vietnamese brother] and thinking how cool skateboarding was. I decided I wanted to do it too, and found some plastic boards at a local street stall. They were only RMB70-80, and felt incredibly slow… I kept wondering how the skater in the film could go so fast. Then, one day, I stumbled upon a real skateboard in a sports shop. It cost RMB360 – a fortune at the time. I saved up and bought it. My life changed from there.”

That was 1992. Han, like many others, taught himself how to do a few basic tricks and thought he was the only one in Shanghai on a board – until one day, when a friend told him he had seen someone else skating on the street. “It was almost a shock, to hear I wasn’t alone. I got in touch with the guy and we started competing around town.”

At Woodward Beijing, Li tells me a remarkably similar story: “When I was about 19, I found this documentary called Dogtown and Z-Boys,” he says. “I just couldn’t stop thinking about it. I bought a skateboard the minute I got to Beijing for university. I went to the park and got on it. There were people staring at me, but I didn’t see them. For that first wonderful moment, in my head, I was in California.”

Back in the 1990s, the skating scene picked up when American brand Powell Peralta entered the country with a selection of products that, albeit incredibly expensive, drew the attention of a number of aspirant skaters from Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing. In 1994, the company launched its first Powell Cup competition in China – which ran for five years – inviting international pro-skaters like Steve Caballero, Danny Wainwright and Mike Vallely to the PRC. It put China on the map, expanded the market for boards and gear (lowering prices in the process), and showed Chinese skateboarders the potential of the sport.

“When I started training there were w w w.t h at s m a g s . c o m | m ay 2 0 1 5 | 1 1

c i t y | Fe a t ure

probably 30 skaters altogether in Shanghai.

We were all inexperienced,” recalls Han. “But having all these pros coming here was an eye-opener. It helped me and a few others see skateboarding as a legitimate life goal to pursue.”

The 40-year-old decided to do just that.

In 1999, he quit his job at one of Shanghai’s biggest milk companies to open the city’s first skate shop, FLY Streetwear.

“Those times weren’t easy,” says Han. “I would take a 27-hour train with no AC to

out to Beijing and Zhengzhou, and developed its own line of skateboard designs – from gears and tools to clothes and shoes.

Shehui Skateboarding, Beijing’s first skate shop, followed a similar path. Founded in 2001 by Raph Cooper, a USC alumni who had studied at Peking University in 2000, it focused on ‘Made in China’ boards often boasting Chinese-style graphics. Today, its products are some of the most sought-after by local skaters.

Predictably, international brands

Chinese city to host X Games Asia (now called the Kia World Extreme Games), a tournament for extreme sports first started in the US by ESPN. The city has hosted ever since. Although snubbed by some skaters who merely see it as a commercial event, the Games helped changed Chinese attitudes towards extreme sports, bringing them closer to mainstream professional sports.

Guangzhou to get shoes directly from the factory. I brought back Duffs, Axion, NSS, Airwalks, Vans and DVS, sold them super cheap, probably 280 to 300 yuan, and they sold out fast.”

Not long after, Han founded Gift Skateboards. From only supplying foreignbranded boards, Gift has gone on to become a leading domestic name. As the 2000s kicked in, Han started Skatehere.com, the country’s most popular Chinese-language skateboarding website.

“There started to be growing demand to access skateboarding in all possible ways, and from different cities across the country,” he says. “But also an aspiration to create a ‘Chinese style’ of skating.”

began expanding their presence in China too, broadening their recognition in the country through marketing campaigns and sponsorship of local skaters and competitions.

From Vans to Volcom, every major skate brand is now represented in China. In 2007, Nike went as far as making a limited edition Nike SB shoe, the label’s signature skate sneaker, with Han’s face on the side.

“They were called Fly Milk Blazer Premium,” says Han. “Nike made them after they came to check out FLY in Shanghai.

There were 7,000 pairs worldwide and they sold out super quick. On my last trip to the States I saw a pair on sale as a collector’s piece for over RMB2,000. Totally crazy.”

In the same year that Nike launched its ‘Milk’ series, Shanghai became the first

Patrik Wallner and foreign skaters like Dave Bachinsky, Laurence Keefe, Jimmy McDonald and Dan Zvereff also sought to explore what Chinese cities had to offer.

“Quite suddenly, China became the number one destination to shoot skating videos,” says Charles Lanceplaine, a Shanghai-based videographer and skater who has become a go-to filmmaker on the fringe of arts and sports culture in China.

“Magazines, websites, video platforms, they all began sending their crews here to film foreign skaters in action.”

“Shenzhen is, no doubt, the most popular spot for visiting pros. But many cities across the country offer great shots, from a skateboarding point of view.”

Lanceplaine himself has been charting the evolution of the sport in China since 2011.

The demand kept growing: FLY branched

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Spurred by the growing interest in China’s skate scene, documentary filmmakers like

no longer get freaked out when they see you skating by”

“The sport has certainly become more mainstream, more accepted – people He started with Shanghai 5, an independent production showing Shanghai’s skate culture across the sidewalks, parks and any slightly-raised bit of asphalt or concrete in the country’s urban centers. In 2012, he travelled to Ordos, Inner Mongolia, to film skateboarders – both foreign and Chinese – make a skate park from the streets of the socalled ‘Ghost City.’ (Built to accommodate a population of over a million, Ordos only has a few hundred thousand residents.)

“We are in this skateboarding Mecca,” he

continues. “Few other places are this good for skating.”

Johnny Tang, former Brand Manager at Nike and also a professional skater, agrees.

“China is probably the biggest and best skate park in the world,” he says. “From the sheer amount of marble and concrete you have in most cities to the fact that skating is still so new that the police don’t really care.

You might occasionally get kicked out of a spot, but there are millions of other places to take your board. It’s incredible.”

The Canadian is another established figure among the country’s professionals.

A former skate legend in his hometown of Toronto, he moved to China 13 years ago, finding enough sponsors to skate full-time.

He was in Guangzhou first, then Beijing and now Shanghai. The three cities, he says, 6

have each developed their own different scene for skating – “not so much in terms of techniques, but of habits.”

“In Guangzhou, most kids skate at night, but they do so all year round, because of the warm weather. Beijing is more for the hardcore ones – just a handful of really dedicated skaters brace the cold in winter.

The spots in Beijing are amazing though: you have these big groups of skaters just going around doing tricks. In Shanghai, you’ve got communities – different crews. There’s an almost business-like approach to it, a sense of ‘I’m skating with this group, you’re skating with that group.’ It’s more competitive, which is what I’d like to change.”

Despite the rising cluster of skaters, however, China’s skating scene has yet to reach its full potential, says Tang.

“We’re still at the very early stages,” he explains. “The sport is growing, but the question is: is it sustaining itself?”

“When I first moved here, there were a handful of really good skaters – 20 amazing professionals. And no sponsors. Ten years down the line, and I can count five. The sport has certainly become more mainstream, more accepted – people no longer get freaked out when they see you skating by – but right now it isn’t perceived to be as cool as it used to be. Young kids aren’t exposed to it enough and it’s getting less traction.”

While most Western youths are introduced to skating through YouTube videos and blogs that can’t be accessed in the Mainland, Chinese alternatives like Youku still lag behind. That’s where platforms like Jeff Han’s Skatehere.com and Kickerclub.com come into play. Qingdaoborn skater Andrew Guan founded the latter in 2001. Like Skatehere, the site offers news and an online community for those following skating culture.

The 35-year-old started the site in college to put up his and his friends’ skate photos.

Since then, the platform has grown to be an indispensable bilingual resource, hosting features, comprehensive event listings, skater profiles and product reviews. Guan travels all over Asia for the site’s content – skating, filming, documenting, interviewing and following a street scene that could have become the norm in China years ago.

“Skateboarding has almost reached an impasse over the last few years,” says Guan.

“And that’s partly because big companies aren’t sponsoring new skaters. They are investing their money in the wrong places.

Kids don’t know where to start.”

“Chinese parents are also to blame,” he continues. “With the one-child policy, they often tend to be over-protective. They see skateboarding as dangerous and daunting, and it’s going to take a while for things to change. So posting videos and writing about it is essential.”

Both Tang and Guan believe that China’s

current skating generation has a duty to spread the word to the country’s youth.

“Educate, help the scene grow and develop” says Tang, whose next project after Nike will be with Han’s Skatehere.com. “I’ll be doing tutorials, and traveling around China to different skater communities.

Cities like Kunming and Qingdao are getting really into the sport. They just need some guidance. Big brands don’t have a clue how to do it. So it’ll have to be the work of dedicated individuals. We have to bring skateboarding back to where it originated: the streets.”

Has the government’s approval – symbolized by the construction of facilities like Woodward Beijing – helped push the sport forward in China?

“Not really,” says Tang. “The government has built these huge skate parks, expecting kids to go there and naturally start skateboarding, but it hasn’t provided a real ecosystem for it. What we need are skate parks in the middle of a downtown compound. Not a fancy ramp that’s impossible to get to.”

Guan couldn’t agree more. “Building gigantic skate parks in the middle of nowhere is typical China,” he says. “It’s just a way to flaunt wealth and ‘power.’ It means nothing.”

They have a point. Woodward Beijing is miles away from the city center – a two-hour subway ride plus a 30-minute taxi drive from the closest metro stop. It is, literally, in the middle of a watermelon field. SMP is equally far from downtown Shanghai. On a Sunday afternoon visit I see only six skaters in an area of the park that could easily hold four times as many.

“I come here when the weather is bad but I really want to practice,” says Li, the skater I’d met at Woodward. “But really, it’s mostly out of desperation. We’re basically in fucking Hebei, not Beijing.”

The father of the girl attempting a drop-in tells me they are here for the same reason. “It rained yesterday and she hasn’t had a chance to practice in a while. That’s why we came.

But I tend to avoid it if I can. Skating belongs in the outdoors. She prefers practicing in the park.”

The young skater has managed to do the trick a couple of times, and as she rides towards her father, there’s a massive grin on her face.

“She started because I am a skater too,” he says. “It’s like a family thing. She’s now getting into watching skate videos.”

“Skateboarding is a lifestyle,” says Tang.

“It deserves attention as much as basketball does, not just some government money or brand promotion. And it’s addictive. Show a kid one stair and he’ll come back and show you four stairs.” █

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ci t y | pho t o e s s ay

Pre-Reform China as Seen Through the Images of Italian Photographer Adriano Madaro

by Ka ro l i n e Ka n a n d St e p h e n G e o rg e

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ci t y | pho t o e s s ay

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city | p Fe h aotture o e s s ay

Italian photographer Adriano Madaro first arrived in Beijing in the spring of 1976.

Among the very first independent foreign journalists to be granted a visa to visit China in the pre-reform era, the now 73-yearold still vividly recalls wandering through crowded hutongs and alleyways.

“It was a sea of green,” he says of the city as it was back then. “I liked the trees and the cicadas the best. It was all so fascinating, I enjoyed standing in the exit of the hutongs with scores of people cycling past me. Kids would be playing freely and the cicadas were singing in the trees.”

Madaro’s journey to China may never have happened at all, had it not been for a fateful encounter with then Foreign Minister Qiao Guanhua during a reception held at the Chinese embassy in Paris, in October 1975. Impressed by Madaro’s ideals, “spirit” and desire to visit China, Qiao helped him gain entry into Beijing – a notoriously 1 8 | M ay 2 0 1 5 | w w w.t h at s m a g s . c o m

difficult endeavor at the time, especially for a freelance photographer. “I wanted to see the real life of Chinese people rather than the hostile views, as provided in the Western media,” he says of his impulse for coming – and the chief reason why he was granted entry.

Foreign journalists were only allowed to bring 10 rolls of film into China, limiting Madaro to just 360 photos each visit. The young Italian was determined not to waste a single shot. “I wanted to capture everything; everything interested me,” he says of those early visits.

Madaro has since returned to Beijing a total of 189 times, building up a firm and extensive appreciation for the city and its inhabitants. Yet it is those early trips – before China began to truly modernize – that continue to captivate.

“With most of the buildings from the era either gone or used for other functions,

Beijing has turned into similar metropolises elsewhere in the world,” says Madaro, who seldom took pictures of Beijing after the 90s. “I still miss the good old days in the 70s when the life of Beijingers was hard yet full of joy.”

Not everyone will agree with Madaro’s vision of a joyful city. Beijing was still reeling from the effects of the Cultural Revolution, while the death of Chairman Mao – just months after Madaro’s arrival – had helped stir a palpable sense of uncertainty.

It is this – a sense of uncertainty – that can be seen most prominently within Madaro’s newest collection, The Eve of Big Change: Beijing 1976 to 1979. Madaro’s candid, ultrarealist style is in stark contrast to the official, more affected photographs of the era, and offers a rarely-seen street-level view of a city – and people – on the precipice of great, sweeping change. █

c h i ne s e urb a n d i c t i o n a r y | c i t y

Pin

Man

De

Man Pin De \mán pīn de\ 蛮拼的 adj. working really hard; busting one’s ass; sparing no effort; giving it your all.

I have no money for a new suit so I will have to return this one after my job interview. I can’t afford to get any dirt on it so I just won’t ever sit down. I’m quite man pinde .

Right, but do you think you will get a job in this economy?

I’ll never get one if I don’t try.

True that.

Happiness is never far away.

We see it all the time. Wherever you look, it is happening… just normally to those from welloff families who are confident, good-looking, raised by loving parents, and funneled through

Fiction

good schools.

Being content seems so effortless for them. It’s as if they’re frolicking through a flower garden in sunny spring, while you sit at the bottom of a deep, damp well, miserable

We self-identify and selfdeprecate by telling each other how man pinde we’ve been.

The Internet is awash with such stories, like the man pinde young man who folded a million origami cranes but couldn’t win a girl’s heart. Or the man pinde student who memorized an entire dictionary but couldn’t get that job at a law firm. We hear about the man pinde parents who toiled for a decade and still couldn’t afford to send their child to school, the man pinde secretary who polished her CEO’s family’s shoes but still didn’t get promoted, and the man pinde son who saved up all his earnings and still couldn’t foot his own medical bills.

These are the tales of our times – our man pinde times – where things are hard and we just can’t catch a break, no matter how hard we try. The joke is on us all.

By day, Mia Li is a news reporter in

Beijing; at night, she tries to turn that news into standup comedy.

Beijing bestsellers

FIRST PHONE CALL FROM HEAVEN LIFE OF PI MOVIE TIE- IN THE HUNDRED-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT OF THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED THE SILKWORM EAT PRAY LOVE MALICE THE BONE CLOCKS US SHOPAHOLIC TO THE STARS THE DREAM OF THE RED CHAMBER

Non-Fiction

after having failed again despite giving it your all and more.

For those with impeccable pedigree and the resulting confidence, happiness appears natural, inevitable even. ‘Man pinde’ describes the rest of us – those for whom nothing comes easy. The only long-shot we have at happiness is through working really hard, busting our asses and sparing no effort.

We must give it all we have and then take out credit so we can give more. In other words, if we are man pinde then maybe – only maybe – we will get a whiff of the flower garden. Or, failing that, say that we didn’t go down without putting up a good fight.

In modern-day China, where inequality balloons and upward mobility becomes a thing of the past, man pinde has become the default status for many of us. It describes the incredible effort we must put in to achieve the same things that the privileged already enjoy. It is a term that separates us from the ‘effortless’ class.

ARE YOU SMART ENOUGH TO WORK AT GOOGLE THE ART OF WAR THE SIMPSONS FAMILY HISTORY HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES - CHRONICLES RED PLENTY THE LENOVO WAY THE SAMSUNG WAY 中国东西 CHINESE STUFF THE ART OF DREAMWORKS ANIMATION FLASH BOYS

Art & Design

HOW TO READ AN IMPRESSIONIST PAINTING THE DRESS DOCTOR IT THE ELEMENTS OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE-HB CHINESE ARCHITECTURE-HB U R INVITED CHINESE BRUSH PAINTED FLOWERS HOLLYWOOD IN KODACHROME-HB BRANDING & SPACES YOU CAN PAINT VIBRANT WATERCOLOURS IN 12

Children's Books THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE OF LEGO MOVIE DIARY OF WIMPY KID # 9 LONG HAUL-HB LEGO PLAY BOOK - IDEAS TO BRING YOUR BRICKS TO LIFE LAND OF STORIES #3 GRIMM WARNING-TPB IT WASN'T ME ONE LITTLE MONKEY WATERSHIP DOWN GS SPACEMICE #2 YOU'RE MINE, CAPTAIN! ENCYCLOPEDIA OF WORLD HISTORY DRAGONOLOGY: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF DRAGONS

Shop 3B201, Zone 3, China World Mall, No.1 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District T:(+86 10) 8535 1055 Shop LG50, Indigo, No.18 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District T:(+86 10) 8426 0408 Shop Units S2-14a-b,No.19 Sanlitun Road Chaoyang District T:(+86 10) 6417 6626

www.pageonegroup.com weibo.com/pageonechina site.douban.com/pageone

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style radar

LIFE & STYLE Cov e t

&%*!^ No, the title is not a typo. It’s simply what came to mind when we were first introduced to Adidas Original’s latest S/S ‘15 ZX Flux collection (see? Don’t say it doesn’t sound weird).

Perhaps we’re getting old, but the name of this undeniably cool shoe range – a redesign of the ZX 8000 model released by Adidas in 1989 – feels a tad too ‘hip’ to us. The design, however, hits just the right spot: futuristic silhouettes, dazzling graphics, pixel art, mosaic and floral patterns – exactly what any sneaker should be like. For that, we’ll forgive them for the funny name. Starting at RMB749.

“ W e d i d n ’ t e v e n h av e V o g u e u n t i l 1 0 y e a r s ag o . I t t a k e s t i m e ”

> www.adidas.cn

Mickey in the ‘Jing Pastel colors and subdued tones are undoubtedly safe options for formal closet staples or ‘serious’ house décor. But after a while it can all get a bit ‘yawn,’ if you ask us. Life is for bold decisions and, why not, a fluorescent cushion boasting Beijing’s skyline and Mickey Mouse within the same design. A collaboration between local label Yaang Design and Disney, this home piece is as pop as it gets, making for a loud, funky homage to our city and inner child. RMB398. > available at Brand new china, www. brandnewchina.cn

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S p ot l i g h t

Masha Ma, Fashion Designer — How would you describe the Masha Ma aesthetic?

A blend of architectural shapes and simple cuts. My designs are for rational, modern women.

Our brand motto is: Masha Ma’s ladies don’t shout, but they’d never choose to stay silent.

— What brought you to Beijing?

Most designers are inspired by visual items, but I prefer to draw concepts and ideas from books.

Texts allow you to create your own world, your own imagery.

They are filled with – and by – imagination, which changes from person to person. They are far more inspiring than any pictorial stuff.

— China fashion scene.

Thoughts?

A lot of the industry’s standard systems and methods aren’t fully developed yet, but I’m glad to see it’s booming. The sector has been growing for less than 20 years. We didn’t even have Vogue until 10 years ago. It takes time. The scene is growing

at an incredibly fast speed, but there’s a lot more exploring to do.

— Your spring/summer 2015 collection in a nutshell.

I like to think of my latest line as a fusion of Oriental beauty and Western modernity. Chic, contemporary and rooted in Chinese aesthetics. The main inspiration for it was the Suzhou Museum designed by I.M. Pei. — You have spent 13 years studying and working in London. What have you learned from that experience?

Self-mockery. I’ve learned to see things from different angles, and that has given me the courage to face criticisms in a lighter way.

— Is there a figure in the industry you particularly admire?

The late Louise Wilson [professor of fashion design at Central Saint Martins in London]. She had a huge influence on my journey as a designer. I learned a lot from her.

— What is fashion to you?

I think fashion isn’t about where you pick up an idea, but about where you bring it. Looking forward, I’d like to take my own fashion towards a more personal style – a release of my inner self. > www.masha-ma.com

Ed i t e d by Ma r i a n n a Ce r i n i /

b j e d i t o r @ u r b a n a t o m y. c o m

Made in China

American look, Beijing style Browsing the plaid jackets, work aprons and denim-hued shirts of Taciturnli, you’d think you’re looking at a classic American label.

Wrong. The brand’s core aesthetic, which is admittedly inspired by the casual country style of Stateside fashion, is in fact Beijingborn and bred.

Created by Yunze Li, a former law major with an addiction to vintage sneakers and garments, the venture has been around – and under the radar – since 2009. It has come to earn well-deserved respect from sartorially aware guys on China’s fashion circuit, both for its clean designs and highquality fabrics, sourced either in Japan or Europe.

The entire range (which resembles offduty workwear one could don in 20 years’ Under the lens

Wang Deshun

The oldest model by some margin at last month’s Beijing Fashion Week was 79-yearold Wang Deshun. The actor drew wild applause (and mad fashion props) when strutting the catwalk for avant-garde designer Sheguang Hu.

time and still look stylishin) is a thing to behold. From the timeless pocket tee to the striped sweater and printed bandanas that embody lightweight summer clothes, each piece feels fresh and desirable, tapping into the same magic that Phoebe Philo weaves at Celine – but for men.

A counterpoint to anything too ‘fashion,’ Taciturnli takes a no-nonsense approach to style – a bit like a sensible friend who wants you to look good, not stupid.

Unsurprisingly, the brand is stocked at some of Beijing’s best boutiques – UCCA Store, Blakk, BNC, Fei Space – but its Taobao shop is where you’ll find the most extensive selection.

At a time when indie menswear is still lagging behind in China, this is one brand

boys out there should definitely check out. Cult status is pretty much assured.

> taciturnli.com, taciturnli.taobao.com

ov e r h e a r d

“ I s i t a s t y l e r e p r e s e n t i n g t h e w e a lt h o f t h e n o u v e au r i c h e o r e m e r g i n g m i d d l e c l as s ? O r m ay b e a s t y l e t h at r e p r e s e n t s t r a d i t i o n a l C h i n e s e c u lt u r e a n d i t s p h i lo s o p h y … M ay b e t h e a n sw e r i s s o m e w h e r e i n b e t w e e n .”

This is the attempt of Hong and James Chang, founders of Shanghai-based womenswear label La Chambre Miniature, trying to define Chinese fashion. The domestic industry was firmly in the spotlight last month, with both Beijing and Shanghai Fashion Weeks capturing the attention of the international

media. As the taste of China’s rising middle class evolves and an increasing number of local designers earn the respect of the sector's upper echelons, many have been attempting to outline what ‘Made in China’ means. The answer, as you might guess, is still very much open to debate.

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Denim and Festival Girl [Gucci]

sharp suit and Bold colors [Burberry]

Midriff-Baring and Gingham Style [Oscar de La

life & style | F e a t u r e

Tre

by Ma r i a n n a Ce r i n i

Spring’s

c h e at s h e e Topshop rib crop top, RMB75 > www.topshop.com

Zara narrow toursers, RMB359 > www.zara.cn

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H&M slim fit jacket, RMB499 > www.hm.com

COS raw-edge cotton t-shirt, RMB350 > www.cosstores.com

Stradivarius fringe jacket, RMB399 > www.stradivarius.com

Lee boyfriend jeans, RMB1,090 > www.lee.com.cn

F ASHION | life & style

ZaraMan shark tee, RMB199 > www.zara.cn

Jeremy Scott superstar sneaker, RMB1,899 > shop.adidas.cn

COS shirt, RMB590 > www.cosstores.com

H&M bell-shaped cuba skirt, RMB399 > www.hm.com

ZaraMan sweater, RMB199 > www.zara.cn

Reigning Camp stretch nylon shorts, RMB1,050 > shop.projectaegis.com

nds for The Sunny Season If you’re into fashion, you probably think sky-high heels and PVC garments are great. And yes, sure, they are. But try wearing them on your bike ride to work or on a night out at Great Leap, and you’ll soon realize they are not exactly apt for that ‘real’ (read: hipster) Beijing life we’re all after.

Here, we’ve sussed out some key spring fashion trends you can actually wear in your everyday lives. Because girly seethrough skirts and boys’ crop tops are ‘cool’ (well, sort of) but we’ll take garbs that can carry us from desk to drinks any day.

easy Does it [oliver spencer]

Flower power and slouchy Dressing [michael kors]

crisp white and prints [sankuanz]

et

life & style | F e a t u r e

w–––

T h e M e n a n d W o m e n Ob s e s s e d w i t h C o l l e c t i n g B a s k e t b a l l s h o e s

w o r d s b y K a r o l i n e K a n , i m a g e s b y H o l ly L i

E U R / U K / U S / CM / B R

"Nike Air Jordans are different from other commodities. Instead of dropping in value as time goes by, their value increases. I view it as a kind of investment�

w w w.t h at s m a g s . c o m | m ay 2 0 1 5 | 2 5

A | Chen Siyuan [left], talks with a member of staff at his sneaker store in Gulou B | Collector Yin Tao poses with his newest and favorite pair of Air Jordan

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f e a t u r e | life & style

"Growing up, every kid wanted a pair of Jordan sneakers, but most parents couldn’t afford them. So now, as financially independent adults, they’re paying serious money to realize their dreams”

When it comes to suitable attire for a wedding photo,

few people would opt for an enormous pair of bright-white box-fresh basketball sneakers.

“The official photographer was a little surprised,” says 28-year-old Yin Tao, who last year posed for an entire album’s worth of wedding photos while wearing three different pairs of limited edition Air Jordans (paired with a more traditional tuxedo).

His family were similarly bemused. “They think I’m crazy,” says Yin, who admits to owning 68 pairs of basketball sneakers, including 40 pairs have never been worn, and 17 pairs worn only once.

“I don’t think I am crazy. You know, many people who collect basketball sneakers buy two pairs of each type, one for wearing, and another pair just for display purposes,” he explains.

Yin, who proudly exhibits his collection in a specially-built cabinet in the apartment he shares with his wife, is among a growing number of basketball sneaker enthusiasts in Beijing, where a sought after pair of Nike Air Yeeky can change hands for upwards of RMB40,000. “it’s becoming a big deal, competition is fierce in Beijing,” says Yin. “I remember when Nike Galaxy Foamposite was released, I waited in line from 2am in hope of getting a pair.” Of the 1,000 people who queued for the shoe, only 40 were successful. Yin, alongside 960 others, left empty handed.

To outsiders, Yin’s fixation may verge on the extreme, but he assures us that there is method behind his madness: “I can’t wear some sneakers in crowded places, like the subway, in case somebody stomps on them,” he explains. “So, that’s why I have an extra six pairs of sneakers to wear in everyday crowded situations, and one extra pair for rainy days.”

Yet despite his best efforts, Yin is considered a low-level collector within Beijing’s sneaker scene. “There’s guys out there with hundreds of pairs,” says Yin. “I don’t usually attend the gatherings or events either,” he continues. “But I do know who Chen Siyuan is… He’s very famous, all the collectors know Chen.”

Owner of the specialist sneaker shop Brooklyn on Gulou Dongdajie, former repairman Chen Siyuan is considered something of a legend among shoe collectors. One of the very first Beijingers to popularize the trend, his store – home to an extensive range of limited edition imports – is at the heart of the city’s sneaker scene.

“A few years ago, I started noticing that ordinary people were wearing Jordans in the street – right here in Beijing,” says Chen of his decision to enter the sneaker trade. “So I thought to myself: ‘Right, now is the moment to turn my hobby into a business.’”

Chen’s decision quickly paid off. On average, he sells between 400 and 600 pairs of import sneakers every month. “Growing up in the

80s and 90s, a pair of American high-top basketball sneakers were a similar price to one square meter of an average Beijing apartment.

People back then wouldn’t have dared to spend their hard-earned money on something they considered to be useless, such as sneakers.”

But things change. The cost of real estate is no longer pegged to the price of Air Jordans – and while most young kids will never be able to afford an apartment in Beijing, a growing number have the required level of disposable income to afford a pair of import high-tops.

“I have some crazy clients, like this sixteen-year-old boy who, each month, gives me 20,000 kuai to keep him a pair of anything new that might come in. He’s a fu’erdai [second generation rich] for sure. But cases like him are rare. Most buyers are just regular guys, with an expensive habit.”

What sustains interest among buyers is, according to Chen, the lasting value of the product. “Nike Air Jordans are different from other commodities. Instead of dropping in value as time goes by, their value increases. I view it as a kind of investment. A pair of sneakers I bought in 2013 for little more than 1,000 yuan are now worth over 3,000. There’s no other type of low-level investment that yields so much interest.”

The majority of shoes stocked at Chen’s store are limited edition.

Their exclusive, hard-to-find nature only adds to their value – and the obsessive culture that surrounds them. “It’s common for shoes sold in little stores like mine to be as much as ten times more expensive than in branded stores. Stores like mine are known as ‘speculation stores’ in Hong Kong and Japan,” says Chen.

“The culture is becoming more accepted here on the Chinese Mainland too, at least by some people. The older generation still consider it weird – the idea of buying a pair of shoes to display on a shelf.”

Chen tells us that his biggest frustration comes from the knowledge that everything he sells will continue to increase in value long after it has left his store. “I’m sitting on a gold mine!” he says. “But that is the business. I’ve got to get cash money to keep the business running.”

In order to stay ahead of the market, Chen works with a “scout” in Japan who alerts him every time a new model of Air Jordans is released. “My main clients are men aged 25-30, who are buying back their old memories,” says Chen. For Chinese people of this generation, Air Jordan remains an aspirational cultural touchstone.

“It’s a wish fulfillment,” says Chen. “Growing up, every kid wanted a pair of Jordan sneakers, but most parents couldn’t afford them. So now, as financially independent adults, they’re paying serious money to realize their dreams.” █ w w w.t h at s m a g s . c o m | m ay 2 0 1 5 | 2 7

2

life & style | a r r i v a l s

Scene & Heard wo rd s by Ma r i a n n a Ce r i n i

①

②

TOMS

Inspired by children he befriended while traveling through some of the world’s poorest areas, American entrepreneur Blake Mycoskie founded TOMS in 2006.

For every pair of shoes sold, his company matches it by providing a child in need with a pair of their own. The venture has since trademarked the tagline “one for one,” and continues to integrate old-fashioned, forprofit entrepreneurship with new-wave philanthropy. Supporters of such virtuous approaches to fashion can now find genuine TOMS (as opposed to the numerous fake TOMS found in places such as Yashow) at the company's new flagship in Beijing Oriental Plaza. Catering different styles and tastes, shoes range from RMB490-1,660 for him and RMB490- 1,330 for her, while kids footwear is RMB390-790. That makes for some seriously affordable and highly ethical purchases.

Shang Xia

Heir to China’s finest craft tradition, Shang Xia’s spring/summer 2015 clothing collection is influenced by the beauty of ancient Chinese culture and the magic of nature. Drawing inspiration from the ancient frescoes of Dunhuang in Gansu, as well as traditional landscape ink paintings, the color palette spans light green, tea gray, lake blue and silky reds. Garments are made from natural materials like wool, cashmere, silk and cotton, while design details show high collars and traditional button-up shirts for him, with narrow, long silhouettes and tightfitting slits (reminiscent of women’s outfits from the Ming Dynasty) for her. Soft to the touch, weightless and oh-so effortless, each piece is either named after ancient clothing or old philosophies – adding a touch of cultural heritage to reflect the label’s core concept: the revival of traditional Chinese garment artistry.

> 1 Dong chang’an Dajie, chaoyang

> Unit sB-107B, 1/F, Bldg 1, china world mall phase 1,

朝阳区东长安大街 1 号

china world trade center, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie,

chaoyang 朝阳区建国门外大街 1 号国贸商城 1 期地下 1 层 sB-107B 号 (6505 7358) 1

③

Smack in the middle of Sanlitun, there’s plenty packed in at newly opened PopUp Beijing, from antiques to custom-made furniture, imported vintage wares and handcrafted ceramics. True, this place is an ideal gift destination. But as you're buying your mate some gorgeous mini caliches from Jingdezhen or an artful reproduction of a Chinese monk statuette, you just might find yourself stocking up on that trendy tea set you suddenly need. A project by local designers Glenn Schuitman and Vito Zhang – who personally curate the eclectic collection on display and run interior architecture studio Pop-Up Creative within the same premises – Pop-Up Beijing is conceived as a “fluid and ever-changing space” where you can sip on wine or coffee as you browse, or head to for pop-up events. ‘Cool’ furniture shops aren’t anything new these days, but Pop-Up Beijing’s happy combination of excellent sourcing, helpful staff and a layout that's constantly being reinvented helps make this stand out.

> office 22 4 gonti Beilu chaoyang 朝阳区工体北路 4 号院 22 号楼北侧首层 (www.popupbeijing.com)

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Pop-Up Beijing

P. O . C . | life & style

Z h a n g Ya n g | 2 0 , S h a n d o n g

Portrait of China wo rd s by Ma r i a n n a Ce r i n i i m a g e by Ho l l y L i

I am a hairdresser.

My dream is to become a celebrity stylist – you know, do makeup, advise people on what to wear. I really like Korean stars – maybe one day they’ll be my clients.

I don’t have much spare time, but when I do, I like to listen to heavy metal a lot. And buy clothes.

I’m from Shandong, but love living in Beijing. There’s no place like it. This city is everyone’s dream. w w w.t h at s m a g s . c o m | M ay 2 0 1 5 | 2 9

collage W h at ’ s n e w

Drumroll

Zhang Zhang

AM444’s new album Dark Show marks a drastic departure from the trip-hop neosoul sound established on their first two discs. Dutch producer Jay Soul provides buzzing, bass-heavy beats for Guizhouborn singer ChaCha to stretch out on. The EP enhances the duo’s place among China’s finest and will be supported by a national tour in June. Available at am444.bandcamp. com.

China’s favorite historic true-crime writer, Paul French, is back with Murder in the Shanghai Trenches. Part of an anthology from the Crime Writers Association of the UK called Truly Criminal, the author details the unsolved 1907 murder of a foreign woman in Shanghai’s former International Settlement. The collection also features contributions from Catherine Aird and is available on Amazon.

The 15-time Emmy Award-winning Mad Men marches to its May 17 series finale (and the end of an era). Over seven seasons, advertising extraordinaire Don Draper’s whisky-drinking, chain-smoking, mistresschasing lifestyle has become antiquated as the show progresses through the massive social changes of the 1960s. Streamable in China on tv.sohu.com and tv.youku.com.

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Violinist and Beijing native, Zhang Zhang, returns to her home city this month with the prestigious Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, which performs at the Forbidden City Concert Hall as part of Hermark Festival.

Why has appreciation for classical music grown in China?

I think the media and Internet of recent years has had a positive impact. And the contribution of iconic musicians makes a difference, such as the grand master Liu Shih Kun who won a prize at the very first Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in 1958. More recently, the super-stardom of Lang Lang influenced the rise of a new generation of young people wanting to learn music.

Classical music is often seen as an elite interest in the West – do you think there is a risk of this in China?

I think the problem of ‘elitism’ lies in the way classical music is being presented and packaged. Music is a universal language; all humans have an instinct for it. Western classical music was created in Europe but it also belongs to all humanity, just like Chinese traditional music or Latin American and African music. Each has something unique to offer. It is wonderful that we live in an era when we have the facility to access so much though modern technology.

The best Chinese music students still go abroad to study at foreign universities and conservatories. What does China need to do to reverse this trend?

I think it is a very positive thing for music students from non-European countries to spend time in Europe. Just as any nonChinese student studying Peking Opera

would want to come to China to further their development. Music, as an art, reflects a specific culture’s history, folklore, traditions, language and artistic expressions. The first time I went to Leipzig, I visited the church where Bach used to work. Touching its stone walls made me feel connected to this rich musical heritage, a most memorable and moving experience.

There is a perception that China can create great soloists but not a first-rate orchestra, do you think this is a fair assessment?

We must keep in mind that the symphonic culture is very new to our country and it takes time to build an orchestra! China already has world class concert venues and conservatories; if we continue to invite world-class artistic directors and soloists to work with, regardless of nationality, I am certain China will be known not only for its brilliant soloists but also its orchestral ensembles.

Your father performed for Richard Nixon during his visit to China. Which leader would you most like to play to and why?

I always enjoy playing for Prince Albert [of Monaco] because he is a musician himself and knows many of the pieces we perform, which probably was not the case when my father performed for President Nixon.

I doubt the President knew the themes to ‘The Red Detachment of Women’ and ‘White Haired Girl!’

> rmB50-380; tue may 12, 7.30-9.30pm; Forbidden city concert hall, Xichang’an jie (inside Zhongshan Park) tiananmen, Dongcheng 东城区西长安街中山公园内 (tickets: www.fcchbj.com/ticket/1832)

PHOTO COURTESY OF Red Gate Gallery

C a n vas s e d

Han Qin, ‘Tales of a Director’

Chinese artist Han Qing’s new exhibition features scenes inspired by Michelangelo Antonioni’s film Blow-Up, linking the images to personal experience. Describing his painting Kite (2015, pictured), Han says: “On a Sunday in spring, the large expanse of lawn was surrounded by green trees and bushes. As the sun was going down and it was getting cold, parents with kids started to go home, except one boy running around on the lawn. [He was] trailing a kite behind

him on the ground, trying to get it to fly but never succeeding. My eyes caught the diffuse light in the park and it stimulated my vision.

The green color of the lawn was floating in the air. Everyone had gone. Where had I encountered this scene before? It must be Antonioni’s lawn I thought.”

> Free; may 9-31; red gate gallery, Dongbianmen

watchtower, 9 chongwenmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng 东城区崇文门东大街9号 东便门角楼楼上 (134 6664 0098)

H ao B u H ao

Hao

Bu Hao

Chinese audiences got their first peek at AMC’s loose adaptation of Journey to the West during the season finale of The Walking Dead. Starring Daniel Wu (of One Nite in Mongkok fame) and set tp premier later this year, this modern interpretation will be told over six episodes.

Wu Cheng’en’s classic epic has already inspired recent Mainland blockbuster films by Stephen Chow and Donnie Yen.

There’s no rest for the SARFT. First, it introduced regulations to online video streaming, much to the distress of China’s House of Cards fans. Now it’s breaking the hearts of China’s otaku. About 200 manga titles (including Sailor Moon, One Piece and Naruto) have been banned from stores and manga distribution websites owned by the likes of Youku, Sohu and Tencent. w w w.t h at s m a g s . c o m | m ay 2 0 1 5 | 3 1

A R T S | fe at ure

“The first album was us looking back at our history, and the second album was us looking toward the future. This album is about now” WORDS BY

I M AGE S B Y

AN D REW CH I N

NAOM I GO D D AR D

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I N THE STU D I O AS Q UEEN SEA B I G SHARK P RE P ARE TO LAUNCH THE I R NEW AL B UM w w w.t h at s m a g s . c o m | m ay 2 0 1 5 | 3 3

A R T S | fe at ure

“For us, creativity isn’t just in t When people come to our show different world that we’ve cre

Down in a colorful rehearsal studio in the basement

From Left to Right | Midi School students Bowen Cao, 25; Lu Cheng, 25; Runze Zhang, 20; and Da Fei, 24

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of 22 International Art Plaza, Queen Sea Big Shark are working overtime. The band may have wrapped up their latest practice session for a summer packed with festival dates, but there’s no rest yet. As soon as our interview finishes, they’ll be heading out to begin mixing their highly anticipated third album.

Four years after their Daft Punk inspired sophomore record Wave introduced an electronic sheen to China’s indie underground, the band are in the midst of another reinvention. Their synthesizers are now tucked away in a little-used corner of their rehearsal studio.

“We wanted to go back to guitar, bass and drums,” explains guitarist Cao Pu. “There’s not so much electronic music or disco on this record.

“The first album was us looking back at our history. On our second album, we were looking toward the future and wanted to do something new.” adds front woman Fu Han. “This album is about now. We don’t care about style or if it’s fashionable. We just want to express our thoughts about the world that we’re living in.”

That world is a very different one from a decade ago, when Queen Sea Big Shark formed. As with many in the Mainland indie world at the time, post-punk pioneers P.K. 14 served as an inspiration.

“At that time, I was always going to livehouses to see bands,” Fu recalls. “After seeing P.K. 14, I was walking home and thought ‘I could start a band.’ I called Cao and he agreed. We both knew [bassist]

the music. w, they enter a eated”

Wang Jingshan and [drummer] Xiao Wu so we invited them to join.”

Their 2007 self-titled debut was among that year’s best sellers in China, thanks to its infectious mix of surf-rock guitars, dance-punk rhythms and spunky attitude. Two years later the single ‘Let’s Play,’ was released exclusively through Converse China and Queen Sea Big Shark were already threatening to break America.

Along with Hedgehog and Casino Demon, the quartet were among the first Chinese bands to tour the US as part of 2009’s ‘Hope for China’ tour.

“It was crazy and stupid,” Wang recalls. “There were 11 of us in one car, so we all went nuts. In retrospect, it was wonderful to leave our sonic footprint across America.”

During the tour, Yeah Yeah Yeahs invited the band to open for them in San Francisco. They’ve since become relative veterans of the international festival circuit, having played South by Southwest several times and earning a prime spot at last fall’s inaugural Modern Sky Festival in New York’s Central Park.

Domestically, they also continue to draw huge crowds, despite only releasing two songs in the past four years. It helps that one of those tracks, ‘Bling Bling Bling,’ is a bona fide modern indie anthem. The music video has been viewed over one million times on Sina TV and the band consider its release as a major turning point.

“That was the most difficult time for us,” Cao recalls. “We were

unsigned, had few shows and were almost bankrupt. We knew we wanted to do something that was different.

“We found our way to express ourselves in Chinese lyrics and now we’re able to do something crazy with them,” adds Fu who admits that Cao often teases her for her basic writing style (comparing it to “something written by a student”).

The group’s bond is abundantly clear. The line-up has remained unchanged over the years – a rarity in the Chinese indie world. “It’s a strange chemistry,” says Wang, before Fu admits: “we fight, but in a loving way.”

“Music is the most important thing for us,” Cao explains. “We have a lot of arguments about that, but never about things like how to share the money.”

It is a fortunate dilemma. Unlike many of their contemporaries, the band are now in a position to dedicate most of their time to music. Nonetheless, Fu has just returned from a trip through India – a perk of not having a day job – and the others continue to work. Cao is an architect, Wang occasionally freelances as a Chinese-English translator and Xiao (who repeatedly gives shout-outs to ascending Beijing punk group The Diders) is a respected sound engineer working on upcoming records from Hedgehog and The Big Wave. As a result, they are far from prolific.

“It’s very difficult for us to write songs because we treat each motive very seriously,” Cao explains. “Each album takes three or four years from our lives.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, they all deem the upcoming record as their best yet. Tentatively scheduled for a late-May-early-June release, the still-untitled disc will feature 11 songs. In an inversion of their celebrated debut, only one will be in English (despite declaring The Beatles as their current favorite group). Fu seems lost for words trying to describe the album’s sound, spontaneously coining the term “psychedelic jazz folk.”

Its first single ‘Beijing Surfers’ is set to drop imminently. The title alludes to the group’s unusual name, a literal translation of a sign they saw (and were amused by) by Beijing’s Houhai Lake.

“The four of us are Beijingers. Our life and art strongly reflect that,” Fu says. “This song describes a Beijing summer similar to [Jiang Wen’s Golden Horse Award-winning] In the Heat of the Sun. It’s also a bit of a joke about how Beijing is close to the Yellow Sea but lacks real beaches and a surf culture.”

The record’s other influences are wide-ranging. It features two hip-hop styled songs (one of which is the irreverently-titled ‘Modern People Are So Fancy’), while the track ‘Himalayas’ is inspired by India and the group’s 2013 tour of western China, which included their first shows in cities like Yinchuan, Urumqi and Lhasa.

Several friends of the band – including some of the city’s leading jazz musicians – contirbuted to the album, adding layers of double bass, French horn, saxophones and sitars. A range of guest musicians are set to join them during their summer shows, which include upcoming Strawberry Festival headline slots in Shanghai and Xi’an.

A national tour is set for the fall (“we want people to hear the album and learn the songs,” explains Cao), including a major show in their hometown in October. Once a regular live fixture in the city, the band rarely perform in Beijing, adding to the mystique of their shows.

At an intimate School Bar gig last year, they astonished a 300-strong crowd with a stripped-down take of Kraftwerk’s ‘Neon Lights.’

Conversely, their 2013 show at Yugong Yishan was a spectacle, complete with bubble machines, art installations and a 3D projection of the CBD landscape that dropped to the floor as the band started to play.

“For us, creativity isn’t just in the music,” Fu says. “When people come to our show, they enter a different world that we’ve created.” █

Queen sea Big shark’s new album will be available at buy.modernsky.com. to keep up to date with the group, visit site.douban.com/queenseabigshark

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A R T S | fe at ure

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While struggling with a bout of insomnia at his parent’s house in suburban Minnesota, Adam Young posted some musical experiments to MySpace under the pseudonym Owl City. Eight years on, he is preparing to embark on his third Mainland tour. As one of social media’s first (and to this day, one of the biggest) musical success stories, the 29-year-old remains awestruck by his unlikely rise to fame.

“Ultimately, this sort of life found me,” he admits. “When I was younger my dad had the oldies on, so I listened to a lot of Simon and Garfunkel and the Beach Boys. There is something about them – all the songs are so catchy, rich with harmonies and so wellarranged that they are big influences.”

Young’s musical upbringing then shifted toward ambient post-rock when he founded the pop-punk trio Windsor Airlift, aged 16.

It was the beginning of his experimentation with disparate genres – from electronic screamo to comedy rap – that resulted in string of self-released projects with somewhat absurd names: Wellington GiggleBomb Experience, Apes with Guns, and Charlton Heston and the Blast Beats.

“When I started making music, I had to dig around to figure out what felt most right,” he explains. “I wound up in the electronic pop music world with Owl City and I couldn’t stop writing this upbeat, hopeful sounding music that has a bit of whimsy. Until it becomes uninteresting – which I hope it never does – I’m going to keep on trying it.”

Young’s following rose alongside that of MySpace. By the time he signed a record deal

with Universal Republic in 2008, Owl City’s profile had been viewed more than 5 million times, with independent hit ‘Hello Seattle’ amassing 3.5 million plays. There was little precedent for whether online popularity could translate into real world success, but 2009 single ‘Fireflies’ topped the charts in 26 countries on the way to selling over 10 million copies. That year, Young made his first trip outside North America, performing sold-out shows in Beijing and Shanghai.

“It was all so new to me,” he recalls. “When I showed up to the venues, there were these fans who knew all the lyrics to the songs.

It was so surreal and it continues to be whenever I come back.”

Despite early criticisms that Owl City followed an electro-indie-pop path already well-trodden by the hipster-approved The Postal Service, Young has persisted and expanded his sound to incorporate elements of other genres, most notably brostep. In 2012, Owl City scored a second top five chart hit in the US with ‘Good Times,’ featuring Carly Rae Jepsen.

Collaborations have been kind to Young, who has worked with both electronic music superstars (Armin van Buuren, Paul van Dyke) and pop-punk icons (Blink 182’s Mark Hoppus). Recent singles have featured violinist/performance artist Lindsey Sterling, Christian pop star Britt Nicole and Japanese rockers Sekai no Owari.

“I usually pick up on some kind of melodic sensibility that makes them ‘them’,” he explains. “It could be a vocal melody or the way the synthesizers or guitar tracks are

arranged. I usually gravitate towards really catchy music and try to further that.”

Tentatively slated for a summer release, Owl City’s fifth studio album is set to feature more high-profile collaborations. Young is elusive on the details but has trouble containing his excitement for the disc.

“There’s a lot of variety on the album but I try to make sure every release is a continuation of the one before it. I want every album to feel current but also have a timeless quality,” he says.

“I pay attention to what’s going on with the music world and EDM has become really popular on American radio. It was fun to try to channel that in my own way in the music.

It’s very dynamic and punchy.”

With the album “really close to being wrapped up,” fans can expect a few new songs to appear during the Beijing leg of Owl City’s Mainland tour. With a backing band behind him, Young promises that the touring quintet is a different entity from that heard on his records, which feature “more of a producer or DJ sound.”

“The live sound is bigger and more anthemic,” he explains. “I have this great guitar player who is so good at translating some of the synthesizer lines from the album onto guitar, so it’s more rock-oriented.

There’s more of a band feel where we switch around and play different instruments,” █ rmB380-680; may 14, 8.30pm; huiyuan space,

mastercard center海淀区复兴路69号万事达中心

When I showed up to the venue in Shanghai, there were all these fans that knew all the lyrics to the songs. It was so surreal and continues to be whenever I come back.

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COVER STORY

Can China Save a British Sporting Institution?

W words by Oscar Holland, in London and Beijing / images by Holly Li

ith his puffed jacket and spotless PVC dunks, Zhang Anda cuts a peculiar figure outside an industrial park in Romford, a predominantly white workingclass suburb of East London. The 24-year-old moved here from Guangzhou more than five years ago, though he speaks limited English, doesn’t like the local food and only “very rarely” ventures into the city.

He poses awkwardly for a photo in the parking lot beneath a windowless room at Romford’s Grove Academy. When not watching television in his nearby home, Zhang spends most of his time here practicing the meticulous technique of a sport he has pursued full-time since the age of 11 (and is ranked 103rd in the world at) — snooker.

Similar to the better-known pool and billiards, snooker is a game of patience, accuracy, and unwavering nerve. It also fiendishly difficult — the pockets are narrower and the table far smaller than those used in other cue sports. The aim of snooker is to use the white ball to ‘pot’ the other colors into any of the six pockets. But winning is not simply a case of clearing the balls. A player must amass more points in the process.

Of the 21 balls available, 15 are red. Worth just one point apiece, their real purpose is to provide an opportunity to sink one of the six ‘colors,’ ranging from yellow (two points) to black (seven points).

Through successive potting, players can build a larger score – or ‘break’ – while keeping their opponent off the table. The highest possible break is worth 147 points (all 15 reds, each followed by a black, then every color in order), a feat Zhang has only achieved four times in practice and never in competition.

Since its invention by colonial officers in India over 140 years ago, the sport has been dominated by the British. But China now threatens to disrupt the old order. Zhang is one of 16 Mainland players among the 128 who qualify for the professional tour circuit. This number is yet to compare with the UK, which accounts for almost 70 percent of the list, but it is almost three times higher than any other nonBritish nation. Perhaps more crucially, the arrival of the Chinese has provided a struggling sport with a commercial lifeline.

Snooker’s popularity in Britain has waned over the past 20 years. Following its 1980s heyday, television audiences and sponsorship money have steadily shrunk (the latter dealt a further blow when tobacco companies, the sport’s main backers, were forced off screens by advertising regulations). Amateur participation has also suffered. Rising rents pushed snooker clubs out of cities and forced large playing 39

COVER STORY

left Two fans prepare to enter the final session of the China Open, now one of the biggest tournaments on the snooker calendar right Zhang Anda outside Grove Academy in Romford, East London

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tables out of pubs — the traditional entry points for many of snooker’s top professionals. With the sport’s future in jeopardy, its governing body – led by former boxing promoter Barry Hearn – looked abroad.

China was always the obvious target. Playing to the country’s traditional strengths of accuracy and patience, snooker already had a footing in the south (thanks to the British influence in Hong Kong) and bore similarities to Chinese eight-ball, a local variant of pool. The country’s first ranking tournament, the China International (now the China Open), was established in 1997.

All that was needed was a local hero — someone to capture the nation’s imagination and propel the sport in the way that Yao Ming had done for basketball. Enter Jiangsu teenager Ding Junhui who, at the 2005 tournament in Beijing, swept past a number of top-ranked players to reach the final.

At the height of the sport’s popularity in the UK, a record 18.5 million (about one in three) Brits watched the BBC broadcast of the 1985 World Championship final. Two decades later in China – still considered an untapped market – 110 million people tuned in to see Ding win the China Open. Another 10 years on, the country is home to almost half of the sport’s ranking tournaments and around 35 percent of all prize money.

In many ways, Grove Academy in Romford has come to embody the story of modern snooker. Not only is it forced to exist on the outskirts of the sport’s traditional stronghold in London’s East End but, of the 10 players on its roster, seven are Chinese.

Its owner, the charismatic Django Fung, leads me upstairs. He has lived in the UK for over 30 years – enough time for his accent to morph into an unusual Canto-Cockney hybrid. The Hong Kongborn accountant’s main business is Burger King franchises, of which he owns almost 30, though he is also a long-time snooker fan. After buying his own club, Fung struck up a friendship with Ronnie O’Sullivan (considered by many to be greatest player in the sport’s history) and went on to manage him for six years.

Ostensibly, he is here to translate for Zhang. But another role soon emerges.

Fung’s young protege is especially shy, even in his mother tongue.

I begin by asking whether the opportunities to progress in snooker are vastly improved by living in the UK. “Yeah,” comes the monosyllabic reply. Fung is on hand to help out: “He had the opportunity to become professional but all the qualifiers are done in this country,” he explains. “He had no choice but to come here and play — the same as many other

Chinese players.”

How well does Zhang’s get on with the other Chinese players in Romford?

A few quiet words are uttered back in Cantonese.

“There’s about seven of them who are all very good friends,” Fung continues.

“Even with Ding Junhui in Sheffield [Yorkshire, North-East England]. Most of them trained together when they were kids.”

Thirty minutes on and Zhang is just beginning to open up. He laughs about becoming lazier with age and admits to not having a practice schedule, though he aims for four to five hours a day.

These are hardly indications of confidence. I wonder whether he has the drive to succeed in this highly competitive sport. But the nickname Mighty Mouse (which he hates) must surely refer to more than his height and plump, mousy cheeks.

Beneath the timidity are signs of quiet determination. With a first-round tie

RMB550,000) in prize money. From this, he must pay Fung for the use of Grove Academy, as well as covering the cost of visas, travel and accommodation at tournaments around the world. Like most of the Chinese players in the UK, he relies on family wealth.

“His mum and dad have been supporting him to come here. They haven't got enough sponsors to pay for everything,” Fung explains.

“The amount of paperwork and logistics involved is huge. Maybe that’s the reason why a poor man can’t do it. Like tennis or Formula One [racing], you need to have family to support you.”

“If you have no money you can’t even pay for the light to practice under,” chips in Zhang, who can fall into a family clothing business should snooker prove an unviable career.

The next generation may not face such barriers. Sensing the sport’s growing popularity, the Chinese government has pumped money into youth development.

against former world champion Peter Ebdon at the upcoming China Open, I ask Zhang how many places his opponent ranks above him. “I don’t care,” he says.

“As a competitor you have to like the pressure. I like being nervous.”

The tournament is exactly four weeks away and the pressure is imminent.

Zhang must reach the top 64 this year or face being dropped from the tour circuit, meaning at least two years in the sport’s wilderness. The consequences for his career could be dire. Without a tour card, qualification for major competitions is made significantly harder. Prize money and sponsorship would most likely evaporate.

Surviving at the fringes of the sport’s elite is already difficult. Since turning professional in 2009, Zhang has earned approximately GBP60,000 (around

It now subsidizes training for the most talented young players. With the traditional barrier to entry – wealth – lowered, China’s domination of the rankings is inevitable, Fung argues.

“In five years’ time I would say that 40 of the top 100 will be Chinese, if not 50,” he says. “At the moment, Chinese players’ coaches are good technically but they haven't been in the sport at the highest level — they haven’t won anything. Just wait until the players that used to be on tour go back to give [kids] that kind of experience... beautiful.

“If you line up China’s ten best under18s against the rest of the world’s, China would win 9-1. The standard is scary.

You should see the academy in Beijing – it will blow your mind.”

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COVER STORY

above Fans and journalists gather around snooker’s World Cup at China’s National Sports Bureau below The China Open’s top-seeded players take center stage at the tournament press conference overleaf Students train at the government-funded CBSA World Snooker Academy in Beijing

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D

eep within the marbled halls of the National Sports Bureau, just east of Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, journalists gather around the Snooker World Cup. There are two weeks until the China Open but all eyes are on a solid gold trophy, donated to the sport by the King of Thailand.

The World Cup is the only major tournament in which players compete as national teams, rather than individuals. It has only once been won by a country outside the British Isles, when Ding Junhui and Liang Wenbo – another of Grove Academy’s Chinese players – claimed the title in 2011. The pair hope to win again on home soil this summer, with the 2015 tournament being held in Wuxi, close to Ding’s home city of Yixing. One of the most lucrative events on the snooker calendar, the collective prize pot is worth USD700,000 (RMB4.34 million).

Next to the trophy, former player and the current chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA), Jason Ferguson, sits on stage amid a line-up of suited Chinese officials. A tireless advocate for the sport, the Englishman sacrificed his playing career (which had seen him reach a career-high world ranking of 28) to focus on developing the game.

“From humble beginnings this game has grown into one of the world’s great sports, now watched by nearly half a billion people worldwide,” he tells the assembled reporters. “The World Cup began its journey in 1979, in Birmingham, England. Back then we could manage just six teams: England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Canada, Australia and the only other team we could put together – The Rest of the World.”

When I’d spoken to Ferguson earlier, he was keen to portray the game’s revival as a global, not strictly Chinese, phenomenon. The WPBSA has made huge efforts to promote snooker in China but the sport has experienced growth elsewhere. This year, 24 national teams will take part.

“Snooker is booming in many places now around the world,” he says, in response to a CCTV reporter who twice presses him on whether Wuxi might become a permanent home for the World Cup. “We have 90 national governing bodies. The CBSA [China Billiards and Snooker Association] is one of them, and probably the best one we deal with. But the sport is also growing in India and it’s growing fast within many European countries. This will be an event that travels around the world.”

As well as promoting snooker’s overseas interests, Ferguson is responsible for grassroots development in the UK. But he admits that nothing in Britain can compare (in scale, at least) to the newly-opened CBSA World Snooker Academy, just minutes’ from the National Sports Bureau. After the conference, he walks me there.

Sincere and a hugely likeable, the 45-year-old is both enthusiastic about Chinese participation and diplomatic about any future dominance. He does not share Django Fung’s vision of a new world order: “I do see that China will have a very strong presence,” he tells me. “But I don’t see snooker being dominated by China, at all.”

There are 27 young players at the academy eager to prove him wrong. Dressed in identical orange polo shirts, the students spend up to 10 hours a day training at the government-funded facility. The youngest player is 11, though most are in their teens.

China’s best players are sent here to train. Set across almost 10,000 square meters of space, the academy houses two enormous practice rooms (the larger containing 17 tables) and a second-floor gym. There are 10 similar academies across the country, though Beijing’s is the largest. With equipment costing around RMB27 million (USD4.3 million), there is no shortage of funds or ambition here.

“I want to win the World Championship,” declares 17-year-old Zhao Xintong. “My dream is to go to England. If I have the opportunity, I want to play with the most famous players.”

State investment means that Chinese players may no longer need to move abroad to advance their careers, as Ding Junhui and Zhang Anda’s generation did. (Grove Academy’s Django Fung sees little future for his facility when today’s teens come of age, though he doesn’t seem hugely worried – “this is my hobby,” he tells me.) Whether this will one day encourage young British players to flock to China is less certain. But soon they may not need to. The CBSA is also building its own Chineseowned academy in Sheffield, England.

For now, the teenager Zhao will remain at the academy, where he’s been since it opened in 2013. He started playing at the comparatively late age of 12 but, according to his coach, is one of the best players here. Most students’ families must pay either RMB27,000 (USD4,300) or RMB45,000 (USD7,200) a semester, depending on how highly the staff rate their abilities. But tuition fees are waived for the most promising talent.

Dean of the Beijing academy, Liu Zheng, thinks that at least 15 are good enough to progress to the tour. He is aiming to see five through to the professional ranks each year.

“There are two important ways in which we help the players improve their skills and have better futures,” he explains. “One is that we have six coaches for the players. Then, we use technology.”

In the corner of the main practice hall, a snooker table has been rigged with advanced equipment developed by Liu’s private company Rigour, a commercial arm of the CBSA. Birdseye cameras capture the balls’ movements and feed the information to a nearby computer and mounted screen.

Players can repeat and perfect different shots from a catalogue of over 500 game scenarios, with the program monitoring the power, spin and accuracy of each attempt. This system can be used for homework and testing, as well as providing statistics for the coaches to analyze retrospectively.

Its commercial potential could be huge. The cameras sense when balls are in the correct position – accurate to within millimeters – meaning that people on different sides of the world could play in real-time, moving the balls in accordance with their opponents’ shots. By offering digital replays (or even the ability to analyze players’ moves in advance) the technology’s use in interactive apps could also revolutionize how fans experience televised matches – and bet on their outcomes. Given that the famous 1985 World Championship final lasted almost 15 hours, this offers a new accessibility to a notoriously slow game.

Most in the sport appear happy to embrace its modernization.

But the old guard seems keen to retain one crucial element of the past — etiquette. Known in the UK as a ‘gentleman’s sport,’ snooker is, according to Ferguson: “played with honor, good discipline and fair rules – it’s a sport where if a player makes a mistake he actually owns up to it.” Etiquette lessons are on the curriculum here, and the WPBSA’s head of discipline is flown to China to advise young players on how to behave, dress and manage their social media.

Should these students make the tour, they will face an unfortunate reputation. Type ‘Chinese snooker players…’ into Google and the first suggestions are: ‘cheating,’ ‘are cheats’ and ‘accused of cheating.’

This characterization is seemingly an unfair one. In fact, the search results may directly stem from an incident at the 2012 World Championships, when Northern Irish player Mark Allen accused Cao Yupeng (another of Django Fung’s proteges) of ‘pushing’ the ball – a foul shot whereby the player’s cue makes prolonged contact with the white – without alerting the referee.

“If the price is right, the World Championships will come to China”

43

COVER STORY

“If you China’s ten 18s against of the world’ win 9-1. Th is sc

T H E R E D S A R E O N T H E TA B L E

line up best undert the rest ’s,China would he standard cary�

45

COVER STORY

Fans watch China’s Ding Junhui (below right) in action at Beijing University’s 4,200-seat student gymnasium

“It seems to be a bit of a trait for the Chinese players. There’s been a few instances in the past… fouls and blatant cheating going on,” suggested Allen at the post-match press conference.

“Marco Fu [of Hong Kong] and Laing Wenbo have been known for it in the past. Maybe it is just a Chinese thing.”

Television replays supported Cao’s innocence. Allen later issued a non-apology for any offence caused. Anyone wondering whether Allen might hold undue prejudice against China may wish to refer to the infamous tweet he sent that same year: “this place [China] is horrendous… people are ignorant. Place stinks.”

If anything, Beijing’s academy provides a model of professionalism that has yet to be achieved in the sport’s British homeland. While the WPBSA is doing a lot to change snooker’s reputation, the traditional route into the game was, according to old stereotypes, skipping school to hang out in smoky snooker dens (“the tour used to be made up of people from a misspent youth,” Ferguson tells me).

There is already a host of China-based players preparing to dent the rankings. In 2012, Lyu Haotian, then 14, became one of the youngest players to take part in a professional tournament and the youngest to ever win a televised match. Since then, the World Amateur Championships have been won by both Zhou Yuelong and Yan Bintao (at 15 and 14 respectively).

A 3-year-old boy from Anhui province even made headlines, when a video of him performing trick shots and difficult pots went viral on Chinese social media. The country’s finest, Ding Junhui, only started playing aged 8. But there is another, more crucial, difference between the two. Ding’s father had to persuade his wife to sell their house to fund their son’s snooker career, moving him to Guangdong and then Sheffield as a teenager. Today, he would simply need to show up at the Beijing academy.

46

S

nooker is one of 12 sports under consideration for inclusion at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. It seems fitting that the China Open is ceremoniously launched inside the Bird’s Nest Stadium. One by one, the players link arms with glamorous models and stride past the cameras to sit beneath the emblematic five rings.

First out is Ding. He is in poor form. Having become only the third non-British (and first Asian) player to be ranked world number one in December 2014, he has since dropped to fourth.

Photographers still battle for his attention as he poses by the strategically-placed logos of the tournament sponsors.

Zhang Anda, who I have not seen since Romford, walks out some time later, flanked by other male competitors. Lowerranked players appear last and they have already run out of models. Nonetheless, for a sport with a stuffy reputation in Britain, it is a remarkably glitzy affair. As last year’s finalist Neil Robertson tells me afterwards: “Here, we get the red carpet treatment and a lot of interest from journalists… which you don’t really get in the UK.” Players’ star treatment is a result of the considerable money flowing into the game from China. Every Western player now carries a Chinese sponsor and the China Open boasts a number of mainstream backers. This year, car manufacturers Baic Motor and a major trust firm, Bitic, lead the lineup. UK tournaments meanwhile have become heavily dependent on betting companies (which may, like tobacco firms, fall foul of regulations in the near future). Here too, change is evident. Asian online betting firms Dafabet and 888真人 have both sponsored major British snooker events in recent years, although gambling is technically illegal in Mainland China.

When Barry Hearn took control of the WPBSA’s commercial arm, World Snooker, in 2010, the tour’s total prize money was

T H E R E D S A R E O N T H E TA B L E

GBP3.5 million (RMB32 million). He predicts it will reach GBP7.5 million (RMB69 million) this year, thanks largely to the sport’s globalization.

“We did a major overhaul of how the sport was managed and governed, and how it operated commercially,” Jason Ferguson explains.

“We opened new markets by working with local people. We’ve got on airplanes, we’ve done the hours, we’ve found local promoters, we’ve made deals with local television – we’ve worked very, very hard to grow the sport.”

As Ferguson and the rest of the officials depart from the Bird’s Nest, I take a seat next to Zhang on the tour bus. Without his manager Django Fung to translate, it transpires that his English is far better than it had initially seemed. He jokes – or at least humors my joke – that jetlag may affect the performance of his first-round opponent, who is yet to arrive in China. Zhang tells me that, since our last meeting, he has increased his training to eight hours a day and he certainly appears more talkative and self-assured.

As the players disperse at the hotel I bid him farewell. The tournament is due to start in a day. Five kilometers to our west, Beijing University’s 4,200-seat student gymnasium has been transformed into a full-scale snooker arena. Six playing tables are set up beneath steep adjacent grandstands, divided from one another by temporary partitions.

Two days later, at the second evening session, Ding Junhui is preparing to begin his campaign against little-fancied Scotsman, Marcus Campbell. Hundreds of spectators gather around Table One where an announcer works the crowd, priming them to welcome a national hero. Photographers gather in their booth and final adjustments are made to the television cameras that will broadcast the game to the country on state-owned sports channel CCTV5. A huge cheer pulsates through the venue as Ding emerges.

On Table Four – just meters away but unseen by almost every fan – Zhang and Peter Ebdon unpack their cues in front of an audience of just three (rising to four as I take my seat). Dressed in a black waistcoat, his hair neatly slicked to one side, Zhang looks confident, focused and virtually unrecognizable from the timid player I’d first met. Silence descends as the six simultaneous matches begin.

Both players make hesitant starts but it is the underdog who forges an unlikely breakthrough. Zhang puts together a run of 85 points to win the first frame (the term used for each individual game, with first-round matches played as a ‘best of nine’ frames). He is assisted by two remarkably fortunate shots, although on both occasions – as custom dictates – he raises a courteous hand to his opponent in apology for his luck.

Ebdon responds assuredly. Having earned the nickname ‘Mr. Intensity’ over a professional career spanning almost 25

“Almost every Chinese person recognizes Ding Junhui’s name.

He’s an icon in China” years, he appears emotionless taking the next two frames. His opponent is comparatively animated – shaking his head after mistakes and jutting out a bottom lip when deliberating his next move (a process that can run from seconds to minutes in snooker, depending on the difficulty of the shot). But after pulling the score back to 2-2, Zhang must endure the unforgiving side of the sport: long periods condemned to a chair. Through little fault of his own, he spends most of the fifth and sixth frames seated in the corner, cue lodged between his legs, watching his opponent build up a run of points.

It is soon 4-2 to Ebdon, meaning Zhang must win the next three frames to avoid elimination. He starts the seventh frame

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COVER STORY

brightly, his best shots met by spontaneous rounds of solo applause from a man to my right in the near-empty stand.

Conversely, the young player must wrestle with the distraction of gasps, applause and delight emanating from the main table – Ding is closing in on victory.

Concentration is a crucial part of the sport. Noise from other tables is a routine obstacle for lower-ranked players but China’s crowds also offer unique challenges. Complete silence is expected during players’ shots and although chattering has decreased since the tournament began 18 years ago, Chinese fans still have a reputation for ringing phones, noise and movement – cardinal sins in live snooker.

This reputation is not entirely without justification.

Volunteers hold signs reading “quiet please” but throughout Zhang’s match, the referee points out members of the crowd (which has now grown to around 10) for standing during frames and taking ill-timed photographs.

Differences in atmosphere may be explained by the profile of the spectators here – they are noticeably younger than those found in the UK. This is a positive sign for the sport’s future.

But it also produces two incidents – within moments of one another – which would seem utterly out of place at a British tournament. First, a 20-something man in a basketball shirt and backwards Nike beret takes a seat in front of me, before reaching around to massage his girlfriend’s neck. Then, minutes later, a crescendo of applause for Ding’s victory on Table One is accompanied by shouts of “niubi!” (literally ‘cow’s c*nt,’ though closer in meaning to ‘fucking cool’).

With Ding through to the next round, his fans make their way from the venue.

A few come across to see Zhang, who is the only Chinese player still in action.

The usually stoic Ebdon seems unsettled by the commotion. In a rare moment of frustration, he calls out to a spectator to sit down.

“It’s always been difficult in China because you get a lot of phones going off and a lot of movement, even from photographers in their special booth,” he later tells me. “It’s frustrating, especially when you’re about to strike the ball – it’s a natural defense mechanism for your eye to go to anything that moves.”

Whether the distraction throws him or the arrival of home supporters galvanizes Zhang, the incident marks the beginning of an unlikely comeback. The latter brings the score back to 4-4, setting up a nerve-racking climax. It has taken over four hours to reach this point and the last frame becomes a zero-sum game. Neither player wants to risk missing a chance that would open an opportunity for the other, so there is a long exchange of safety shots (where players ensure that the white ball is left at the far end of the table, away from the reds).

Ebdon is renowned as one of the slowest players in the game, with his longest matches known to spark media debate about introducing time limits on shots. It takes over 30 minutes for the next red to be potted. Eventually the deadlock is broken and the more experienced player prevails. It is nearing 1am and only a handful of journalists remain when Ebdon appears backstage.

Zhang is nowhere to be seen. “[Zhang’s] a very, very good player. He was very calm and composed; very methodical in his style. He just missed a couple of balls here and there,” Ebdon tells me, before voicing a complaint about the quality of the Chinese-made table. “It was difficult for both of us... I wouldn’t be surprised if [all the tables] needed to be re-clothed.”

His concerns over the equipment and atmosphere found at non-UK tournaments are shared by other top-flight players. As

such, there remains nervousness within the sport about the prospect of relocating the showpiece World Championships from The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, where it has been held since 1977. Many have publicly described a move to China as “inevitable,” though WPBSA’s chair (and ultimate decision-maker) Barry Hearn, has said that doing so “would lose the history and integrity of the event.”

Before departing, I ask Ebdon whether he thinks the tournament might one day leave its traditional British home. His answer is one I hear from almost everyone I speak to, from the sport’s top players to the London taxi driver who first took me to Django Fung’s academy.

“Barry Hearn is a very good salesman. If the price is right, the World Championships will come to China."

I

f China is to host snooker’s showpiece event, then it may need a venue like the famous Crucible Theatre in Sheffield. But in Daxing district, south Beijing – best known for its vast watermelon farms – someone has taken this notion a little too literally. An exact replica is allegedly being constructed to support a bid for the tournament when the Crucible’s contract expires in 2017.

Western media reported on the project (somewhat disparagingly) last year and my contacts at the WPBSA are not keen for me to visit the site. Their cynicism is understandable – the replica is a dose of ludicrousness in what is otherwise a tale of how to take a sport seriously. Moreover, there’s a perfectly serviceable venue at the Beijing University Student Gymnasium, where the final day of the China Open is underway.

Zhang Anda has already left for Romford with prize winnings of just GBP3,000 (RMB27,000). Accommodation and other costs must be weighed against the likelihood of progressing to the later stages, so lowerranked players are often scheduled to fly out before tournament ends. Django Fung assures me that Zhang was happy with his performance and believes Peter Ebdon’s experience proved decisive. It was an encouraging display but, with his world ranking only rising to 98th as a result, he’ll need to work hard to reach the top 64 and remain on the tour.

It is a poor tournament for all the home favorites. Only two Mainland players make it past the first round. On the 10th anniversary of his famous victory, Ding Junhui is eliminated at the semi-final stage. And as if to remind us that the old order still stands, the final is contested by two Englishmen – world champion Mark Selby and former taxi driver Gary Wilson. Even without a local hero, the last session is well-attended. The tournament’s press officer estimates that ticket sales increased by at least 25 percent on last year.

For all of China’s ability to build venues, academies and the champions of tomorrow, its most important contribution has been the introduction of new fans. They may be a little noisier than the sport is used to, but they are passionate and dedicated to the game. Outside the venue, I speak with Jia Chengbin, 30, who has followed snooker for five years.

“I came here all the way from Guangzhou to see Ding Junhui.

I’ve come here on three different days to watch his matches,” he says. “I love this sport.”

As a fitting sign of snooker’s future, the last spectator I speak with before the final has come out of curiosity.

“I’ve watched the matches on TV but this is the first time I’ve come here,” says 33-year-old Dai Weiwei. “I just want to learn more about it and luckily my friend has two tickets. I’ve known about Ding for a long time – almost every Chinese person recognizes that name. He’s an icon in China.” █

“We have opened new markets by working with local people. We’ve got on airplanes, we’ve done the hours, we’ve found local promoters, we’ve made deals with local television – we’ve worked very, very hard to grow the sport”

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T H E R E D S A R E O N T H E TA B L E

Zhang Anda relaxes ahead of his match against former world champion, England's Peter Ebdon

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grapevine nibbles

o f f t h e b e at e n p l at e

Last summer’s crackdown on illeagal outdoor drinking saw benches replaced by easy-tohide stools, as bootleg bars were swept away at the shake of a chengguan’s baton. But you can’t keep a good thing down.

Stronghold of the resistance, Xindong Lu, is creeping back to life. Sure, you could fester in juvenile bedlam at the expanded Heaven Supermarket but we’re more excited about the return of Jazz Graden (sic), or at least some plastic chairs and a fridge where it once stood.

For those of more refined taste, Jing-A has significantly expanded its al fresco offering.

And just around the corner, The Taco Bar has undergone outdoor-ification. We’ve been told to expect: “new patio, new booze, new food, new brunch, new kind of hangover.”

Many others are using spring as an excuse to launch fresh menus (insert cliches about rejuvenation and rebirth).

Q-Mex, Tribe, Rumi (see p.70) and Sake Manzo are some of the best. Then there’s your usual slew of new services (Temple Restaurant Beijing now does catering), new opening hours (Slowboat opens Mondays) and new Mexican restaurants (Xindong Lu’s long-awaited Fiesta Tex-Mex has opened its doors).

But be warned, the relentless fetishization of ‘new’ claims its victims too. Zajia and Excuse Coffee are the latest businesses to be evicted in Gulou’s redevelopment project, as the Hong’ En Taoist temple that both inhabited is set to be razed.

Be careful what you wish for.

OH

In South Korea, six people a year reportedly die from eating live octopus, or sannakji. The wriggling tentacles (their suckers, specifically) attach themselves to the inside of diners’ throats, causing suffocation. Upon landing at our table, the recently-severed tentacles try to escape the plate, attaching to our chopsticks and then latching on to our tongues.

Sashimi doesn’t get fresher than this. Just be sure to chew.

The Taco Bar

> Available at Yuyuan seafood

barbeque (豫园海鲜烧烤); rMb78; floor 1, east gate, Area 1, wangjing Xiyuan,

chaoyang 朝阳区 望京西园一区东门1层 (8471 2005)

H e a d -to - H e a d / Cheap Coffee

VER sus Fire

aha

火咖 Available at 7/11, RMB4.5

雅哈 Available at 7/11, RMB6.5 First impressions

Making a big play for the purists with the bialettishaped bottle; overall design appears whimsical.

Not expecting much of a kick.

A silver caffeine bullet. “Shoots listlessness dead” or something equally inane. Lot of hype here, can it deliver?

Consistency

A darker color than its rival, suggesting a greater bean-to-milk ratio, though loses points for strong synthetic odor.

The unpleasant smell is unfortunately carried through in the taste. What a disappointment.

Taste

Extremely pale. Anemic coffee for people who don't like coffee. Not even a whiff of ground bean exudes from the bottle.

This is basically just milkshake, and not even a good one at that. It’s a weak chocolate milkshake, at best.

Verdict

On the merits of drinkability, the Aha wins; terrible coffee, certainly, but has the distinct advantage of not smelling like a cheap plastic sandal. SG 5 0 | M A Y 2 0 1 5 | w w w . t h a t s ma g s . c o m

b j e d i t o r @ u r b a n a t o m y. c o m

T h e y Sa i d I t, W e R e a d I t

ba rt i sa n s

Jindingxuan

This month, Justin Alters, Bar Manager at Jing-A Taproom

Their food is fine, compared to other Chinese restaurants.

But the restaurant often reeks of smelly feet.

I like the restaurant! I went there at 6pm, and waited less than 20 minutes to find a seat. I am satisfied with it!

Their desserts are elegant and tasty!

Fewer dishes available than before. The portions are smaller too. The wait staff are dull, and not concerned what the customers need. And they even don’t serve hot water?! So stingy!

Normally I just go there for breakfast because there are too many people at all other times. I went there for lunch once, and found their service to be really bad. We had to push them to get our dishes. By the time we finished the lunch, several of our dishes had yet to arrive.

NEWS BITES

Time-Honored Noodle House Closes Shop

One of the city’s oldest culinary establishments, Qianmen’s Xincheng Noodle House, has closed its doors due to rising rents. Initially opened as a private business, the local institution was nationalized in 1956 and, until its closure last month, was one of the few remaining state-owned restaurants.

With bowls of noodles for as little as RMB5 and a shot of baijiu available for a single kuai, the restaurant fell increasingly out of step with rising prices in the surrounding hutongs. Nonetheless, it survived the major regeneration of Qianmen area and, until its final day, provided diners with handwritten menus and used an abacus to calculate bills (payment was deposited in an old wooden box, not a till).

IMAGE by Holly li

Ever wondered what the kids these days think of some of Beijing’s long-standing food-and-drink establishments? To give you an idea, we’ve handpicked and translated some comments from popular ratings site dianping.com. This month: Yonghegong’s 24-hour mega-restaurant, Jindingxuan.

The Drinks: Jing-A is known for its range of specialty beer infused with local characteristics, such as the brewery’s popular summer tipple, the Big Slice Watermelon, made with watermelons from Daxing District in the far south of Beijing.

The Man: Bar Manager and all round nice guy Justin Alters started working at Jing-A more-or-less by accident: “I don’t really have any past experience in the craft beer world – well, unless you count drinking as experience,” he tells us with a chuckle.

“You know, I studied Chinese at school, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on my education, but all I had to show for it was that I could sort of read the classics – actually, I totally can’t. So I came out here, did the English teacher thing for a month, worked as copywriter at an e-commerce company for a while, before a friend recommended I get involved with Jing-A around nine months ago.” It was love at first sight.

Tasting Notes: So, is Justin qualified to talk about the beers? “I don’t know man! [Laughs] I’m learning all the time, but you know, I’m not a brewer, I’m a bar manager.

I’m more comfortable talking about my favorite beers, which right now are the Flying Fist and the Black Velvet Vanilla Bourbon Stout. The stout is a real collaborative effort in terms of the ingredients we use, and that’s one of the things that I believe really sets Jing-A apart: our commitment to using local ingredients and our willingness to go that extra mile.”

Style: What can customers expect when they arrive at the taproom? “Big warm smiles man! [laughs] And plenty of samples, let people try the different beers, get a sense of what they like and what they don’t. That’s a big part of our brand. I want to encourage people to experiment, to try new things, I mean, that’s the fun part, right?” SG

> Jing A, building b, 1949 the hidden city, courtyard 4, gongti bei lu, chaoyang 朝阳区工体北路4号院1949会所内 (65018883)

w w w . t h a t s ma g s . c o m | M A Y 2 0 1 5 | 5 1

ke d . It ’s l i n a h t s nd fir t surrou ience it s r u e p m x e u o y e to develop you hav y , l g u r n t i k o o t co ut China, b Spanish f n i o y e r h e p lh oso ain leve t the phil r e d c n a a t s r each ly unde u can r o y e “ To r e a l r u ,s English g rs” n i n r a le s p e a ke e v i t a n f with yoursel e at & drink | Fe at ure

T he Pae l l a D i ar i es I nt e r v i e w

by St e p h en

G e o rg e ,

i m a g e s by Ho l l y L i

entu v d A h panis S s ’ o j Nia

5 2 | M A Y 2 0 1 5 | w w w . t h a t s ma g s . c o m

re

Beijing’s love affair with

Spanish food continues to grow with each passing year, thanks in no small part to the amorous efforts of Alex Sanchez, owner and executive chef of popular Spanish restaurant Niajo. Sanchez, who opened Niajo in 2009, took three months out from his hectic Beijing schedule earlier this year, to accompany his assistant chef and Beijing native Pan Huiya on a tour of his homeland. The trip, which saw Alex and Pan visit several of the country’s leading kitchens, was intended as a means to help develop Pan’s appreciation for Spain’s culinary traditions. Now back in Beijing, we caught up with Alex and Pan to find out more about their journey.

—How did the reality of Spain match up to your expectations?

Pan: I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I knew, it would be very different.

But nothing prepared me for quite how different it turned out to be.

The restaurants we visited were so much more professional than

here in China; the speed and skill of the chefs was unbelievable. It’s a whole other level. We don't have culinary schools in China, so for me it was very educational, to work with these famous and talented chefs. I don’t speak Spanish, and noone spoke English, but fortunately, in the kitchen, most things are communicated through actions – not words, so it wasn’t much of a problem for me.

—What was the reason behind the trip?

Alex: I wanted to reconnect with my people, my country and my friends – and for Pan to see and experience those things too. You know, once she saw me in that environment, she said: ‘I understand now! We thought you were crazy, but now I get it!’ [laughs]. Once she was able to appreciate the philosophy and the method – she realized I wasn’t crazy, there was a reason why I wanted things to be done a certain way and in a certain style.

—How many places did you visit?

Pan: We went to three restaurants, one month in each. The first, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Valencia, was run by Raul Aleixandre – a very famous and well known chef in Spain.

Alex: It's not an easy restaurant to go into.

Pan: It was very intense, all day every day, the level was so high.

Alex: It was very hard for Pan at first, she moved up from the prep, cleaning the chilies, to helping the assistant chef arrange the meals. She did everything, from the top to the bottom, the whole experience. So by the time we arrived at our next destination in San Sebastián, Pan had gone through this very serious and hard training and she was prepared.

Everyone there [in San Sebastián] thought she was amazing, they were so impressed!

Pan: San Sebastián was my favorite.

It was a very small kitchen, serving pintxos [mini dishes], every day there were so many customers, it was so busy and focused, but also very relaxed compared to Valencia.

The food culture there was amazing.

Alex: And after San Sebastián, we had a short four day vacation in Barcelona, before going to the Palace of Aranjuez to visit one of my friend’s new restaurants.

—What lessons have you carried back from your experience?

Alex: For Pan, the challenge now is to communicate what she has learned with the rest of the team, for example, how to correctly dress meat. Working with me in the kitchen is good – but to really understand the philosophy of Spanish cooking, you have to experience it first-hand. It’s like learning English, sure you can reach a certain level here in China, but to truly develop you must surround yourself with native speakers.

No matter how good our team is, they haven’t been exposed to the philosophy behind the process – they don’t understand how to really ‘make something in a Spanish way.’

They haven’t got that power. Pan has that power now, she appreciates and understands the philosophy. So now there are two of us in the kitchen in Niajo with this philosophy. Between the two of us – little by little – we can begin to instill this philosophy throughout the entire team.

—Did you consider it a risk, to leave your restaurant for such a lengthy period?

Alex: I did take a risk, absolutely, not as the chef, but as the owner of the restaurant. Three months is a very long time, anything can happen, but I believe that you can not achieve anything in life without taking a risk – it is not good enough to stay at the same level, you must push up, always up to the next level. As a Spanish restaurant in Beijing, the only way to get to that next level is to help the staff learn about Spanish culture – to offer them an opportunity to improve their skills.

—Pan, have you always been a chef – how did you and Alex end up working together?

Pan: I started working at Niajo straight out of high school aged 18, I remember I came to Sanlitun and saw an ad on the door. I began in the kitchen as a junior and moved up from there. I didn’t know anything about Spain back then!

Alex: She told me: ‘I have no idea how to cook, but I love the idea of cooking, so if you give me a chance I will never disappoint you.’ And so I say: ‘OK, you start tomorrow!’

You know, she couldn’t even cut a potato! But I saw something in her, and knew she’d be with me a long time. She was very mature and an incredibly quick learner. █ niajo, 3/f, nali patio, 81 sanlitun lu,

chaoyang 朝阳区 三里屯酒吧街81号那里花园 3楼 (52086052)

w w w . t h a t s ma g s . c o m | M A Y 2 0 1 5 | 5 3

e at & drink | Fe at ure

Tavalin Bagels Return of the Fabulous Baker Boys

by St e p h e n G e o rg e , i m a g e s by Na o m i G o d d a rd

Price RMB25-35 for meal, RMB25-45 for beer Who’s Going Sunshine daydreamers Good For Chilin’ like villains in the open air, with a bagel, natch

It was a long, cold, bitter winter – made harsher still by the absence of the city’s favorite (and only) bagel stand, Tavalin Bagels. The popular Sanlitun hole-in-the-wall, unceremoniously ceased operations in December last year, leaving a bagel-sized hole (or should that be ring?) in our stomachs.

The store had enjoyed significant success, before a succession of rent increases led original owner and founder Julian Tavalin to call time on the business. Not everyone was so ready to let go, however. Long-time Tavalin employees Han Bing and Gu Gin vowed to continue, and after several months searching for a new (cheaper) location, the duo have returned triumphantly – a mere stone’s throw from their original store-front.

No-one was more surprised by the phoenix-like resurrection than Julian Tavalin himself, who remains at the helm of the company, albeit in an advisory capacity: “I thought it was over,” he tells us. “But Han and Gu refused to let it die. It’s amazing to see it live on. Though I’m glad I don't have the stress of running it anymore.”

Tucked away in a small but spacious courtyard, the new premises are something of an upgrade – with outdoor seating for around 12. The menu, meanwhile, remains relatively untouched (as do the prices RMB25-35), with nine types of delicious and authentic handrolled US-style bagels (plain, onion, sesame, everything, salt, sundried tomato, garlic, rosemary and cinnamon raisin) and six cream cheese fillings (plain, veg, sun dried tomato, salmon, garlic and chive), as well as standard offerings, such as smoked salmon and salad. Experiments in more adventurous combinations, such as ham and cheese, and the popular breakfast sausage are ongoing.

There are, of course, a few caveats. As with its previous incarnation, Tavalin is not built for bad weather – and while it’s likely to be a great and popular spot come the summer, the open air patio is not somewhere you want to get caught during a spring sand storm.

Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat-Sun 8am-9pm , 201, Building 29, Bei Sanli Community,

(Across from Revolution) Chaoyang 朝阳区南三里屯29号楼201 ( 雅秀服装市场西边对 面)

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r e s t a u r ba an rt s | e a t & d r i n k

Capo di Tutti Capi

by O s c a r Ho l l a n d , i m a g e s by Ho l l y L i

“I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse,” Louis Jacquot said to himself (presumably) as he negotiated the lease for his Guanghua Lu premises. After successfully acquiring the space, he split it with long-time associate, Badr Benjelloun, who set up Caravan next door (reviewed in last month’s issue). Together, they form the most feared criminal cohort in the Ritan Park area. Well, since the American Embassy relocated, at least.

The name’s absent apostrophe suggests that Godfathers Bar is where Chaoyang’s mafia heads congregate to talk business. But there is only one boss here – Don Jacquot. Oh, and his wife Heather, the selfstyled Godmother – because, as Vito Corleone once explained: “A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.”

Having been a regular visitor to China during his career in “import/export” (buying and selling “furniture”, nudge/wink)*, the Australian has changed the family business. Hospitality was his calling. In addition to liquors and house wine, he offers a solid – if not particularly adventurous – line-up of drafts (RMB 2550) and a range of affordable bottled beers (RMB30-45).

Speaking of irrefutable offers, some of them are halfprice during happy hour (5-7pm).

The theme’s execution is not exactly subtle – walls heave with images of Marlon Brando, cotton stuffed deep into his mouth. Two big screens play a certain popular Hollywood epic but it’s all a little too brightly-lit to feel like a New York den. There are some nice touches

Beers RMB25-50,

Mon-sat, 11am-midnight; 44 guanghua lu, chaoyang 朝阳 区光华路44号(135 5292 5022)

IMAGE by Holly li

GODFATHERS BAR

though, most notably an antique foosball table and some old curiosities wine RMB40 a glass, from the English-style pub pub grub for RMB50that once inhabited this 75 per person spot (John Bull has been Who’s Going sleeping with the fishes Embassy mafia since 2006). and other assorted Don Jacquot is taking his wiseguys role seriously. He sports Good For a black shirt, white tie Feeling like part of and polka-dot braces. The ‘the family’ Godfather certainly likes to talk but he’s a pleasant chap and has some entertaining tales to regale. At one point, the Godmother pops out from the kitchen. “Has he had a chance to breathe yet?” she chimes, before issuing him with a sinister threat for losing her recipe book.

The Jacquots are not breaking any boundaries.

But then they aren’t trying to. Instead, Godfathers Bar seems like the sort of place where everyone would know your name within days. It’s got that friendly local vibe and is everything you’d expect from a small, family-run bar, headed up by a pair of affable retirees.

This is a ruthless city though. We cannot help but fear that Don Jacquot’s likability will prove his weakness.

“He should be careful,” Michael Corleone once warned us (albeit about someone completely different). “It's dangerous to be an honest man.” * Disclaimer: That’s Beijing has no evidence that Godfathers Bar was purchased using ill-gotten gains.

Price

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Rouge Red Flag Flying High

by Q i a o Z h i , i m a g e s by Ho l l y L i

Location, location, location: it’s the difference between a successful restaurant and that high-end Italian-Chinese-fusion eatery in Shuangjing, that you’ve long since forgotten the name of – what was it called again? Yes, when it comes to picking a spot for your hip new joint in Beijing today, there’s really only one sure-fire choice: Sanlitun’s Courtyard 4. Once a derelict graveyard of failed dreams and raging neon mega-clubs, the unassuming Sanlitun spillover has somehow transformed into the most in-demand slice of premier real estate east of the Second Ring Road.

Despite having all the environmental charm and grace of a suburban parking lot, Courtyard 4 has managed to attract an astonishing assortment of Beijing hotspots, including Jing-A, The Local, Homeplate, The Taco Bar, De Refter, The Rug and Park 17.

Adding itself to that list, is Hong Kong export Rouge.

With its retro neon signage, vinyl-lined art deco bar and 1960s Hong Kong tourist posters, this high-end diner certainly looks the part. The menu too, sticks true to its traditional Cantonese roots, offering diners an impressive selection of all-day dim sum staples, including steamed Price shrimp dumplings (RMB28) chilled coconut Dinner set: RMB268pudding cubes (an absolute must, RMB23) RMB898 for six courses; and some of the very best steamed spare dim sum starts at ribs with black bean sauce found anywhere RMB28 per piece north of the Yangtze (RMB18).

Who’s Going But this is more than just an all-dayVintage triads, the breakfast type place. The menu also boasts Cantonese brunch a selection of classic Hong Kong dishes, such bunch, people of as sea cucumber in abalone broth (RMB198) excellent tatste and braised goose feet with grey mushroom Good For (rich and plentiful, RMB68). For those Real deal dim sum and unfamiliar with Cantonese cuisine (pointer: fresh fish cooked to it’s light, delicate and not covered in oil and perfection hot spice), the menu features a variety of six-course set menus (RMB268-898) designed to showcase the chefs’ best creations.

Of course, this being a Hong Kong joint, much of the menu is given over to seafood. The fresh mandarin fish (RMB128) – cooked to perfection and braised in a light sauce – is a particular standout.

Simple, clean and absolutely bursting with flavors, it is a reminder that of all the regions in China, nowhere cooks fish as well as the Cantonese.

The real highlight though is the roasted squab (AKA pigeon, RMB48).

What it lacks in size, this diminutive bird makes up for in flavor. A leaner, more complex taste than Beijing roasted duck, the squab – especially when dipped in sea salt – has a rich, distinctive taste that’s both gamey and surprisingly fragrant.

There it is, a little slice of Kowloon, right here in Courtyard 4, whatever next? daily 11am-10pm; inside the sanlitun south

complex, chaoyang 朝阳区工人体育场北路四 号机电院内十号楼1楼 (85876866)

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r es taur a n t s | e at & drink

Hoodadak CHICKEN / FLY PIZZA From Fad to Fashion

!

by O s c a r Ho l l a n d , i m a g e s by Ho l l y L i

Price RMB160-200 for two, draught beer from RMB15 Who’s Going Not just fans of K-drama, surprisingly Good For Eating and getting drunk simultaneously

Around this time last year, the tale of an actress and her extraterrestrial lover single-handedly revived the Chinese market for chicken. Korean drama My Love From the Star (or more precisely, its characters’ penchant for fried chicken and lager) sent Beijing into a frenzy. Queues spilled out from restaurants onto Wangjing’s streets, imports of South Korean beer jumped 200 percent, and Colonel Sanders wept a single, incredibly salty tear. He didn’t even have an alcohol license.

One of the craze’s successes, Hoodadak Chicken, bravely set its sights on Sanlitun. A branch opened here in the fall, but — sensing the stench of a fad — we avoided visiting. There was little reason to venture into Sanlitun SOHO and, frankly, we’d had enough of reviewing restaurants that were closed before we’d even gone to print.

We stand corrected. Not only does the diner-style chicken joint appear to be thriving, but there is enough demand to justify a rival. (Don Chicken stands just across the concourse and we are almost drawn in by its mesmeric display of K-pop videos.) But Hoodadak boasts the true hallmark of authenticity: posters signed by Korean megabands Girls’ Generation and EXO. This is quite a feat, given that the groups contain 21 members between them.

After mitigating our imminent indulgence with a house salad (RMB35), the fabled chicken arrives. Our first selection (RMB92) is coated with light batter, though it’s rather difficult to see – every surface is covered with coarsely chopped garlic. It’s aggressively garlicky. The sweet soy sauce chicken (RMB92) is less potent and actually rather good. We find the platter disappearing quicker than we could have imagined.

This is perfectly palatable fast food. Plus, servings are large enough to feed an overpopulated K-pop band. But then things get a little strange. For if ‘Hoodadak’ is the sound made by chickens’ feet when they run (the owner’s explanation, not ours), then cohabiting brand Fly Pizza is the parallel universe in which they take flight.

The pizza (RMB75/85/96) has a thin but curiously sturdy base.

Its recommended topping, sweet potato, is presented as a ridge down each slice. It’s then sprinkled with almonds, naturally. The creation is genuinely enjoyable but we can’t articulate why. Korean pizza exists in its own category, distinct from Italian and American variants. We don’t feel qualified to provide critique – it would be like asking gymnastics judges to give scores in a dressage competition. It’s just... different.

Hoodadak’s decor is equally hard to comprehend. Imagine — if you can — a leatherbound, industrial-chic library aboard a mad collector’s personal container ship. Make sense?

Thought so.

Such a perplexing experience raises questions like: ‘how do you know when a fad has just become a ‘thing’?’ and ‘why is there sweet potato on my pizza?’ The latter is anyone’s guess. As for the former, the answer is simple enough: because we've got around to reviewing it. It’s is a thing now.

daily 11am-10.30pm; b1-603, bldg 6, sanlitun soho, chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯soho6号楼商场地下一层603 (5935 9731)

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simon Reviewed by Simon i nt e r v i e w by St e p h e n G e o rg e , i m a g e s by Na o m i G o d d a rd

Inexplicably named Mongolian hotpot restaurant Simon, as reviewed by a real life Simon – 31-year-old British civil servant, Simon Clode (pictured above).

—First impressions?

Simon: “Well, the name is spelled correctly, so that’s a good start. It’s not the most glamorous of locales [the restaurant is next to a mountain of trash] but, still, it’s lively enough. And we’re in walking distance from the Russian Embassy, so potential bonus if you happen to be a Russian diplomat.”

—It’s a simple, unassuming place: Simple Simon’s.

“Statistically speaking, Simons are a highly intelligent people. The simple Simon taunt is ironic. I wonder what the inspiration for the name was?

—Simon the pie man?

“Could be, though it doesn’t look much like a pie shop.”

— Are any celebrities called Simon?

“Not really, we’re something of a rare breed.”

Simon Cowell?

“A Chinese restaurant, as inspired by Simon Cowell. It’s certainly possible, I’m not going to rule it out.”

—There must be other famous Simons out there, what about sportspeople?

“Simons don’t really do sports. How about Paul Simon, do surnames count? [Thinks for 5 8 | M A Y 2 0 1 5 | w w w . t h a t s ma g s . c o m

for free, but he looks happy that we’re a moment] Simón Bolívar, El Libertador! here [owner grimaces]. Maybe we’ll get a He’s a good one, defeated the might of discount? the Spanish Empire and led Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuadar and Colombia to —[Ten minutes pass] OK, here are the independence.” beans and broccoli.

“Clearly not a great deal of preparation has —I’m pretty sure this restaurant is not gone into this. It seems to be swimming named after Simón Bolívar. OK, let’s take in a lot of water too, [tastes it] this is bad, a look at the menu. it's lukewarm, it’s not cooked. Can you “It’s in Chinese, no wait, there’s Russian get food poisoning from limp, half-cooked too.” vegetables? Probably not, right? OK. This is —No pictures? possibly the worst broccoli I’ve ever had.”

“Nope, or pinyin. My Russian is about the same level as my Chinese, which is to say, —How about the beans? not all that good. OK [scans the Well, there’s a lot of oil here… menu], I recognize that. That’s But they taste OK. Standard Price definitely mutton. That’s a safe fried beans. The brotherhood RMB25-50 a head bet. We can order that [calls the of Simon approves. Taste good Who’s Going waiter]. And how about some with beer too.

People called Simon vegetables? There’s broccoli [main course arrives] (or, in the case of local here, is that OK?” “My god, that’s a lot of cumin. diplomats - Simonov).

That’s more cumin that meat.

—It’s your review.

Not Simon Cowell What are they trying to hide?

“OK, we’ll take the broccoli, Good For [Tastes it]. Right, I think I misand maybe these fried beans.

Novelty food reviews ordered, this isn’t mutton, this Should I order in Russian?” is cartilage. Really, really chewy, —Can you do that? partially-cooked cartilage. A whole tray “Not really, I’ll stick to Chinese. OK, I’ll get of the stuff. We might need to order some some beers too – this looks like a beer type more beer. How much should I eat before we of place.” declare the review over?”

—Do you feel an affinity here – is this suitably Simon-eque?

—That’s up to you, but we’re going to “Absolutely, everyone is slightly overweight need to at least make a dent in it [five and unhealthy-looking. I’m getting a strong more minutes and not a great deal of Simon vibe from that cabinet of empty eating pass]. OK, final marks? baijiu bottles too. I wonder if Simons drink “I’m going to award it a four out of 10 in the for free?”

Simon stakes. Simons are very charitable types, we have to look out for one another, —You should ask – did you bring your even if the food is abysmal.” passport?

“I did! [Calls the restaurant owner to the table and introduces himself. Restaurant daily 11am-11pm; 1 houyongkang hutong, dongcheng owner looks bemused. Restaurant owner 东城区东直门北小街后永康胡同1号(近俄罗斯使馆) shakes his head] No, Simons don’t drink (84012269)

!

ba rs | e at & drink

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COMMUNITY

communi t y | t iger fat her

some much-needed bro time Seeing How the Other Half Lives

by Tre v o r Ma r s h a l l s e a

“Yes, we were having a conversation with a person who believed he was a dog and who could apparently travel using only his own flatulence.”

When you’re the father of girls, and their friends are girls, and their cousins are girls, and their mother may well be a feminist but is still a girl, things can get a bit... girly.

Depressingly, few acts are performed for the sake of a dare. People seem content to ride bikes without building even one suicidal, Evel Knievel-style ‘action ramp.’

Common, everyday smells are offensive, rather than funny. And ‘parkour fail’ videos are viewed with derision, rather than sheer awe and respect.

So, it’s always fun to throw a few boys into the mix. I learned this on a recent holiday in Thailand with another family, who brought their kids Boy 12, Boy 10 and Boy 8 (not their real names), to play with our daughters, Girl 9 and Girl 8 (not their real names either).

It was there I also learned that, just as boys are a welcome addition, there are two things you should definitely do without on such group holidays: the kids’ club and the kids’ table. What would you rather listen to? A couple of 40-something couples bang on about how deliriously happy and unstressed they are as they balance mortgages, school fees and an opposing force of children? Or someone who insists their best friend is a Martian?

Being with boys feels like you’ve suddenly been dropped behind enemy lines. You can now see their weapons and hear their plans. Having been there, I can now report these seem to almost exclusively revolve around two things: A. The human butt, and B. What comes out of it.

This was shown in breathtaking fashion when three of the five kids were corralled for lunch one day, which was not a bad success rate. My wife (Woman 43) began a game to keep them occupied. Using 6 0 | M A y 2 0 1 5 | w w w . t h a t s ma g s . c o m

successive letters of the alphabet, we had to state a (hopefully, but often not very) interesting fact about ourselves.

Woman 43 started the ball rolling with an easy ‘A’ - that she was from Australia.

Now the fun would begin, except Boy 8 had a load of trouble coming up with one for B. After several minutes, he said: “Can I do D instead?” We all licked our lips and moved on to Boy 10.

“I’ve got a great one for B,” said he. “I have one butt, but two buttockses!”

I had to let him down gently. I pointed out that buttholes were like opinions, in that everyone has one. Thankfully, before he could table his evidence, we moved on to Girl 8. Her countenance grew serious, and everyone leaned in for what would clearly be a weighty C-word: “I ALMOST got swiped by a stray cat once!”

There were gasps all round, as we made

sure she was physically and emotionally OK. But now we were at D, and could finally hear Boy 8’s much awaited contribution.

Holding the floor, he looked around, and slowly delivered: “My brother doesn’t think so, but... I’m really a dog.”

Sometimes you don’t ask for an explanation. E went again to Girl 8, on the grounds that we had got out of order. “For E, our car once got egged!” she announced, to more widespread jaw-dropping.

This was already far more entertaining than any adult conversation we’d had on the holiday, but I had a lot to live up to for my turn. I felt I had a sure-fire winner for this lot. “For my F-word... I like using the F-word!” I said, for I too am a boy. Cue gasps and giggles all round, from both sides of the gender floor.

After a suitably sanitary “mom” effort concerning a giraffe, Boy 8 had to think hard for his H, but eventually returned to a favorite theme: “I like to go higher and higher and higher into the air... just by farting.”

Yes, we really were having this conversation, with a person who believed he was a dog, and who could apparently travel using only his own flatulence. What a dinner party guest he’d make! Forget about the fact he’s eight.

“So how did you get to Thailand?” someone might have asked. “I farted there,” he’d have said.

The game continued along similar lines.

In fact, so did the whole holiday, bless it.

Give me girls any day, for overall they’re easier to manage, and less smelly. But it’s nice to see how the other half lives.

Trevor Marshallsea was a foreign correspondent in

Beijing in the 1990s and returned a decade later. This time around he stays at home to grow the kids. Read more of his domestic adventures at www.thetigerfather. com

event | communit y

On April 5, Urban Family teamed up with the art school Atelier to celebrate Easter Sunday with the families at Lanson Place Central Park Ser viced Residences.

Parents and children got off to a creative start with mask-making and egg-painting activities, before venturing into the sunlit garden in search of chocolate eggs and rabbits. Upon their return, Easter gifts were handed out to the children and a group photo was taken under a blossoming magnolia tree.

Special thanks go out to:

L a n s o n P l a c e / c e n t r alpa r k . la n s o n pla c e .c o m Located in the Central Business District of Chaoyang, Lanson Place offers spacious and contemporary-styled luxury serviced apartments in two, three and four bedroom configurations as well as penthouses overlooking a charming landscaped garden.

At e l i e r / w w w. at e l i e r .c n .c o m Founded in 2012 by a team of French professionals, Atelier art school offers high-quality teaching and educational programs centered on sensibility, creativity and openness to the world.

Follow Urban Family on WeChat

U r b a n Fa m i ly / w w w.u r ba n-fam i ly.c o m /c i t y/ b e i j i n g Urban Family is a Beijing family-focused online guide and events platform from the That’s Mags team. The site offers families the latest goings-on as well as organizing and promoting fun days out for you and the kids.

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STELLA ARTOIS URBAN MOMENTS Do you have party pictures to contribute? Send them to us at bjeditor@urbanatomy.com and we’ll run the best.

ThaT’s Tianjin Las Vegas ParTy @ Tjg Wguvkp Tianjin - Artkn 11

Events FRI MAY 1

EAT/DRINK

NIGHTLIFE

DJ: ATA (Germany) ATA is the house linchpin of notable club and label brand, Robert Johnson.

He’s come a long way since returning to Frankfurt from a life-altering club night in Barcelona and deciding he wanted to be a DJ. He arrives in Beijing via early days at Delirium record store and unforgettable nights at one of Germany’s most important clubs, Omen. > RMB50; 10pm; Migas Bar (see Listings for details) FESTIVAL: INTRO Bad news: INTRO festival is moving 50km to Xianghe in Hebei. Good News: Its location, Grand Epoch City is an insane 2 million square meter, RMB3 billion replica of Qing-era Beijing, replete with towering city walls, ornate temples, tranquil lily ponds and winding alleyways. Music from Octave One, one half of M.A.N.D.Y, Patrick Bodmer, and plenty more. We recommend heading to the highly-anticipated Syndicate Bass Stage.

Shuttle buses to the venue will run from Beijing Language University East Gate and Agricultural Exhibition Center West Gate between 12.30-3.30pm and will return between 9.30-11.30pm. > 2-11pm, May 1; RMB280 (presale), RMB380 (on-site); tickets available at www.t3.com.cn, www.mosh.cn, www. clubzone.cn, or in person across town Party: INTRO Official After Party All INTRO artists will head back to Lantern to play deep into the night.

Conveniently, buses from the festival are headed straight there, so no planning required. > RMB100 (RMB50 with INTRO ticket); 10pm; Lantern Club (see Listings for details)

SUN MAY 3

COMMUNITY

ALL MONTH

Dining: Lily’s American Diner 5th Anniversery It’s hard to believe that Lily’s American Diner (LAD) is only 5 years old. Having expanded to three areas beginning with an ‘s’ (Sanlitun, Shuangjing and Sihui), the restaurant is already well-known across town for its hearty US and Tex-Mex fare. To celebrate its anniversary, LAD is putting on special offers throughout the month. Just drop into any location to take advantage of the deals on food, coffee and wine. And for the day itself – Saturday May 30 – you’ll even get a complimentary slice of cake. > Sanlitun: 1-037 East Avenue, 5 Xindong Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区新东路8号院首开铂郡 底商5号楼1-037号 (8418 5497);Shuangjing: 2-18 Tianzhijiaozi, 31 Guangqu Lu 朝阳 区广渠路31号院天之骄子2号楼2-18 (6592 5548); Sihui: 200m east of Jindi Mingjing Xiaoqu north gate, Chaoyang 朝阳区四惠地铁北E出口金地名京小区北门对面往东200 米 (6556 3817)

Comedy

Workshop: DIY Aquaponics Have a small apartment but always dreamed of a garden? Build your own small aquaponics system to grow mini tomatoes and herbs of all kinds. > RMB450; 11am - 1.30pm; Culture Yard, 10 Shique Hutong, Dongcheng

NIGHTLIFE Performance: The Night of Qin Two masters, two hours. Both offer a feast of music generated by the ancient Chinese musical instrument, qin. It’ll be erhu gabba next. Probably. > RMB80 (door), RMB60 (presale); 8pm; Dusk Dawn Club Beijing (see Listings for details)

TUE MAY 5

Cinco de Mayo Juice by Melissa is celebrating Cinco de Mayo (a Mexican/American holiday, in case you didn’t know) with a juicy twist.

Festive live music, specialty cold-pressed cocktails (presumably juice based) and delectable Mexican snacks. Hubba hubba. > RMB150; 6 – 9pm; Juice By Melissa, 101 Dongwai Gongguan, 3 Xinzhong Dongjie, Dongcheng 新中东街3号东外公 馆101室 (130 4112 1556)

Eat: May Day Long Weekend at Capital M Enjoy the spring weather al fresco style, with brunch on Capital M’s terrace.

Views in Beijing don’t get much more spectacular than this. > RMB248/288 (Brunch and Afternoon Brunch), RMB88/138 (Afternoon Teas); Capital M (see Listings for details)

SAT MAY 2

NIGHLTIFE

COMMUNITY

NIGHTLIFE

Movie: Tarkovsky’s “Stalker” Russian film-maker Andrei Tarkovsky’s eerie sci-fi vision of a forsaken world is an allegory of the perils of intellectualism in Russia. Demanding and elusive. > RMB75 (including popcorn); 5pm; Capital M (see Listings for details)

EAT/DRINK

EAT/DRINK

Gig: Sanlitun Vice This summer, a small group of dedicated enforcers return, ready to purge Sanlitun of lame pop. Armed with thumping nu-

disco, funky new wave and heavy boogie grooves (which are apparently aimed in all directions), they’ll destroy anything Beiber-ific. Poor chap. > RMB50; 10pm; Migas Bar (see Listings for details) Gig: Dimension Dimension is a feeling, an experience, a tour experienced through music, light, sound and entertainment. Or it’s a chance to listen to some techno music.

Wouldn’t read too much into the promotional materials. > RMB100 (door), RMB60 (presale); 10pm; Lantern Club (see Listings for details)

FRI MAY 1 – SUN MAY 3

Performance: Beijing Improv LongForm As China’s oldest and largest improvised theater organization, Beijing inprov provides script-less, long-form performances that use audience suggestions to create an extended scene. Attendees never know what is in store but it usually turns out funny (or people keep on shouting out ‘cock’). > RMB75; 7.30pm; The Bookworm (see Listings for details)

Events are editors’ picks of the best activities and are not comprehensive. To list an event, email bjevents@urbanatomy. com. For some details, see Listings.

May 19/20

Paul Zerdin One of the UK’s top ventriloquists brings his colorful cast of characters back to Beijing with Punchline Comedy. Over an impressive career, Zerdin has entertained the likes of the Royal Family and the audience at The Jerry Springer Show. When we asked him about the characters featured he told us: “I have a prepubescent kid who likes taunting me and the audience. He looks cute but has quite a mouth on him. Albert is his 85-year-old granddad who still chases the women but just can’t remember why. There’s also a baby who wants to be breastfed by a woman in the front row.” > > May 19; 8.30pm; RMB300; The Local Bar & Grill (see Listings for details) > May 20, 8.30pm, RMB300. Charcoal, Qingyuan Sanjie, Houshayu, Shunyi 顺义区后 沙峪罄园三街西口 For tickets call 139 0639 0437 or email info@redstarworks.com

Performance: Happy World Trio A night of Indian music featuring a bit of sitar and tabla. Get your Bollywood wriggle on. > RMB50 (door), RMB40 (presale); 8.30pm; Dusk Dawn Club Beijing (see Listings for details)

WED MAY 6

NIGHTLIFE

Gig: Nathan and Friends American folk/indie musician Nathan Borofka will be doo-wopping, shabopping, and making various twanging noises. Just like the Salud days of old. > Price to be announced; 10pm; Salud, 66 Nanluoguxiang, Dongcheng

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e v ent s

THU MAY 7

community

NIGHTLIFE

Music: Juke Box When it comes to those good old hits that woke up the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, JukeBox has got you covered. Five versatile and creative French musicians will play jazz, soul and a whole bunch of other sounds popular over that 30-year period. > RMB50 (door), RMB40 (presale); 8.30pm; Dusk Dawn Club Beijing (see Listings for details)

Comedy: Tom Rhodes American comedian Rhodes was the star of NBC’s Mr. Rhodes as well as shows called Kevin Masters Show starring Tom Rhodes and Yorin Travel. He writes for The Huffington Post’s ‘Destinations’ section and has also released three comedy albums. All Rhodes lead to the bookworm. > RMB150; RMB180 (at the door); 8pm; The Bookworm (see Listings for details)

FRI MAY 8

NIGHTLIFE

Gig: Car Car Cars vs Knock Me Down Two bands from Nanjing, Car Car Cars and Knock Me Down play some 70s retro roots rock. Be careful when crossing roads. > RMB60 (door), RMB50 (presale); 8.30pm; Dusk Dawn Club Beijing (see Listings for details)

EAT/DRINK Drink: Juice Packaged with Flowers Nothing can compare to a mother’s love and Melissa wants you to express the sentiment with juice. She’ll package your gift with a small bouquet of flowers to be delivered or picked up. Juicy. > Juice By Melissa, 101 Dongwai Gongguan, 3 Xinzhong Dongjie, Dongcheng 新中东街3号东外公馆101室 (orders@juicebymelissa.com, 130 4112 1556)

DJs: Los Residentes with Juhstynn & Yauman Nassdak is joined by Yauman and That’s Beijing’s very own lustful lounge lizard, Juhstynn. All three will throw down some serious tunes to get your derrieres gyrating like a magnetic vortex. > RMB50; 10pm; Migas Bar (see Listings for details)

SAT MAY 9

ART

MUSIC Concert: Jazz Music by Jasmine Chen Independent musician and a song writer, Jasmine Chen, brings a mixed style of jazz music combing elements from China and UK. Some fusion business right about here. > RMB60 (door), RMB50 (presale); 3-5pm; Dusk Dawn Club (see Listings for details)

NIGHTLIFE Gig: Qin Opera & Rock Ever the boundary-breakers, DDC mixes the ancient Qin Opera with modern rock. Gotta be worth a listen. > RMB60 (door), RMB50 (presale); 9pm; Dusk Dawn Club Beijing (see Listings for details) DJ: Psyfidelity Full of mind-bending beats and inter-dimensional décor, enjoy thumping slices of psytrance all night. Its like being in Goa, but with Chinese characteristics. > RMB50; 10pm; DADA Beijing (see Listings for details) DJ: Housing the Bar featuring Skinnerbox Housing the Bar brings together Beijing’s best house DJs, and showcases some of the most talented international acts. From bumping deep house to forward disco grooves, expect sounds that could induce a bit of the old bump ‘n’ grind. More tea vicar? > RMB50; 10pm; Migas Bar (see Listings for details) DJ: OuYang & Eddie Lv DJs OuYang and Eddie Lv join forces once more. Looking for something in Gongti that isn’t gaudy and overstated? This might be just the ticket. > RMB30 (free before 11pm); 10pm; Lantern Club (see Listings for details)

SUN MAY 10

COMMUNITY

Talk: The Beijing Waterways & the

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Valleys of Northern Yunnan D.J. Clark introduces five different oneday walks using the myriad canals, rivers and lakes to discover areas of the city few visitors get to experience. > RMB75 (including a drink); 4pm; Capital M (see Listings for details)

ongoing

The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing Introducing New General Manager, Tarik Temucin We catch up with Tarik Temucin, newly promoted General Manager of The RitzCarlton, Beijing, to find out his plans for the future, and what it takes to oversee one of the biggest and most prestigious names in the hotel industry.

How familiar are you with the Ritz-Carlton brand?

Well, you know, I’ve been working for the Ritz-Carlton for 14 years, I’m a real company man! [laughs]. So, yes, I feel very closely aligned to the brand. Before Beijing, I worked in the Ritz-Carlton in Sanya at Yalong Bay and at the Ritz-Carlton in Singapore. So not only am I familiar with the brand, but I’m also familiar with Asia.

How do these locations differ from Beijing?

Sanya is home to a growing market, but the Ritz-Carlton was among the first to arrive there and is very established. Beijing on the other hand is an extremely competitive market. There are seven luxury or five-star hotels preparing to open in the next few years. This is coupled with a more general slowing economy inside China. But I think, if you look at our hotel, we have a very unique offering, in terms of decoration, style and design – and, of course, philosophy. That’s why people – especially the local people – are prepared to pay that premium to stay with us. I think Chinese people are starting to travel more – and their expectations are growing which is undoubtedly a good thing. I think in the future, this will force hotels here in China to increase standards.

How do you differentiate yourself from the market?

It’s the ladies and gentlemen who make the difference, that’s what we call our staff: ‘ladies and gentlemen.’ It’s at the center of our philosophy here, ‘ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.’ This is the biggest differentiator. Our philosophy, our service, our culture. I think many competitors are trying to emulate this. But if the service is not coming from the heart, it doesn’t matter. Our ladies and gentlemen are genuine and they understand the needs of our guests.

This is a 305-room hotel; you have to take that extra step to make sure people feel welcome – as individuals, not just another name on the check-in list. We try to personalize our guests’ stay at the hotel and find out in advance what they like and don’t like. The more they stay, the more preferences we are able to build up.

Are most of your guests frequent visitors?

Yes, that’s a significant market for us, people who come back – month after month – and when we ask them why, they say, ‘because it doesn’t feel like a hotel, it feels like home.’ That’s what we want all guest to feel, it doesn’t matter if you’re coming for brunch at the weekend, or staying a week with business – we want you to feel as if you belong. > No.83A Jian Guo Road, China Central Place,Chaoyang 朝阳区华贸中心建国路甲 83号 (5908 8888)

Eat: Mother’s Day Brunch & Afternoon Tea Treat moms to brunch on this special day. You forgot didn’t you?! Make up for it with a champagne cocktail, or if she’s more of an afternoon tea sort of lady, take her to the classic scones and tea. > RMB248 (two courses), RMB288 (three courses); Capital M (see Listings for details)

NIGHTLIFE Gig: Yisu Mongolian band Yisu bring a veritable smorgasbord of folk, religious music, and influences from far beyond the grasslands. > RMB40 (door), RMB30 (presale); 8.30pm; Dusk Dawn Club Beijing (see Listings for details)

TUE MAY 12

COMMUNITY

Workshop: Writing on Walls WOW believes that every writer deserves a safe environment in which to experiment, learn, and develop their craft. This workshop offers a holistic writing model to help those at all levels find their unique voices and garner the skills and courage needed to go forward with their writing. > Free; 6.30pm; The Bookworm (see Listings for details) Networking: Green Drinks Join Beijing’s green community for their informal drinks at their monthly meet-and-greet for those interested in environmental, social and development issues in China. Color of the drinks unknown. > Free; 7.30pm; The Bookworm (see Listings for details)

NIGHTLIFE Gig: Emilie Calmé & Laurent Maur Two musicians from France will bring you a feast of blues. And other colors if you ask nicely. > RMB60 (door), RMB50 (presale); 9pm; Dusk Dawn Club Beijing (see Listings for details)

WED MAY 13

COMMUNITY

Discussion: Rawi Hage’s Carnival

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Friends, readers and passengers – climb aboard Rawi Hage’s surreal taxi this month as the Bookworm Book Club tackles Carnival, a volume “beautiful, brave and engrossing.” Buy your copy (at the Bookworm, of course) to enjoy a free drink at the event. > Free; 7.30pm; The Bookworm (see Listings for details).

community

DJ: Mickey Zhang Presents HOLDING Local techno hero Mickey Zhang is back with Holding once again. Expect a special guest. Who knows what they’ll be holding. > RMB30 (free before 11pm); 10pm; Lantern Club (see Listings for details)

NIGHTLIFE Gig: Blackwater After numerous concerts in festivals, bars, concert halls and even in front of the Irish President, Blackwater return with (probably) the most authentic Irish music in Beijing. > TBD; 10pm; Salud, 66 Nanluoguxiang, Dongcheng东城区南锣鼓巷66号

DJ: Los Residentes with Patrick Yu & Alex Molina This time around, Nassdak is joined by ABC DJ Patrick Yu and Alex Molina, as they bring disco and house grooves to the Migas Terrace. Expect tunes to make your body pop like a cluster grenade in a room full of taught balloons. > RMB50; 10pm; Migas Bar (see Listings for details)

Gig: Kirk Kenney Florida native Kirk Kenney brings together influences from around the world into an eclectic mix of folk music and storytelling. > RMB40 (door), RMB30 (presale); 9pm; Dusk Dawn Club Beijing (see Listings for details).

COMMUNITY Game: Intermediate level Mahjong Want to do like locals do? This intermediate mahjong training session is directly followed by open gaming time. > RMB120 (RMB40 for Culture Yard students); 2-4pm; Culture Yard, 10 Shique Hutong, Dongcheng

THU MAY 14

Art

MUSIC Concert: Basically Beethoven The Bookworm hosts Beijing’s only classical music open-mic night. Get involved or simply bask in the glory of some of Beijing’s best international classical musicians. > Free; 7.30pm; The Bookworm (see Listings for details).

NIGHTLIFE Gig: Rock Steady Band Rock Steady is an R&B quartet of Beijingbased expats. New singer Ani completes a new lineup. Expect steady rocking and rocking steadily. > RMB40 (door), RMB30 (presale); 9pm; Dusk Dawn Club Beijing (see Listings for details).

FRI MAY 15

NIGHTLIFE

Gig: Funk Fever’s 4th Annual James Brown Day Just after what would be his 82nd birthday, the Funk Fever crew pays homage to the one and only James Brown with a full-on funk throw down. Get Up Offa That Thing! > RMB50; 10pm; Migas Bar (see Listings for details).

DJ: Homebase Electric Feat HomeBase is here to remind us that clubs don’t need international acts to make great events. This month’s lineup of domestic talent features Huang weiwei and Juliana Lima, supported by club boss Weng Weng. > RMB30 (free before 11pm); 10pm; Lantern Club (see Listings for details).

SAT MAY 16

NIGHTLIFE

Party: Salud 10th Birthday Ten years is a long time. In fact, you can tell how long someone’s lived in the city by how pickled their liver is in Salud’s flavored rums. Re-live the old days before everyone headed north of the great Dong Dajie divide. > Price TBD; 9.30pm; Salud, 66 Nanluoguxiang, Dongcheng东城区南锣 鼓巷66号 Gig: The Honky Tonk Demons Beijing-based Americana and alt-country superstars Randy Abel and Kirk Kenney

head-up a new project, bringing classic favorites and brand-spankin-new originals to the folk-hungry masses. That’s you, btw. > RMB40 (door), RMB30 (presale); 9pm; Dusk Dawn Club Beijing (see Listings for details)

may 29

“I Used to Bribe my Chinese Teacher at School” Mika Comes to Town The curly-haired stud who told us to ‘Love Today’ and ‘Relax, Take it Easy’ is finally making his debut in Beijing. Lebanese-British singer-songwriter Mika, whose upbeat melodies are often compared to the intensity and range of Freddie Mercury, Prince or the Scissor Sisters, talks Beijing, studying Chinese and why he can’t wait to play live in China.

You’re coming to Beijing on May 29, have you been to China before?

Yes, I have been to China nine times as a tourist. The first time was with my mother and my four siblings in 1996. I remember being at the opening of the first ever McDonald’s in Beijing and seeing the big excitement. It was a very different China then; it’s been incredible to see the transformation. Three of my sisters speak fluent Mandarin and lived in Beijing for years. However, in the context of all of that, I have never played in mainland China. This is my first time, so I am very excited.

Is it true you speak a bit of Mandarin as well?

I studied it for nine years, but I’m not as intelligent as my sisters. I used to bribe my Chinese teacher at school with chocolate so she wouldn’t make me do my vocab tests, because I never studied. But yes, I do speak a bit.

Your fourth studio album, No Place in Heaven, will be released this June. What should fans expect?

It’s a songwriter’s album, so it’s piano-based pop song writing. I make all my music myself – I produce or co-produce it, I do the artwork; it’s a very homemade thing. Yet, it’s in conjunction with a melody that you’d normally hear in much more commercial pop music. This record sounds very organic and simple but it’s really melodic, so it has the charm of a pop album but with the honesty of an indie songwriter’s album.

What does your pre-concert routine look like?

I brush my teeth. I do warm-up sounds that make me sound like that fat opera singer in The Adventures of Tintin. And then, when I walk onstage, it’s like walking into a boxing ring – you do things you would never do in real life. It’s quite cathartic. It’s good for the soul.

Anything else you’d like to tell your China fans?

I find the fact that I’m even able to go over there is a real privilege, and I invite them to sing and dance and lose themselves with us on stage as much as they possibly can. Because that kind of energy is essential – not only welcome, but essential. Interview by Jocelyn Richards > May 29, 7.30pm, RMB380 presale, RMB480 at the door. Tango, see listing for details (yoopay.cn/event/MikaBeijing)

WED MAY 20

COMMUNITY

Talk: ‘From Berlin to Beijing: Reflections of a Political Writer’ – Talk with Timothy Garton Ash Professor of Oxford and the author of nine books, Timothy Garton Ash, is coming to Beijing gives a talk on politics. > RMB50, RMB40 (for members); 7.30pm; The Bookworm (see Listings for details).

NIGHTLIFE Gig: SU BAND Uighur infusions of minority music from Spain, Cuba, the Arabic world, Gypsies, India and Turky (so pretty much everywhere). > TBD; 10pm; Salud, 66 Nanluoguxiang, Dongcheng

THU MAY 21

ART

Music: Duo Noire Duo Noire have performed across the U.S. at prestigious venues such as the Norfolk Music Festival, the 92nd Street Y, the Times Center, and for the St. Louis Guitar Society as artists­in­residence three times. > RMB85; 7.30pm; The Bookworm (see Listings for details)

FRI MAY 22

COMMUNITY

Talk: The Legacy of Ma Jun – book talk with Stuart Cotterill Writer Stuart Cotterill discusses the first novel in his ‘Dragon Scripts’ series, entitled ‘The Legacy of Ma Jun’. He will review what led him to writing, how the series has developed, along with a short reading. > RMB50, RMB40 (for members); 7.30pm; The Bookworm (see Listings for details)

NIGHTLIFE Gig: Horse Radio Mongolians bands are a dime a dozen nowadays. Horse Radio are not trying to be rock stars, but to make music that is relatable, accessible, genuine and, most importantly, full of life. > RMB80 (door), RMB60 (presale); 9pm;

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Dusk Dawn Club Beijing (see Listings for details

art

Party: Shadowplay Music from contemporary Techno legend Peter Van Hoesen accompanied by a unique visual installation that explores the smirking rabbit face that has become an emblem of the capital’s street art scene. The Shadowplay crew, master of electronic music and visual arts, once again takes nightlife to the next level. > 10pm; DADA (see listings for details)

FRI MAY 29- 31

Party: PENG Party Animals PENG welcomes summer at Migas and make a “super Party Animals party with thousands of animals.” Be one of them. > Price TBD; 10pm; Migas Bar (see Listings for details)

COMMUNITY

Yunnan Cultural Festival at Crowne Plaza Beijing Sun Palace Crowne Plaza Beijing Sun Palace presents the seventh Yunnan Culture Festival. As well as offering guests the chance to join the water splashing celebrations traditional to the Dai ethnic minority of Xishuangbanna, but there’s also singing, dancing and a feast of buffet food at the Xishuangbanna barbeque. Expect plenty of Yunnan snacks, juices and rice wine, and a chance to grab some handcrafts at the bazaar. > RMB228; 4-9.30pm; Yunnan Dasha, North-East Corner of Taiyanggong Bridge, Xibahe, Northeast 3rd Ring Road, Chaoyang朝阳区东北三环 西坝河 太阳宫 桥东北角 云南大厦

SAT MAY 23

NIGHTLIFE

DJ: Discosmic Adventure Two Shanghai based DJs will play cosmic disco, boogie and other genre-bending obscurities on the Migas rooftop. > RMB50; 10pm; Migas Bar (see Listings for details).

SUN MAY 24

NIGHTLIFE

SAT MAY 30

Gig: Harvesters of Sorrow Harvesters of Sorrow are a Metallica tribute band based in Beijing featuring members from the US and China. They aim for the accurate re-production and high energy of 80s and early-90s classic Metallica. Prepare for your sorrow to be harvested. Support from Siren. > RMB50 (door), RMB40 (presale); 9pm; Dusk Dawn Club Beijing (see Listings for details).

COMMUNITY

Tour: China in Fifty Objects From 4,000-year-old bronzes used in live burials to priceless Buddhist sculptures taken from the legendary Silk Road, hear the stories of fifty objects made, used, and venerated by Chinese civilization. > RMB50 if you like Newman Tours on Facebook (facebook.com/newmantours) or follow them on twitter @ NewmanTours. Otherwise RMB190 (adults) and RMB120 (kids) (for more information 138 1777 0229, info@newmantours.com)

TUE MAY 26

COMMUNITY

Networking: Public Interest Happy Hour Public interest is the theme, so everyone is welcome. Whether you work for/ volunteer with an NGO, embassy, newspaper, school, hospital, or just generally like being around public-interest-minded folk, this is the happy hour for you. > Free; 7pm; The Bookworm (see Listings for details)

NIGHTLIFE Gig: Magma Biography Legendary Magma, pillars of psychedelic rock, are coming to China for the first time. That’s some straight-outta-70’s business right about there. > RMB240 (presale/student), RMB300 (at the door); 9pm; Yugong Yishan (see Listings for details)

WED MAY 27

NIGHTLIFE

DJs: Darkroom Trip deep into the techno sounds of Berlin and Detroit at Lantern club. We’re promised not just music but an extravaganza of atmosphere and lightning.

Having said that, revelers have also been advised to close their eyes and “get lost in the dark”. You decide. Features Zuckermann (Lebensfreude Records, Berlin), Dim Sum Disco’s Boflex and Zhi Qi from Shadowplay. > RMB30, 10pm; Lantern Club (see Listings for details)

Gig: The Groove Collective Channeling the city’s chaotic fortune, The Groove Collective mixes their distinctive sounds into a melting pot of disparate rhythms and fun-loving funk rock uproar. > Price TBD; 10pm; Salud, 66 Nanluoguxiang, Dongcheng Gig: The Beijing Beatles Popular expat tribute group plays those classics you know and love. > RMB40 (door), RMB30 (presale); 9pm; Dusk Dawn Club Beijing (see Listings for details).

THU MAY 28

NIGHTLIFE

Gig: Mr. Hong Kong rock band Mr. play in support of brand new Cantonese album Reality Game. > RMB200; MAO Livehouse Beijing (see Listings for details).

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NIGHTLIFE DJ: Dim Sum Disco The dynamic duo of Boflex and Crystal Bones break out onto the Migas terrace riding their Italian stallions (though at least one of them is French). Bringing along excessive amounts of the finest Italo-disco, the Dim Sum Disco boys take the cheese and sleaze to the max. > RMB50; 10pm; Migas Bar (see Listings for details)

May 25-JUne 1

Kaleidoscope Arts Festival The Kaleidoscope Arts Festival is a student-organized event aiming to showcase the creative work of the city’s most talented youngsters. Geared toward international students, the festival will feature film, visual arts and music. The submission process ended in March and now the very best entries will be on display in the 798 Art District.

This year marks the third time the week-long festival has taken place. As ever, everyone from across the Beijing community is welcome to attend. The schools taking part all have handy acronyms, including ISB, WAB, BWYA, DCB and HIS. Other schools with less convenient names are also invited to attend. > Sky Moca, 798 Art District, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区大山子酒仙桥路4号 798艺术区

SUN MAY 31

COMMUNITY

Kid: The Story of the Little Girl and the Sun Come and hear the charming story of the little girl and her rabbit in their journey from a city where the sun never sets – and then create your own story with geometric shapes. > Free; 11am; Capital M (see Listings for details)

CITY SCENES Bang a gong, get it on, at the Starwood Careers Day.

Loud patterns and UV paint conspire to ruin a game of hide-and-seek at the British School of Beijing Shunyi campus’ student fashion show.

An impromptu tai chi/funky chicken demonstration goes unnoticed at the Four Seasons’ Black and White Charity Ball.

“Just laugh and he’ll go away” - desperate man’s photobomb fail is the source of great hilarity at Migas.

Blood, sweat and tears go into one of the winning entries Great Leap Brewing’s Back Alley Chili Cook-off (see entrant’s thumb for evidence).

Conrad Beijing’s new chefs prepare for shoulder-barge fight after saving only two scallops for kitchen themselves.

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Weekly Specials

Happy hours Meal deals Brunch

Food and Drink

Ladies' nights

Great Leap Brewpub No.45 The thing about somewhere like Great Leap’s newest brewpub, No. 45, is that you’re probably going to visit regardless of what deals are on offer – and so it always feels like a genuine bonus, when they go ahead and offer you something out of the ordinary: like buyone-get-one-free pizza slices, available each night after 10pm as part of their ‘The Pizza Happy Hour.’ The deal just so happens to coincide with the launch of No.45’s sweet roof top bar (check it out, it’s maybe the best rooftop drinking spot in town), making it the perfect venue for late night eating. What’s more, on Mondays and Thursdays, one selected beer will be sold at the special price of RMB25, all day. > Tue-Sun, 11.30am-11.30pm; 45 Xinyuan Jie, Chaoyang 朝阳区新源街 45 号(5947 6984)

M O N DAY to FR I DAY Monday Mai Bar Buy two cocktails, get one free. > 40 Beiluoguxiang, Dongcheng 东城区 北锣鼓巷40号 (138 1125 2641)

Monday to Thursday XIU Buy-one-get-one-free on selected drinks, 6-9pm. > 6/F, Park Hyatt Beijing, 2 Jianwai Dajie, Chaoyang 北京柏悦酒店, 朝阳区建国门外 大街2号6楼 (8567 1108)

Monday to friday One East Two-course set lunch: RMB118/ per person, 12:00-2:30pm.

2/F, Hilton Beijing, 1 Dong Fang Road, North Dong Sanhuan Road, Chaoyang 朝阳区东三环北路东方路一号北京希尔顿 酒店2层 5865 5030 Great Leap Brewing 11:30-2pm, free soft drink or juice with any burger or salad or add RMB5 for a Pale Ale #6. > At Xinzhong Lu branch only, (see listings for details) Hagaki Set lunch, 11.30am-3pm, Bento style lunch set from RMB58 with no service charge.

5-10pm, Daiginjo Sake promotion, RMB550 / 150 Bottle / Carafe. > 1/F, 22 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳 区酒仙桥路22号1层 8414 9815 Jing Yaa Tang Set lunch, RMB88/person, 4 for 3. > Bldg 1, The Opposite House, 11 6 8 | m ay 2 0 1 5 | w w w.t h at s m a g s . c o m

Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路11 号瑜舍酒店1号楼 (6140 5230) Agua Agua’s new set lunch menu is RMB118/ person for three courses. > RMB118/person, Mon-Fri, 12pm2:30pm, Agua, 4/F Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯北路81号那 里花园4楼D308号 (5208 6188 ) Greyhound Café Only RMB28 for a Tsingtao or Bud, and RMB38 for a mojito or dry martini, 5-7pm. > Greyhound Cafe (see listings for details) Village Café Set Lunch, RMB98+15% (3 courses), RMB88+15% (2 courses) > 11.30am-2.30pm, Bldg 1, The Opposite House, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳 区三里屯路11号瑜舍酒店1号楼 (6410 5210)

Monday to Saturday Twilight Mon-Sat before 8pm and all day Sun, RMB20 off cocktails. > 0102, 3/F, Bldg 5, Jianwai SOHO, 39 Dongsanhuan Zhong Lu, Chaoyang 朝 阳区东三环39号建外SOHO5号3层0102室 (5900 5376)

Tuesday Flamme Two-for-one steak all day. > 3/F, S4-33 Sanlitun Taikooli, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路19号三里屯 太古里南区3层S4-33 (6417 8608) El Gran Bocado

Just RMB10 per taco – order as many as you want. > 1/F, Just Make Bldg, Xingfucun Zhonglu, Chaoyang 朝阳区幸福村中路杰 作大厦1层 (6416 1715)

tuesday to Friday S.T.A.Y Restaurant Three courses including coffee and tea for RMB388/person with 15 percent service charge, 11.30am-2.30pm. > Level 1, Valley Wing, Shangri-La Hotel, 29 Zizhuyuan Lu, Haidian 海淀区紫竹院路 29号香格里拉酒店1层 (6841 2211-6727)

Mosaic Buy-one-get-one-free pizza every Wednesday lunchtime at Mosaic. > Daily 12pm-2am; 32 S. Sanlitun St (Behind/North of Yashow Silk Market), Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯南32号楼临街店 (137 1883 7065) Xian Whiskey night, discounts on special selected whiskeys. > All night, 1/F, 22 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区酒仙桥路22号1层 (8414 9810)

wednesday

thursday

Great Leap Brewing All day Wednesday, one select beer at RMB25. >At Number 6 Courtyard branch, (see listings for details)

Domain Happy Burger’s Day, 2 for 1 Burger promotion. > 10.30am-2pm, 2/F, 22 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区酒仙桥路22号2层 (8414 9830)

Mao Mao Chong Cocktails RMB35, 7-11pm. > 12 Banchang Hutong, Jiaodaokou Nan Dajie, Dongcheng 东城区交道口南大街板 厂胡同12号 (6405 5718) Elements Free mojitos, champagne and cosmos, 9pm-1am. > 58 Gongti Xi Men, Chaoyang 朝阳区工 体西门58号 (6551 2373) 4Corners Ladies get 15 percent off red wine. cheap shots and drink deals at 4Corners’ weekly celebration of KTV. > Dashibei Hutong, Dongcheng 东城区石 杯胡同7号 (6401 7797)

Opus Terrace Ladies enjoy free cocktails; on Fridays, it’s bachelors night, where chaps get 50 percent off beer and burgers at the same times, 5-8pm. > Opus Bar & Terrace, 48 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区亮马桥路48号 (5695 8888)

Friday Mesh House Champagne buy 1 bottle get 1 free. > Bldg 1, The Opposite House, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路11 号瑜舍酒店1号楼 (6410 5220)

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E v ery day Parlor Daily 6-8pm, buy one get one for free. > 39-8 Xingfuercun, Chaoyang 朝阳区幸 福二村39-8 (8444 4135 ) The Big Smoke Daily 4-7pm, 20 percent off all cocktails, house wines and beers. > 57 Xingfucun Zhonglu, Chaoyang 朝阳 区幸福村中路57号楼利世楼 (6416 2683) Blue Frog Daily 4-8pm, buy-one-get-one-free all drinks. > Daily 10.00am-late. Sanlitun: Level 3, S2 Tower, S2-30 Taikoo Li, Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯路太 古里3层S2-30 (6417 4030) Additional branches in Jiuxianqiao and U-Town (see www.bluefrog.com.cn for details) Centro Daily 5-8pm, two-for-one deals. > Shangri-la’s Kerry Centre Hotel Beijing, 1/F, 1 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区光 华路1号香格里拉北京嘉里中心大酒店1层 (6561 8833 ext. 42) Feast (Food by East) Works for dinner, 2 course RMB168+15% with a glass of wine or soft drinks. > 5.30-10.30pm, 2/F, 22 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区酒仙桥路22号2层 (8414 9820)

Flamme Cocktail, beers and wine by the glass are 50 percent off from 3-7.30pm daily. > S4-33, 3/F, Sanlitun Taikooli, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路19号三里屯 太古里南区3层S4-33 (6417 8608) Modo Urban Deli 4-7pm cocktails and house wine RMB25 and beer RMB15. > S10-31, 3/F, Bldg 8, Sanlitun Taikooli South, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区 三里屯路19号三里屯太古里南区8号楼S1031 (6415 7207) Mosaic 4-8pm daily happy hour. > Daily 12pm-2am; 32 S. Sanlitun St (Behind/North of Yashow Silk Market), Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯南32号楼临街店 (137 1883 7065) Mosto 6-7pm discounts on cocktails, wine and beer. > 3/F Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯北路81号那里花 园3层 (5208 6030) NOLA 3-8pm. Sun-Thu, half price on Pabst Blue Ribbon, Tsingtao and all cocktails including daiquiris. > A-11 Xiushui Nanjie, Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国门外大街秀水

南街A-11 (8563 6215) R Lounge Daily 6-9pm, two-for-one standard drinks and cocktails. > 4/F, Renaissance Beijing Capital Hotel, 61 Dongsanhuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang 朝 阳区东三环中路61号北京富力万丽酒店4 层 (5863 8112) Transit Daily 6pm-7:30pm, two-for-one. > N4-36, Sanlitun Taikooli North, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路11 号三里屯太古里北区N4-36号 (6417 9090) Isola 11:30am-3pm. Lunch for RMB138.

3-6pm Fashion high tea 5-8pm Happy hour, two-for-one on selected drinks 6-10:30 Dinner set menu, 2-course RMB238, 3-course RMB258. > N3-47, 3/F, Building 3, Taikoo Li North, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路11号院太古里 北区N3-37和 47商铺 (6416 3499) Bene Restaurant Daily 11.30am-2pm. RMB98 includes antipasto with main course, pizza or pasta. > Sheraton Dongcheng, 36 Beisanhuan Donglu, Dongcheng 东城区北三环东路36 号 (5798 8888) Cafe Sambal Nasi Campur Malaysian set: two meats and vegetables each, varying daily. With

soup, appetizer for RMB78. Curry sets from RMB55-65 > See Listings for details Beijing Marriott Hotel Daily 11.30-2pm, dumplings, noodles and desserts, including juice or tea, RMB118. Sun/Sat 11.30-2pm, dim sum, lobster and unlimited beer, RMB168. > 26A Xiaoyun Road, Chaoyang 朝阳区霄 云路甲26号 北京海航大厦万豪酒店(5927 8888) Vivid Daily, 6pm-10pm, two-for-one drinks. > Vivid, Level 5, Conrad Beijing, 29 North Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区东 三环北路29号北京康莱德酒店5层 (6584 6310) Transit Daily 12pm-2.30pm. Choice of appetizers, mains, rice or noodles with dessert for RMB88. > N4-36/37 Sanlitun Taikooli North, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路11 号三里屯太古里北区N4-36号 (6417 9090) Factory (By Salt) Until Sep 30 order summer BBQ catering, from RMB150pp > Factory A1 North, 797 Middle Street, 798 Art Zone A, Chaoyang 朝阳区 798艺术区A区七九七中街01#商务楼北楼 一层1号 (010 5762-6451)

Week end saturday Great Leap Brewing All day Tuesday and Sunday, one select beer at RMB25. >At Xinzhong Lu branch, (see listings for details) R Lounge Selection of drinks for free all night. > 61 Dongsanhuan Zhong Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区东三环中路61号北京富力万丽酒店 4层 (5863 8241)

sunday Great Leap Brewing All day Tuesday and Sunday, one select beer at RMB25. >At Xinzhong Lu branch, (see listings for details) The Village Cafe Sun 3:30pm-sold out. Sunday roast RMB98 (+15%; 50% off for kids under 12) > The Opposite House, Building 1, No. 11 Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路 11 号院 1 号楼瑜舍酒店 Qi Sun 11.30am-2pm, all-you-can-eat dim sum including one double-boiled soup for RMB288 per person. Add a bottle of

Dom Perignon for RMB1988 for two. > Ritz-Carlton Beijing Financial Street, Jinchengfang Dong, 1 Jinrong Jie, Xicheng 西城区金城坊东金融街1号 (6601 6666) Senses and Prego Sun 11.30am-3pm, Retrolicious Champagne Brunch, international and Asian specialties with free flow champagne, wines, cocktails and juices for RMB 458. Prices subject to 15 percent service. > The Westin Beijing Financial Street, 9B Financial Street, Xicheng 西城区金融大街 乙9号(6629 7810) Seasonal Tastes Sun 11.30am-3pm Unlimited buffet for RMB428-498 per person plus 15 percent surcharge. > Westin Chaoyang, 7 North Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区东 三环北路7号(5922 8880) Sureño RMB228 for 2 courses, RMB328 for 3 courses. Supplement RMB150 for free flow cocktails; supplement RMB200 for free flow Champaign (all prices subject to 15% service charge) > Bldg 1, The Opposite House, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路11 号瑜舍酒店1号楼 (6410 5240) Vasco’s

Sun 11.30am-3pm, international buffet with free-flow champagne for RMB458 plus 15 percent service charge. > Hilton Beijing Wangfujing, 8 Wangfujing Dongjie, Dongcheng 东城区 王府井东街8号(5812 8888 ext. 8411)

saturday to sunday

Eudora Station Sat-Sun 10am-3pm, breakfast buffet with one main and free flow juice or coffee for RMB98. > Opposite Lido Palace, 6 Fangyuan Xi Lu. Chaoyang 朝阳区芳园西路6号(6437 8331)

Agua Sat-Sun, Agua’s Infinity Weekend Brunch is RMB298 for infinite food, plus RMB168 for free flow drinks. > 12-2:30pm (free flow until 3pm), Agua, 4/F Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯北路81号那里花 园4楼D308号 (5208 6188)

Migas Migas rocks two different brunch options: Saturday, grilled meat heavy; and Sunday, paella heavy (both RMB210, +RMB138 for 2hrs free flow cava, coffee, tea soft drinks). > Daily 12pm-3pm; Migas 6/F Nali Patio, Sanlitun Beijie, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯 北街那里花园6层

Aroma Sat-Sun 11.30am-3pm, international buffet starting at RMB518 plus 15 percent service charge. > Ritz-Carlton Beijing, 83A Jianguo Lu, China Central Place, Chaoyang 朝阳区建 国路83甲(5908 8161)

Mosaic Sat-Sun 11.30am-4pm, Middle-Eastern style brunch in Sanlitun. > Daily 12pm-2am; 32 S. Sanlitun St (Behind/North of Yashow Silk Market), Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯南32号楼临街店 (137 1883 7065)

Café Sambal Sat-Sun, RMB98, Café Sambal is rolling out weekend brunch. Three courses plus coffee, tea or fruit punch. > 43 Doufuchi Hutong, Jiugulou Dajie, Dongcheng 东城区旧鼓楼大街豆腐池胡同 43号 (6400 4875)

Sui Yuan Sat-Sun and public holidays 10.30am2.30pm, unlimited dim sum for RMB128 plus 15 percent surcharge. > Hilton Double Tree, 168 Guang’anmen Waidajie, Xicheng 西城区广安门外大街 168号 (6338 1999 ext. 1726)

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listings OPEN DOOR

restaurant

The Hot One Hundred About This guide represents our editors’ top 100 picks, and includes some That’s Beijing advertisers. Restaurants rated(*) have been personally reviewed by our experts, and scored according to the cuisine, experience and affordability.

CHINESE

photo by holly li

Contemporary & Mixed Cuisine

agua ¡Buen apetito!

Best Brunch, Outstanding Spanish/Latin American and Restaurant of the Year.

Agua cleaned up at our Golden Fork Awards. But far from being complacent (and ever the innovator) Executive Chef Jordi Clavero is already working up new menu items, both tapas and mains, so we popped over to Nali Patio for a preview. We begin with organic duck eggs (RMB88), a timely poke of which sees the huge, gooey yolk ooze out over a bed of duck liver, potatoes and fried bread – to mouthwatering effect. We also recommend the wonderfully inventive cucumber cannelloni (RMB78), filled with Spanish tuna, apple, tomato, shallots, hazelnuts and citrusy ponzu sauce. Our personal standout is the impeccably presented Icelandic halibut, which is served with three mushroom textures (RMB178) – a balanced and complex dish. If Agua keeps up like this, they might win more than a hat-trick at our next restaurant awards. > Daily, Midday-2pm, 6pm-10pm; Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三 里屯路81号那里花园四层 (5208 6188)

8 Qi Nian 祈年8号 (Cantonese/Sichuan) The New World Hotel’s flagship restaurant has classic Chinese cuisine in abundance, as well as some vitality-restoring medicinal soups. (Their decent wine list is just as effective.) > Mon-Fri 11:30am-2:15pm, 5:30-9:30pm, Sat/Sun 12-2:45pm, 5:30-9:30pm; 2/F, New World Hotel, 8 Qinian Dajie, Dongcheng 东城区祈年大街8号新世界 酒店2层 (5960 8822)

Bellagio 鹿港小镇 (Taiwanese) A favorite among the city’s hip and young, this swanky Taiwanese restaurant chain is the place for mountainous shaved ice desserts and creamy bubble teas. > 11am-11pm; 6 Gongti Xilu Chaoyang 工体西路6 号 (6551 3533) see www.bellagiocafe.com.cn for more locations

Din Tai Fung 鼎泰丰 ¥ (Taiwanese) This Taipei-based franchise impressed Ken Hom enough to call it one of the best 10 eateries in the world, back in 1993. Famous for its dependably delicious xiaolongbao or little steam buns. Book ahead, there’s always a long wait.

> Daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 5-10pm, weekends 11.30am-10pm; 24 Middle Street, Xinyuanxili, Chaoyang 朝阳区新源西里中街24号 (近渔阳饭店) (6462 4502) > Additional branches in Shin Kong Place; Parkview Green; Grand Pacific Mall Xidan; Modern Plaza Zhongguancun; see www.dintaifung. com.cn for details

The Horizon 海天阁 (Cantonese Beijing Duck) ** Kerry Hotel’s Chinese restaurant has widened its predominantly Cantonese and Sichuan horizons to include dim sum, double-boiled soups and Peking duck – and the roast bird here really is fabulous.

photo by holly li

> Daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 5:30pm-10pm 1/F, Beijing Kerry Hotel, 1 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区光华路 1号嘉里中心1层 (8565 2188)

RUMI Sunday Roast With the Most A few Middle Eastern joints have popped up on the stretch of road from Tuanjiehu subway to Taikoo Li, but Rumi Persian Grill still stands head and shoulders above the crowd. This Sanlitun institution built its reputation through authentic dishes which are full of flavor and fresh ingredients.

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy Rumi’s outside terrace (shisha was made for warm evenings) and there’s a new menu for just that. Appetizers include classics like baba ghanoush, falafel and some fiendishly tasty feta cheese rolls.

New varieties of hummus – including roasted pepper and chicken – have also been added to the menu. The dish is the real test of a good Middle Eastern restaurant and Rumi passes with flying colors. The spicy chicken shish is excellent, while the Batenjan kebab is perfect for dipping in your remaining hummus. > All prices TBC; Daily, 11.30am-midnight; 1-1 Gongti Beilu & East 3rd Ring Road (opposite Zhaolong Hotel) 朝阳区工体北路甲1号兆龙饭店对面 (8454 3838, www. rumigrill.com) 7 0 | m ay 2 0 1 5 | w w w.t h at s m a g s . c o m

Jing Yaa Tang 京雅堂 (Chinese, Peking Duck) Resembling something between a nightclub and a theater, the Opposite House’s basement restaurant proves to be more than just style over substance with their range of expertly prepared classic dishes.

> Daily 12-10:30pm, B1/F, The Opposite House, Sanlitun Bei Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路11号院1号 楼瑜舍酒B1楼 (6410 5230)

Wu Li Xiang 屋里香 (Cantonese, Sichuan) * Impressive views don’t detract from the exquisitely presented cuisine of Chef Kam, especially the dim sum. Swanky classics from all the main culinary regions of China, including, of course, “Monk Jump Over the Wall” – braised pork in oyster sauce. > Daily 11am-2pm, 5pm-10pm; 2-3/F, Traders Upper East Hotel, Beijing, 2 Dongsihuan Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区东四环北路2号北京上东盛贸饭店二三层 (5907 8406)

Yipin 一品 (Huaiyang) * The Sofitel Beijing’s boutique Chinese restaurant, Yipin is a beautifully thought-out conflux of all that is elegant, traditional and tasty. Huaiyang cuisine headlines the menu, so expect sweet and delicate and sweet flavors with impeccable presentation.

> Sofitel Wanda Beijing, Tower C, Wanda Plaza, 93 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国路93号 万达广场C 座索菲特酒店 (8599 6666)

Peking Duck Da Dong 大董 Among the city’s most famous haunts, Da

Expensive...................................¥ Expense Account ....................¥¥ Highly Recommended ..............* Top Ten ....................................**

Dong guarantees slick cuts of Beijing-style roast duck and delectable wrap fillings. The venue’s a class act and the plum sauce is hard to follow.

> Daily 11am-10pm; 22 Dongsishitiao, Dongcheng 东城区东四十条甲22号 (5169 0328); see www.dadongdadong.com for more locations

Duck de Chine 全鸭季 ¥ * Good duck is meant to show your guests how wonderful you are, as much as the food. Duck De Chine does that in spades, with fantastic presentation of its crispy, succulent duck (RMB188).

> Daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 6-10.30pm; Courtyard 4, 1949 The Hidden City, Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang 朝 阳区工体北路4号院 (6501 8881) > 98 Jinbao Jie, Dongcheng 东城区金宝街98号 (6521 2221)

Shanghai Shanghai Min 小南国 Many swear this chain has the best Shanghai-style hongshaorou north of the Yangtze. The jury’s out, but its popularity remains.

> 0505, 5/F Raffles City Mall, 1 Dongzhimen Nan Dajie, Dongcheng 东城区东直门南大街1号来福士 购物中心5楼0505号铺 (400 820 9777)> Additional branches in Financial Street; Jinbao Jie; Oriental Plaza; Sanlitun Soho; Xinyuan Nan Lu (see www. online.thatsmags.com for details)

Wang Jia Sha 王家沙 Modern Shanghai cuisine – popular with Hong Kong celebrities – famed for its crabmeat dumplings. Try the spiced-salt ribs (RMB62) for a bit of Adam action. > Daily, S1-30a Taikoo Li Sanlitun (on the third floor of i.t shop) 朝阳区三里屯路19号院太古里1号楼3层 S1-30a号商铺 (6416 3469)

Sichuan/Hunan Chuan Ban 川办 * This bright, modestly decorated dining hall is frequently cited as Beijing’s best Sichuan restaurant.

> Mon-Fri 7-9am, 10.50am-2pm, 4.50-9.30pm; SatSun 7am-10pm; 5 Gongyuan Toutiao, Jianguomennei Dajie, Dongcheng 东城区建国门内贡院头条5号 (6512 2277, ext. 6101)

Karaiya Spice House 辣屋 * Bold and fiery Hunan cuisine in the most serene of restaurant interiors. Don’t miss the dry roasted duck with a dozen spices and stir fried bullfrog with shiso leaves and ginger. Peanut milk is there to soothe the palate: you’ll need it. > Daily 11:30am-2pm, 5:30-10pm; 3/F, Sanlitun Taikoo Li South, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯太古里19号 院南区三层S9-30 (6415 3535)

South Memory 望湘园 This restaurant chain is the Hunan staple in the capital. The trademark shilixiang niurou (fragrant beef), duojiao shuangse yutou (dual-colour spiced fish head) and meltingly tender frog dishes are among the favorites with locals. > Daily 11am-10pm; 2/F, 230-232, Fenglian Plaza, 18 Chaoyangmen Wai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳区朝外大街 18号丰联广场2楼230-232号 (6588 1797); see www. southmemory.com for more locations

Yuxiang Renjia 渝乡人家 The menu here is old-fashioned and reliably good. The lazi ji is crispy but not too greasy, the pepper-sauce noodle, with spinach, is filling and refreshing. Assorted confections are guaranteed to comfort numbed-and-burned tongues, too.

> Daily 11am-2pm, 5-9pm 5/F, Lianhe Dasha (Union Plaza), 20 Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳 区朝阳门外大街20号联合大厦五层 (6588 3841) see www.yuxiangrenjia.com for other locations

Yu Xin 渝信川菜 Open since 1993, Yu Xin’s authentic Sichuan dishes have earned a loyal fanbase. Their liangfen – a jelly-like substance cut into chunky strips and dressed in an addictive spicy sauce – hits the spot. The rustic, intimate setting of bamboo cubicles and swift, friendly service complete the experience. > Daily 11am-10pm; 5A Xingfu Yicun Xili, Chaoyang 朝阳区幸福一村西里甲5号 see www.yuxin1997.com for other locations.

Transit 渡金湖 ¥¥ ** Sichuan is known for its blazing spices and its equally hot girls. While the latter are up

listings to you, the creative minds at Transit have made some fiery additions to the classical, chili-thumping canon, and they will charge you for that knowledge. But unlike many equally expensive joints, this is high-end Chinese dining at its best. > Daily 12-2.30pm, 6 -10pm; N4-36, Sanlitun Taikoo Li North, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路11 号三里屯太古里北区N4-36号 (6417 9090)

Yunnan Dali Courtyard 大里院子 * If you like authentic Yunnanese food, you’ll have to trust the staff: there’s no menu, it all just arrives in an intimate courtyard setting. The price (RMB120/person) matches the rustic ingredients. > Daily 12-2pm, 6-10.30pm; Gulou Dong Dajie, 67 Xiaojingchang Hutong, Dongcheng 东城区鼓楼东大 街小经厂胡同67号 (8404 1430)

Hani Gejiu 哈尼个旧 ¥ Somthing about Gulou makes it the perfect district for Yunnan food, and this little gem is up their with the best. Contender for friendliest service in town. > Mon-Sat 11am-10pm; 46 Zhonglouwan Hutong, Dongcheng 东城区钟楼弯胡同46号 (6401 3318)

Lost Heaven 花马天堂 (Yunnan, SE Asian)

site East Gate Plaza), Dongcheng 东城区东直门外东 中街东环广场对面元嘉国际公寓2层 (6417 9289, see www.dingdingxiang.com.cn for other locations)

Haidilao 海底捞火锅 * Hotpot in China is like religion; everyone’s got their own brand. Either way, the raw meats and vegetables, cooked communally, is divine, and the outstanding customer service makes Haidilao a fitting church

> Daily, 24 hrs; 2A Baijiazhuang Lu (beside No. 80 Middle School), Chaoyang 朝阳区白家庄路甲2号 ( 八十中学西侧) (6595 2982, see http:www.haidilaohuoguo.com for other locations)

Regional Crescent Moon (Xinjiang) * Roast mutton enthusiasts go over the moon at this reputable Xinjiang Muslim restaurant. Eastern European and Central Asian influences are evident throughout, with peppery and cumin-spiced dishes livening up traditional Chinese favorites. > Daily 10am-11:30pm; 16 Dongsi Liutiao, Dongcheng 东四六条16号 (6400-5281)

Da Gui (Guizhou) Guizhou’s famed hot-and-sour cuisine nestled into a charming traditional alleyway.

Munch happily into pickled greens and don’t miss the salty-sweet deep-fried black sesame balls. They’re sensational. > Daily 10am-2pm, 5-10pm; 69 Daxing Hutong, Jiaodaokou, Dongcheng 东城区交道口大兴胡同69 号 (6407 1800)

Makye Ame (Tibetan) Determined to prove that Tibetan cuisine consists of more than just yak-butter tea, the Beijing branch of this nationwide chain serves up nomadic classics such as curried potatoes and roast lamb.

> Daily 10-midnight; 11A Xiushui Nanjie, Jianguomenwai, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国门外秀水南街 甲11号 (6506 9616)

An emphasis on Yunnan characterizes this menu’s fresh journey through the SE Asia passage, with a grandiose yet dark teak interior. > Daily noon-2pm, 5pm-10.30 (bar open till 1am).

Ch’ien Men 23, 23 Qianmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng 东城区前门东大街23号(8516 2698)

Middle 8th Restaurant 中八楼 * Hip and slightly swanky, without being pretentious, this is a celebration of all things ‘south of the clouds’ – so try crisp-fried worms, or “crossing-the-bridge” noodles, beef jerky-style yak meat and fresh, wild herbs galore. > The Place Branch: Daily 11am-11pm, L404A, South Tower, The Place, 9 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang 朝 阳区光化路9号世贸天阶南楼L404A (6587 1431) > Additional venues in Sanlitun; Taikoo Li Mall; Indigo Mall (see www.middle8th.com for details)

Yun’er Small Town 云洱小镇 Folksy and affordable Yunnanese fare on Beiluoguxiang. Fragrant dishes including the jasmine bulbs with scrambled eggs, lemongrass shrimp, and banana leaf wrapped bolete mushrooms will keep us crawling back. > Daily 10am-11pm, 84 Beiluoguxiang, Dongcheng 东城区北锣鼓巷84号 (8404 2407)

Dumplings Baoyuan Jiaoziwu 宝源饺子屋 Famous for their rainbow of dyed dumplings, Baoyuan have their jiaozi (six, under RMB10) wrapped in a larger yuanbao silver-ingot shape, with creative vegetarian options and authentic Sichuan food. > Daily 11am-10pm; north of 6 Maizidian Jie, Chaoyang 朝阳区麦子店街6号楼北侧 (6586 4967)

Mr Shi’s Dumplings 老石饺子馆 Since recieving a Lonely Planet recommendation the prices have risen and the walls are covered in backpackers’ scribbles, but the fantastic dumplings – boiled and fried – are still fantastic. > 74 Baochao Hutong, Gulou Dong Dajie, Dongcheng 东城区鼓楼东大街宝钞胡同74号 (8405 0399, 131 6100 3826)

Hot Pot Ding Ding Xiang 鼎鼎香 * Classier than most hotpot joints, Ding Ding Xiang features a spacious dining room of sweaty-faced patrons enjoying high-grade huoguo in their own individual pot. The delicious sesame sauce (the recipe is a closely guarded secret) is a Beijing classic. > Daily 11am-10pm; 2/F, Yuanjia International Apartments, Dongzhimenwai, Dongzhong Jie (oppo-

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ShiChengJi Shaobing 实诚吉烧饼 If ever a food were able to alleviate life’s difficulties – however temporarily – then this is surely it. In one bite, these beef shaobing will remind you exactly why you first chose to live in Beijing. They’re that good.

Queues of locals are testament. > Daily 7am-7pm; 43 Dongsi Liutiao, Dongcheng 东 城区东四六条43号 (186 1029 5038)

Xinjiang Red Rose (Xinjiang) * One of Beijing’s most famous Xinjiang restaurant, Red Rose serves some of the tenderest lamb skewers around, matched by enormous servings of classics like dapanji (a chicken, potato and pepper stew), latiaozi (noodles with a spicy tomato sauce) and nang (baked flatbrea).

CROWNE PLAZA, BEIJING CHAOYANG U-TOWN So Hot Pot Right Now The quality of a hot pot depends on one factor more than any other – the quality of the ingredients. Sure, there are plenty of places to get mala xiang guo in Beijing, but few do it quite like Cafe on the 6th at Crowne Plaza Chaoyang U-Town.

Fresh and bursting with flavor, the selection ranges from succulent pork ribs and whole crabs, to crunchy lotus root and cauliflower. The choice is yours – make your selection and pass it over to Executive Chef Percy and his team to griddle cook. You can use as much (or as little) numbing chili as you can handle. We’d suggest not going too la – you won’t want to miss out on these fresh ingredients.

Still hungry? Fear not, this is a full buffet experience (RMB238 + 15 percent service charge) so try as many combinations as you like. Hot Pot can be a gamble in Beijing, but not here. Each ingredient is a winner and what else could you ask for from a mala xiang guo? > Available until June 30, 5.30-10pm; Crowne Plaza, Beijing Chaoyang U-Town, 3 Sanfeng North Area, Chaoyang, 北京市三丰北里3号 近外交部 北京朝阳悠唐皇冠 假日酒店六层 (for reservations call 5909 6688 ext. 3219)

> Daily 10.30am-11pm; Inside 7 Xingfuyicun, opposite Workers’ Stadium North Gate, Chaoyang 朝阳区 工人体育场北门对面幸福一村7巷内 (6415 5741)

WESTERN Fine Dining Aria ¥¥ (European) * A gold standard of opulence and, at RMB1,100 for the Wagyu beef and starters around RMB150, the prices reflect that.

In-house sommeliers help tailor your meal perfectly.

> Mon-Fri 11.30am-2.30pm, 6pm-midnight; Sat-Sun 6-10pm; 2/F China World Hotel, 1 Jianguomenwai Waidajie, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国门外大街 (6505 2266 ext. 36)

Barolo ¥¥ (Italian) * Average Italian abounds in Beijing: not here, though. Quite the opposite, in fact, meaning Barolo is as well-regarded as the Piedmont wine it is named after.

> Mon-Sun 11.30am-2pm, 6pm-10pm. Ritz Carlton Hotel, China Central Place, 83A Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国路甲83号华贸中心丽思卡尔顿 酒店内 (5908 8151)

Brasserie Flo ¥¥ (French) * Marble slabs, mosaic floors and brass fittings establish the Parisian bona fides; dishes like snails (RMB78), oysters (RMB48 each) and steak tartare (RMB158) confirm.

The grandeur is matched only by the service, and the prices reflect the authenticity of the experience.

> Daily 11am-midnight; 18 Xiaoyun Lu, Chaoyang 朝 阳区霄云路18号 (6595 5135)

Brian McKenna @The Courtyard ¥¥ (Contemporary Western) * Innovative and creative dishes are de rigeur at the Michelin-starred Irish chef’s reinvention of this long-standing Beijing fine dining institution. > Daily, restaurant 6pm-10pm, bar 5-11pm; 95 Donghuamen Avenue, Dongcheng 东城区东华门大 街95号 (6526 8883)

MALACCA LEGEND Malay of the Land At last year’s That’s Beijing Golden Fork Awards, you fine readers voted Malacca Legend as the winner in the Southeast Asian category. With such refined support, it’s no surprise that the Malaysian specialists are approaching a decade on Beijing’s dining scene.

To celebrate the restaurant’s ninth birthday, Malacca’s team has announced a new soup noodle dish (RMB58) that’s perfect for summer. Instead of the heavier curry flavors often associated with Malaysian food, the new offering is a light and fragrant. Prawns, squid, shrimp balls, chicken meatballs and lettuce are served in an aromatic broth of seafood sauce, fish sauce, pepper and rice wine. The soup brings out the meats flavors and all is topped off with a fresh garnishing of spring onion, cilantro, fried shallots and fried garlic.

The sun is coming, so there’s no better time to grab a seat on the banks of Shunyi’s serene Lake Roma, and tuck into some flavorsome summer noodles.

We’re looking forward to the tenth birthday already. > Daily, midday-10pm; Luoma Hu, Houshayu Zhen, Chaoyang 顺义区后沙峪镇罗 马湖畔 (8049 8902) w w w.t h at s m a g s . c o m | m ay 2 0 1 5 | 7 1

listings

OPEN DOOR

by one of the most extensive wine lists in town.

> Sanlitun: Sun-Thu 11am-10:30pm, Fri/Sat 11am11:30pm, B101b Nali Patio South, 81 Sanlitun Beilu Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路81号B101B南楼 (5208 6079) > Solana: Solana Lakeside Dining Street, 6 Chaoyang Park Road, Chaoyang 朝阳区湖畔美食街 朝阳公园路6号院 蓝色港湾 (5905 6259)

Missa (European) Whether it is the tender, imported cuts of meat or the long list of expertly made and creative cocktails going down your gullet, you can’t really go wrong at this refined relaxed lounge like restaurant.

Ricci Named after a 17th century Italian Jesuit (duh), this creative café has a funky, kookymeets-organic vibe and serves up some of the best casual western food in town, and a great brunch at the Wudaokou location (Chaoyang branch closed weekends).

> Daily 6.30-10.30am, noon-2pm, 6-10pm. 79/F, China World Trade Center Phase 3, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国门外大街1号国贸大酒店 79楼 (6505 2299 ext 6424)

> Daily 6pm-late. 32-33, 3/F, Bldg 3, Sanlitun Taikoo Li North, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯太古里北区3号楼3 层32-33 (137 1851 7917)

Mosto (European, South American) ¥ * A perpetually busy lunch and evening spot, thanks to chef Daniel Urdaneta’s skill for modernising South American-style dishes like ceviche and risotto in his open kitchen.

> Sun-Thu noon-2.30pm, 6-10pm; Fri-Sat noon2.30pm, 6-10.30pm. 3/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路81号那里花园3层 (5208 6030)

Starfish (Seafood) ¥ * Starfish is among the very best seafood restaurants in town. Renowned for its friendly, warm atmosphere, this stylish low-key restaurant is great for late-night dates, or just hanging out along the large wooden bar and enjoying an Irish rock with a craft beer. > Tue-Sun 11am-11pm, 22-1 Dongzhimen Wai, Chaoyang 朝阳区东直门外大街22-1号 (6416 5499)

Brasserie Flo

Stuff’d (Contemporary Western) The concept of Stuff’d is to simply stuff one kind of food in another. From sausage calzone pizzas (RMB68) to scotch eggs – it all works. On-site micro brewery a bonus.

Goose is the Word With its old world charm, and impeccable levels of service, Brasserie Flo is both an originator and a leader in Beijing fine-dining. The restaurant’s best-selling and famed Gillardeau no. 2 oysters (RMB58) are well known in this town for a reason. Succulent and meaty, they won’t leave you wanting. The lobster Caesar salad (RMB138) is another standout, and comes served with tangy sundried tomatoes, parmesan cheese, and a fresh, crisp (French, where else!?) baguette.

But Flo’s real secret is its foie gras duo (RMB136), a rich, almost-decadent combination of cold and seared goose liver, accompanied with home-made tart apple puree and a sweet figgy chutney. If you’re not familiar with foie gras, this is the perfect introduction, and for those that are, prepare for a treat. > Lunch: Sunday – Monday 11am – 3pm, Dinner: Sunday – Monday 5.30pm – 11pm; 18 Xiaoyun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区霄云路18号 Capital M ¥ (Contemporary Western) ** The Art Deco interior, swish staff and breathtaking views over the archery towers from Qianmen ensures the pinnacle of al-fresco dining, with world-class modern European stylings and deliciously posh afternoon tea. > Daily 11.30am-10.30pm. Floor 3, 2 Qianmen Buxingjie, Dongcheng 东城区前门步行街2号3层 (6702 2727)

Héritage ¥¥ A French country-style chateau in the heart of Beijing. A chef de cuisine with Michelin star restaurant experience and an extensive wine cellar make this Sofitel Hotel restaurant one of the best French dining experiences in town. > 6F Sofitel Wanda Beijing, Tower C, Wanda Plaza, 93 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国路93号 万达广 场C座索菲特酒店6层 (8599 6666)

Mio ¥¥ Glitzy Italian fare at the Four Seasons, with a mobile Bellini cart, wheeled straight to your table. Chef Marco Calenzo crafts a superb squash tortellini by hand, and pampers diners with desserts like the deconstructed tiramisu. >Daily, lunch 11:30am - 2:30pm, dinner 5:30pm -10:30pm Four Seasons Hotel, 48 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang, 北京四季酒店 亮马桥路48号, 朝阳区 (5695 8888)

S.T.A.Y. ¥¥ (French) Luxury dining with three-Michelin-starred chef, Alléno Yannick’s, back-to-basics kitchen concept, which includes a mouthwatering ‘pastry library’. Classic dishes usually include dishes such as steak, foie gras, rack of lamb, plus a spit roast and grill for international standard fine-dining.

VIC Not to be confused with the notorious nightclub of the same name, this VIC is the Sofitel Beijing’s casual dining restaurant. All the major world cuisines are in attendance here – make you pay special attentions to the French-inspired breads and pastries – as is the customary Sunday champagne brunch. > Sofitel Wanda Beijing, Tower C, Wanda Plaza, 93 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国路93号 万达广场C 座索菲特酒店6层 (8599 6666)

cuisine is fitting in majesty and the service alone is worthy of worship.

Yi House (Contemporary Western) Nestled in the confines of 798, Yi’s great tasting brunch is bettered only by their wide range of cocktails. Sundays offer jazz brunches with lobster and champagne.

> Daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 6-10pm; 23 Songzhusi Temple, Shatan Beijie, Dongcheng 东城区沙滩北街嵩 祝寺23号 (8400 2232)

> Daily 11am-3pm, 6pm-12am; 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, 798 Yishu Qu, No.1 706 Houjie, Chaoyang 朝阳区酒仙桥 路2号院798艺术区706后街1号 (6436 1818)

Contemporary Western

Café/Deli/Sandwich

Alfie’s ¥ (British) What’s all this about, then? British gastropub classics, (like pukker fish and chips, RMB188), a swanky gentleman’s club interior, and located in a chic modern art gallery-cum-mall. That’s what, mate.

Beiluo Bread Bar (Café) This local hipster café favorite offers inhouse baked bread and sandwiches but we usually go for the hand-pulled noodles.

Gets cozy at night.

> Daily, 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30-10pm, brunch served on weekends; Parkview Green, 9 Dongdaqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区东大桥路9号芳草地L1-22 (5662 8777)

Caribeño (Latin) Heavy Cuban influence, but there are dishes from all over the Latin continent here. The Ropa Vieja (shredded beef on potato) is excellent – as are the Mojitos. > Daily 11:30am-9:30pm, 1/F, China Overseas Plaza, 8 Guanghua Dongli, Chaoyang 朝阳区光华东里8号中 海广场北楼1层 (5977 2789)

Chi (Organic, Fusion) Hutong set-menu dining par-excellence, with organic ingredients all locally sourced.

From the owners of neighboring Saffron. > Daily, opens 10:30am, last order 9:30pm, 67 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng 东城区五道营胡同 67号 (6445 7076)

C Pearl (Oysters, Seafood) ¥ * This slick oyster restaurant imports fresh shells from Canada, South Africa, France, USA and more – and they are well worth the price. The fries are the best we’ve had in Beijing, beer and wine selection also excellent.

> Daily 11:30am-2:30pm; 5:30pm-10pm; Sundays 11am- 4pm. Shangri La, Valley Wing, Level 1, 29 Zizhuyuan Road, Haidian 海淀区紫竹院路29号北京香 格里拉饭店 (6841 2211, Ext. 6727)

> Tue-Sun 5.30pm-2am; 14-2, Bldg 14, Shunyuanli, Xinyuan Jie, Yansha Qiao, Chaoyang 朝阳区燕莎桥新 源街顺源里14号楼14-2号 (5724 5886)

Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB) ¥¥ (Contemporary Western) ** Setting is everything here, especially if it’s fashioned inside a restored Buddhist temple. The bold contemporary European

Grill 79 (Steak) With views this good, Grill 79 would probably make it onto the list even if the food was terrible. It’s something of a bonus then that the kitchen is superb, and supported

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> Wed-Mon, 11:30am-2:45pm, 6-10pm, 9 Jianchang Hutong, Dongcheng 东城区箭厂胡同9号 (6407 6308)

> Tue-Sun 12-10pm. 70A Beiluoguxiang, Dongcheng 东城区北锣鼓巷甲70号(近南锣鼓巷)(8408 3069)

Café Zarah (Café) * A smart new interior and menu for this longstanding cafe has propelled it from hipster hangout to Gulou institution. Large, airy and with a terrace for summer, the only downside is it’s always packed. > Daily 9.30am-midnight 42 Gulou Dongdajie, Dongcheng 东城区鼓楼东大街42号 (8403 9807)

Element Fresh (Contemporary Western) Another import from Shanggers, this is boutique salads-and-sandwich lunching, with somewhat questionable price tags.

> Daily Mon-Fri 10am-11pm, Sat-Sun 7am-11pm.

833, Building 8, 19 Sanlitun Taikoo Li South, Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路19号三里屯太古里南区 8号楼833 (6417 1318)

MODO Urban Deli (Contemporary Western) * Yates Wine Lodge this is not. Unconventional and great fun, this compact eatery was designed around an ever-changing selection of fine wines. Serves up fresh tapas style food and original finger foods.

> Sun-Thu noon-10pm, Fri-Sat noon-10.30pm; 3/F, Sanlitun Taikoo Li South (close to Element Fresh), 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路19号三里屯太 古里南区3楼(近新元素) (6415 7207)

MOKA Bros (Contemporary Western) * Power bowls, salads and wraps are the kind of fare on offer at this trendy Nali Patio space, which also has a great selection of cakes and pastries if you’re feeling more indulgent.

> Chaoyang: Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat/Sun closed; F1-109, 1/F, Borui Dasha, 26 Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区东三环北路甲26号博瑞大厦 F1-109 (6516 7588) > Additional location in Wudaokou (see online.thatsmags.com for details)

The Rug (Contemporary Western, Organic) * With ingredients supplied by local organic farms like Dahe and De Run Wu, and an emphasis on sustainability, this café’s wide ranging menu has something for everyone, especially green types, bored foreign moms and freelance Macbook types. > Mon-Fri 7.30am-10:30pm, Sat/Sun 9:30am10:30pm; Bldg 4, Lishui Jiayuan, Chaoyang Gongyuan Nanlu (opposite Chaoyang Park South Gate), Chaoyang 朝阳区朝阳公园南路丽水嘉园4 号楼(朝阳公园南门对面) (8550 2722) > Additional location in Sanlitun Nan Jie (see online.thatsmags. com for details)

Vineyard Cafe on the River (British) New Vineyard offshoot opposite of the Liangma River. Menu features British classics like fish & chips and bangers & mash. The breezy terrace is primed for a pint of the handcraft beer or a carafe of Pimms. >Daily Tue-Fri 11.30am-3pm, 6pm-12am (kitchen closes at 10pm), Sat/Sun 11.30am-3pm, 6pm-12am; Liangmahe Nan Lu, west side of Xindong Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区亮马河南路 新东路西侧渔阳饭店对 面 (8532 5335)

TRIBE * Induction to this Tribe appears to involve spending somewhere in the region of RMB100 on a kale salad and a freshly pressed juice, while basking in the warm, conceited glow that comes from knowing that you are Eating Well. Salads, wraps and sandwiches, and noodle and grain bowls are as tasty as they are holistic. > Daily 8am-10.30pm, 1/F, Building 3, China View Plaza, 2A Gongti Dong Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区工 体东路甲2号中国红街大厦3号楼1层大厅入口南侧 8587 1899

Wagas (Contemporary Western) Quality eats with minimal pretension. This stylish, no-fuss Shanghai rival to Element Fresh offers some of the best and most affordable Western lunch options in town.

The zesty carrot-and-zucchini cake is a crowd pleaser.

> Daily 8am-10pm; S8-33, 3/F, Bldg 8, Taikoo Li South, 19 South Sanlitun Street, Chaoyang 朝阳区三 里屯太古里南区三层 (6416-5829) > Additional locations in The Kerry Centre, Raffles Mall Dongzhimen (see www.online.thatsmags.com for details)

American/BBQ/Grill The Big Smoke * Taking the Home Plate BBQ concept and upscaling was a gourmet masterstroke. Full menu evenings only (also delivers rotisserie chicken via Uncle Otis).

> Daily Mon-Sat 11am-midnight, Sun 11am-10pm.

First Floor, Lee World Building (opposite Frost Nails), 57 Xingfucun Zhong Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区幸福村 中路 57号楼利世楼 (6416 5195, 6416 268, www. uncle-otis.com)

Home Plate BBQ * Scruffy looks and laid-back staff belie the popularity of this entry-level brick-smoker barbecue joint, that blossoms in the sunny months. Pulled-pork sandwiches are the favorites, followed by baby-back rib racks. Beer and bourbons are taken care of, too. > Daily 11am-10pm. 35 Xiaoyun Lu courtyard (20m north of Xiaoyun Lu intersection, first right), Chaoyang District 朝阳区霄云路35号院过霄云路 路口,往北走20米,到第一个路口右转(5128 5584) Additional location in Sanlitun Nan Jie (see online. thatsmags.com for details)

NOLA N’Orleans finds a dark-wood home in the leafy embassy area, with a jazz soundtrack, shrimp and grits, gumbo, fried chicken, jambalaya and decent-enough po’boys – yes’m. Excellent Cajun snacks, craft beers and cocktail also make NOLA a popular watering hole. > Mon-Fri 8am-11pm, Sat-Sun 10.30am-11pm. 11A Xiushui Nanjie, Chaoyang 朝阳区秀水南街11号 (8563 6215)

Tim’s Texas BBQ *

listings Who is Tim, you ask, and what’s his Texas BBQ doing in Beijing? Providing ya’ll homesick ‘Murricans with the best damn homestyle briskets, ribs and steaks – slow-cooked over a mesquite wood BBQ – this side of the Rio Grande. Tex Mex and Margherita’s recommended.

> Daily 9am-midnight; Silk#2 Building, 14 Dongdaqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区东大桥路14号秀水 2号院 (6591 9161)

Union Bar and Grill The definitive US-style diner in Beijing, Union’s extensive menu – from eggs Benedict to baby back ribs – covers all bases and hours, served by friendly staff.

The warm atmosphere tempts many to stay all day.

> Mon-Fri 11am-11pm, Sat/Sun 11am-midnight; S631, 3/F, Bldg 6, Sanlitun Taikoo Li South, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路19号三里屯太古里南区 6号楼3层S6-31 (6415 9117)

The Woods * New York native-owned, Manhattan-style restaurant, tucked in amongst the skyscrapers of CBD: you can’t get more Big Apple than that. > Daily 12pm-10pm, Central Park Tower 1, Suite 101, No. 6 Chaowai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳区朝外大街6号 新城国际1号搂101 (6533 6380)

Burgers Blue Frog This Shanghai hamburger franchise has been keeping Americans in China obese since it opened. Monday’s burger deal is always packed.

French bistro – not a Guinness in sight.

> Daily midday-midnight, 55-7 Xingfucun Zhonglu, Chaoyang 朝阳区幸福村中路55-7 (8488 8250)

Mexican/Tex Mex Cantina Agave (Tex-Mex) Great selection of burritos, tacos and 80+ imported tequilas. Spice up dishes with the walk-up salsa bar and don’t leave without a bite of the custardy flan.

>Sun-Thurs 11am to midnight. Fri–Sat 11am to 2am, S4-32 South Block, Sanlitun Taikoo Li, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路19号三里太古里南区 (6416 5212)

El Gran Bocado (Mexican) This unassuming little taquiera has a colorful menu of classic Mexican and Tex Mex dishes, and one of the best nacho plates we’ve had in Beijing.

> Daily 11am-midnight, 1/F, Just Make Bldg, Xingfucun Zhonglu, Chaoyanf 朝阳区幸福村中路杰作 大厦1层 (6416 1715)

Taco Bar Rising from the ashes of its deceased hutong location, the new Taco Bar is hip, popular and able to produce some of the most authentic Mexican fare in town. Only RMB45 for three and great cocktails to complement.

> Tue-Thu 5.30pm-1am, Fri-Sat 5.30pm-2.30am, Sun 11am-1am; 1/F, Unit 10, Electrical Research Institute, Sanlitun Nan Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯南路机电研 究院内10号1层 (6501 6026)

Palms L.A. Kitchen and Bar * (KoreanMexican fusion)

> Daily 10.00am-late. Sanlitun: Level 3, S2 Tower, S2-30 Taikoo Li, Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯 路太古里3层S2-30 (6417 4030) Additional branches in Jiuxianqiao and U-Town (see online.thatsmags. com for details)

> Sun-Thu 11:30am-10pm, Fri/Sat 11:30am-midnight, B2/F, Parkview Green, 9 Dongdaqiao Road Chaoyang 朝阳区东大桥路9号侨福芳草地大厦地下二 层 ( 5690 7000)

> Tue-Fri 11am-1pm; Sat-Sun 9.30am-3pm; Tue-Sat 5.30pm-10pm. Opposite the West gate, Chaoyang Park, Chaoyang 朝阳区朝阳公园西门 (6591 8676)

Steak 29 Grill (Contemporary Western) * Top-notch steak, along with just about every other cut of meat found in the barnyard in this well-priced meat-eaters’ mecca. > Mon-Fri lunch: 11.30am-2.30pm; Mon-Sat dinner: 6-10.30pm (closed Sundays); Conrad Beijing, 2/F, 29 North Dongsanhuan, Chaoyang 朝阳区东三环北路9 号2层 (6584 6270))

Morton’s of Chicago (American) ¥¥ * Meat so tender the knife falls through it: ritzy Morton’s deserves the worldwide praise. Expensive, but where else are you going to get steak this good? (Try the RMB550 set menu if you want to save cash)

> Mon-Sat 5:30-11pm, Sun 5-10:30pm; 2/F, Regent Hotel, 99 Jinbao Jie, Dongcheng 东城区金宝街99号 丽晶酒店二层 (6523 7777)

Steak Exchange Restaurant+Bar (Contemporary Western) ¥¥ * The bill is hopefully on the company kuai at this opulent eatery, where charcoal-grilled cuts of 250-day, grain-fed Australian Angus start from around RMB428 and merrily spiral. But the meat is unquestionably succulent, and cooked exactly to order.

> Daily 11.30am-2pm, 5.30-10.30pm. InterContinental Beijing Financial Street, 11 Jinrong Jie, Xicheng 西 城区金融街11号北京金融街洲际酒店 (5852 5921)

Flamme (Contemporary Western) Expensive steaks are now invading Beijing.

Flamme (pronounced ‘Flame,’ apparently) remains top value, however, especially on 2-4-1 Tuesdays, while bar staff maintain an eclectic (and genuinely exciting) cocktail menu.

> Daily 11am-10.30pm Sun-Thur; 11am-11pm FriSat. S4-33, Third Floor, Sanlitun Taikoo Li South, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路19号三里屯太 古里南区3层S4-33室 (6417 8608) > 269 Indigo Mall, Jixianqiao Road, Chaoyang 朝阳区酒仙桥路18号颐堤 港商场269号 (8420 0270)

O’Steak A well-cooked steak in Beijng isn’t all that rare anymore, and here we have affordable but quality cuts. Don’t be fooled by the Irish sounding name, it’s an authentic

> Tue-Sun 6-10.30pm. 4 Fangzhuanchang Hutong, Dongcheng 东城区方砖厂胡同4号 (8402 5098)

Opera Bombana ¥ Head chef Umberto Bombana boasts three Michelin stars to his name, earned at his wildly successful Hong Kong restaurant Otto e Mezzo. He’s the only Italian chef to do so outside of his native land, and certainly the only to have opened a restaurant in Beijing. > Daily, 12pm-10:30pm; LG2-21 Parkview Green Fangcaodi, 9 Dongdaqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区东大 桥路9号侨福芳草地地下2层21号 (5690 7177)

Pizza Tube Station Nowhere does gigantic toppen-laden pizza quite like Beijing, and these guys claim to be the biggest in town.

> Sanlitun 3.3 Branch: Mon-Fri 10am-10pm, Sat/Sun 10am-11pm, delivery Mon-Thu 11:30am-10:30pm, Fri-Sun 11:30am-11pm 3/F, 3.3 Building, No. 33 Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang 三里屯北街33号3.3服装 大厦3层3008号 ( 5136 5571, delivery 8989 177) > Additional branches in Gongti, Beida, Beitai, Yayancun, Solana and Weigongcun, see www.online.thatsmags.com for details)

La Pizza Among the upper echelons of Beijing pizzerias is this Sanlitun goldfish bowl with a wood-fired oven and Neapolitan manners. Further branches in Solana and pasta/salad/mains-buffet restaurant in Sanlitun 3.3

> Sanlitun Branch: daily 10.30am-3pm, 6-11pm. 1/F, 3.3 Mall, 33 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路 33号3.3服装大厦西北角底商(5136 5582) > Solana Branch: SA-48, 1/F, Bldg 3, Solana, 6 Chaoyang Park Road, Choayang 朝阳公园西路6号,蓝色港 湾3号1层, SA-48 ( 5905 6106) > SOHU Shangdu Branch: SH1112, SOHO Shangdu, 8 Dongdaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区东大桥路8号SOHO尚都 SH1112号(5900 3112) > La Pizza Buffet: 4F, Sanlitun 3.3 Mall, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯3.3服装大厦4层 (5136 5990)

Burger Bar Don’t be fooled by the American diner-style interior, Burger Bar’s pedigree of bap fillings include wagyu beef, foie gras and truffles. Burger King this ain’t.

Chef Too ¥ With its crisp white tablecloths and service, this upscale New York diner serves up some of the classiest burgers in town.

Old World family charm in an intimate hutong setting. Time (and, occasionally, service) slows with a rustic menu from Bologna offering an assortment of homemade pastas and seasonal mains.

Spanish

Tucked away near Gulou, this hip little hutong concept is truly one of a kind in Beijing. Quesadillas with kimchi and bibimbaps with melted cheese and hot sauce.

Guess what? It works. Killer range of classic Cali’ cocktails, too. > Daily 11:30am-midnight (closed Mondays) 14 Zhangwang Hutong, Dongcheng 东城区旧鼓楼大街 张旺胡同14号 (6405 4352)

Italian Assaggi ¥ * This fine Italian spot in the leafy embassy district has one of Beijing’s best terraces for summer dining. The tagliata steak is worth a return visit. > Daily 11:30am-2:30pm, 6pm-11:30pm. 1 Sanlitun Beixiaojie, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯北小街1号 (8454 4508)

Agua ¥ * Occupying the high end of Nali’s Spanish invasion, Agua excels with reasonably priced classics like suckling pig, chorizo and jamon. Winner of the 2014 Golden Fork Editors’ Pick for best restaurant.

Isola Bar & Grill Isola’s elegant design, even by Taikoo Li North standards, is classic Italian panache – and so is the food. Beef carpaccio, burrata, Strozzapreti (handed twisted pasta) are all fantastic, but just as good is a classic Margherita pizza. > Daily, 11:30am-10:30pm, N3-47, 3/F, Building 3, Taikoo Li North, 11 Sanlitun Street, Chaoyang 朝阳 区三里屯路11号院太古里北区N3-37和 47商铺 (www. gaiagroup.com.hk/isola-beijing, reservations@isolabeijing.com; 6416 3499)

Mercante ¥ *

> Daily 11am-1am. Kempinski Hotel, 50 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区亮马桥路50号凯宾斯基饭店 (6465 3388 ext. 5732)

African/Middle Eastern 1001 Nights There’s no missing this beast of a Middle Eastern on the way into Sanlitun. The whole Arabic dining package is on offer here, from kebabs, to shisha to belly dancing shows between courses.

> Daily 11am-2am, 3-4 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳 区工体北路3-4号 (6532 4050)

Biteapitta * Enjoyed by vegetarians (hummus, falafel) and 58 kuai kebab-lovers alike, Biteapitta has the Middle-East mid-range market all wrapped up in a fluffy pitta.

> Daily 11am-11pm, Second Floor, Tongli Studio, Sanlitun Houjie, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯后街同里2 层 (6467 2961)

Cuju Moroccan Bistrot & Rummery * CuJu used to be a cozy little hutong sports bar with an incredible rum selection, but now it’s a cozy little Moroccan bistrot and rummery – so it still has an awesome rum selection. Badr’s Moroccan food might be the best in town.

> 28 Xiguan Hutong, off Dongsibeidajie, Dongcheng 东城区细管胡同28号东四北大街 (6407 9782)

Mosaic Restaurant & Bar Promising “the best shawarmas and shishas in town”, Mosaic restaurant & bar offers a range of great value delicacies and cocktails, served up in a cozy setting with a friendly and personalized service. One of few places in Beijing to offer genuine Arabic shishas (hookah), Mosaic is a hidden Sanlitun gem.

> Daily 12pm-2am; 32 S. Sanlitun St (Behind/North of Yashow Silk Market), Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯南32 号楼临街店 (137 1883 7065)

Rumi (Middle Eastern

Migas ¥ * The boys at Migas have turned a concept bar into a thriving Mediterranean restaurant, bar and party venue, and one of summer’s rooftop destinations.

> Daily 10am-3pm, 5pm- late. 6/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路81号那里花园 6层 (5208 6061)

Niajo ¥ *

) Worlds away from the filth of nearby dirty Bar Street, Rumi dishes out plentiful helpings of traditional Persian stews and tasty kebabs. Try the juicy Chicken Shish kebab, the tastier cousin to cheap chuan’r.

> Daily 11.30am-12am, Gongti Beilu and Third Ring Road, Chaoyang 工体北路和三环内,兆龙饭店对面 (8454 3838)

> Daily 11am-2.30pm, 5.30-10.30pm. Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng, 36 Northeast Third Ring Road, Dongcheng District 东城区北三环东路36号(5798 8995)

> Daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 6-10.30pm. The RitzCarlton Financial Street, 1 Jinchengfang Dongjie, Jinrong Jie, Xicheng 西城区金城坊东街1号北京金融街 丽思卡顿酒店大堂 (6601 6666)

Paulaner Brauhaus The grand old man of Beijing brauhauses, Paulaner delivers the Teutonic goods in the hands of lederhosen-clad staff from the provinces. It can be pricey but is usually worthwhile, especially during Oktoberfest.

> Daily Midday-2pm, 6pm-10pm. 4/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路81号那里花 园 (5208 6188)

Bene ¥ * Chef Ricci will have you singing like a soprano with his pork ravioli and prize-winning tiramisu. Excellent set menus (RMB588) and extensive wine selection.

Cepe ¥ In a city inundated with Italian offerings, Cepe manages to stand out thanks to its attention to the smallest detail – everything from the vinaigrette to the Parma ham is import quality, and the wine is superb.

Donglu, Chaoyang 朝阳区工体东路中国红街5号楼1 层(6503 5555)

With homely Mediterranean influences and a charming management, Niajo is prime Sanlitun smart-casual dining. Order the paella (their star dish) together with some tapas and be automatically transported to Spain (minus the constant sunshine).

> Daily 12.00am - 10.30pm. 3/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路81号那里花园 3层 (5208 6052)

German Drei Kronen 1308 * Authentic (in as much as any brauhaus with a Filipino cover band can be) displays of armour and brewing kits draw regular evening crowds for the superb pork knuckle and heavy-duty helles (pale lager), wheat and dark beer (brewed on-site). > Daily 11am-2am. 1/F, Bldg 5, China View, Gongti

Pinotage ¥ (South African) * A seasonal blend of Dutch, English and regional African influences, this contemporary and stylish eatery has an impressive selection of fine import-quality meats, and wines to match. The traditional borewor ground beer-sausage (RMB100) is tender and sweet, while the red-wine pork tenderloin makes the trip out to their Shunyi branch worth it. > Dongmen Building, 12 Dongzhimen Wai, Chaoyang 朝阳区东直门外大街12号东门下楼 (5785 3538) > Additional location in Shunyi (see online. thatsmags.com for details)

Asian Indian Ganges Conveniently located above popular Irish sports bar Paddy O’Sheas, this solid Indian curry house provides the perfect post-match culinary accompaniment. Or put another way: it’s what you’ll be craving after eight pints of beer. > Daily 11am to 10.30pm; Dongzhimen Branch: 2nd Floor, 28 Dongzhimen Wai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳 区东直门外大街28号2层 (6417-0900) > Additional branch in Sanlitun, see online.thatsmags.com for

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listings details.

Indian Kitchen

curries (RMB44-180) – but our pick’s the seafood pad Thai (RMB45).

the Wagyu barbecued beef is almost too good to be true.

Susu (Vietnamese) The first step is finding it. Follow that up with a dreamlike renovated courtyard, extensive wine list and a listing of top-notch Vietnamese curries, banh mi sandwiches, stews, soups and la Vong fish.

Vegetarian

> Daily 11am-11pm, 55 Xingfu Yicun, Chaoyang 朝 阳区幸福一村55号 (6413 0899)

> Tue- Sun 11.30am-11pm; 10 Qianliang Hutong Xixiang, Dongcheng 东城区钱粮胡同西巷10号 (8400 2699)

Japanese Hatsune ¥ * (California Japanese) As much a California roll joint as true Japanese, Hatsune is now an old favorite among the sake-swilling, sushi-swallowing set, though less so among sashimi purists.

The go to curry house among Beijing’s homesick Indian community, this ever popular no-nonsense restaurant has built up a solid reputation thanks to its wide range of quality dishes and particularly friendly service. Looking good after a recent rennovation and very available on JinShiSong online delivery.

> Daily 11am-2:30pm, 5:30-11pm, 2/F 2 Sanlitun Beixiaojie, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯北小街2号2楼 (6462 7255)

Raj Tucked away in musty old building just underneath the drum tower, this curryhouse may look Chinese but everything on the menu is authentic Indian, espcially the rather fine naan. > Daily 11am-2pm, 5pm-11pm, 31 Gulou Xidajie Dongcheng 东城区鼓楼西大街31号 (6401 1675)

> Daily 11.30am-2pm, 5.30-10pm 2/F, Heqiao Bldg C, 8A Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区光华路甲8号 和乔大厦C座2层 (6581 3939) >Additional locations in Sanlitun Tai Koo Li South; Kerry Centre Mall (see www.online.thatsmags.com for details)

Inagiku * This Beijing branch of one of Tokyo’s oldest and most celebrated restaurants is as near to perfection as you’re likely to find.

Deceptively simple yet finely crafted, the handmade Inaniwa udon (RMB80) is not to be missed.

> Daily 11am-3pm, 6-10.30pm; Rm 315, 3/F, Park Life, Yintai Centre, 2 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国门外大街2号银泰中心悦生活3层315室 (8517 2838)

Sake Manzo *

> Daily noon-11pm. 128-1 Xiang’er Hutong, Dongcheng 东城区香饵胡同128-1号(5741 5753)

Tianchu Maoxiang (Asian) Like many arrivals to Beijing, this place started out in Wudaokou and it’s since made a successful migration to Chaoyang.

Great range of veggie fare, reasonably priced and they offer cooking classes as well. > Daily 10am-10pm 19 Rm 0260, 2/F, Bldg D, Chaowai SOHO, 6B Chaoyangmenwai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳门外大街乙6朝外SOHOD座2层0260 (5900 1288) Additional location in Wudaokou (see www.online.thatsmags.com for details)

Veggie Table (Western, Asian) * Proving that Beijing-style vegetarian cuisine is by no means the exclusive preserve of Buddhist monks and soppy Jack Johnson fans, this superbly honed eatery offers some of the very best sandwiches – vegetarian or otherwise – found anywhere in the city. > Daily 10.30am to 11.30pm (last order 10.30pm) 19 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng 东城区五道营胡同 19号. (6446 2073)

bars TOP 40 BARS AND CLUBS About This guide represents our editors’ top 40 picks, and includes some That’s Beijing advertisers. Bars rated(*) have been personally reviewed by our experts, and scored according to the cuisine, experience and affordability.

South-East Asian 8-Bit Drinking alongside multiplayer retro gaming – why didn’t anyone do this sooner?

Megadrive, Super Nintendo, N64... some real gems make up an ever-growing collection. Draft Kirin goes for a reasonable RMB25 a glass.

Nyonya Kitchen (Malaysian, Nyonya) This chain specializes in Nyonya style cooking – ostensibly Malaysian but with a mix of Chinese, South-East Asian and European influences resulting in lots of bold flavors and bright colors.

> CBD: EB105, B1/F, China World Mall Phase 1, 1 Jianguomen Wai, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国门 外大街1号国贸商城一期地下一层EB105 (6505 0376) > Taiyanggong: Unit 10-11, 4/F, CapitaMall Taiyanggong, Chaoyang 朝阳区凯德Mall太阳宫4层 10/11号 (8415 0863) www.nyonyakitchen.com

Malacca Legend Malaysian food with a view, this spacious and airy restaurant sits on the banks of Shunyi’s Roma Lake, making a great spot for their beef rendang or green curry prawns. > Daily 11am-10pm; 6 Luodong Road, Luogezhuang Village, Houshayu Town, Shunyi 顺义区后沙峪镇罗 各庄村罗各东路6号 (8049 8902, www.malaccalegend.com)

Cafe Sambal (Malaysian) When it comes to Malay-style food in a hutong, nowhere does it better. Admittedly, it’s something of a niche category, but then so is the food on offer. The spicy Kapitanstyle chicken is pricey, but worth it. > Daily 11am-midnight. 43 Doufuchi Hutong (just east of Jiugulou Dajie), Xicheng 西城区豆腐池胡同43 号 旧鼓楼大街往东走(6400 4875)

Flor de Loto Sleek and chic Vietnamese restaurant – always draws a crowd. DIY fresh spring rolls are a highlight. Worth the ride to Korea-town.

> Daily 11am-10pm; 201, Europark Bldg A1(Cafe Bene Building) Guangshun Nandajie, Wangjing, Chaoyang 朝阳区望京园610号楼悠乐汇A座 201室 (6477 7387)

4Corners (Vietnamese, Fusion) The definitive hutong bar/restaurant? Chef Jun Trinh took a break from his celebrity TV work to host this part-Vietnamese venue, serving up steaming bowls of pho with zesty, fresh rolls, as well as a great bar, with frequent live indie performances. > Tue-Sun 11am-2am, 27 Dashibei Hutong (near west end of Yandai Xiejie), Xicheng 西城区大石碑胡 同27号烟袋斜街西口附近) (6401 7797)

Greyhound Café (Modern Thai/Fusion) Greyhound Café originated in Bangkok offering Thai food with a twist and served in a fashionable surrounds. Perfect for Taikoo Li Sanlitun then.

> Daily 11am-11pm, S1-30B, Building 1, Sanlitun Road 19, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路19号1号楼 S1-30B (6416 3439)> Additional branch in Shin Kong Place (see online.thatsmags.com for details)

Purple Haze (Thai) Given Beijing’s lack of white sand beaches and backpacker bars, Purple Haze has to make do for the best Thai experience in town. Has all the classics like veggie spring rolls (RMB40), papaya salad (RMB46) and 7 4 | m ay 2 0 1 5 | w w w.t h at s m a g s . c o m

> Daily, 1pm-2am, 49 Jiaodaokou Nandajie, Dongcheng District 东城区交道口南大街49号 (159 1025 6538))

The barmen here are serious about their sake. Boasting one of the best stocked drinks cabinets in town with over 60 different sakes on offer, this super-cool little eatery is the perfect place to unwind after a hard day’s toil. The sashimi is fresh to the cut, and the beer-marinated chicken is out of this world. One of the very best and least appreciated restaurants in town. > Daily 6pm-midnight. 7A Tuanjiehu Beisantiao, Chaoyang 朝阳区团结湖北三条甲7号(6436 1608)

Hyoki ¥ (Japanese) Hidden away in the depths of the Sofitel Hotel, this labyrinthine Japanese restaurant of all private dining rooms has some stunning food, and is the only place to sample traditional Japanese paper hot pot in Beijing. > 6F Sofitel Wanda Beijing 100022 93 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国路93号索菲特万达北京酒店6 层 (6581 0072)

Sushi Yotsuba ** It doesn’t come cheap (tasting menu RMB1,000), but what would you expect from some of the best sushi in town?

Buttery and meaty fatty tuna sashimi is a cut above.

> Dongcheng: Tue- Sun 11.30am-11pm. 10 Qianliang Hutong Xixiang, Dongcheng 东城区钱粮胡同西巷 10号 (8400 2699) > Lido branch: 2F, No.9-3, Jiangtai Xilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区将台西路9-3号2层 (8420 0998)

Korean Ai Jiang Shan This upscale seafood restaurant proves that chargrill and composure can go together.

Their RMB58 bibimbap lunch is an absolute bargain.

> Daily 11am-10pm, Sat and Sun until 9.30pm. 5/F, LG Twin Towers (East Tower), 12 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国门外大街乙12号双子座 大厦东塔5层 (51096036/6037) see online.thatsmags. com for other locations

Saveurs de Coree This upmarket Korean bistro has undergone several changes in recent years, not least its move away from the hipper-than-thou confines of Nanluoguxiang. Fortunately, the menu remains largely intact. The Shin Ramyun is among the best in Beijing, while

The Brick A Cheers-style atmosphere ensures you’ll find this neighbourhood drinking hole-inthe brick-wall faux dive bar either cliquey or inclusive. The heavy-duty cocktails (including the devastatingly boozy RMB80 Terminator) are probably needed for the bizarre Wednesday pub quiz.

> Daily 4pm-late. Unit 2-11, Bldg 2, Tianzhi Jiaozi, 31 Guangqu Lu (northeast corner of Shuangjing Qiao), Chaoyang District 朝阳区双井桥东北角广渠路31号院 天之骄子2号楼底商2-11 (134 2616 6677)

Capital Spirits A team of non-China natives doing a baijiu bar? Brave and, luckily, brilliant. Lovely hutong setting, friendly owners and great bottle collection.

> Tue-Sun 8pm-late; 3 Da Ju Hutong, Dongcheng 东 城区大菊胡同3号 (010 6409 3319; www.capitalspirits. com)

CICADA Ultralounge ¥ The latest – and perhaps only – ultralounge in Beijing is fast becoming one of Sanlitun’s trendiest bars. A Shanghai style lounge bar with mixology credentials, the Whisky Sours and Smoky Havana’s are worth the cost.

> Mon-Sat, 6pm-late, 11 Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯路11号三里屯太古里北区N4-33 (6418 9898)

Cu Ju Moroccan-inspired bistro, cocktail destination and sports fan’s manna all rolled into one, Renaissance man Badr Benjelloun’s hutong gem is constantly evolving. Offering North African food with an international cocktails, Beijing’s widest selection of rums and sports broadcasts from basketball to cricket, Cu Ju is truly one of the city’s best all-around bar-restaurants. > 5-11pm, Sun-Tue, Thu; 5pm-late, Fri-Sat; closed Wed. 28 Xiguan Hutong (Hutong entrance is 300m north of subway line 5, Zhangzizhong Lu stop), Dongcheng District 东城区细管胡同28号 6407 9782, www.cujubeijing.com

Daily Routine 日常生活 This cozy bar is a diamond in the rough.

Owner Travis is a cocktail aficionado, and the drinks at this establishment change seasonally according to ingredient availability.

Light cafe fare is available during the day. > 11am-11pm. 34 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District 东城区五道营胡同34号 8400 1159

El Nido * The first hutong hang-out to patent the fridge-full-of-cheap-imports formula, El Nido inspires a loyal following, particularly in summer. The roast leg of mutton place next door is one of the best locally. > Daily 6pm-late, 59 Fangjia Hutong, Dongcheng District 东城区方家胡同50号(158 1038 2089)

First Floor First Floor is like that friend who’s too popular to properly enjoy their company.

At weekends, it gets aggressively full, with regulars and the passing tourist trade all baying at the bar. A good place to meet new friends, perhaps.

// Daily, 4pm-late, Sanlitun Beixiaojie, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯北小街 (6413 0587, first.floorbeijing.com)

Fubar Slightly past its prime, this basement bar is trying to rediscover the speakeasy pretence that made the place its name. Live lounge music and a vast amount of pours are starting to persuade people it’s succeeding.

> 6pm-2am Sunday to Thursday, 6pm-4am Friday and Saturday. 8 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District, Workers’ Stadium East Gate 朝阳区工体北路8号工人 体育场东门内 (6593 8227)

Glen ¥ Experiences can vary at Glen (we’ve endured poor service and drinks that are scandalous at the price), which is located in a decidedly downbeat compound. But whisky lovers have been known to swear by its selections and dark, intimate atmosphere.

See for yourself. > 6.30pm-2am. 203, 2/F, Taiyue Suites Hotel Beijing, 16 Nansanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区南三里屯 路16号泰悦豪庭2楼203室 (6591 1191)

Glen Classic ¥ Tucked away in the grounds of Face hotel, Glen Classic is a Japanese-owned whisky bar where discerning drinkers can sink into an arm-chair, glass in hand, and while away the hours. Huge range of whiskies and rums are personally selected by expert owner Daiki Kanetaka – let him recommend you something special.

> Mon-Sat, 7pm-2am, reservation required, minimum spend RMB200, Face Hotel Courtyard, 26 Dongcaoyuan, Chaoyang District 朝阳区工体南路东草 园26号 (6551 6788)

Great Leap Brewing 大跃啤酒 ¥ * The bar that began the whole Beijing microbrewing frenzy (yes, frenzy) specializes in idiosyncratic, local-style brews (RMB2540) with intriguing flavors – their Sichuan peppercorn ale was memorably good.

Reservations used to be recommended for their original hutong brewhouse, but the opening of a wildly popular new pub on Xinzhong Lu has shifted most drinkers there instead.

> Gulou: 5pm-late, Tue-Fri, 2pm-late Sat-Sun 2-10pm, 6 DouJiao Hutong, Dongcheng District 东城区豆角 胡同6号 (5717 1399) >Sanlitun: Daily 11:30am-2pm; Sun-Thu 5pm-midnight, Fri /Sat 5pm-1am, B12 Xinzhong Street 新中街乙12号 ( 6416-6887, www. greatleapbrewing.com)

Heaven Supermarket A purgatory of bottles, bongs and bedraggled English teachers, Heaven sells the cheapest alcoholic takeaways in town. You can also hang around and appreciate the afterlife (clientele) if you want. Caveat: the food is straight from Hell’s own kitchen. > Daily 12pm-4am. 12 Xindong Lu (next to The James Joyce), Chaoyang District 朝阳区新东路16号 (6415 6513)

Hidden Lounge * Although frustrating to find, Hidden Lounge rewards the intrepid with good artwork and comfortable seating, suggesting a Kasbah, plus well-made drinks at great prices (wine from RMB100 a bottle, mix drinks from RMB25). You’ll probably have to call them to find it, though.

> Daily 6pm-1am. Room 101, Bldg 8, CBD Apartments, Shuanghuayuan Nanli Erqu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区 双花园南里二区CBD公寓8号楼101屋 (8772 1613)

Ichikura ¥ One of the best-known ‘secrets’ in town, this Japanese whisky bar tucked behind a theater also offers terrific cocktails.

Although less expensive than several rivals, you’ll want to indulge. > Daily 7pm-2am. 2/F Chaoyang Theater, 36 Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区东三环 北路36号朝阳剧场南侧 (6507 1107)

The Irish Volunteer Everything – from the red-faced owner to the grub – is authentically Irish: tinged with alcoholism, doggerel and drunken regret.

listings A good place to down a pint and a pizza before heading into town, then.

> Daily 9pm-2am. 311 Jiangtai Lu (opposite Lido Hotel East Gate), Chaoyang District 朝阳区将台路311 号 (6438 5581)

Jane’s & Hooch ¥ * Acclaimed by some foreign press as one of the best bars in the world (cough), this not-so-plain Jane has been at the vanguard of the South Sanlitun gentrification. It serves RMB60-80 measures of your favorite Prohibiotion-era hooches in a fanstastic speakeasy atmosphere, with attentive staff and unimpeachable cocktails. > Daily 8pm-2am, Courtyard 4 Gongti Beilu, 工体北路 4号院 ( 6503 2757)

Jing-A Taproom ** In just a few years, these guys developed from shady guerrilla brewers to upstanding publicans with their own range of souvenir T-shirts. Their bar is a peach: a bricks-andmortar taproom, which is large, warm and sociable, and has up to 16 different beers on tap.

> Building B, 1949 The Hidden City, Courtyard 4, Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区工体北路4号院

Maggie’s ¥ A notorious sausage fest (we refer, of course, to the hot-dog stand outside), Maggie’s has been providing its special comforts for so long, it’s practically a timehonored Beijing brand – although it’s also a bastion of Mongolian culture.

> Sun-Thur 8pm-4am, Fri-Sat 8pm-5am, Ritan Park South Gate, Chaoyang District 朝阳区日坛公园南 门 (8562 8142)

Mai Bar * Understated hutong hideaway with a long list of some of the best cocktails in town.

> Daily 5pm-late, 40 Beiluoguxiang, Dongcheng 东城 区北锣鼓巷40号 (6406 1871)

Mao Mao Chong ** The cocktails at Mao’s – such as their sublime ‘Mala’ Mule, a Sichuan peppercorninfused vodka drink that’s a long way from Moscow – are unique infusions using local ingredients and know-how. Grungey without being grimey, Mao’s eschews flash while still keeping it real. And those pizzas.

> 12 Banchang Hutong, Jiaodaokou, Dongcheng District 东城区交道口南大街板厂胡同12号 (6405 5718, www.maomaochongbeijing.com)

Mesh ¥ Whether it’s an early evening cocktail or a late-night infusion, Mesh’s moody interior and underground soundtrack draws the bright young things (and on LGBT Thursdays, quite a few old things, too).

> Daily 5pm-1am. Building 1, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯路11号院1号楼 (6417 6688)

Parlor Learn a few quotes from Gatsby before heading to this 20s Shanghai-style speakeasy and you’ll fit right in.

> Daily 6pm-2am, 39-8 Xingfuercun, Chaoyang 朝阳区 新东路幸福二村39-8 (8444 4135)

Revolution * Sanlitun doesnt really do hipster bars but if it did, this cramped ode to Maomorabilia would be it. The East may be red but their cocktails (RMB45) are fit for a Chairman.

> Daily, 12pm-late, west of Yashow, Gongti Bei Lu, 朝 阳区工体北路雅秀市场西侧 (6415 8776)

Salud 老伍 * A Nanluoguxiang institution, with everything from cheap beer to (loud) live music and low beams. The rum infusions are a particular favorite on cold nights. Latest branch in WDK a welcome addition to surrouding student dives.

> NLGX: Mon-Fri 3pm-late, Sat-Sun noon-late. 66 Nanluogu Xiang, Dongcheng District 东城区南锣鼓巷 66号 (6402 5086) > Wudaokou: 2/F, Qijixin Building, Zhanchunyuan Xilu 展春园西路奇蓟鑫大厦南侧2层

Nearby the Tree (live music, two floors).

> Daily noon-2am. 100m west of Sanlitun Bar Street, Youyi Youth Hostel, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里 屯酒吧街往西100米友谊旅馆后面三里屯医院东面 (6415 1954)

10 Best Livehouses 2 Kolegas 两个好朋友酒吧 * Call it what you will: Dos Kolegas. Fire trap.

That place by the drive-through. But there’s no denying that this artsy alternative venue has its fingers on an eclectic musical pulse. In summer, it really comes alive with barbecue pits, all-day parties and a whole lotta love. > Daily 8pm-2am. 21 Liangmaqiao Lu (inside the drive-in movie theater park), Chaoyang District 朝阳 区亮马桥路21号 (6436 8998,www.2kolegas.com)

Dusk Dawn Club (DDC) 黄昏黎明俱乐部 Great little livehouse near Meishuguan with a focus on jazz, folk and indie rock.

Craft beer and whisky means you won’t get bored of the drinks list quickly. > Tue-Sun 1pm-2am; 14 Shanlao Hutong, Dongcheng 东城区美术馆后街山老胡同14号 (6407 8969)

Hot Cat Club 热力猫 A true stalwart of the Beijing scene, Hot Cat is the type of hard-working venue that helps cement a city’s music scene. From Afro Funk to Math Rock to painful open-mic nights, this everyman’s club breeds good vibes. Decent drinks, lots of loungy seats and plenty of space. > Daily 10am-late, 46 Fangjia Hutong (just south of Guozijian Jie), Dongcheng District 东城区方家胡同 46号(6400 7868).

Jianghu 江湖酒吧 This former Qing Dynasty courtyard home is exactly where you’d take that friend from out of town to prove you’re cool. Its cozy atmosphere is also its downfall – any show with under 40 people and you’re stuck looking through the windows. Hip and casually familiar, the jazz and folk bookings keep things low-key enough for the gethome-for-the-babysitter crowd.

> 7 Dongmianhua Hutong, Jiaodaokou Nan Dajie, Dongcheng District 东城区交道口南大街东棉花胡 同7号 (6401 5269, site.douban.com/jianghujiubar, jincanzh@gmail.com)

Mako Live 麻雀瓦舍 Nestled in the old Beijing Jeep plant, this former warehouse plays host to a Silk Road smorgasbord of musical encounters from western China and the ‘Stans. Forget the overpriced bar and come for the killer sound, comfortable wraparound balcony and five-meter replica of Optimus Prime, followed by a hearty meal at the Xinjiang restaurant upstairs.

> Hongdian Art Factory, 36 Guangqu Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区广渠路36号红点艺术工厂院内(5205 1113, www.mako001.com)

MAO Livehouse 光芒 * From the denim-jacketed doorman to the well-grafittied walls, Mao leans on every Hollywood rock club cliché without feeling scripted. Besides boasting the worst bar in town, Mao delivers with great sound and the best billings of heavy metal, punk hitting this side of the Drum Tower.

> 111 Gulou Dong Dajie, Dongcheng District 东城区 鼓楼东大街111号(6402 5080, www.maolive.com)

The Post Mountain 后山 Built into a man-made hill in the center of the MOMA Complex, this new addition to Beijing’s growing livehouse empire is The Hobbit meets Manhattan. With as much vibe as a sterile modern-art gallery. Its imported sound system and ramped floor makes for decent sound and sightlines.

> Bldg T8, MOMA, 1 Xiangheyuan Lu, Dongzhimenwai, Dongcheng District (next to MOMA Cinemateque) 东城区东直门外香河园路1号 当代MOMA园区T8楼北百老汇电影中心北侧 (8400 4774)

School Bar 学校酒吧 * Crap drinks and regular, unscheduled fights: no wonder the cool kids adore this alternative livehouse/ DJ bar, founded by Beijing and Shanghai rock n’ rollers.

Slow Boat Brewery Taproom ** This popular microbrewery has its own pub hidden away in Dongcheng’s hutongs.

Quality ales that change depending on the season, heated floors and a great little kitchen round out the deal.

> Daily 8pm-late. 53 Wudaoying Hutong, Chaoyang District 朝阳区五道营胡同53号 (6402 8881, 6406 9947)

The Tree A cozy stalwart of the Beijing bar scene, you’ll find wood-fired comfort pizza, beer aplenty and a hearty, mature atmosphere.

Has two neighborhood offshoots: By the Tree (brickwork, pool, old man’s pub) and

Temple 坛 * Probably the manliest venue in town, this dimly lit and unventilated space is owned by rockers (Gao Xu, Gao Jian and Clement Burger) and known for late sets of hard rock, punk and ska, with weekend gigs and DJ sets every fortnight. It offers a long drinks menu, with plenty of cheap pastis and shooters, but you’ll probably stick to the RMB15 draught.

> Mon Closed, Tues-Wed: 5pm-midnight, Thu 5pm1am, Fri 5pm-late, Sat 2pm-late, Sun 2-10pm; 56 Dongsi Batiao, Dongcheng 东城区东四八条56号 (6538 5537)

> Daily, 7pm-late. Bldg B, 206 Gulou Dong Dajie, Dongcheng District 坛东城区鼓楼东大街206号B楼 202 (131 6107 0713)

XP 小萍 * From the ashes of Beijing’s now-legendary D-22, rises the brave new experimental club XP. Operated and owned by former D-22 main man (and noted economist) Michael Pettis, XP is more avant-garde than its previous incarnation. Expect sonic projections, drone-core jazz and the latest in cutting-edge Beijing sound.

> 1pm-late, closed Monday, 2 Silouxiang (just south of Gulou Xidajie, Xicheng District. 西城区地安门内大 街四楼巷 (6406 9947)

Zajia Lab 杂家 A Daoist Temple is exactly where you’d expect an Italian Sinologist to open a venue – big on film screenings, A/V projects, avant-garde puppetry and choice but obscure live music for the adventurous. > Hong En Daoist Temple, Doufuchi Hutong, Dongcheng District 东城区旧鼓楼大街豆腐池胡同宏 恩观前殿 (156 0112 2252, 8404 9141, www.zajia.cc)

Yugong Yishan 愚公移山 * We’ve lost more body weight than we’d care to remember in YY’s mosh pit. Fortunately, almost all the acts – usually hip-hop DJs, emo rocks and obscure indie outfits from across the globe – were worth it. The upstairs bar area is a refuge from the sweat glands below.

> Daily 7pm-late. 3-2 Zhangzizhong Lu (100m west of Zhangzizhong Lu subway station), Dongcheng District 东城区张自忠路3-2号(6404 2711

Hotel Bars Atmosphere ¥¥ Beijing’s highest bar, on the 80th floor of the 1,082-ft China World Tower, offers 300+ swanky cocktails from RMB65 with 360-degree views of the 700AQI PM2.5.

> Mon-Fri noon-2am, Sat and Sun noon-4am. 80/F, China World Summit Wing, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District 朝阳区建国门外大街1号北京国贸大 酒店80 (6505 2299 ext. 6433)

Centro ¥ Although it’s no longer quite the go-to place for beautiful people it once was, Centro still draws a cute crowd with its nightly jazz performaces, spacious and recently renovated lounge areas and classic drinks like the blue-cheese martini. > Open 24 hours. 1/F, Kerry Hotel, 1 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区光华路1号北京嘉里大饭店 1层 (6561 8833)

Xian ¥ This enlongated bar space makes a nice spot for refreshment after a day spent shopping at neighboring Indigo.

> Sun-Thu 5pm-1am, Fri-Sat 5pm-2am, 1/F, EAST Beijing, 22 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区酒仙桥22 号北京东隅酒店一层 (8414 9810, www.xian-bar.com)

Sports Bars The Den At the opposite end of the 24-hour drinking spectrum from Centro, The Den is a seedy sports joint that starts off sedate and grows steadily sadder as night turns to day.

It can get rough and ready come dawn.

Solid (cheap) menu, good location and those opening times earn it a place. > Open 24 hours. 4 Gongti Donglu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区工体东路4号城市宾馆正门旁边

The Local * Formerly Brussels, this beery bar has come into its own, with large (yet strangely unobtrusive) screenings of sports and political events, a pub quiz, quality fare and a nice selection of draughts and cocktails.

Try the Bourbon Street Ice Tea – you won’t need another. > Daily 11-2am. 4 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区工 体北路4号院 (6591 9525)

Paddy O’Shea’s * Founder Karl Long airlifted an entire Irishthemed pub, including residents, from a council estate in Limerick and gently deposited it in central Beijing. With plenty going on, including pub quiz and sports, no one seems to have noticed.

> Dongzhimen: Daily 10am-late, 28 Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District 朝阳区东直门外大街28号 (6592 6290) > Sanlitun: 2/F, Tongli Studio, Sanlitun Back Street 三里屯北路43号同里二层 (6415 0299)

V Sports Spacious, comfortable, huge screens and no rowdy drunken cretins, V Sports makes a claim for the champion of Beijing sports bars. > Daily 5:30pm-6am, Gongti North Gate East side, Chaoyang 朝阳区工体北门内东侧 (5293 0333)

Nightclubs

The Bar at Migas * A place to dance and prowl, perhaps, rather than a drinks destination, TBAM, as no one calls it, focuses on upscale local DJs to get the party started. Good-enough cocktails range from RM55-70 but mostly it’s about the music, man. > Sunday to Wednesday 6pm-2am, Thursday to Friday 6pm-late. 6/F, Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区三里屯路81号 (5208-6061)

Chocolate It’s impossible to discuss Chocolate without mentioning gold leaf, dwarves, cabaret dancers and oddly-friendly Russian women.

Timed right, a visit can be raucous fun, with bottles of spirits from around RMB200, cocktails under RMB50 (including the absinthe-based Flaming Armageddon) and regular floor shows. > Daily 7pm-6am. 19 Ritan Beilu, Chaoyang District 朝 阳区日坛北路19号 (8561 3988)

Dada * It hasn’t been on the Beijing scene for too long, but already Dada is the hippest hangout in town. Their cosy Gulou confines under rock house Temple offer an intimate place to nod along to an eclectic range of all things electro from the best names on the underground scene. > Daily, 9pm-late, Rm 101, Bldg B, 206 Gulou Dong Dajie, Dongcheng District 东城区鼓楼东大街206号B 栋101室 (183 1108 0818)

Lantern * Founded by now-defunct Acupuncture Records, Lantern is a beacon of light in the strip of truly ghastly nightclubs and bars known as ‘Gongti.’ Serious about its music, it also makes good drinks and attracts international electronica DJs.

> Thurs-Sat 9pm-6.30am. 100m north of Worker’s Stadium West Gate, Chaoyang District 朝阳区工人体 育场西门向北100米 (139 119 77989)

MIX A bit like a trip to the Forbidden City, Mix is one of those places in Beijing you have to experience before you leave. Not much is forbidden in this underground hip-hop disco palace and if you don’t leave with hook-up in tow then you’re doing something very wrong. > Daily 8pm-6am, Inside Worker’s Stadium North Gate, Chaoyang District 朝阳区工人体育场北门内 6506 9888, 6530 2889, 150 1138 2219, mixclub@ sohu.com

Vics Separated at birth from its identical twin brother, Mix, this is the definition of Gongti sweatbox meat-market chic at its very finest. The Chinese love it – as do moody Russians and jailbait students – helping Vics to become one of the most infamous clubs in the capital. > Daily 8:30pm late, Inside Worker’s Stadium North Gate, Chaoyang 朝阳区工人体育场北门内 (5293 0333)

GALLERY 798 Art District Picks Galleria Continua * In the often-insular 798, Galleria Continua is the international gallery. Their warehouse space is a forum for high-caliber artists from nearly every continent, including several of China’s artistic nobility.

> Free. Tues-Sun 11am-6pm. 798 Art District, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区酒仙桥路2 号798大山子艺术区 (5978 9505, www.galleriacontinua.com)

Long March Space Founder and curator, Lu Jie abides by exacting standards from both the 20-odd Chinese artists he represents and the overall design of his topical and uncompromising exhibitions. International clout was inevitable. > Free. Tues-Sun 11am-7pm. 4 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798艺术区 (5978 9768, www.longmarchspace.com)

Pace Beijing With locations in New York, London and Beijing hosting the likes of Zhang Xiaogang, Yue Minjun, Robert Rauschenberg, Mark Rothko, Kiki Smith and Sol LeWitt, Pace inhabits Bauhaus-style buildings 798 is idealized for. Go there! > Free. Tues-Sun 10am-6pm.798 Art District, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区酒仙桥路2号 大山子艺术区 (5978 9781, www.pacegallery.com)

Space Station Not often shown in 789’s sea of elites, Space Station presents a younger generation of domestic artists. Exhibitions tend to have a good curatorial understanding of space and high-quality 2D work.

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listings > Free, Tues-Sun 10am-6pm. 4 Jiuxianqiao Rd798 Art District, Chaoyang District 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798艺术 区中一街 (5978 9671)

Ullens Center for Contemporary Art Filling the largest factory space in 798 with Chinese and international art, the UCCA has the curatorial power and financial backing to put together some of Beijing’s most impressive exhibitions. > RMB10, free Thursdays. Tues-Sun 10am-7pm. 798 Art District, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District 朝 阳区酒仙桥路4号798艺术区 (5780 0200, www.ucca. org.cn)

Caochangdi Art Village Platform China * Platform China has a Gallery A & B, one directly across from the other, about equal in size and each devoted to the promotion of experimental creation, from sound installation to performative, 3D and 2D art.

> Free. Tues-Sun 11am-6pm. No. 319-1, East End Art Zone A, Caochangdi Village, Chaoyang District 朝阳 区草场地村319-1艺术东区A区内(6432 0091, www. platformchina.org)

Three Shadows Photography Art Centre Elegantly utilitarian in design, the V-shaped gallery is an ideal venue to accommodate all sizes and forms of photography. The courtyard also hosts lavish openings, screenings and concerts.

> Free, Tues-Sun 10am-6pm. 115A Caochangdi, Chaoyang District 朝阳区草场地155号 (6431 9693, www.threeshadows.cn)

Chambers Fine Art Beijing With its compeer gallery in New York, Chambers is a matriarch with extensive roots in the local-studio scene that allows Big Apple headhunters to cull next generation avant-garde and provide a stepping stone to international recognition.

> Free. Tues-Sun 10am-6pm. Red No.1-D, Caochangdi, Chaoyang District 朝阳区草场地红一号D座 (5127 3298, www.chambersfineart.com)

White Space Beijing There are no restricting on the art this gallery supports, leading to some of the area’s more perplexing exhibitions. Always fun and on the pulse of vitality, though empirical value is pushed to an extreme.

> Free. Tues-Sun 10am-6pm. 255 Caochangdi, Airport Service Road, Chaoyang District 朝阳区机场辅路草场 地255号(8456 2054, www.whitespace-beijing.com)

Citywide Picks Arrow Factory This space is one of a kind in Beijing, an independently run alternative space in the hutong of Beijing’s center. Showing young, experimental artists, Arrow only takes up about 15sqm and is viewable 24/7. As a backlash against artists being pushed outside the city limits, this space tries to reinstall art inside an urban setting so everyday experience and creativity remain intertwined. > Free. Everyday 24hours. 38 Jianchang Hutong, Dongcheng District 东城区箭厂胡同38号 (www.arrowfactory.org.cn)

CAFA Museum Attached to the northeast corner of the Central Academy of Fine Art, architect Arata Isozaki built a slate-rock shell to house the museum’s 13,000+ collection of modern to contemporary art. Opened in 2008, exhibitions range from Chinese Modern masterworks to current avant-garde experimental.

> RMB10. Tues-Sun 9am-5.30pm. No. 8 Huajiadi Nan Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区花家地南街8号中央美术 学院美术馆 (6528 2022, www.cafamuseum.org)

Today Art Museum * As China’s first non-profit, non-governmental art museum, this institution embodies the country’s 20th-century leap to develop academic and progressive exhibitions.

Opened in 2002, Chinese superstars and university prospects all get wall space here. > RMB10. Tues-Sun 10am-6pm. Building 4, Pingod Community, No.32 Baiziwan Road, Chaoyang District 朝阳区百子湾路32号苹果社区4号楼今日美术馆 (5876 0600, www.todayartmuseum.com)

Independent cinemas Broadway Cinematheque MOMA * Opened in 2009, this arthouse film venue boasts the largest screens for independent cinema in Beijing. It has three theaters with a total of 400 seats and a 300-sqm cafebookstore, aptly named Kubrick. > RMB30-120. Mon-Sun 11am-10pm. F3, Building T4, The North Area, MOMA, 1 Xiangheyuan Lu, Dongcheng District 东城区东直门香河园路1号当 代Moma北区T4座 (8438 8258 ext. 8008, www.bccinema.cn)

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Instituto Cervantes Showing popular independent films from Latin American Directors monthly, the Instituto Cervantes is a forum of Spanishspeaking culture that also hosts public art exhibitions and lectures. They even have a video library!

ing full-body workout set to pumping beats – not forgetting the fluorescent spandex. Differing classes for all abilities, check online for the full schedule.

> www.heyrobics.com, info@heyrobics.com

Yihe 42° Hot Yoga

> Prices vary. Daily 7am-10pm.1A Gongti Nanlu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区工体南路甲1号 (5879 9666, www.pekin.cervantes.es)

welcomes all ages and budgets in a modern and relaxed atmosphere for a wide range of hair and beauty treatments, including manicures, pedicures & waxing. Wella, SP, INOA, TIGI.

> EAST AVENUE BLD Ground Floor, No.10 Xindong Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区新东路10号逸盛阁首层 Salon: 0086 10 84425120, Mobile: 0086 13521473492 E-mail: catherine@catherinedefrance.com Wechat: CDFSalon; Web: www.catherinedefrance.com

Laurent Falcon

Bookstores The Bookworm * This glass cube looks over Sanlitun Village, providing a cozy atmosphere for browsing bibliophiles. The Western bookstore, library, film house, bar, bistro-cafe and event space always has a cultured evening on its shelves for both adults and kids.

> Daily 9am-2am. Building 4, Nan Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 三里屯南街4号楼 (6586 9507, www.beijingbookworm.com)

Page One The go-to shop for new releases and special requests. With sister venues in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, and two locations in Beijing, its network allows for fresh authors whilst upholding an extensive collection of titles.

> Daily 10am-9pm. Shop 3B 201, Zone 3 China World Mall, No.1 Jian Guo Men Wai Avenue, Chaoyang District 朝阳区国贸商城三期地下二层3B201 (8535 1055, www.pageonegroup.com)

Page One Indigo. Shop LG50, INDIGO, 18 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区酒仙桥路18号颐堤港商业 中心B1楼50号(8426 0408, www.pageonegroup.com)

BEAUTY & FITNESS Brad Clinic Welcome to Brad Clinic, Beijing’s unique skincare and anti-aging center. Our professional and personalized treatments rejuvenate the skin safely, naturally and most effectively while restoring your skin’s natural beauty and health. We offer: skin rejuvenation and re-firming, hair removal, acne and sun spots treatment, and wrinkle reduction.

>Tue-Sat 9am-6pm, Room 2103, Tower E1, The Towers, Oriental Plaza, 1 East Chang’An Ave, Dong Cheng 东城区东长安街1号东方广场东方经贸城E1办公 楼2103室 (8518 2103/ 5688, contact@BradClinic.com)

JM Cosmetic Plastic Surgery Clinic A top cosmetic & plastic surgery clinic with over 18 years of experience in Beijing.

They provide a full range of surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures. Their standard for service is focused on maintaining the best technologies in the field of cosmetic surgery and achieving beautiful results safely. > Building C-D, Dawang Building, 12 Xi Dawang Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区西大望路12号大望写字楼C-D座 (400 0989 809, 138 1088 7442, www.jingmeihui.cn)

Alona Pilates Studio Pairing up traditional Pilates with an innovative, full-body workout, Alona Pilates offers classes designed to tone and whip you into shape fast. It also provides a personalized experience for all its students, regardless of fitness, strength and flexibility levels. > Daily, 7.30, late. 5/F at Heavenly Spa by Westin, 1 Xinyuan Nanlu, Chaoyang District

朝阳区新源南路1号威斯汀酒店五层 ( 139 1029 0260, www.alonapilates.com)

Lily Nails A long-time favorite among locals and expats alike, Lily Nails is much more than a nail spa; they have a variety of pampering treatments and waxing services too.

> Daily, 10am-10pm. 1) 2 Ginza Mall, 48 Dongzhimenwai Dajie (southeast of Dongzhimen Bridge), Dongcheng District东城区东直门外大街48号 东方银座2楼(东直门桥东南侧) (8447 7178); 2) Shop 2049, 2/F, 3.3 Shopping Center, 33 Sanlitun Beijie, Chaoyang District朝阳区三里屯北街33号3.3大厦2层 2049号 ( 5136 5829, 136 8148 3308)

Sport California Fitness Beijing Club California Fitness Beijing’s Group X program is among the best in the region, and with membership you have access to over 150 weekly Group X classes and a team of professional personal trainers in Asia. Your membership also includes free towel usage and a fitness assessment.

>South Tower, L4, 9 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District 4008-100-988 www,californiafitness.com

Heyrobics “Sweat like a Swede!” they say with annoyingly smug grin and toned abs.

The only fitness craze worth following in Beijing, Heyrobics is all about a punish-

3 locations in Beijing: the best Yoga for Beginners! No previous experience necessary - and if your body is a bit stiff – that’s okay!

Yihe knows it can be a little intimidating to begin your journey into Yoga, so they are available to answer any questions you may have. It’s a great workout for the body and calming for the mind. Call them today on (5905 6067, 8405 9996, 8599 7395)

> Daily, 10am-8pm. 1) 3/F, No. 2 South Building, Blue Castle, Dawang Lu, Chaoyang District朝阳区大望路 蓝堡国际中心南写字楼2座3层 (8599 7395/96, www. yh42.com); 2) 3/F, Bldg. 14, Solana, No. 6 Chaoyang Gongyuan Xilu Chaoyang District朝阳区朝阳公园 西路6号,蓝色港湾14号,三层 (5905 6067/77, www. yh42.com) ; 3) 3/FA Shimao Plaza 13 Gongti Beilu Chaoyang District朝阳工体北路新中西里13号巨 石大厦3FA serve@cyclechina.com or cyclechina@ hotmail.com)

DENTAL Arrail Dental Affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, Arrail Dental has access to top-class equipment. Its well-trained staff, multiple locations across town and excellent facilities make it one of the best dental providers in Beijing.

English-speaking staff. Dental services including examinations, whitening, root-canal treatment, orthodontics and implants. > 1) Rm 201, the Exchange-Beijing, 118B Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District朝阳区建国路乙118号国贸桥东南角 京汇大厦201室 (6567 5670); 2) Rm 208, Tower A, CITIC Building, 19 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District 朝阳区建国门外大街19号国际大厦A座208室 (6500 6473); 3) Rm 308, Tower A, Raycom Info Tech Park 2 Kexueyuan Nanlu, Haidian District海淀区中关村科 学院南路2号融科资讯中心A座308室 (8286 1956); 4) Rm 101, Bldg 16, China Central Place, 89 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District朝阳区建国路89号华贸中心公寓16号 楼101室 (8588 8550/60/70); 5) 1/F, Somerset Fortune Garden, 46 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District朝阳区亮 马桥路46号燕莎东侧盛捷福景苑1层 (8440 1926)

The salon is a cut above, thanks to skills of experienced French stylist Laurent Falcon.

Guys/girls. Blow-dry, up-dos, highlights, coloring available. L’Oreal, Schwarzkopf, KeraSraight, Inoa. RMB165-980 women, RMB115-468 men.

> 209 2and floor, zoon3 China World Trade Centre Shopping Mall. 国贸商城区域3 二楼 209. (8535 1002, 131 4667 9913). 43 Sanlitun Beijie Nan,Chaoyang. 三 里屯北街南43号楼 (135 0137 2971)

SPA & MASSAGE Angel Hands Massage Center

United Family Shunyi Dental Clinic The Beijing United Family Dental Clinic in Shunyi is a satellite of the main hospital in Lido (which has its own dental clinic onsite). A comprehensive range of services are at hand, including restorative dentistry and cosmetic dentistry. Call ahead for all appointments.

> 818 Pinnacle Plaza, Tianzhu Real Estate Development Zone, Shunyi District北京和睦家医院牙科诊所, 顺义区天 竺开发区荣祥广场818 (8046 1102)

SDM Dental 固瑞齿科 The full spectrum of dentistry. Services include teeth cleaning, root-canal treatment, porcelain crowns, dental implants, orthodontics, cosmetic dentistry, fillings, pediatric dentistry, extraction, teeth-whitening and veneers. Credit cards accepted.

> www.sdmdental.com**Mon-Fri 9am-8pm. CBD/ Guomao>2/F,NB210, China World Shopping Mall, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie建外大街1号国贸商城地下2 层 Tel:6505-9439/31/93**Mon-Fri 9am-8pm.Olympic Area>F-0186B Sunshine Plaza, 68 Anli Lu(east of Sunshine Plaza)亚运村安立路68号 阳光广场东侧 .

Tel: 6497-2173,6498-2173**Mon-Sun 10am-19pm.

Shunyi>LB07-08, No.99 Euro Plaza, YuXiang Road.北 京顺义区天竺镇裕翔路99号欧陆广场LB07-08号.Tel: 8046-6084**Mon-Fri 9am-8pm. Sanyuanqiao>FC222, 21st Century Hotel, 40 Liang Maqiao Lu亮马桥40号 21世纪饭店2层 Tel: 6466-4814, 6461-2745**Mon-Fri 9am-8pm.Haidian>4076B, 4/F, New Yansha Mall, Yuanda Lu远大路金源燕莎购物中心Mall4层4076B Tel:8859-6912/13**Mon-Sun, 10am-7pm Guomao>Rm 5, 3/F, North Tower, China Overseas Plaza, 8 Guanghua Dongli. 北京朝阳区光华东里8号中海广场北楼3层05 号.Tel: 5977-2488

HAIR SALONS Catherine de France Awarded best expat salon in 2014, with a trained team of international and local stylists, colorists and beauticians, this salon

Let us release your stress and make you smile wherever you go... Aroma Soothes Therapy Massage, Rose Oil (RMB 280/min); Aroma Relaxation Massage; Aroma Lomi Lomi; Deep Relaxation Massage; Happy Hour at weekend, all services are 20% off. Our masseuses will know how to pamper you and attend to your every need. > Room 1801, Building 2, JianwaiSOHO, CBDGuomao, Chaoyang 朝阳区国贸建外SOHO2号楼1801 (138 1182 1008)

Oriental Taipan Massage & Spa Since 2002, Oriental Taipan has been pampering Beijing’s finest in their small chain of contemporary spas. Calming flower aromas, Zen music, and trickling feng shui fountains create a soothing atmosphere in each of their locations, while a long list of treatments from around the world cater to all pampering needs. > Daily, 12am-midnight. Sunjoy Mansion, 6 Ritan Lu, Chaoyang District朝阳区日坛路6号 (400 001 0202, www.taipan.com.cn)

Dragonfly Therapeutic Retreat Created as a contemporary urban retreat, Dragonfly is an oasis of peace and tranquility in the midst of the hectic city.

listings Parkway Health Clinic

> Daily, 10am-late. 1)60 Donghuamen Dajie (near The Peninsula Hotel and Oriental Plaza) Dongcheng District东城区东华门大街60号(近王府饭店和东方广场) (6527 9368, www.dragonfly.net.cn); 2) 1/F Eastern Inn, Nan Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang District朝阳区南三里屯路 逸羽酒店一层 (6593 6066); 3) Grand Summit Plaza, 19 Dongfang Donglu (100m north of Lufthansa Center), Chaoyang District朝阳区燕莎桥东方东路19号外交会所 1层(燕莎中心路北100米) (8532 3122)

> Mon-Sat, 10am-7pm; CBD, 1-2/F, Vantone Center, 6 Chaowai Street 朝阳门外大街甲六号万通中心AB座一 二层; (4000-662-882(24hrs); enquiry@parkwayhealth. cn; www.parkwayhealth.cn > No. 101-201,Beijing link, block2, No.6 Yuan, Jing Shun Dong Street, Chaoyang 朝阳区京顺东街6号院2号楼 北京Link 101-201室

HEALTH SERVICES

> 24hours. Wi-Fi internet. 3/F Kerry Center. 1 Guanghua Lu 光华路1号嘉里中心商场3层 Tel: 85296618. Email: vista@vista-china.net. Website: www. vista-china.net

Amcare Women’s & Children’s Hospital With a zero waiting-time policy, topquality inpatient facilities, home visits, night services and transportation assistance, Amcare provides a trustworthy experience.

English-speaking services include pediatrics, gynecology and obstetrics. > 9 Fangyuan XiLu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区芳园西 路9号 (6434 2399, 24hr hotline 800 610 6200, www. amcare.com.cn)

Beijing International Medical Center (IMC) Established in 1993, the International Medical Center-Beijing counts on an expert team of foreign doctors, offering a wide range of medical services, including family medicine, psychological services, dental, ob/gyn, pediatrics and TCM. Drop-in services for travelers; x-rays and ultrasounds are also available.

English, Farsi, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic and Russian spoken.

> 24hours. Room S106/111 Lufthansa Center, 50 Liangmahe Lu, Chaoyang District朝阳区亮马桥路50号 燕莎中心写字楼1层S106 (6465 1561/2/3, 6465 1384/28, www.imclinics.com)

Beijing New Century Harmony Pediatric Clinic

> Shunyi, K-01, Building No.19, Harmony Business Centre, Liyuan Street, Tianzhu Town 天竺镇丽苑街荣和 商业中心19号楼K-01 (6456-2599; harmonypeds@ncich. com.cn, www.ncich.com.cn)

Beijing Passion International Medical Center This full-service international clinic provides 24-hr general medical care and a patientcentered attitude. Beijing Passion International Medical Center is equipped with the latest in medical technology and is designed to support the comfort, safety and privacy of patients.

> 24hours, B1/F, Borui Building, 26 Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区东三环北路26号博瑞大厦B1层 6517 7667, www.passion-medical.com

Beijing HarMoniCare Women and Children’s Hospital 北京和美妇儿医院

Vista Medical Center 维世达诊所

OASIS International Hospital OASIS International Hospital specializes in serving the expatriate community with the latest world-class technology and a broad range of services, all in a pristine facility designed to provide patients with the utmost comfort, care and privacy. > Mon-Fri, 8.30am-5.30pm; Sat-Sun, 8.30am-12.30pm; 24 Hour Emergency Bldg C1, 9 Jiuxianqiao Beilu Chaoyang District朝阳区酒仙桥北路9号C1栋 (400 876 2747, 5985-0333, www.oasishealth.cn)

EDUCATION MBA & EMBA Schools BBA at BFSU-SolBridge 北京外国语大学国际商学院

> 19 Xisanhuan Beilu, Haidian District, 海淀区西三 环北路19号 (solbridge.bfsu.edu.cn, 8881 6563/8881 6763/8881 8537)

LEMBA The Leadership EMBA from the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business is a unique learning experience in Beijing.

The program offers world class executive and leadership education from some of the best professors the world has to offer.

Every month one of the professors from the University of Maryland comes to Beijing to instruct the class for 4 consecutive days (Thurs – Sun). The program lasts 18 months; the impact lasts a lifetime.

Email: beijing@rhsmith.umd.edu Tel: 8526 2528/29 Rutgers International Executive MBA

> 5/F China Life Tower, 16 Chaowai Dajie Chaoyang District 朝阳区朝阳门外大街16号中国人寿大厦 (5877 1706, www.rutgersinasia.com)

Mandarin Schools The Frontiers School

> Wi-Fi available. Chaoyang: 2 Xiaoguan Beili, Beiyuan Lu北苑路小关北里甲2号. Tel: 6499-0000. contact@ hmcare.org, en.hmcare.net

Beijing United Family Hospital and Clinics 北京和睦家医院 > Wi-fi internet. Lido, Emergency Room is open 24/7/365, Mon-Fri, 8:30am-5pm.> 2 Jiangtai Road, Chaoyang District, 朝阳区将台路2号. Tel: (10) 5927 7000 / 5927 7120(Emergency Hotline). United Family CBD Clinic和睦家朝外诊所, Mon-Sat, 9:30am-6:30pm.> Suite 3017, Building AB, Vantone Center, 6 Chaowai Street, Chaoyang District, 朝阳区朝阳门外大街6号万通 中心AB座2层3017室. Tel: (10) 5907 1266. Jianguomen Health and Wellness Center和睦家建国门保健中心, Wi-fi internet, Mon-Sun 8:30am-5pm>21 Jianguomen Dajie, B1, The St. Regis Residence, St. Regis Hotel朝阳 区建国门外大街21号北京国际俱乐部饭店. Tel: (10) 8532 1221 / 8532 1678 (Immigration Clinic ). Shunyi Clinic和 睦家顺义诊所Wi-fi internet, Mon-Fri, 9:30am-5:30pm, Sat and Sun, 9:30am-4:30pm.> Pinnacle Plaza, Unit 806, Tian Zhu Real Estate Development Zone, Shunyi District, 顺义区天竺开发区荣祥广场806号,Tel: (10) 8046 5432. Shunyi Dental Clinic顺义牙科诊所, Wi-fi internet, Mon-Sat, 9:30am-7:30pm> Pinnacle Plaza, Unit 818, Tian Zhu Real Estate Development Zone, Shunyi District顺义区天竺开发区荣祥广场818号. Tel: (10) 8046 1102. Liangma Clinic亮马诊所 Wi-fi internet, Mon-Fri, 8:30am-5pm>2nd Floor Grand Summit, 19 Dongfang East Road朝阳区东方东路19号1号楼会所27号 外交人员 公寓B区官舍16号 . Tel: (10) 5927 7005 www.ufh.com. cn, patientservices@ufh.com.cn

Hongkong International Medical Clinic, Beijing 北京港澳国际医务诊所

Dongsishitiao: 9/F, Office Tower, Hongkong Macau Center-Swiss Hotel, 2 Chaoyangmen Bei Dajie朝阳门 北大街2号 港澳中心瑞士酒店办公楼9层; 6553-9752, 6553-2288/2345/6/7; service@hkclinic.com; www. hkclinic.com

International SOS Since 1989, International SOS has been run by globally trained medical professionals and provides medical, security and travel advice, as well as emergency help 24/7. Its alarm centers operate house calls, ambulance and evacuation services, and standard health treatments. Languages spoken include English, German, French, Mandarin, Spanish, Japanese, Italian and Cantonese.

> Suite 105, Wing 1, Kunsha Building, No.16 Xinyuanli, Chaoyang District朝阳区新源里16号琨莎中 心1座105室(6462 9112/ 6462 9100, www.internationalsos.com)

International Schools Beijing BISS International School 北京BISS国际学校

> Building 17, Area 4, Anzhen Xili Chaoyang District 朝 阳区安贞西里4区17楼 (6443 3151 www.biss.com.cn)

Beijing City International School 北京乐成国际学校 Located in Beijing’s Central Business District, Beijing City International School (BCIS) lives by its motto: “Empowering and Inspiring through Challenge and Compassion.” This non-profit, independent co-educational day school offers an international curriculum under the International Baccalaureate (IB) World School system and is authorized to teach all three IB programs (Primary Years, Middle Years, and Diploma Programme). > 77 Baiziwan Nan’er Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区百 子湾南二路77号 (8771 7171 www.bcis.cn)

The International Montessori School of Beijing 北京蒙台梭利国际学校 Founded in 1990, MSB is Beijing’s first fully registered international Montessori school.

The school also boasts an unsurpassed dual Mandarin/English program geared towards helping students achieve fluency in either language from an early age. Curriculum aside, MSB boasts spacious classrooms, a high teacher-student ratio and impressive staff longevity. Tuition: RMB98,000 RMB177,000/year. > Bldg 8, 2A, Xiangjiang Beilu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区香江北路甲2号院8号楼 6432 8228 ext. 800, http:>www.msb.edu.cn, admissions@msb.edu.cn

Beijing World Youth Academy 北京世青国际学校 Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA) is an international school for students of all nationalities ages 6 to 18, offering programs on its campuses conveniently located in Wangjing and Lido. An IB World School since 2001, BWYA values holistic education and seeks to give students ample opportunity to develop as globally-aware critical thinkers.

A wide varity of co-curricular activities are offered to further enrich student life.

Graduates of BWYA have been accepted at prestigious universities around the world.

Age range: 6-18. Tuition: RMB 100,000140,000/year. > Mon-Fri, 8am-4.30pm. 18 Huajiadi Beili, Wangjing, Chaoyang District Inside 94 Middle school 北京市 朝阳区望京花家地北里18号(6461 7787 ext.32, 8454 3478/0649, admissions@ibwya.net, www.ibwya.net)

The British School of Beijing 北京英国学校 The British School of Beijing, established in 2003, has campuses in Shunyi (primary & secondary) and Sanlitun (primary). BSB offers an enhanced English National Curriculum to 1,500 expatriate students, aged 1 to 18, beginning with Early Years Foundation Stage, Primary, Secondary, IGCSE exams in Year 10 and 11 and the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma programme in Year 12 and 13.

Admission & Fees: RMB102,993-246,057.

Contact our Admissions team to arrange a school tour. > Mon-Fri, 8am-4.30pm, South Side, 9 An Hua Street, Shunyi District 顺义区安华街9号南侧(8047 3558, www.britishschool.org.cn, admissions@britishschool. org.cn)

Join the friendly and professional team at Frontiers, who’ve been teaching Mandarin for 11 years. > 3/F, Bldg 30, Dongzhongjie, Dongzhimenwai, Dongcheng 东城区东直门外东中街30号三层 6413 1547, www.frontiers.com.cn, frontiers@frontiers. com.cn)

Beijing Mandarin Language School Established in 1998, Beijing Mandarin School is the city’s top institute for teaching spoken and written Mandarin as a second language.

More than 5,000 students from over 66 countries and more than 80 companies and embassies have successfully learned with us each year.

> Guangming Hotel School: Room 0709, 7/F Guangming Hotel (near the U.S Embassy) 朝阳区光 明饭店7层0709 (8441 8391; info@beijingmandarinschool.com; www.beijingmandarinschool.com; Skype: beijingmandarinschool1998)

Beijing Juncheng Language School 北京君诚语言学校 > 1) Room 208, 1 Panjiapo Hutong, Chaoyangmenwai, Dongcheng District 东城区朝阳门外潘家坡胡同1号 东城区职工大学208办室 (6525 9932/6526 7539) 2) Gucheng Village, 15 Huosha Lu, Houshayu Town, Shunyi District 顺义区后沙峪镇火沙路古城段15号 (8049 0307)

The Bridge School 北京桥汉语言学校 > (The Bridge School Head office)Room 503, 5/F, Guangming Hotel, 42 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区亮马桥路42号光明饭店5层503室 (15321793321 Grettchin)

Canadian International School of Beijing 北京加拿大国际学校 Located in the Third Embassy Quarter of downtown Beijing, the Canadian International School of Beijing (CISB) opened its doors in September 2006. This world-class facility offers an internationally recognized Canadian & IB PYP, IB MYP and IBDP education. The Canadian International School of Beijing develops the whole child in an environmentally sensitive school within a kind, caring community to become a citizen of the world.

> 38 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区亮马桥 路38号 (6465 7788 www.cisb.com.cn)

Harrow International School Beijing 北京哈罗英国学校 www.harrowbeijing.cn Harrow International School Beijing prides itself on its high academic standards, a close-knit school community, a rich extracurricular activity program and the quality of its pastoral care provision. Leadership skills are promoted school-wide, with a range of enrichment activities to help students develop teamwork and creative thinking skills, as well as independence and responsibility. Students graduating from Harrow Beijing have won places at a range of universities across the world including Princeton, Yale, Oxford and Cambridge. > Address: 287, Hegezhuang, Cuigezhuang County, Chaoyang District 朝阳区崔各庄乡何各庄村 287 号 Tel: +8610 6444 8900 Ext. 6900 Fax: +8610 6445 3870 Email: enquiries@harrowbeijing.cn

International School of Beijing 北京顺义国际学校

> www.isb.bj.edu.cn 10 Anhua Lu, Shunyi District 顺义 区安华路10号 (8149 2345)

SIBS Springboard International Blingual School 君城国际双语学院 Springboard International Bilingual School is a place where children, staff and parents work in partnership to enable all their students to realize their full potential. They are offering a stimulating and full international curriculum as well as an exciting after school program, which will include Kung Fu, calligraphy, health and fitness and football. > 15 Gucheng Duan, Huosha Lu, Houshayu Town, Shunyi District 顺义区后沙峪镇火沙路古城段15号 (www.sibs.com.cn, office@sibs.com.cn; 8049 2450)

Western Academy of Beijing 京西国际学校 The Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) is a creative and innovative IB World School built upon a solid foundation of core values and our mission to Connect, Inspire, Challenge; Make a Difference. Our students exemplify these values through their awareness of the world around them, service to others, can-do spirit and commitment to excellence.

WAB graduates are accepted into world-class colleges and universities across the globe.

> 10 Lai Guang Ying Dong Lu, Chao Yang District 阳区来广营东路10号(5986 5588)

朝

Yew Chung International School 耀中国际学校 > Honglingjin Park, 5 Houbalizhuang, Chaoyang District 朝阳区后八里庄5号红领巾公园 (8583 3731 www.ycis-bj.com)

Kindergartens Beanstalk International Bilingual School 青苗国际双语学校 > 1) Kindergarten > 1/F, Tower B, 40 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区亮马桥路40号B座一层 (6466 9255) 2) Primary School > Block 2, Upper East Side, 6 Dongsihuan Beilu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区东四环 北路6号阳光上东二区 (5130 7951) 3) Middle & High School > 38 Nan Shiliju, Chaoyang District 朝阳区南十 里居38号 (8456 6019)

House of Knowledge International Kinde garten (HOK) House of Knowledge International kindergarten (HOK) has locations in both Shunyi and Chaoyang. Both locations offer a Kindergarten program for children aged 10 months to 6 years (Pre-school). Students are treated as competent learners and the school emphasizes critical thinking and collaboration skills, in an environment where children “Lean to Learn”. In additional, the Shunyi location also has a elementary school starting from grade 1 in September 2014.

> 1) Quanfa Gardens Campus: North gate of Quanfa compound, 15 Maquanying, Chaoyang District 朝 阳区马泉营15号泉发花园北门(6431 8452, www. hokschools.com) 2) Victoria Gardens Campus: 15 Chaoyang Gongyuan Xilu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区 朝阳公园西路15号维多利亚花园公寓(6538 2624, www. hokschools.com)

EtonKids International Kindergarten 伊顿国际幼儿园 1) Lido – 6436 7368 www.etonkids.com > Room C103 Lido Country Club, Lido Place Jichang Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区蒋台路机场路丽都广场 2) 6506 4805 3/F, Block D Global Trade Mansion Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区光华路世贸国际公寓D座3 层 3) 8437 1006 Southwest corner of Beichen Xilu and Kehui Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区北辰西路与科 荟路交汇处西南角 4) 8480 5538 Kehui Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing 朝阳区科荟路大屯里社区 5) 6533 6995 Bldg 19, Central Park, 6 Chaowai Dajie Chaoyang District 朝阳区朝外大街6号新城国际19号楼 6) 6539 8967 Palm Springs International Apartments 8 Chaoyang Park Nanlu Chaoyang District 朝阳区朝阳 公园南路8号棕榈泉国际公寓 7) 6749 5008 Bldg 21, Guangqu Jiayuan, Guangqumen- wai, Dongcheng District 东城区广渠门外广渠家园21号楼 8) 8478 0578 Baoxing International Phase 2, Wangjing Chaoyang District 朝阳区望京宝星园国际社区2期 9) 8047 2983 Block 1, Arcadia Villas, Houshayu Shunyi District 顺 义区后沙峪罗马环岛北侧天北路阿凯笛亚庄园1座 10) 5870 6779 20A Xidawang Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区 西大望路甲20号首府社区内

Ivy Schools 艾毅幼儿园

> www.ivyschools.com 1) East Lake Campus (8451 1380/1) C-101, East Lake Villas, 35 Dongzhimenwai Main Street, Dongcheng 东城区东直门外大街35号东 湖别墅C座101室; 2) Ivy Bilingual School 艾毅双语幼儿 园 Ocean Express Campus: (8446 7286/7) Building E, Ocean Express, 2 Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang 朝 阳区东三环北路2号远洋新干线E座 3) Orchid Garden Campus: (8439 7080) Orchid Garden, 18 Xinjin Lu, Cuige Xiang, Chaoyang 朝阳区崔各乡新锦路18号卓锦 万代 4) Wangjing Campus: (5738 9166/1332 110 6167) Kylin Zone, Bldg 11, Fuan Xilu, Wangjing, Chaoyang 朝阳区望京阜安西路11号楼合生麒麟社内 7) Rm106, warehouse4, 653 Waima Lu, by Wangjia Matou Lu (3376 8308) 外马路653号4库106室, 近王家码头路

3e International 北京3e国际学校 > 6437 3344

www.3eik.com, 9-1 Jiangtai Xilu Chaoyang 朝阳区将台 西路9-1号(四德公园旁)

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classifieds Accommodation Ascott Raffles City Beijing Located in Dongzhimen, one of the most vibrant areas, Ascott Raffles City is near the second embassy district, which is rich in cultural heritage and is only a 15 minute drive to The Forbidden City.

Other nearby leisure attractions include Food Street (Gui Jie) and Sanlitun nightlife district. > No.1-2 Dongzhimen South Street Dongcheng District Tel: 8405 3888 Ascott Raffles City Chengdu > No. 3, Section 4, South Renmin Road, Wuhou District, Chengdu 610041, China Post code: 610041 Telephone:(86-28) 6268 2888 Facsimile:(86-28) 6268 2889 GDS Code: AZ Reservations Telephone:400 820 1028 (China toll-free) ;(86-512) 6763 1021 Email:enquiry.china@the-ascott.com Somerset ZhongGuanCun Beijing Somerset ZhongGuanCun is a luxury residence in Beijing that lets you enjoy the cultural depth and elegance of the city while living in the fast developing ZhongGuanCun area, only 15 minutes away from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Village. >No.15 Haidian Zhong Street, Haidian District Tel: 5873 0088 Lusongyuan Hotel A traditional compound of quadrangle composing of 5 courtyards which lies in the "hutong" area of Beijing. The hotel building is famous for its imperial living taste of the Qing Dynasty with a history of nearly 170 years. The original owner of this large private house was the Grand General SenggeRinchen, who lived here while he carried out top official duties, such as defense minister. > Tel: (86 10) 6404 0436 Fax: (86 10) 6403 0418 Address: No.22 Banchang Lane , Kuanjie, Dongcheng District 东城区宽街板厂胡同22号 www.the-silk-road.com E-mail: webmaster@the-silk-road.com Lee Garden Service Apartments A newly renovated high-end premier living residence in a central location next to the shopping and cultural sites of Beijing’s Wangfujing, suites range from studios to 4-bedroom apartments (60-610sqm in size) and are tastefully furnished with specially selected materials. > 18 Jinyu Hutong, Wangfujing, Dongcheng (100m East of Sun Dong An Plaza) 东城区 王府井金鱼胡同18号 (新东安东侧100米); 24hr front desk: 6525 8855, Fax: 6525 8080, general.manager@lgapartment.com, www. lgapartment.com) FraserResidence CBD East Beijing Our location on the Fringe of the CBD with excellent connections to the subway line 1 (Sihui station), BRT Lines (Ciyunsi) and public bus system mean that wherever your intern needs to be in the city, getting there is relatively fuss free!

One bedroom deluxe: RMB16,000 /month Two bedroom Executive: RMB26,000 / month Three bedroom Deluxe: RMB33,000 /month Email: sales.frbeijing@frasershospitality. com > Website: http:>beijing-east frasershospitality.com Tel: 010-58709188 / 400-881-6988 FraserSuite CBD Beijing The ultimate luxury in apartment living, Fraser Suites CBD Beijing epitomizes style and comfort, that surpasses the service level of many Beijing hotels. The 357

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Gold-Standard Beijing apartment features contemporary concepts designed for luxury living. > 12 Jintong Xilu Chaoyang District Beijing Tel: 5908 6000 GTC RESIDENCE BEIJING One of the top residences in Beijing, GTC Residence is located beside the third ring road with 5 minutes’ walk to subway line 5 , 10 minutes’ drive to Hou Hai . It is also within easily reach of CBD, embassy area, Financial Street and other urban commercial,shopping and recreation areas.

Fully equipped apartments with impeccable quality offer you a cozy living system and will meet all of your requirements for room decoration, furniture, electric appliances etc..

Unique sky garden with golf practice field and barbecue area is another symbol of GTC Residence. > E-mail: sales@gtcresidence.com website: www.gtcresidence.com Tel:56756666 Lanson Place Lanson Place Central Park Serviced Residences, located in the Central Business District of Chaoyang, offers spacious apartments in two, three and four bedroom configurations as well as penthouses overlooking a charming landscaped garden.

The interiors are contemporary and restful while marble-clad bathrooms and kitchens are fully equipped. > Website: www.lansonplace.com Lanson Place Central Park Residences Tower 23, Central Park, No.6 Chaoyangmenwai Avenue,Chaoyang District, Beijing Tel: 8588 9588 Fax: 8588 9549 Marriott Executive Apartments Ideally located in the center of Wangfujing area where the prestigious business, commercial, entertainment, and shopping center of Beijing. The Imperial Mansion, Beijing – Marriott Executive Apartments reflects an exceptional level of luxury. > Gate, No. 1 Xiagongfu Street, Dongcheng District Tel: 6564 9999 The Millennium Residences of the Beijing Fortune Plaza The Millennium Residences of the Beijing Fortune Plaza is located in the heart of the Beijing CBD which bears the most momentously potential of development and value elevation. While 25 minutes away from the Beijing International Airport, the Millennium Residences is walking distance from nearly all Embassies. > 7 Dongsanhuan Zhonglu Chaoyang District.

Tel: 8588 2888 Oakwood Residence Beijing Oakwood Residence Beijing offers 406 fully equipped luxury apartments ranging from studios to four bedroom penthouse and terrace apartments, all exquisitely furnished in elegant and stylish decor. Each apartment is fitted with a state-of-the-art air purification and air conditioning system which ensures 99.9% pure, triple filtered air, so you can trust in Oakwood and breathe easy. > No. 8 Dongzhimenwai Xiejie, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100027, China reschaoyang@oakwoodasia.com Website: www.oakwoodasia.com/resbeijing Tel: 5995 2888 Fax: 5995 2999 THE WESTIN EXECUTIVE RESIDENCES The Westin Executive Residences at The Beijing Financial Street offer an array of world-class cuisine options and Westin’s signature amenities designed to elicit personal renewal. Just 40 minutes from the airport, the Westin Executive Residences provides direct access to Beijing’s business, entertainment and shopping district and

东三环中路5号财富金融中心26层 (Servcorp. com.cn; tel: 5775 0310; fax: 5775 0350)

close proximity to cultural landmarks such as The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Each apartment is also fitted with contemporary furnishings, fully equipped kitchens, state-of-the-art appliances, home entertainment system and LCD flat screen televisions. > Email: reservation.beijing@westin.com Website: www.westin.com/beijingfinancial Tel: 6606 8866

• FLEXIBLE OFFICE LEASES FROM 1 DAY TO 1 YEAR • QUICK AND EASY TO SET UP FOR 1-200 PEOPLE • PRICES FROM RMB 180 PER MONTH • FIND MORE ON REGUS.CN

Beauty Services

REGUS BEIJING (15 LOCATIONS)

Black Golden Tanning Salon Sanlitun Branch Grand Opening Black Golden Tanning Salon is the only fivestar China flagship store by Ergoline. As the 2011 model of Ergoline Esprit 770’s, to bring a continuous tanning effect 25% above standard machines with unique aquacool and aroma functions, we provide customers with the safest and most comfortable tanning space. > Open time:11:00-21:00 Sanlitun SOHO Branch Add: 2rd Floor Building 3, Sanlitun SOHO,Chaoyang District Tel: 57853711 Wangjing Branch Add: Room T5 3rd Floor, BOTAI International Building, No. 36 North Guangshun Street, Wangjing, Chaoyang District Website: www.bjtanning.com Tel: 84722855

Regus Sun Dong An Plaza 雷格斯新东安广场 [NEW] 7/F, Tower 2, No. 138, Wangfujing Avenue, Dongcheng District

LA BELLEZA La Belleza means Beauty and Aesthetics in Spanish. Professional hair-designers from Hong Kong ,Korea and China gather here.

LA BELLEZA is the hairdressing salon for you with its pleasant atmosphere, excellent service, and finest products.

New haircut! Good mood! Excellent life!

Add: F4 No.408, Jinbao Place .Jinbao Street No88,Dongcheng District, Beijing, china.

Website: www.labelleza.com.cn Tel: 010 8522 1626 MegaSun Tanning Salon As the only flagship store for this popular German tanning salon, megaSun Tanning will provide for each client the finest sun tanning experience.

Our center has prepared the newest functional 7900 alpha and pureEnergy chamber systems, combined with easyCare optical testers. At megaSun, enjoy our professional UV and tanning services. > 8 Dongdaqiao Road, sShangdu SOHO North Tower, Rm. 2302 Chaoyang District, Beijing Website: www.imegasun.com e-mail: 1019771453@qq.com Sina Weibo: @麦肤堂 Tel: 5900-2236/2238

BUSINESS CENTER Need flexible and affordable ready workspace to enhance your business or register a representative office for your temporary projects in Beijing? We have the perfect solution. Located within a Grade-A building in the popular Lufthansa Business Area, our work-spaces provide you, or your company, with the ideal business identity, and most importantly, come with the most competitive rates to minimize your cost and risks.

Please contact: > Gateway Plaza, Tower A, Suite 16D , NE 3rd Ring Road, Chaoyang 朝阳区东三环北路霞 光里18号佳程广场A座16D T:010-84400606 M:15910782518 Cynthia LU Servcorp Smart businesses understand that flexibility is the future of the workplace. They choose the world's finest Serviced Offices to grow their businesses, run critical projects and give their people flexibility. > Level 26 Fortune Financial Center, 5 Dongsanhuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang 朝阳区

Regus Serviced Office

Regus Beijing Taikang Financial Tower 泰康金融大厦 [NEW] 23/F, No.38 East Third Ring Road, Chaoyang District Regus Beijing China Life Tower 中国人寿大厦中心 5/F, No. 16, Chaoyangmenwai Ave., Chaoyang Distric Regus Beijing China World Tower 3 国贸三期 15/F, No.1 Jianguomenwai Avenue, Chaoyang District Regus Beijing Financial Street Excel Centre 金融街卓著中心 12/F, No.6 Wudinghou Street, Xicheng District Regus Beijing IFC 财源国际中心 10/F IFC East Tower, No.8 Jianguomenwai Avenue, Chaoyang District Regus Beijing Kerry Centre 嘉里中心 11/F, Beijing Kerry Centre North Tower, No.1Guanghua Road, Chaoyang District Regus Beijing Lufthansa Center 燕莎中心 C203, No.50 Liangmaqiao Road, Chaoyang District Regus Beijing NCI Centre新华保险大厦中心 15/F, No.12A Jianguomenwai Ave., Chaoyang District Regus Beijing Pacific Century Place 盈科中心 14/F, No.2A Workers Stadium Road North, Chaoyang District Regus Beijing Prosper Center 世纪财富中心 6/F Tower 2, No.5 Guanghua Road, Chaoyang District Regus Beijing Zhongguancun Metropolis Tower 中关村欧美汇大厦 7/F, No.2 Dongsan Street Zhongguancun Xi Zone, Haidian District Regus Beijing China Central Place 华贸中心 9/F Tower 2, No.79 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District Regus Beijing Parkview Green 侨福芳草地中心 15/F Office Building A, No.9 Dongdaqiao Road, Chaoyang District Regus Beijing China Life – West 中国人寿大厦-西 West, 5/F, No.16 Chao Wai Street, Chaoyang District CSO (Singapore) Beijing Business Center We have 10 years experience in managing serviced offices in the Asia and Pacific region, and our headquarters is in Singapore. CSO Beijing is our first business center in China . We are mainly providing fully renovated and equipped offices to clients for immediate use, and all the serviced offices can be used as incorporation purpose, and we offer

c l a s s ifi e d s maximum flexibility and complete smart office system to help our clients save cost. We also provide virtual offices, meeting room and conference room, video conferencing, incorporation services and many other services.

Add.: Level 6, Sun Palace Building, Taiyanggong, Beijing Ms. Stephanie Yan, Mobile: 18210080591 Email: sales.beijing@corporateso.com Website: www.csochina.cn Tel: 86 10 64697000

Catering Services Aurora Catering An 100% authentic Italian experience whether tasting a mouthful Lasagna or a juicy Carpaccio. Our international team brings to you the authentic freshness and tidbit of an Italian Espresso or a homemade tastiness of a Mozzarella.

We offer a full range of catering and event planning services for all types of business and personal functions that are tailored for you. The best service, at your service.

Contact Jacopo Tomé at 137 1794 0458 jacopo.tome@gptinternational.com Zone de Comfort With our professional service, you can focus 100% on your event at Zone de Comfort, every single assignment is unique for us. Our experience helps us understand your objectives with thorough planning, and of course, exquisite food with elegant presentation.

In the past 5 years, we have handled numerous catering projects covering diplomatic/business functions for embassies, high-end cocktail receptions for luxuries brands, automobiles and monthlong hospitality center services. Find out more from our Website: www.zdc-catering. com

CABLE SERVICES Super IPTV

*Sedan, Van and Bus We, ES-PATS Life Group, also serves with Mandarin, housemaid, Visa, driver, driving license, vehicle registration service.

Tel: 6438 1634, 1350 123 7292, service@ expatslife.com www.expatslife.com Beijing Top Rate Car Rental Service Co., Ltd *Long/Short term leasing *Daily car service *Sifht-seeing car service, Tailor-made car service *Airport-Pick up/Drop off *Sedan (Audi A6, Audi A6L, VWPassat, Accord, Lacross 2.4, Benz MB100, Benz Vito, Hyundai) and Buses *Native drivers with good English *More information please contact Tel:6504 7266/6504 7256 FAx:6504 7256 www.sxsdcar.com Email:car-rental@live.com

CONSULTING SERVICE Harris Corporate Services Ltd Beijing | Shanghai | Guangzhou | Hong Kong Established since 1972 WFOE & Rep. Office Set Up Accounting & Tax Compliance Payroll, HR & Visa Solutions Hong Kong & Offshore Company Registration Hong Kong & China Bank Account Opening Serving all your business needs for investing in China. Call us for a free consultation.

Tel: (86)10-6591 8087 Mobile: 186-019-43718 Email: info.bj@harrissec.com.cn Beijing: Room 2302, E-Tower, No.12 Guanghua Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, PRC. 北京市朝阳区光华路12号数码01大厦2302 室 Shanghai: Suite 904, OOCL Plaza, 841 Yan An Zhong Road, Jing-An District, Shanghai, PRC. 上海市静安区延安中路841号东方海外大厦 904室 Guangzhou: Room D-E, 11/F., Yueyun Building, 3 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou, PRC. 广州市中山二路3号(东山口)粤运大厦11楼 D-E室

Super IPTV offers 130+ English TV Channels in HD quality, These TV channels are delivered into your televsion throuth a set top box via a broadband connection, Much like cable services back home, pick up the remote control and start watching, it's one of the best ways to get your favorite channels including HBO,CNN,BBC,FOX,AXN,E,Star World,F1,EPL ,SETANTA,ESPN,Discovery,Nat Geo...

Website: www.beijingiptv.com Shopping: www.shop.superiptv.com Forum: www.forum.superiptv.com Mobile: 133 716 00100 or 139 1811 9990.

CAR RENTAL SERVICE Beijing First Choice Car Rental Service Co., Ltd We offer short and long term vehicle leasing services for both business and sightseeing. Our commpany could provide the latest elite, high-end vehicles such as Mercedes Benz S300, BMW S5 and more!

Contact our friendly representatives for more information.

Tel: 138 1015 6525/6434 0778 www.fccars.cn fccars@live.cn Beijing TOP-A Vehicle Service Co., Ltd Beijing Top-A Vehicle Service provides: *English -speaking driver *Long-short term leasing *Airport-Pick up/Drop off

Hong Kong: 7/F., Hong Kong Trade Centre, 161-167 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong. 香港德辅道中161-167号香港贸易中心7楼 Legalmall.net Are you a foreign company wanting to obtain reliable information about your Chinese partner? LegalMall is a leading Company Search service provider made for you! Basic and Comprehensive Company Search reports, free legal counselling, Sourcing Bundle and much more at a very competitive price. www.legalmall.net Beijing Office-TMF Group In order to enable clients benefit from the increasing globalization of the worlds economy, TMF Group offers a comprehensive range of corporate administrative outsourcing services in 67 counties across the globe. With a genuine global network and qualified staff, TMF group provides an array of accounting, corporate secretarial and HR administrative outsourcing services. > Colin.Zhang@TMF-group.com Website: www.tmf-group.com CCTV Tower and Kerry Centre Suite 3107, Tower A Beijing Fortune Plaza,7 Dongsanhuan Zhong Road, Chaoyang District Tel: 65330533-860

FURNITURE Crossover Crossover Center Flagship Store, is mainly

marketing international super home furnishing brand products.

Our agent brands include Poltrona Frau, Cassina, Fritz Hansen, Moroso, Cappellini, Timothy Oulton, Tom Dixon etc, over 20 international super home furnishing brands.

Our products are covered with all of fields in daily-life home furnishing, including furniture, furnishing, lighting, dinning, and office supplies etc.

Website: www.crossovercenter.com NO.81 North Road San-Li-Tun Bar St. ChaoYang District.Beijing.100027,P.R.C. Tel: 5208 6112/6113 Fax: 8610-5208 6123

HEALTH FOODS E & L Healthy E & L Healthy provides safe and fresh vegetables of your choice up to twice a week (Monday/Thursday) together with fresh, handmade tofu, sesame oil, peanut oil or free-range eggs direct to your home.

Call Ellen to try our free trial box at 189 1178 0063, or email: customer@ ailinhesheng.com

HOUSEKEEPING JNY Home Service JNY Home Service was established in 2007, supplying foreign families with English speaking/non-English Speaking nannies(maids), either daily or live-in.

As a part of our service,we make sure all references and ID cards are thoroughly checked to guarantee the safety and health of your family.

Email : jieniyou@hotmail.com Mobile: 13426362833(24h) Beijing EX-PATS Service Healty, reliable, experienced, Englishspeaking housemaid/ nanny. Free agency and 24- hour English service. Medical and Accident insurrance covered. EXPATS Life Group also serves with Mandarin, car leasing, English-speaking driver, Chinese driving license, vehicle registration. service@expatslife.com Website: www.expatslife.com Tel: 64381634 Mobile: 13501237292

Storage China Self Storage Co. Ltd As a member of SSA and SSAUK, China Self Storage Co. Ltd. introduces an international industry standard to professionally developed Self Storage for private, family and business. Safe, clean, air-conditioned, 24h access, flexible size. To learn more, visit www.selfstorageinchina.com. To make a reservation, contact 400-600-6378 info@ selfstorageinchina.com.

Jin’an Building, Tianzhu Garden West Rd., Shunyi District, Beijing.

China. Founded in 1997, we are specialized in tailor making travel packages that allow travellers to truly experience the local cultures and explore the amazing heritages. Whether you are a small group of 2-9 persons or a corporate group, our professional staff will tailor make the tour programme based on your needs.

Email: travel@the-silk-road.com www.the-silk-road.com TUI China An affiliate of World of TUI, the world’s leading tourism group, TUI China was established in late 2003 as the first joint venture with foreign majority share in the Chinese tourism industry. Its headquarters are in Beijing whilst its operations reach deep into the far corners of China. World of TUI generated approx.50,000 predominantly western tourists to China yearly and provides M.I.C.E services for renowned companies worldwide. > Add: Bright China Chang An Building, Tower 2, Unit 921-926, 7 Jianguomen Nei Avenue (Fax: +86 (0)10 6517 1371; Email: sales@tui.cn; Website: www.tui.cn; Tel: 8519 8800

Real Estate Agents JOANNA REAL ESTATE RELOCATION SERVICE We are one of China’s leading real estate agencies boasting an extensive database of high-end properties for rent. We have helped thousands of expatriates find their homes as well as hundreds of companies re-locate their employees. Once we have found you your ideal home we will be on hand to deal with any post move issues and our dedicated after sales team will be contactable 7 days a week to help you with any queries you have throughout your stay in our country. > For more information please contact us: Email: paulquin@joannarealestate.com.cn Website: http:>beijing.joannarealestate. com.cn/ (Tel: 84585667 ; 13501358971) Replus-Benchmark “Replus-Benchmark” is one of the leading real estate agencies and relocation service provider for expatriates in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shenzhen.

• Residential Home Search Service • Visa Application • Commercial Office Space Search Service • Buying and Selling Property Service E-mail: marketing@replus-benchmark.com Website: www.replus-benchmark.com > A-1509,Xiaoyun Center, No.15 of Xiaoyun Road, Chaoyang District Beijing Tel: 84467119 Fax: 84467577

Koala Ministorage Koala Ministorage is the first professional self-storage provider in Beijing. To learn more, visit our website www.koalaministorage.com. To make a reservation, call us toll free at 400-017-8889, email us at questions@koalaministorage.com, or visit one of our stores.

TRAVEL SERVICES Beijing Trans-World Air Service Co.Ltd. Established in February 2005 and approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, we are an aggregator of international and domestic air, global hotel reservations and big business travel.

With sales rankings in the top ten and having earned the title of major proxies of worldwide airlines, we are well-known for our top-notch service. We offer online booking, hotel inquiry and reservations and a varity of travel-related services. > G8, First Floor, China Resources Building, 8 Jianguomenbei Avenue, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国门北大街8号华润大厦一层G8 tel: 8519 2468/2469/2470/2471/2472; fax: 6518 2589; renwoxing26@viptkt.com; www.viptkt.com; WeChat: twas08314854

Businesses!

Promote your services to thousands of people each month on our classifieds pages.

For more details and special packages please e-mail bjadvertising@ urbanatomy.com

Silk Road Travel Management Ltd. Silk Road Travel is a pioneer in organizing Silk Road tours and other classic routes in

w w w.t h at s m a g s . c o m | m ay 2 0 1 5 | 7 9

s por t s | runn i n g

Have Running Shoes, Will Travel The Best – and Worst – Chinese Marathons

by L a c ey Ka n g

I

t’s nearing summer and you need a fitness goal to keep your training plan on track. Yes, it’s time you signed up for a marathon. It doesn’t matter if you’re a first-time runner or a seasoned veteran, there’s nothing quite like the fear of a punishing longdistance run to keep you from sleeping through your alarm call and missing out on

that early morning run.

With China undergoing something of an explosion in long-distance competitions, there’s more race options available than ever before. From rugged mountain ultras to scenic ocean runs, there’s something for everybody and every level of fitness.

The question is, which race should you opt for? We caught up with some of the runners over at HeyRunning! to get the

low-down on the best of this season’s top competitions – and which events to avoid.

That’s Beijing is proud media partner of HeyRunning.

Join a session on Monday evenings, Wedesday evenings, Sunday mornings – or all three. It costs RMB30 for each individual session. Go online at www.heyrobics.com/heyrunning for membership pricing information. Follow HeyRunning on WeChat, username: HeyRunning. All levels welcome!

May 31

May 31

jun 13

juL 19

Port of Dandong Yalu River International Marathon

Qinhuangdao International Marathon

Lanzhou International Marathon

Genghis Khan MTB Adventure & Grasslan Marathon

“Close enough to North Korea that you can actually see the military guards on the other side of the river. Popular with sailors, dockers and port authority workers.”

“The winner takes home 40 thousand dollars US, according to Xinhua. Expect a lot of professional Kenyan runners.

Gets extra points for proximity to the beach,”

“One of China’s 14 government certified ‘Marathon Golden Medal Races,’ so will have, at a minimum, water stations and timing chips. Probably get a nice free race T-shirt too.”

“Massively popular, one of the very best races out there.

Amazing running environment, top-level organization, great post run party vibe. Register early before it sells out.”

jul 19

sep 26

oct 18

nov 6

Zhang jiakou Kangbao Grassland International

Yunnan shuifu Half Marathon

Beijing International Marathon

Qiandongnan International 100KM Ultra Challeng e

“Potential home of the 2022 Winter Olympics. Likely to be a pretty well put together race this year. Within easy reach of Beijing too.”

“Apparently there was an 80-year-old runner competing last year. That said, it’s pretty rugged and undeveloped out there. One for the purists.”

“Like running on Mars if the PM2.5 is high. The route is pretty lame too. But being that it’s Beijing, it’s hard to say no.

Hometown pride! ”

“Possibly the best long distance race in Asia, impeccably organized, stunning mountain scenery and very friendly locals”

8 0 | m ay 2 0 1 5 | w w w.t h at s m a g s . c o m

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