That's Beijing - August 2016

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AUGUST 2016

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 总编辑 Editor in Chief 慈爱民 Ci Aimin 期刊部负责人 Supervisor of Magazine Department 邓锦辉 Deng Jinhui 编辑 Editor 李靥 Li Ye 发行 / 市场 Distribution / Marketing 黄静，李若琳 Huang Jing, Li Ruolin

Editor-in-Chief Oscar Holland Food & Drink Editor Noelle Mateer Staff Reporter Dominique Wong National Arts Editor Andrew Chin Digital Content Editor Justine Lopez Designers Li Xiaoran, Iris Wang Staff Photographer Holly Li Contributors Mia Li, Zoey Zha, Virginia Werner, Jens Bakker, Dominic Ngai, Tongfei Zhang, Nick Mateer, Simon Clode, Emma Huang

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EDITOR’S NOTE AUGUST

DEALS

We're giving away tickets to some of the very best Beijing

EVERY NOW AND THEN, WE ARE FORCED TO TAKE STOCK OF HOW

we ended up at a certain juncture in life. These mini existential crises usually strike while I’m on a toilet in some far-flung corner of China (too much time to think). But my latest what-the-fuck-am-I-doinghere moment was more pleasant, and took place in the middle of the Bohai Sea on the world’s fourth-largest luxury cruise ship with Fan Bingbing, China’s most famous woman. You can read about why I was there on page 36.

The ease with which one is thrown into surreal circumstances is, for me, what makes traveling so addictive. I say this in a general sense, but it proves particularly true in China.

Don’t get me wrong, travel here can be unbearable. I speak for anyone who has been forced off a bus to tour a jade factory. But at the risk of skirting too close to cliche, this country is old, diverse and exceptionally large. You’ve got to try pretty hard not to find adventure here.

So this month, in addition to my dispatch from the Bohai, we’ve brought together a short collection of travel writing (from page 34) featuring stories from the North Korean border, a Gansu house cave and more. If your summer won’t take you beyond the 6th Ring Road, then let this provide some vicarious wonderment.

Elsewhere in the magazine, Dominique Wong meets the women upending the patriarchy of Beijing’s comedy scene (page 10); Andrew Chin speaks to Kevin Barnes, frontman of the enigmatic Of Montreal (page 28); and Noelle Mateer brings you her characteristically shrewd take on the month’s restaurant and bar openings (from page 46).

parties, openings, shows and talks all month, alongside free meals, drinks, discounts and giveaways. All you have to do is scan the QR code below, follow us on WeChat and keep an eye out for your chance to win. You'll get some other great stuff on your phone too.

Oscar Holland Editor-in-Chief FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

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QUOTE OF THE ISSUE

“Our album Club Zvkvnft follows a highly advanced cyborg looking for humanity and the ability to groove” Duck Fight Goose’s frontman breaks down the band’s latest disc, page 30

6 CIT Y

8 A SINKING FEELING Beijing’s buildings are, quite literally, going under

9 A WORLD OF ITS OWN An architectual verdict on Beijing’s World Financial Centre 15 URBAN DICTIONARY In Chinese slang, a ‘spare tire’ is more than just a car part

9

16 LIFE & ST YLE

1 7 CHECK M AT E Is ‘Mate Mate’ energy drink the next Red Bull?

1 8 TA K E A DIP Swimsuits to wear to the pool… or to the next hutong flood 20 SCENE & HEARD Our take on this month’s hottest shop openings

20

26 AR TS

26 SUPERHERO DUO British DJs Mak and Pasteman discuss their superpowers

30 OF SYNTH AND MAN Duck Fight Goose and their videogame-inspired album 32 B OUR NE A S TA R Matthew Bourne OBE on his Sleeping Beauty adaptation

32

4 6 E AT & D R I N K 46 BAIJIU COFFEE We try Pacific Coffee’s Huadiao Mocha so you don’t have to 50 MIFA N OR M A FA N Is the rice worth the hassle at these new openings?

52 PRET T Y AS A PICTURE These Sanlitun desserts don’t taste nearly as good as they look 4 | A U G U E S T 2 0 1 6 | W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M

52

THE WRAP 10 COMEDIC RELIEF

Women are gaining ground in China’s traditionally male stand-up comedy scene

3 4 T R A I N S , P L A N E S A N D A F LY I N G PIGEON China stories from the path less traveled

28 NOT FROM CANADA Of Montreal’s frontman gears up for Beijing

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CITY TH E B U Z Z

WAT E R YO U D O I N G A Changping resident wades through muddy waters after torrential rain resulted in flooding last month.

RANDOM NUMBER

750

… is the maximum distance, in meters, that any spot in downtown Beijing should be from the closest subway station, according to the city’s 13th Five-Year Plan on Transportation Development. The daily volume of passengers taking public transportation (buses and the subway; per journey) is projected to rise from the current 21.6 million to 30.5 million by 2020. In addition, it is hoped than the ‘Internet+’ initiative will encourage industries to focus more on Internet finance and e-commerce, thus allowing more people to work from home rather than relying on roads and public transport.

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Q U OT E O F T H E M O N T H

“We had never heard of this place before we found out Lianjia was using the park’s good reputation to sell the property” … said a spokesperson from the Fragrant Hills Park management office after a for-sale building was described by real estate company Lianjia as “the residence where the last royal of the Qing dynasty stayed to avoid summer heat in Beijing.” The mansion, which is located close to – but not in – Fragrant Hills Park was priced at RMB138 million. However, according to comments made by the Beijing Administration of Cultural Heritage to the website Sixth Tone, the house was built in the last few years, not during the Qing dynasty (as claimed by Lianjia).

Ed i t e d by D o m i n i q u e Wo n g /

B R OW N H AW K D OW N

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

AS K A L AO B E I J I N G We met Li, 63, as she shopped in Zhongguancun

Three protected brown hawk-owl nestlings have gone missing from a tree at the Summer Palace, according to Beijing News. Several months ago, bird protection volunteer Tian spotted two of the birds, noting that the pair had three chicks. Due to the birds’ popularity, groundstaff set up a cordon and ‘do not disturb’ posters, but last month the birds (and the cordon) disappeared.

According to lawyer Han Xiao, the brown hawk-owl is an endangered animal in China, and those who illegally hunt or kill six or more birds face a five- to ten-year prison term. Forest police in Haidian district are investigating the case.

SW I M M I N G P O O - L

Recent tests reveal that the water quality at some of Beijing’s swimming pools and water parks fails to meet minimum standards. The findings are believed to be the result of poor maintenance practices and owners’ cornercutting. According to the deputy chief of the ‘public places’ section at Beijing Health Inspection, excessive amounts of urine and low levels of chlorine are commonly found in outdoor swimming pools. Not using the correct amount of chlorine – which disinfects swimming water – can cause an increase in disease-spreading pathogenic microorganisms. Luckily, some 100 pools around Beijing allow patrons to check the water quality by scanning a QR code.

Swimmers can call the hotline 12320 to lodge complaints.

How do you feel about the city's plan to offer elderly people money to move out of Beijing?

“Old people can be divided into three groups. The first group consists of those who have just retired. They lead an active life and are still productive. The second group consists of people over 70, most of whom can still take care of themselves. The last group includes sick or disabled seniors who, comparatively speaking, are in the worst condition. It is their families – their kids – who should look after them.

The state fails to take into consideration the real needs of elderly people. They don’t want money and they don’t want to go to care homes. I’m old myself, and I have seen some of the care homes and their poor conditions.

Old people need families and kinship, otherwise they’ll get lonely. Their kids are too busy to talk, while their grandchildren are even more distant – who knows what they are thinking about with all their phones, computers and books?

So why would anyone want to go to a care home in Tianjin, even if the authorities pay for it? There is no family; no company! Big cities like Beijing and Tianjin are different from villages, which have tighter communities.

I have seen on TV how old people live in village care homes. They eat and play together – it is like a commune.

In cities like Beijing, it’s different. But you cannot just put old people away.

Also sickness is inevitably a major part of old people’s lives. So apart from families, another thing we really need is good healthcare. What would happen if we moved to a care home in a small town and got sick? Are there any assurances that people can get access to good hospitals?

Let’s talk practically. The state offers to pay for care homes but what kind of care homes? If they are too shabby, no one will want to go; but if they’re too luxurious, the state won’t be able to afford them. Have they really considered the money issue? It all comes down to economics really.”

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CI T Y | TA LES

TALES OF THE CITY CRITICAL SINKING

by Ju s t i n e L o p e z

Not a month goes by without news about how unlivable Beijing is. But could it be that, on top of everything else, our city is sinking too?

New data gathered from satellite imagery shows that certain areas of Beijing are sinking by 11 centimeters (roughly four inches) every year. While it may not seem like a substantial amount, the researchers who conducted the study claim that it could pose a threat to a megacity like Beijing, especially in regards to infrastructure such as buildings and railways.

The study uses InSAR, a radar that examines elevation fluctuation changes on land. Data concluded that while all of Beijing is technically sinking, the rate at which Chaoyang (especially the CBD) is subsiding is particularly concerning. The culprit is the excessive pumping of groundwater that 8 | A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 | W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M

is occurring across the city. According to researchers, this has been exacerbated by rapid urban development, which involves a vast number of skyscrapers and highways.

Beijing is located on a dry plain, which means groundwater has been gathering below the land for thousands of years.

Drained by tens of thousands of wells located around the capital, the water is subsequently used for agriculture and consumption. But, as water is pumped and the ‘water table’ (the level below which the ground is saturated with water) falls, the soil subsides.

While the average Beijing dweller may not consciously notice the damage, it is enough to place the capital as the fifth most waterstressed city in the world. Residents in other Chinese cities ought to take note: More than 50 other cities in China are known to

suffer from the same problem. For example, Shanghai has sunk by about 1.8 meters since 1921.

In recent years, efforts have been made to reduce the amount of water pumped in Beijing. Last year, Chaoyang authorities released a plan to shut down over 300 wells.

At the same time, a project to build 2,400 kilometers of canals was launched in an effort to divert massive amounts of water to Beijing.

According to experts there is still no information on whether or not the canal system will help with Beijing’s sinking problem. We can only hope so. Because with little sign of the city’s urban expansion letting up, and as the demand for large supplies of water increases, this “severe geohazard” may yet worsen.

ON THE BLOCK | CIT Y

WORLD FINANCIAL CENTRE, GUOMAO

New guidelines on urban planning will forbid the construction of “bizarre” and “odd-shaped” buildings that are devoid of character or cultural heritage.

In our new feature, we gather opinions on some of the unusual architecture that remains, from both an architectural and civilian viewpoint.

The Building Found in the CBD, adjacent to the east Third Ring Road, the Beijing World Financial Centre (WFC) was designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects and completed in 2009. The structure houses office and retail space, comprising a pair of 22-story towers connected by a glass atrium. A metaphorical ‘jewel’ in the Guomao tower-scape (the towers were conceived as two ‘jewelry boxes’), WFC was designed as the first environmentally sustainable Grade A office building in Beijing, due in part to its insulated wall frame and gray-water (sink and tub water) recycling systems.

The Residents’ View Tina, a barista in one of WFC’s cafes, says: “It’s OK but lacks personality, especially compared to CCTV and the SOHO buildings, for example.” According to a couple of workers handing out duck-shaped soap across the road at Fortune Financial Center: “[WFC] is very nice [but] it is similar to other buildings and isn’t particularly unique.”

The Architect’s View Design director at Office AIO, Tim Kwan, muses: “The ‘jewel’ idea may be an overused concept but it was perhaps less common back then. It is still liked by many Chinese owners today.

“The highly reflective monolithic facade features large, simple triangulation to mimic facets on a jewel. The translation of such a ‘poetic’ idea might be too literal for designers or critics, but it hasn’t been overdone, allowing the building to remain Grade A efficient, and is aesthetically functional by breaking down the otherwise heavy structural mass.”

Regarding the building’s relevance, Kwan notes: “WFC may have been considered a tall building when it was first completed but, although new and taller towers have dwarfed WFC over time, it remains an elegant and effective piece of architecture. In clear days, at the right time, it dissolves into its environment, thanks to its mirror-like facade.” DW

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CI T Y | FE AT URE

Meet Beijing‘s Female Comedians Breaking Bad in a Male-Dominated Scene Words by Dominique Wong Images by Holly Li

FE AT URE | CI T Y

THE FOLLOWING IS A CONVERSATION I OVERHEAR IN A BAR before a comedy night in Beijing.

Male comedian: I’m Kei [pronounced ‘K’].

Female audience member: I’m L. Male comedian: Huh, we both have weird initial names.

Female audience member: Oh, no, my name’s Lexi. I thought we were doing a little thing.

Her response is funnier than any of the material performed on stage that night. Yet in Beijing’s – and everywhere else's – traditionally patriarchal comedy scene, it still seems that it's the men outnumbering women on stage.

“Performing comedy is a matter of not giving a fuck,” says teacherby-day, comedian-by-night Kyrie Gray, in between referencing Amy Schumer and the open mic comedy scene in Beijing.

Gray and I are ‘sipping tea’ in a hutong cafe – which, for those unaware, means we are engaging in some high-quality discourse. The topic is female comics in China and Gray is offering advice.

“When you’re on stage you have to be very confident. Like, trust me on this guys,” she says. “You can’t appear uncomfortable because then [the audience] becomes uncomfortable.”

The Portland transplant has been a member of Beijing’s Englishlanguage stand-up scene since its early days in 2013. It was during this time that several disconnected groups joined to form premier comedy clubs. As such, Gray has seen it – and them – all. “A small handful of people have been [performing] here for a long time [but] it’s still primarily white males. And that’s true all over the world.”

She’s right. If an international comedy ‘hall of fame’ existed, it would consist primarily of white dudes: George Carlin, Louis C.K., Mitch Hedberg, Woody Allen, Ricky Gervais, and... you get the point.

In Beijing’s English-language scene specifically, Gray attributes the White Dude Phenomenon to the demography of the English-speaking community. “The easiest jobs to get here are if you’re white,” she offers.

“The guy comedians here are very close friends. It’s not sexist,” she adds. “They’re not slapping our asses backstage and saying ‘make me a sandwich.’ But I think we just need more women to come and do it and then there’ll be more of a female support network.”

Getting on stage is hard enough but that may be the easiest part.

As Gray states: “[Comedian] Tina Fey recently did an interview in Elle where she said it’s a terrible time for women in comedy because, as a woman, you have to do really, really well to get the same attention as guys who can be kind of shit. It’s just a fact. You have to step it up when you’re doing comedy.

“It’s sad for now. But eventually [female comedians] will be the new normal.”

Gray is working hard to make this happen. Earlier this year she founded an all-female improv group called Beijing Broads. Made up of women from a mix of backgrounds, the group performs every other week.

“I saw there was a need,” Gray explains. “Beijing Broads is a way to showcase feminist humor and strong females. We can build whatever character [we want] or play men. It’s nice not having that pressure W W WW. TWHWA .TTSHMAAT G SS M .ACGOSM. C|OAMU G | U M SA YT 2 0 1 6 | 1 1

Guys are being judged on whether they’re funny or not, whereas girls are still being judged on whether they’re pretty or not

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FE AT URE | CI T Y

where you feel like you have to play the romantic lead. We can make period jokes and not make anyone uncomfortable.”

It shouldn’t be a big deal, but it is. “We are still a minority here,” Gray reiterates. “And we have a specific point of view.”

The group has performed a handful of times but are already a hit with audiences. And while they're currently on summer break, there are plenty of other shows happening around the city. These include open mics, showcase and improv events – in English and Chinese – at venues such as The Bookworm, Cheers, 69 Café and Paddy O’Shea’s.

And of course, there’s the ever-popular Hot Cat Club open mic, hosted by Comedy Club China (CCC).

I check out one of their Wednesday night shows on Fangjia Hutong and find Hot Cat buzzing as a mix of young and old, expat and local, anticipate two hours of open mic stand-up, beers in hand.

Jennifer Hsiung performs second. She appears selfassured, cracking jokes about the host and impersonating a Spanish pilot. She has a background in acting and media, and it shows.

But performing at Hot Cat can be difficult, as Hsiung tells me later: “It’s different to other open mics in that it actually feels like everyone is gathered there to watch a rock band. It feels like a show, when really it’s an open mic. There’s freakin’ spotlights shining on you, you’re on an elevated stage and there’s a bunch of people in the crowd you can’t see, so the pressure of performing is two-fold.”

Apart from Hsiung, there are two other female performers that night. That’s out of 15, though. The crowd cheers when a male Chinese comedian takes to the stage (chanting his name: "Guo! Guo! Guo!"), but where are the female Chinese comedians? I wonder.

“Some Chinese local girls are pretty funny too. It’s just the language barrier – English being their second language,” Hsiung explains. “I was intimidated when I first came [to Hot Cat]. So, for a local girl to get up there, it’s especially intimidating.”

But there are exceptions.

Enter Mia Li. Before we meet she mistakes me for a guy (“I asked that man in the blue shirt if he was ‘Dom’ [laughs]”) but this is fine because – apart from the fact that my name is gender-neutral – she is very, very funny.

Li is from Shandong but speaks English in an American accent, due to hours of YouTube-watching in the pre-Firewall days. She is a pioneer of the standup scene, helping form CCC in 2013 (“I call myself one of the founding members”).

Her sets can be found on YouTube, where she uses wordplay and pokes fun at her Chinese heritage. For Li, comedy and life are one and the same: “It’s a coping mechanism. Because whatever misery I’m in, I can just laugh. That’s the only way for me to deal with it.”

Li performs in English but is well aware of the

Chinese stand-up scene, of which she is both effusive (“They're really good. When I go to their shows, I’m always so impressed”) and critical, noting: “One thing that bothers me a lot, is that guys are being judged on whether they’re funny or not, whereas girls are still being judged on whether they’re pretty or not.”

She shares an example of a Chinese show’s promotion material advertising its line up as including, “two beautiful women.”

“These are professional stage actors – one with a Peking opera background – yet they’re still trying to sell how pretty the girls are instead of how funny,” Li says incredulously.

It’s complicated, admits professional Chinese comedian Jeff Shi. He explains: “A major point that comedians use is saying something against themselves or their own appearance in general. Performing on stage, you have to have the same ideology as your audience in order to create a connection. If a very beautiful girl gets on stage and starts talking shit about herself, the Chinese audience will think, ‘wow, this girl is crazy.’

“I’m not necessarily talking about ‘beauty’ as in appearance. It’s about social standards or behavior – a ‘well-behaved’ female is not funny in Chinese comedy.”

So, what is funny? The Lunar New Year Gala in 2015 was reportedly the most-watched TV show in the world. The annual show heralds the New Year with skits and songs celebrating elements of Chinese culture. But in 2015, the show attracted additional attention for its “poisonous” spoofs degrading women.

It’s hard to believe that sketches comparing unmarried ‘manly women’ and ‘goddesses’ (as the Gala’s did) can pass on national television in this modern age, and indeed there was uproar from viewers resulting in a petition for the show to be taken off the air.

“Of course this way of thinking is sexist,” Shi says.

“I think it will change gradually. But it’s up to comedians [and writers] to change these ideas. [Comedian] Joe Wong and I are creating several female comedian parts. We really need more women working with us.

We welcome them.”

Shi recently performed at 69 Café with two other male comics. The show was a hit, with the mostly Chinese audience bursting into laughter with every joke. Host Xiaolu introduced each act, creating her own laughs in between.

Xiaolu has been performing stand-up comedy for the past two years and enjoys hosting, even if it’s for a lineup of males, she says. “I feel good. It’s very interesting because the audience can find out the differences between men and women [comedians]. I like to make jokes about the guys [I host].”

The lawyer is also a formidable comic in her own right, name-checked by Shi as one of the best. “I’m more popular than [the guys],” she laughs, before

Previous page | Kyrie Gray (left) and Mia Li (right) show their funny sides Opposite page | Xiaolu hosts a comedy showcase at 69 Café (top); Jennifer Hsiung, Lauren David and Rebecca Victor perform stand-up at an open mic night (counter-clockwise from bottom left)

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CI T Y | FE AT URE

adding seriously, “This is not a joke.”

Yet Xiaolu admits experiencing double standards while performing (although in the opposite sense of those sentiments expressed by Gray earlier), saying: “It’s easier to be a female comedian because the audience doesn’t expect a really good set. If you can give one, they’ll think you are fantastic.”

Another Chinese female comedian navigating the Chinese stand-up scene is Cai Yilin. Like Xiaolu, Cai has spent the past two years working the stand-up crowd, although recently less so.

“This year it’s been hard,” she admits. “I don’t know what else to talk about. Before, a lot of my material revolved around me being single, but now I have a boyfriend. This topic is very common, especially in Chinese stand-up, but it’s too easy and that’s why I stopped. I think the jokes are getting boring.”

Cai echoes Shi’s previous thought regarding accountability. “I think female comedians restrict their own material into certain fields. I’ve never been treated unequally. As comedians we have the responsibility to break down the stereotypes but right now I think we are reinforcing them, so it’s not good.”

With the right material, Cai loves performing, as

“it’s kind of like therapy.” She views stand-up as an emerging branch in Chinese comedy, the foundation being crosstalk, a traditional Chinese comedic performance. Whereas stand-up is a solo affair, crosstalk typically involves a dialogue between two performers, packed with innuendos and allusions, and often to music.

Crosstalk has been around since the mid-1800s whereas stand-up is a relatively new import. Cai says: “Stand-up is getting more popular in China but the audience is still very small. Most of my friends didn’t know about it before I told them because it’s a Western form of performance.

“Crosstalk is scripted and the scripts can be used for a very long time. When I watch crosstalk shows I don’t feel a connection with the performers.

Whereas when I first started doing stand-up, the shows were like AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meetings,” she laughs.

Although many shows and writers, including Shi, are on the hunt for more female writers, Cai isn’t moved. She says pragmatically: “Being a full-time comedian would be very stressful. I don’t want to turn my hobby into something that I hate.” █

Disclaimer: Mia Li contributes a monthly feature to That’s

Beijing , titled ‘Chinese Urban Dictionary.’

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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

建外 SOHO 店 JIANWAI SOHO STORE

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

Being single is a very common topic, especially in Chinese stand-up, but it’s too easy

CHINESE URBAN DICTIONARY | CIT Y

Beitai / Bèitāi / 备胎 n. a spare tire; a fallback guy/girl

Jia Jia asked me out again! Our last date was two months ago.

Two months? What has he been up to this whole time?

He said he was out of town.

Which town has no phones?

You are such a beitai.

One of the first lessons you hear when learning to drive is always have a spare tire. And just like road conditions, love is an unpredictable and fickle affair. You can’t put all your eggs in one basket. Despite your best efforts, love can blow up in front of your eyes – which is exactly when you need that spare tire (beitai) to step in.

A beitai meets all of your standards but doesn’t exceed them, so you decide to string them along because… well what if you can’t find anyone better? You see them once every few weeks. You WeChat them once in a while when you have some downtime, just to keep them on the hook. You see them when they show signs of slipping away.

Just like a spare tire, the beitai barely needs any maintenance. In the meantime, you are at the wheel hunting for – or working on – something better.

It is unclear how many beitai one can reasonably maintain at any given moment. Some are known to keep dozens simultaneously. (It’s uncertain whether that would make you a really responsible driver or a really bad one.) Some even see the number of beitai as a status symbol; testament to one’s allure. And competitive beitai stacking is not unheard of.

But how to know when you’re the beitai? Chinese social media is filled with anxiety-inducing headlines such as ‘11 signs that you’re the beitai’ and ‘How to elevate your beitai status into the real deal.’ The short answer is: If he or she is willing to go out with you but only does so occasionally, or goes MIA for ages but still checks in once in a while, chances are that you are the beitai.

(Also note: a ‘lifting jack’ is someone who helps the beitai step in and a ‘nail gun’ is someone who gets rid of the tire. As car ownership grows rapidly in China, expect more metaphors!)

As for how to progress from beitai to the real tire? Well, it can’t be done.

Because once the owner buys a new tire, the beitai goes right back in the truck.

By day, Mia Li is a news reporter in Beijing; at night, she tries to turn that news into standup comedy.

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LIFE & STYLE S T Y L E RADAR

S P OT L I G H T

Valery Vauban-de-Montaudon, actor and founder of Pootsh

— So, what does ‘Pootsh’ mean?

The idea was to have a multilingual name for the brand, and using a sound appeared to be the best way for everyone to understand. We also wanted the pronunciation to fit with our quirky products, so saying the name out loud would bring a smile to your face. That’s how we came up with Pootsh, which is inspired by the Chinese term puchi – the sound someone makes when they are trying not to laugh at inappropriate occasions.

— What’s the inspiration behind Pootsh? And why cushions?

I have a passion for homeware and I used to work as an art dealer. I always appreciate different styles of decoration when visiting someone’s home. A couple of years ago, I was looking to do something in my spare time in addition to acting. I was influenced by images of food and everyday items and 1 6 | A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 | W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M

wanted to turn them into quirky cushions – an idea that came from a strange dream I had, a long time ago, where everything around me came to life under a magical spell.

— How do you choose which food items or animals to turn into cushions?

Which ones are the most popular?

I just follow my crazy mind. Pootsh is a huge playground where we can have fun with ideas. The most popular ones are the animals, as well as the seafood products like Bubba Gump the shrimp. Each Pootsh cushion comes with a humorous or suggestive message at the back. For example, Sargo the exotic fish comes with the line, “Hook me, cook me,” and it’s one of my favorites.

— In China, you’re better known by your stage name Guo Feilong. How did you come up with the name?

I spent some time in Edinburgh in my 20s, where I met a Chinese friend named Guo Fei. We’ve stayed in touch over the years, and

when I decided to move to Beijing, his family took me in like their second son. Guo Fei just named me after himself and added long [dragon] to it. In terms of acting, it’s always a mix of fun and stress to play a character, and each job is full of interesting experiences.

— What was your most memorable acting experience?

I’d have to say it’s a science fiction film that was just released across the country in July, but I won’t say the name. I had a pretty major role as a member of a group of science students on an ocean expedition. We acted out most of the scenes in front of a green screen with the director yelling out weird instructions, telling us to imagine that we’re riding on dolphins or dancing with fish, but the special effects were so badly made and over the top. To this day, even after seeing the final cut, I still don’t really get the point of the story. > www.pootsh.com, WeChat ID: poOtsh

Ed i t e d by D o m i n i c Ng a i & To n g fe i Z h a n g /

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

COV E T

Red Bull is so 2014. Enter Mate Mate – an energy drink made from South America’s most popular drink, mate tea.

Artists, DJs and musicians in Germany are all over this stuff, downing it in craft cocktails (mixed with vodka, rum or gin) or straight from the bottle. Tasked with introducing the brand to China, fashion blogger Yanie Durocher (The Marginalist) recently created (and appeared in) a campaign alongside Korean DJ Doogy, skateboarder/tattoo artist Noodle Wolf and fellow blogger Mao Jiaying. The hipster quartet posed in clothes by designer Triple T to promote and showcase the brand’s street-style spirit. In China, Mate Mate will first be distributed to high-end supermarkets Ole and BLT, though it’s already available in Dada and a few other drinking spots around town.

MADE IN CHINA

See and Be Seen What’s the point of knowing the latest style trends if you’re not going to share them with everyone you know on social media? Thanks to Lawo, a newly launched fashion app from Beijing tech company Wecare, you can do just that. The app is “first and foremost focused on providing a platform for users to obtain reliable and useful feedback in their neverending quest to become more fashionable,” says creator May Zheng, who wants to set Lawo apart from the shoppingcentered fashion apps on the market. “Other apps are losing their appeal because there is now an overriding objective of selling products to users.” Rather than buying clothes, Lawo users can subscribe to the feeds of fashionistas and make a name for themselves by sharing their look of the day. You can enter fashion contests and win prizes while you’re at it. Available free on both iOS and Android. > www.lawoapp.com

OV E R H E A R D

R A NCE E L O T O R E Z “ W E H AV E W HO R IP OF F F O R T H O S E L E’S I N T E L L E C T U A L P O T HE R P E O ” P R OP E R T Y … said Jack Ma, founder and chairman of Alibaba, in a Wall Street Journal opinion article just one week after telling investors about how Chinese-manufactured counterfeit products are just as good as – if not better than – the real deal.

In the piece (an attempt to set the record straight), Ma says his eyebrow-raising comments were taken out of context, and that he’d been making an observation on the shifting dynamics between brands and their manufacturers and customers.

Misunderstood or backtracking due to public pressure? You decide.

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LIFE & S T Y LE | FASHION

Calvin Klein RMB1,290 www.calvinklein.cn

Calvin Klein RMB1,290 www.calvinklein.cn

Old Navy RMB149 www.oldnavy.gap.cn

Old Navy RMB179 www.oldnavy.gap.cn

Zara RMB199 www.zara.cn

TAKE For Outdoor Pools and Flooded Hutongs

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c o m p i l e d by To n g fe i Z h a n g

Club Monaco RMB990 www.clubmonaco. com

Calvin Klein RMB790 www.calvinklein.cn

Old Navy RMB149 www.oldnavy.gap.cn

The North Face RMB598 www.thenorthface. com.cn

The North Face RMB598 www.thenorthface. com.cn

A DIP If your last month in Beijing was anything like ours, you will have spent it either a) relaxing in the sun at an outdoor pool, or b) battling the floods during July’s torrential rain. And what’s the one essential wardrobe item for both occasions? That’s right, swimwear. So whether you’re at the pool or wading through the hutongs, here’s a selection of swimsuits for the occasion.

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L IF E & S T Y L E | A R R I VA L S

SCENE & HEARD 2

1

TO P W I N C E N T E R

A mini-revolution is happening on the Southwest corner of Sanlitun’s main intersection: Mercedes Me has opened its doors and InterContinental Beijing is just about to. In between them (both physically and in terms of readiness) is Topwin Center, a shopping mall that has opened but isn’t quite finished yet. For now, visitors will have to make do with a chic clothes store, a couple of cafes and one full-scale restaurant (the hot pot joint Coucou, which seems to be enjoying roaring trade already). But soon, a dizzying range of style outlets – ones you may or may not have heard of – will open in this seven-floor homage to consumption.

Some of the food and drink offerings will be more familiar to Beijingers (Fat Boys’ burgers and Panda Brew’s beers are both welcome additions to the Sanlitun scene), but we’re most excited by the fact that Topwin’s directory includes two different stores with the word ‘love’ in their names: Love Eyelash and Love Grains. Adorbs.

Watch this space for new openings here in the coming months.

2

RUGU

3

Fangjia Hutong may be the place of choice for hutong hipsters to get day-drunk on discount beers, but it is also growing increasingly sophisticated. Rugu – which is a photo studio and shop, not an Italian pasta sauce – is an emblem of said sophistication.

The two-story multi-purpose space is both sprawling and minimal, and the first floor features a gallery, where beautiful blackand-white photographs are available for purchase. There’s also a gorgeous cafe space, framed by tall windows and full of quaint wooden tables. The second floor functions as a photo studio. Altogether, the compound provides a welcome spot of class to the boozy neighborhood. Fangjia Hutong: Your next art area?

Daily, 10am-9pm; 46 Fangjia Hutong, Dongcheng 东城 区方家胡同 46 号 (6401 8710)

A LG O R I T H M

AKA “the new Rumi,” due to its building’s prior incarnation as the Persian restaurant, Algorithm ‘concept space’ is a lifestyle collective boutique offering designer clothing and homeware for the discerning eye. And by ‘discerning’ we mean cool, calm and collected. Because Algorithm is all of that and more. The two-story space houses greenery, sleek womenswear by labels such as Vega Zai Shiwang and Moonstop (brands which are beautiful and definitely slicker than your average), structured jewelry and organic shampoo and wash liquids, among other nifty items. Oh, and did we mention the restaurant? No? Well, food is an essential part of the equation, although we have yet to sample the brunch, afternoon tea or dinner on offer. Maybe next month; there’s plenty of ‘Rumi’ to maneuver after all.

Daily, 11am-10pm; 1-1 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区 工人体育场北路 1-1 号 (8454 3838)

1 Sanlitun Nanlu, Chaoyang 朝阳区南三里屯路 1 号

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While philosophers the world over have pondered the meaning of life, the party-hardy readers of That’s Beijing have been pondering the meaning of lifestyle. What makes up your lifestyle?

The community groups you’re in? The apartment you rent? The bars you frequent? How about all of those. And then some.

At our 2016 Lifestyle Awards, held in Eudora Station's spacious back garden, we presented Beijing’s lifestyle vanguards with everything from awards for Best Shopping Mall to Nightlife Promoter of the Year. And then… we partied. Here are the winners from July’s most memorable night, as voted for by you. For the full list of winner, plus more party photos, visit thatsmags. com/beijing.

Hutong Bar of the Year (Readers' Choice) Modernista

Mandarin School of the Year (Readers' Choice) Hutong School

Massage Spa of the Year (Readers' Choice) Ann Jema Spa

Cocktails of the Year (Editors' Choice) The Tiki Bungalow

Outstanding Serviced Apartment – Hospitality Beijing Kerry Residence

Hair Salon of the Year (Readers' & Editors' Choice) Catherine de France & Laurent Falcon

Nightclub of the Year (Readers' Choice) Room 79

Outstanding Serviced Apartment - Family Friendly Millenium Residences at Beijing Fortune Plaza

Outstanding Serviced Apartment Business Friendly GTC Residence Beijing

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Boutique Store of the Year (Readers' Choice) Pop-Up Beijing

Oustanding Health Service (Readers' Choice) OASIS International Hospital

Chinese Culture Center of the Year (Readers' Choice) The Hutong

Outstanding Serviced Apartment Group Frasers Hospitality Pte Ltd.

Craft Beer Pub of the Year (Editors' Choice) Jing-A Taproom

Outstanding Serviced Apartment - Value Lee Garden Service Apartments Beijing

Best Sports Bar (Editors' Choice) Drei Kronen 1308

Best Yoga Studio (Readers' Choice) YIHE 42 Hot Yoga

Photos by Holly Li

Sponsors

BD&BF

Best Design & Beautiful Flowers www.bd-bf.com | 4008-161-521

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LIFE & ST YLE | ADVERTORIAL

Bamboo Charm Woman's coat 19,800 RMB

Man Yi Bag 8,800 RMB

Refine Your Look with Satisfaction

Urban & Nature woman's shirt dress 7,800 RMB Man Yi Bag 9,800 RMB

Man Yi Bag 9,800 RMB

Moonlight woman's t-shirt 4,900 RMB

Heqi woman's jacket 5,000 RMB

Man Yi Bag 8,800 RMB Heqi woman's pants 3,800 RMB

S

trolling down the busy streets of cities like Shanghai and Beijing, it’s easy to get lost in the colorful sights and sounds all around you. An outstanding pairing of fashionable outfits and handbags will, however, allow you to stand out from the background noise. This season, contemporary lifestyle brand Shang Xia has rolled out a new bag collection – Man Yi – for you to mix and match and spice up your look for the summer.

Following the success of the Lan Yue collection, Man Yi (which translates as ‘satisfaction’) is Shang Xia’s second handbag series. The body of this classically elegant leather tote is made with high-quality cowhide, incorporating inspirations from the traditional art of basket weaving. It’s all in line with the overall concept of the brand’s other products – simplistic, elegant and infused with a hint of traditional Chinese culture.

Besides being stylish, bags in the Man Yi collection all feature flat bottoms – making them extremely functional and spacious enough to store all your daily necessities such as makeup, skincare products, smartphones or other gadgets, and perhaps even a snack or two.

To make a bold fashion statement, pair the clean and classy nude color Man Yi bag with Shang Xia’s new Bamboo Charm jacket. Available in a fiery red tone, it’s made with an all-new fabric that involves interweaving leather with silk – another technique inspired by bamboo weaving – to create a soft material that shows off the graceful contours of the female body. Complete the look with Shang Xia’s Opera pants, inspired by the elegant postures of Chinese opera and shoes from the Satis-feet collection, which are also inspired by ancient Chinese footwear and made from cowhide and sheepskin leather.

The more down-to-earth fashionista should match the Man Yi leather tote with subtly elegant dresses from the Clouds collection, which draws inspiration from the shape of Ming Dynasty gowns and cloud motifs from the Dunhuang grotto palette to accentuate the virtues of Eastern femininity.

With four colors suitable for different personality types to choose from, Shang Xia’s new collection of handbags will complement your look at every leisure or formal occasion this summer.

L118 & 119, L1 China World Mall, China World Trade Center, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国门外大街1号中国国际贸易中心国贸商城1楼 L118 & 119 (86-10-6505 3446)

Urban & Nature scarf 2,000 RMB Satis-feet woman's shoes 3,200 RMB 2 4 | A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 | W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M

Man Yi Bag 9,800 RMB

ADVERTORIAL | LIFE & ST YLE

SCRUBBIN’ UP NICELY Bodhi Spa Goes Clean and Green

We are all for simplicity. But when it comes to refreshing your body, sometimes a shower just isn’t enough. For hygiene purposes, perhaps, but to quote ‘00’s guitar rocker John ‘TMI’ Mayer: “Your body is a wonderland.”

And every now and then, it’s nice to treat it as such.

The team at Bodhi Spa is happy to oblige.

The massage pros here provide lush services in central locations, from affordable classics (the RMB198 foot reflexology is a steal) to more luxurious spa treatments.

Bodhi’s range of ‘Body Treatments’ use natural spa products from Thailand to leave your body “clean and refreshed.” A highlight is the ‘Summer’s Delight’ treatment, which combines a body-scrub and aromatherapy massage for either 60 or 90 minutes (RMB368 and RMB498 respectively).

The available scrubs each have different properties, but all are natural and fresh, including the tamarind, pepper and ginger, and jasmine rice varieties.

A new edition is the green tea scrub. Green tea may be known as a super-drink, but you don’t have to consume the brew to reap its

benefits. When used as a beauty ingredient, it can help to flush out toxins, heal blemishes and soothe complexions. Meanwhile, green tea scrub can remove dirt and impurities from pores.

We have a spare afternoon, and Bodhi has a spare room for two, so we dip our toes (and everything else) into a 90-minute treatment. Lying in a massive double room with ensuite bathroom, it feels like we’re in the middle of a Thai sanctuary rather than Sanlitun’s main drag. Green tea particles are lathered and scrubbed over our bodies for 30 minutes. One hot shower later, we’re feeling clean and relaxed as we settle in for a one-hour massage.

Our masseurs regularly check that we are comfortable as they work their magical fingers over our scrubbed limbs. It’s a light, soothing massage – and with the summer storm raging outside, it’s hard not to fall asleep. But that would be a disservice to

Bodhi’s, well, service, which is both warm and professional.

Dirt, sweat and tears be gone. There are many spa treatments out there, but we’ll keep things simple for you: Bodhi’s green tea ‘Summer’s Delight’ ain’t no scrub, it’s an elixir for your skin.

Bodhi Therapeutic Retreat, 11am-12.30am; 17 Gongti Beilu (opposite Worker ’ s Stadium north gate), Chaoyang 朝阳区工体北路 17 号 ( 工人体育场北门对 面 ) (6417 9595); Bodhi Senses Somerset, 11am-

12.30am; 2/F, Somerset Grand Fortune Garden, 46 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区亮马桥路 46 号福景 苑公寓二层 (8440 1495) www.bodhi.com.cn

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ARTS CO LLAG E

W H AT ' S N E W

DRUMROLL

MAK & PASTEMAN

China’s most famous rally-driving author links up with publishers Simon & Schuster for his second collection to be translated into English. The Problem With Me: And Other Essays About Making Trouble in China mixes Han Han’s satirical insights on topics like contemporary Internet culture with hilarious anecdotes. Available from August 2 on Amazon.

Once a prodigy of Shanghai’s Rankadank Records, 3asic is now boss of his own label, Project Sync. After last year’s release of his excellent debut, This Album Made My Friends Bassick, the Nanjing producer ushers in the next generation with Sync Collection Vol. 1. The compilation covers a variety of styles, from house (JaCat) to bass (Dirty K).

Available at projectsync.info.

Pokemon Go is already a global phenomenon, but you may have noticed it’s not available in China. Unsurprisingly, knock-offs have flooded the market, with City Spirit Go being the most popular. While it lacks Pokemon Go’s innovative AR features, the app still requires users to search for prizes in this location-based game. Available at itunes. apple.com/cn.

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UK duo Mak & Pasteman inhabit a hardhitting dance music land somewhere between house and techno. They’ve appeared on various important electronic labels (we won’t bore you with a list) and the pair can regularly be heard pumping out tunes across London – and online – on Rinse FM. They play The Drop at Dada.

— You guys met in Leeds. Can you describe the city in three words?

Northern. Bass. Ale. — Mak and Pasteman kinda sounds like a superhero duo. What would your powers be?

Mak: Super-ninja beat maker, the ability to chop up beats and enemies alike.

Pasteman: The power to be Chuck Norris.

— In December 2013 you tweeted: “Apologies to the Chinese guy I just took out on the mountain...” What happened?

Where did you take him?

We were playing Ibiza Rocks the Snow in France and I’d not snowboarded for a good few years. First day out on the slopes, and I’d forgotten how to stop! Unfortunately, this ended in a collision with a Chinese guy.

— You’ve got songs called ‘Creep’ and ‘Le Freak’ – is there some theme emerging? What’s next: ‘Weirdo’? ‘El Crackpot’?

Track titles come from all manner of places. Like ‘Brown Bread’ had a rap sample that said, “so much bread in the rap game,” and our track became a mix of that and the [British comedy series] Bo Selecta piss-take of Jack Osbourne, who used the term “Brown Bread” to mean something good.

— You sampled Bruno Mars on ‘Do The Same’ – are there any other guilty pleasure songs you want to sample in the future?

We sampled Bruno Mars pretty early into our career. It was popular at the time with the future garage sound, and we felt the sample fitted. As time has moved on though, we’ve dug really deep for our samples. Now we try to make them more unrecognizable and often a little unusual.

— Do you always agree on what to play on your Rinse FM show? Do you have a veto if one chooses a song the other hates?

Our tastes are pretty aligned musically, but there has been the odd occasion where one of us may like a track that the other isn’t that into. In that case the veto always comes into play!

— You just played Hideout Festival – how was that?

Hideout was incredible this year! We played on the main stage to 4,000 people, and we both felt it was a pivotal moment for us to push forward with our new sound and really feel it connect with everyone there.

— What have you got in store for your Beijing set?

We’ve both wanted to come to China for so long, so we’re really excited to see how you guys get down to our sound! We’re gonna take you on a journey from some of our older stuff and our influences all the way to our latest tunes, plus unreleased and forthcoming music. OH Sat Aug 20; price TBD; Dada (see Listings for details)

Ed i t e d by A n d re w C h i n /

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

C A N VAS S E D

Zhang Yexing, Hunting in Dreamland

Zhang Yexing’s latest works see the Liaoning native examine the gap between reality and dreams – the oil paintings in this exhibition combine elements of real-life and fantasy. The artist’s stark “dreamland” reflects the helplessness and misfortunes society imposes on individuals.

Tue-Sun, 11am-6pm, through Sep 13; free; Platform China Contemporary Art Institute, D07 Zhongerjie, 798 Art District, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区酒仙桥路 2 号 798 艺 术区中二街 D07 (5762 6068)

H AO B U H AO

Hao

Bu Hao

Matt Damon’s starring turn in Zhang Yimou’s The Great Wall may be months away, but he’ll still be in theaters from August 23 in Jason Bourne. This will be Damon’s first Mainland outing as the eponymous spy – the only Bourne film to be released in China to date was 2012’s The Bourne Legacy, starring Jeremy Renner.

It’s feared that the all-female reboot of Ghostbusters has been denied a Mainland release.

Regulators aren’t protesting the absence of Bill Murray, but rather enforcing an official policy to prohibit films “promoting cults or superstition.” Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest was denied release on the same grounds.

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ARTS | MUSIC

SE Of Montreal Frontman Kevin Barnes Lightens Up

by A n d re w C h i n

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MUSIC | ARTS

Over an unpredictable 20-year career, Kevin Barnes has taken Of Montreal on a trip through rock history. The band have remade everything from heady psychedelia to hedonistic glam rock all in their own twisted image. But for their upcoming album, Innocence Reaches, frontman Barnes admits to finding inspiration in more contemporary sounds, including electronic artists like Chairlift, Arca and Jack Ü (who collaborated with Justin Bieber for the smash hit ‘Where Are Ü Now’).

“I’m always searching for new inspiration,” he explains. “I really liked what I heard from those artists and felt like they were creating new sounds that I hadn't heard before. I really loved their production styles and wanted to make something in that sort of vein.”

While long-time fans may cringe at Barnes’ admission that the group’s 14th disc includes a song that “feels EDM,” the frontman promises it will touch on a variety of styles, from electro to prog-rock.

Describing Of Montreal’s new disc as the “group’s most light-hearted album in years,” Barnes admits that Innocence Reaches is an attempt to “start a new chapter.” The new influences mark a noticeable shift from last year’s Aureate Gloom, an album largely shaped by New York’s hallowed 1970s punk scene.

“I think I finally started to forgive myself for the dissolution of my marriage and started feeling more hopeful again,” he explains. “A lot of the songs on the album are still pretty dark, at least lyrically, but there’s a more positive energy within it all.”

This dichotomy is present in the record’s lead single, ‘It’s Different for Girls.’ The track’s synth-dance groove (and joyous music video) is paired with lyrics sympathizing with the many women who have to put up with the daily bullshit of entrenched sexism.

“I have an 11-year-old daughter, so gender politics and the female experience are topics that I think about a lot,” Barnes explains. “Globally, women’s rights are not the priority that they should be. Far too often men create laws that attempt to subjugate women and make them feel inferior. I think it's

disgusting.”

When Innocence Reaches is released later this month, the group will be in the midst of an inaugural China tour that stops off at Yugong Yishan on August 11.

“We’ll be debuting a lot of the songs on this tour,” Barnes says. “We’ve created a completely new live show for this.

I’m going to do costume and makeup changes, so there will definitely be a strong theatrical element to the show. It will also include a wide variety of songs from a lot of the albums.”

With 14 full-length records to their name, Of Montreal have plenty of material to choose from. The group have maintained a steady output since emerging in mid-1990s Athens, Georgia, the college town that produced alt-rock icons R.E.M. and the ‘Elephant 6’ collective that Of Montreal once belonged to.

“It was great at the time to feel the support of a group of likeminded artists and to be part of such a creative environment,” Barnes recalls. “I learned a lot from [fellow Elephant 6] bands like Neutral Milk Hotel and The Olivia Tremor Control.

“I looked up to them like they were my older brothers. I tried to learn from their experiences in the music industry, and network through their contacts. It was a great education on many levels.”

After 20 years in the game, Of Montreal continue to inspire upcoming indie acts. Barnes credits the band’s endurance to being “sort of autistic about music” and to “never getting bored or stuck in a rut creatively.”

“I always feel like I have something to prove,” he adds. “I don't feel satisfied with anything that I've ever created. That is what drives me to keep trying to create something decent.”

His ferocious work ethic also helps. Although Innocence Reaches hasn’t even been released yet, Barnes is already thinking about the next album.

“I think it will be of a more collaborative nature,” he says. “I want to get a bunch of guest vocalists to contribute. At least that's my vision at the moment.”

Thu Aug 11, 9pm; RMB180-220; Yugong Yishan (see Listings for details)

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ARTS | MUSIC

DUCK FIGHT GOOSE Sound of Shanghai

by A n d re w C h i n

“I believe the more advanced technology becomes, the more people will realize how precious humanity is” Few bands embody their hometown as completely as Shanghai’s Duck Fight Goose.

And few cities embody China’s future like Shanghai. Perhaps it’s fitting, then, that Duck Fight Goose’s latest release, the long-awaited Club Zvkvnft, puts away the guitars in favor of an electronics-heavy, sci-fi inspired conceptual sound.

“Shanghai is running in a unique way in a very special context,” says the group’s frontman Han Han. “It’s the new cyberpunk capital. We describe it as ‘future fusion.’”

It’s a term that perfectly suits the quartet’s sound. Inspired by classic films (Alien, Blade Runner, Dark Star), comic books (GANTZ, Ghost in the Shell, All You Need is Kill) and video games (Fallout, Rage), Han describes the disc as a “product of all our inspirations and our own imaginations.”

“We wanted to create a new soundscape,” he continues. “Apart from the drums and bass guitar, all the other sounds on this album are completely different from those on [the band’s 2012 debut] Sports.”

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Taking place in the futuristic “glittering techno-financial hub of Shanghai,” Club Zvkvnft follows “a highly advanced cyborg looking for humanity and the ability to groove.”

If it sounds like Duck Fight Goose have put a lot of thought into their far-fetched concepts, it’s because they have.

Han philosophizes: “Personally, I believe the more advanced technology becomes, the more people will realize how precious humanity is – which is good.

“Technology is just a word and a catalyst that pushes things forward like fire in the primitive world or religions several thousand years ago. It’s just what people believe now.”

The disc takes its name from the Zurich bar Club Zukunft (German for ‘club of the future’) that the band played at two years ago.

“We just loved the name and the retro design of the bar,” Han raves. “It looks like a bar from the 80s, but at the same time it has very modern features. They mainly play European electronic music. It’s a fantastic hybrid of

coolness.”

Furthering that aesthetic, physical copies of Club Zvkvnft mirror video game packages complete with ‘game manuals’ detailing the disc’s larger world.

For their ‘Limbic Man’ show at Tango on August 20, Duck Fight Goose will link with D Force Records labelmates DOC (see page 32) for what Han promises will be a true audiovisual spectacle.

“I really hate those random geometric shapes and lines that a lot of VJs use now, so I hooked up with the visual artist Neng Huo to make customized videos for the songs on both our and DOC’s albums,” Han explains.

“Limbic Man is going to be an experience.

I actually wrote a short story for each song and together they form a more rounded world. We’ve made some exciting visuals based on the album concept.”

Sat Aug 20, 9-11pm; RMB120-150; Tango (see Listings for details)

F EDA AT N UC RE | ARTS

SLEEPING BEAUTY GETS A MAKEOVER After packing out Chinese theaters last year with his award-winning all-male adaptation of Swan Lake , choreographer Sir Matthew Bourne OBE brings his gothic rendition of Sleeping Beauty to Beijing. Zoey Zha caught up with him during his whirlwind first visit to China.

—What gave you the idea to do this adaptation of Sleeping Beauty?

Well, it only seems right to do so. I had done two other Tchaikovsky classics – Swan Lake and Nutcracker – in the 1990s and I became quite known afterwards. So I thought I should give Sleeping Beauty a go at the time of my company’s 25th anniversary.

—What do you think of the original fairytale adaptation?

I have mixed feeling towards it. To me, it just doesn’t feel right to have a prince who wasn’t there from the beginning arrive at the end. So I changed that and whatever [else] I felt was weak in the original story. But I didn’t mind the happily-ever-after part. The whole process was a fun task for me, so I’d rather focus on what I can do with the story rather than the story itself.

—Besides the Royal Ballet’s adaptation, what were your other references?

Of course, the Royal Ballet gave a perfect ballet rendition of the story. I also watched the Disney version, which is the most famous

and unique version for audiences. Disney, interestingly, recognized the same problem in the story that I did which was that the prince came in too late. So they had the princess love the prince who she thought was a commoner. We did something similar in our play by having the princess love a real commoner – an unsuitable suitor, in a way.

—How did you go about auditioning dancers?

I want and encourage them to be versatile and am generous in letting them perform in their own way. For each project, I will assign dancers a list of films and books for them to research and learn their characters. Beyond that, they could be anything they want. They don’t have to have a perfect body or turnout, within reason. I don’t want a unity of look because we’ve got so many different characters in the play.

—Have your audiences changed much over the years?

Yes. Take Swan Lake for example; we used to have people walking out and little

girls sitting in the front row crying in their tutus, thinking they were going to the classical Swan Lake. Now the show has grown from a controversial play to a Christmas show for families. For many young people, they only watched the all-male adaptation of Swan Lake and find female swans quite odd. It always goes from one extreme to another.

—Are you working on any new projects?

Yes, we are doing a new show this year and we’ll be back into rehearsal once this tour is completed. The new show is called Red Shoes, which is based on an amazing British film about a dance company in the 1940s. To make a dance piece about a dance company might sound a bit dull, but the film is very cinematically exciting. It’s going to end badly, I’m afraid.

Fri Sep 2–Sun Sep 4, 7.30pm (2pm matinees on Sat and Sun); RMB99-RMB1,500; Beijing Tanqiao Performing Arts

Center, Building 9, Tianqiao Nandajie, Xicheng 西城区天桥南 大街 9 号楼 (400 610 3721, en.damai.cn)

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ARTS | B M EO UAO STIKU CSR E F

DALIAN OBSCURE CLUB Dongbei’s Secret Rock Society

by A n d re w C h i n

What happens when a young, noisy rock band wants to grow up? For the acclaimed Chinese indie rockers Doc Talk Shock, the answer is: convene in your hometown of Dalian, diligently work on your sound and emerge as a new entity, Dalian Obscure Club (DOC).

“I think the new name symbolizes the evolution of the band,” says frontman and guitarist Jiang Hao. “Dalian Obscure Club reflects our life status. We all have day jobs but making music has become an enjoyable and crucial part of our lives – it would be a shame to stop doing it.

“So we get together regularly after work to make music and talk about anything that inspires our minds – like we're members of a secret club.”

Heavily inspired by 90s alternative rock, Doc Talk Shock formed in 2008 with “lots of distorted guitar and shouting.” But the band felt as if their sound had reached its limit with the release of their debut album, 2012’s Lights of Detour, Jiang explains.

“We felt like doing something different but weren’t sure what direction to go in,” he says.

“We were really into experimental music and 3 2 | A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 | W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M

progressive rock like Tortoise, Jaga Jazzist, Motorpsycho and Steve Reich. We didn’t make any changes to our music intentionally; it all came naturally in the writing process.”

Written over two years, DOC’s new disc Northern Electric Shadow incorporates diverse elements, from electronica to cinematic scores. “‘Electric Shadow’ came from separate translations of the two characters in the Chinese word for movie, dianying (电影),” Jiang explains. “It’s a great description of the sounds on the album.”

The disc is also heavily inspired by different aspects of the band’s hometown, from its local music scene to its geography.

“As a coastal city on the northern peninsula, Dalian has its own cool beauty, with its unique natural environment. Life here is less edgy and sometimes the wintry days are thought-provoking,” he says. “But on the other hand, we have mixed feelings about the major changes taking place in the city, like the brand new area built from a huge land reclamation project.”

To celebrate the album’s release, DOC will

team up with label mates Duck Fight Goose (see page 30) for the ‘Limbic Man’ show at Tango on August 20. “The show will combine both bands’ live performances with visual art as a whole,” Jiang says. “It’s definitely going to be a special experience.”

Jiang promises that there are further shows in the works, before expressing how impressed he is with the growth of indie music in China since the days of Doc Talk Shock.

“You can see a flourishing market for music festivals. And copyright is becoming more important too,” Jiang says. “There’s a lot of speculative money coming into the market but we will see the true influence of this in the next few years.”

He ends with some sage advice for young musicians discovering the pleasures of making noise: “The most important thing is sticking to what your heart truly wants, which isn’t so easy these days – there are so many things that can compromise your path.

“But self-examination is also necessary.”

Sat Aug 20, 9-11pm; RMB120-150; Tango (see Listings for details)

FEM A TUUSRI C E | ARTS

TAKE A TRANCE ON ME Q&A with DJ Gareth Emery i nt e r v i e w by Ju s t i n e L o p e z

British DJ Gareth Emery is a two-time World Top 10 and four-time World Top 15 DJ. We caught up with him ahead of his rescheduled show at Spark.

—You have a pretty eclectic background in music. What turned you onto EDM? I played classical piano as a kid, I was in a punk rock band as a teenager and then began producing electronic music in my 20s. In all honesty, I think it was because all I needed was a laptop, so even if I was on a family holiday in France I could be working.

—What were you doing before you became a professional DJ? I was working as a junior website developer in Southampton.

—How would you describe your style?

It’s just music I like. I'm done describing it! All I hope is that you like it as well.

—How do you think your music resonates with international audiences?

The global positivity and recognition I receive is phenomenal. It’s mindblowing to create something in your room or studio and have it listened to – and hopefully enjoyed – by so many people. It is really very humbling.

—What would you say are your biggest accomplishments in life thus far?

Exactly where I am today. Doing what I love for a job and having a wonderful family. I only hope I can be an inspiration and help to others, and it is something I am very passionate about.

Fri Aug 19; RMB100 (advance), RMB150 (on the door), ticket includes open bar, Spark (see Listings for details)

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WE WENT

cover story

GATE

THERE

2016

SEAT

08

FLIGHT

thats01

I Took a Billion-Dollar Cruise with Fan Bingbing

I Tried to Cycle Across China on a Flying Pigeon

I Hitchhiked Along the North Korean Border

I Lived in a Gansu Cave House

I was a Post-Disaster Tourist in Sichuan

words and images by

Oscar Holland

S

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“A Christian minister blesses the ship in Mandarin, before the US national anthem plays and no-one sings along. It’s palpably awkward”

hips are different from buildings on land in many ways,” explains the cabin safety video as I board the world’s newest luxury cruise ship, Ovation of the Seas. Well no shit.

But while the narrator is referring to the importance of holding onto handrails and under-filling your coffee cup (in case of waves), I can think of some more fundamental differences. For a start, this ship – unlike most land structures I’ve encountered – is about to take me, 4,000 other guests and China’s most famous woman on a tour of the Bohai Sea. Ovation of the Seas is the latest member of Royal Caribbean’s game-changing Quantum class. And megaceleb Fan Bingbing is its ‘Godmother.’ As for me? I’m just a freeloading magazine editor on a press junket aboard a ship that will help make China the world’s second-largest luxury cruise market by 2017.

And with a price tag of USD1 billion, someone’s banking on it.

For that money, you could pay off Swaziland’s national debt, buy New York’s most

expensive apartment and have enough left for a carbonara at the Jamie Oliver restaurant on Promenade Deck 5. But you could also build a fucking incredible cruise ship; an 18-deck, 168,666-gross-ton homage to going on holiday without going anywhere at all.

Here’s the lowdown from the media tour: two swimming pools, a wind-tunnel skydiving simulator, a basketball court that doubles as a bumper car arena, 16 restaurants and a bar operated entirely by robots. Ovation of the Seas is an extraordinary and utterly absurd feat of engineering.

As guests enter the theater for the naming ceremony, Fan Bingbing floats through – to great fanfare – like a faultless, radiant water-nymph. Her lone responsibility? Stand on stage and cut a ribbon. Elsewhere there are bagpipes and a boy band whose members look like they’re threatening to strip. A Christian minister then blesses the ship in Mandarin, before the US national anthem plays and no-one sings along (obviously). It’s palpably awkward, but the day is saved: red flags appear and the national anthem of China commences.

• Left to right: An aerial view of Ovation of the Seas; Fan Bingbing cuts the ribbon; a viewing capsule offering views of the ship and horizon

37

I To o k a B i lli o n -Do llar C rui se w i th Fa n B ingbi ng

verbatim): Vitality Stretch Class, Fab Abs Class, Pathway to Yoga, Table Tennis at the Seaplex, WeChat Shake It Event and Wrinkle Remedies with Dr. Alex. In fact, there’s so much going on – all the time and forever – that a channel on my cabin TV is dedicated

to updates from Activities Manager Bonnie and the endlessly enthusiastic Cruise Director Gordon. “Whatever you do, make the most of it!!” the latter implores, eyes shining with excitement.

I’m trying, Gordon. God knows I’m trying. But I’ve had a long week and I just want to sit by the pool. I grab a deckchair and catch a few hours’ sun that will later turn into a few weeks’ worth of excruciating sunburn and a dramatically increased likelihood of melanoma.

After a couple of all-expenses-paid visits to the poolside bar, I’m feeling a little more energetic. I decide to try the surf simulator FlowRider® but am instantly rejected on the grounds of being inebriated. Hint: Don’t enquire about potentially dangerous watersports activities while holding an early-afternoon rum-and-Coke.

These may be international waters, but there are rules here.

I instead embark on some more alcohol-friendly activities. I ride a hydraulic viewing capsule and look down into the ship’s smoking funnels (no cruise is guilt-free, people). Then I take a guided tour of the bridge (all disappointingly computerized; no oversized steering wheel), before continuing the day’s drinking at the wonderfully named Michael’s Genuine Pub. It doth protest too much, but hey.

And with that, our 36-hour loop of the Bohai Sea is complete. As an unmarried man with a penchant for adventure, I’m a little outside Royal Caribbean’s target demographic. But life on Ovation of the Seas is so luxurious – so shamelessly hedonistic – that it makes me want to start a family, just so I can take them on board and not have to deal with, you know, traveling stuff. Like haggling, planning or walking farther than the length of a boat.

I love every second of it. But then I’m not paying, so I would say that.

COVER STORY

There’s a bit more audience participation for this one.

Because while this is an American ship, it’s also a Chinese one. Johnny Rocket’s Burger Bar has become a noodle restaurant, the casino has been expanded (anti-gambling laws don’t apply here), and shopping options are markedly more high-end.

There’s even a 33-foot model of a panda climbing up the ship’s side.

But most of all: it’s fun. Cruising in the West may be for coffin-dodgers, but here it’s a young(ish) person’s game.

This ship is for energetic families, not pensioners using the infinite horizon to distract them from their inescapable mortality.

On this floating 5-star palace, sea views aren’t all that important. In fact, when I retire to my cabin that night, I find that we haven’t even departed Tianjin yet. But this is a cruise; it doesn’t matter. We could just as easily be in the Baltic Sea. Or the Gulf of Mexico. Or the strip of ocean between Westeros and Essos that divides warring factions in Game of Thrones. When cruising, you’re just on a boat. The boat is all you have. It’s all you need.

By the time I wake up I’ve already missed the following activities (all

T r ie d to

38

se bike the iconic Chine Flying Pigeon, a on stern ina we Ch in ss t to cycle acro e join his journey pular vehicles. W counts his attemp po re e st od mo Cl ’s ry on to , Sim is one of his tain bike.

In his new book manufactured – re practical moun 500 million units placed by a mo er re ov en th wi be – d an ich wh has broken time the Pigeon China, by which

I

had not intended to go to Qinghai on this journey. In the initial planning stage, I’d been tempted when Apple Maps pointed out I would pass a decommissioned atomic test site. Yet, I still did not fancy being forced to climb over the desolate and unforgiving Qilian Mountains on the Pigeon.

As such, I did no prior planning or research on the province; including the more useful logistical research about hotels and places to source food and water. This turned out not to be much of an oversight, given there were so few of any of these things. Something you might expect of a province deemed worthy of being the testing ground for nuclear weapons. I was going into China’s Wild West with little more than the knowledge I would be spending much of my time in the mountains.

I woke up to the beautiful sight of snow-capped mountains under a blue sky. Still naively pleased with what I deemed as my serendipitous change of direction, I finished packing my tent. As I began pushing back to the road, the wind rose up in every single bit of the wrong direction. It took me an hour to push the first 3 kilometers up towards the mountain pass.

With looming deadlines of real life things like job interviews and weddings, and a burning desire to drink Malbec and eat lasagna, my

interest in the wholesome integrity of the trip was beginning to dwindle. As I described my situation to friends; I wasn’t doing it for charity, I wasn’t doing it for any sense of achievement, I was just a twat riding a bike across China.

Following the death of the Pigeon and various road closures, I was already on Plan C, and had decided that, from here on in, if I received an offer that would allow me to avoid complete misery, then I was going to take it. Such an offer came about. I heaved the Giant into the cab of a passing truck and cleared 20 kilometers of headwind hell as the driver took me to the quarry he worked at.

Though he was in a rush, we almost stopped for a second breakfast after my poor grasp of Mandarin made him think I hadn't yet eaten.

We arrived too soon for my liking and I had to push for the rest of the pass. There was no peddling to be done. It felt like the air was thinning and the presence of snow in May gave that feeling some credence. Shortly afterwards, I received a water donation from a

car full of alarmingly young and affluent people, one of whom was far too beautiful to be touching the same bottle as my filthy hands.

The gravity dividend matured in some style in the early afternoon; 25 kilometers of pure, joyous descent that was only interrupted by the need to strip down to vest and shorts as I hit

words and images by

Simon Clode

“I wasn’t doing it for charity, I wasn’t doing it for any sense of achievement, I was just a twat riding a bike across China”

Read more in Last Flight of the Pigeon: A Journey Across China By Bicycle , which is available on Kindle through Amazon

• Left to right: A stretch of road by the Qinghai-Xinjiang border; the author stops for a water break

39

I Tri e d t o C ycle A cro ss C hi na on a Fl y ing Pi geo n

The stunning scenery was quickly replaced by 40 kilometers of monumentally tedious straight road through a bleak monochrome grey landscape.

In mid-afternoon, the third significant sandstorm of the journey arrived in a more beautiful yellow form than its predecessors. After 500 futile meters of trying to push through it. I sat with my back to a huge dune and weighed up my options. Every time I chose a place to camp I was gambling on there not being a better place one, two, or even five kilometers further away. I struggled on before finding a dell behind a small dune. It wasn’t perfect but I still decided to put all of my chips on it.

I began to dam the wind by building a wall at the entrance to the dell with huge stones.

In the hostile conditions, this took a significant amount of both time and swearing. As I unloaded all of the bike’s luggage to use as ballast and climbed into the tent, a dark orange sky lit up the violently shaking nylon and it all began to look like a little piece of hell.

But at least it was my little piece of hell.

COVER STORY

scorching hot plateau below.

I eventually stopped just inside Qinghai province near what I now know is the western edge of Suqian Lake. I set up camp just in time to discover that the whole “the desert is cold at night you know” advice is not a lie. I also became slightly alarmed at the lack of phone signal and roaming data available. Not just because I'm part of Generation Y and I can't live with not knowing football scores, but because I still didn't actually know exactly where I was, or where exactly I was going, and that was a problem.

By the following night I’d at least found a hotel. My alarm went at seven but the quilt detained me until nine. With desert to come, I took a final liquid break at the last petrol station in town, which confirmed that the next human settlement would be over 300 kilometers away. I filled my water flask and set off into the unknown.

One of the unknown’s great benefits is that it often amazes. Within thirty minutes I had arrived at a stunning scene of wind-eroded sandstone walls. One of the unknown’s great failings is that it’s often unknown because there’s no reason to live there.

“‘Do not throw stones across the border,’ reads a sign in both Chinese and English”

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40

aybe you don’t know

that there’s a portion of the Great Wall that overlooks North Korea.

It’s one of those Easter eggs buried so deep within Lonely Planet China , that the only ones who find it are those of us who are bored enough to read the whole thing. And man, was I bored in 2014.

I’d moved to beautiful “heaven on Earth” Hangzhou.

And make no mistake – Hangzhou is great. Truly, it is heaven on Earth. The lake is beautiful, the tea fields serene. But I was 22, fresh out of university in a small Pennsylvanian town and craving adventure. And instead, I had just found myself somewhere… nice.

Bourgeois malaise is stupid, I know. But I experience it nonetheless.

Not without reason, mind you. In my family, women don’t travel solo to foreign countries. Hell, they don’t travel to foreign countries, period (unless as part of a church missionary group – but that’s a story for another day). I love my family, and I respect their choices. But I also realize that it’s those same choices that made me a stir-crazy 22-year-

old. For me, travel has always been about proving to myself

that I can, and will, leave all that behind.

And so I do. In line with my preferred brand of masochistic travel, I book a 30-hour sleeper train to Shenyang, followed by a four-hour bus to China’s North Korean border. And a few days later, my fresh-out-of-Pennsylvania self stands, in a discount Urban Outfitters jacket and a beanie emblazoned with the words “BAD HAIR DAY,” looking into the DPRK. Dandong, in Liaoning province, is China’s largest North Korean border city. The city is a hub for China-North Korea trade. Its population is just shy of a million, and Koreanlanguage signs adorn shops and cafes throughout the city.

It is the closest you can get to North Korea without actually being in North Korea. (I’m adventurous, but not, like, that adventurous.)

I’m not the only one who digs this shit – just, perhaps, the only one in her twenties.

Buses of older Chinese tourists unload at Dandong’s waterfront, where visitors take turns using clunky viewfinders to gaze into the country

• Left to right: A waitress from Pyongyang serves Korean food to visitors; DPRK propaganda books on display at a gift shop

words and images by

Noelle Mateer

COVER STORY 41

I Hi t ch h i ke d A lo n g t h e No rt h Ko re an Bo rde r

across the water. Some even don tacky, plasticky versions of North Korean garb and pose for photos. Vendors sell North Korean knickknacks along the boardwalk – won notes, flags, cigarettes. I doubt the won are real. I buy some anyway.

But mostly, I just stare. After all, that’s what I’m here for. When I take my turn at the viewfinder, the first thing I see is two North Korean border guards, staring through binoculars right back at me. I shudder, then spy a pastel-colored retro Ferris wheel (which I later learn hasn’t been seen operating in years).

On a boat tour down the Yalu River, visitors line up to rent binoculars. We crowd along the boat windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of life beyond the border.

But the same scene that’s quaint and quirky (if voyeuristic) during the day, becomes eerie at night. As the shops and apartment blocks in Dandong light up, North Korea is completely dark.

Again, I shudder. It’s surreal – how the kitsch and the tourist traps clash with stark economic realities. But the strangest experience of all comes on my last day.

November in Dandong is typically frigid, but today is sunny and unseasonably warm. I hail a taxi out to Hushan Great Wall, several kilometers outside the city. My cab driver, a friendly man who’s lived in Dandong his whole life, chats about his hometown affectionately.

He has no desire to cross the border, he says. I believe him.

I begin my trek alone. Unlike at, say, Beijing’s Badaling Great Wall, there are no tourists here. Hushan Great Wall is newer than other parts of the Wall, but rugged nonetheless. It’s a tough hike, and I huff and puff as I scale the stairs. Then, rather unhealthily, I light up a North Korean cigarette when I reach the Wall’s zenith (cigarettes are another thing that women in my family don’t do).

I gaze over miles and miles of the world’s most isolated country.

I watch as villagers farm, and as a group of them head out on a walk together. I take a moment to reflect on how good I have it. That I, the lucky American traveler, am literally looking down on North Korean villagers.

And then, the end of the Wall dumps me rather unceremoniously at a nondescript dirt road, just meters from the creek separating me from the DPRK. (“DO NOT THROW STONES ACROSS THE BORDER,” reads a sign in both Chinese and English.) From here, it’s a long walk back to the main road. So when a farmer rumbles down in a pick-up truck full of cabbages, waving, I flag him down.

I hop into his truckbed-turned-cabbage patch, and we’re off – bouncing along the dirt path. As I enjoy my seat in the sun, I realize something. The last time I rode in a truck bed, on a winding dirt road, I was with my family, in rural Virginia. We were also in a farmer’s truck. All in all, it was pretty similar to this. Hell, even the weather was the same.

This trip’s been great, but I miss them. I take a picture to send to them later. Then I laugh. Maybe traveling to the North Korean border isn’t so crazy after all.

I

42

words and images by

Dominique Wong

nstead of sheep, I count tollgates: Beijing , Hebei , Shaanxi, Shanxi. My friend Wang is driving while I am halfasleep in the passenger seat.

We’ve been on the road for almost 12 hours. Our destination? Wang’s family home – a house cave in Gansu.

On Google Earth, the Loess Plateau is a motley collection of swirls separated by curving roads. But on the ground, different shapes take form.

Looking out of the car window I see hills carved into steppes and covered in trees (they’ll turn arid brown in winter, Wang assures me).

Few houses dot the landscape here. Instead, round entrances cut deep into the hill face; burrows not unlike giant rabbit holes.

“Those are old yaodong ,” Wang says, pointing towards a couple of crumbling roundshaped entrances in the distance.

A yaodong is essentially a house cave made from earth.

They are usually carved out of a hillside or excavated horizontally from a central ‘sunken courtyard.’ The literal translation is ‘kiln cave,’ due to the buildings’ arched interiors.

Their use goes back over

two millennia – to the Qin dynasty – but they are still a popular choice for those

living on the Loess Plateau today, and tend to be handed down to descendants. Many of Wang’s family’s friends also live in house caves.

Winding roads take us past a village market and more cave dwellings before we arrive at Wang’s, about an hour northwest of Qingyang (a prefecture city in east Gansu). Here we are greeted by an open yard bordered by three hillside yaodong . A fourth， newly built， yaodong and washhouse line another side of the perimeter.

The yard looks out towards a beautiful green vista. Wang points to a two-story white building perched high on a mountaintop opposite, a gaping valley in between. “That’s where I went to primary school,” he says. “It would take my sisters and I an hour to get there, up and down the hills.”

Ambling down a steep path above the caves is Wang’s granddad, Yeye. He grins at me toothily. “Are you scared of the mountains?”

Yeye built the Wang family home with help from friends

• Clockwise from top left: Looking at the yaodong from the yard; Wang Shushu on the kang ; the view from the top of the yaodong

“The kang is an essential part of yaodong life. If you are ‘on the kang,’ you are comfortable, whether sleeping, or just laying about”

ible in the distance. There are over a dozen. From afar they look like giant insects and up close emit a dull mechanical hum. We come across used drill sites tainted with remnants of old oil, and when I look down I see skinny white pipes jutting out from the earth.

After we arrive at Wang’s uncle’s home, Yeye promptly retires to the kang for a nap. Wang’s uncle has a friend over, which calls for reminiscing about the past over beer and baijiu.

There is little else to do, so I sit outside in the courtyard. The sun beats down. I eat a slice of watermelon and breathe the fresh mountain air.

43

I L i ve d i n a G a n s u C ave Hous e

Wang’s father, Shushu, was in middle school when he helped his father build the yaodong.

According to Shushu, the best part of living in a yaodong is ‘dong nuan xia liang’ while the worst is the poor natural lighting (it is a cave after all).

Before electricity was installed in 1995, the Wangs used oil lamps.

The nearest neighbors are kilometers away, but Shushu doesn’t feel alone. “I’m used to this lifestyle. Neighbors would be troublesome,” he shrugs.

The Wangs spend their days tending to livestock and doing work around the home and farm.

They have two dogs (Xiaobai and Laohuang), cats

and plenty of chickens, the latter laying a daily supply of eggs with large, buttery centers. There are goats and cows as well.

Meals consist of fresh vegetables, homemade noodles or mantou. Sometimes there is chicken or pork. When the Wangs feel like eating something different, they travel to the village market that we passed on the way up, a half-hour drive away.

But this is difficult in winter due to heavy snowfall.

Flooding is rare though, despite the lack of drains.

On the second day, Wang, Yeye and I take a tour of the surrounding area en route to Wang’s uncle’s home. We walk through a patch of apricot trees, planted by Yeye years ago, and visit the family’s big vegetable garden.

We also pass by several oil excavation sites.

Gansu is full of black gold. Oil diggers have been around the area since the 1970s but only recently so close to home, Wang says: “We don’t get any money from the oil. The local government just gives us free electricity.”

At one point we stop to count the diggers vis-

COVER STORY

40 years ago (although he now lives with Wang’s uncle in a newer free-standing yaodong, made with bricks, about a 20-minute walk uphill). Each is approximately 12 meters long, 3 meters wide and 4 meters high. One yaodong is the designated kitchen, while the others are used for living and sleeping purposes.

House caves may be a marker of the past but they remain an architectural wonder, proving economic and efficient. Built from loess soil, the thick earthen walls are an ideal heat insulator, helping the caves keep cool in summer and warm in winter (‘dong nuan xia liang’ in Chinese).

There are no beds – in the conventional sense, at least. Instead, each yaodong has a large kang, a type of heated bed with a chimney and stove underneath. The kang is an essential part of yaodong life. If you are ‘on the kang,’ you are comfortable, whether sleeping, or just laying about.

Each differs in size but can typically sleep up to five or more people in a row.

words by

Oscar Holland

M

44

ost of Ganbao’s inhabitants were out of their homes when the earthquake struck. Almost 70,000 people were killed in Sichuan province that day, yet astonishingly, only one of the villagers in Ganbao was among them.

It happened just after 2pm on a bright May afternoon, and most were either in the streets or tending to vegetables on the surrounding mountainside. But while the timing of 2008’s 8.0-magnitude quake spared their lives, their houses were less fortunate. The majority of the buildings here were flattened.

Today, little remains of what once stood.

Everything here is new, aside from a fading framed photograph of the village, the occasional recovered ornament and a stream flowing down from the mountains. But great effort has been taken to have us believe otherwise. Ganbao has been rebuilt using the same winding layout – and with many of the old Buddhist markings restored: colorfully painted doors and a line of prayer wheels leading to the main square.

The reconstruction was carried out with a clear purpose in mind: tourism. The village is now equipped to host hoards of domestic travelers.

Sure, some of the ancient charm has been lost, but now there are guesthouses and restaurants serving the same pan-Chinese fare.

At the village entrance, sightseers stream out of coaches hoping to catch a glimpse of the untarnished Tibetan antiquity beyond the parking lot.

That glimpse soon becomes a gawp. As villagers in traditional ethnic dress pose for tourist photographs in the street, I am struck by the dilemma that visiting Ganbao – or any of the other villages rebuilt after the earthquake – poses for the conscientious traveler.

The village offers a sanitized and disconcertingly smiley vision of minority life, while Ganbao’s 800 residents still mourn the loss of a 2,000-year-old settlement. But for the people here, things have improved vastly since the disaster.

Some here continue to farm tomatoes, potatoes, apples, cherries or carrots as they always had. Most capitalize on tourist spending. Dining at the home of one such villager, I find a house

who has lived in Pingtou for more than 40 years.

“This is how we show our culture to the world now,” he explains “The earthquake may have destroyed a lot, but it has brought more opportunity to the district."

45

I w a s a Po s t -Di s a s t e r Tour i st i n S ic huan

ity found here – and so lacking in Ganbao – results only from the good fortune of building techniques. The ancestors of neither village could have comprehended the force that would one day test their designs.

Thankfully for Ganbao’s residents, convenience is as important as history for some travelers. For the ultimate convenience, however, look no farther than Pingtou, another of the region’s rebuilt villages. Like nearby Taoping, it’s populated by the Qiang ethnic minority. But unlike Taoping, it has been entirely rebuilt from scratch after the earthquake.

Some care has been taken to recreate the picturesque settlement. In the aftermath of the disaster, China’s provinces were each allocated villages which they were obliged to help. The construction in Pingtou was partly funded by the government of Shanxi province almost 1,000km away, and a large wall stands displaying messages of villagers’ gratitude.

Pingtou once more boasts stone-veneered houses and a huge drum that visitors delight in hitting as hard as they can. But the village is now also the site of over 1,500 hotel rooms charging up to RMB2,000 a night. Motor buggies of tourists speed past while, in the main square, visitors can see residents performing a local dancing style, salang.

Come evening, villagers take to the stage for a “cultural show” at the nearby museum. For those of us uncomfortable with the commodification of ethnic culture, the smoke machine and beaming dancers are downright galling. But as I am told across these reconstructed villages, the earthquake has given those lucky enough to survive it a chance of a better life. Amid the glass cabinets of the village souvenir shop, I meet Chen Haiyuan,

COVER STORY

built around a large central room and decorated with gold-trimmed panels. Traditionally, animals would have been kept on the ground floor. Now there stands a large television playing footage from the recent wedding of my host’s daughter.

After lunch, I depart from Ganbao – past the usual assortment of walnuts and tatty jewelry – and make the journey to nearby Taoping. The earthquake’s impact is evident here too: The town’s lower reaches comprise new buildings reinforced with steel.

Behind them, however, original structures still stand. Taoping may be just 17 kilometers from the quake’s epicenter but, remarkably, much of the old town remains intact. Built using stone and wood, these ancient constructs survived the devastation thanks to their bottom-heavy design (they’re “like the pyramids,” my guide tells me).

The buildings here form a single, organic entity in which almost 100 families now reside. Their houses are interconnected by shared walls, walkways between roofs and a stone labyrinth of thin alleys designed to help repel and escape from invaders (there’s even an underground waterway through which people can flee attack).

Nowadays though, locals are more concerned with selling dried pork, mushrooms and knitted bags to visitors. Outsiders are no longer to be resisted.

For its impressive ancient structure alone, Taoping feels more worthy of tourists’ gaze. In this, there is something arbitrary. The authentic-

EAT & DRINK G RAPEV IN E

S N AC KS A N D T H E C I T Y

Readers of That’s Beijing: I know you’ve been wondering.

What side does the Food & Drink editor of your favorite local publication take?

No, not what side dish does she take with her entrée.

(Although she is partial to mashed potatoes and gravy, thanks for asking.) No, what side does your local restaurant critic take in the Taylor Swift vs.

Kim Kardashian feud of 2016?

Because you’ve been wondering (you haven’t): I am wholeheartedly Team Kardashian. Because the Book of 2016 is all the more interesting for her meddling, dramatic ways. Betrayal can be a beautiful plot twist sometimes.

And the world thrives on drama.

Beijing is every bit as dramatic and surprising as the brain of Kim Kardashian’s PR Team itself. That’s why our F&B scene is always changing, even if it sometimes feels like a betrayal. Case in point: Gulou drinking institution Beiluo Bread Bar has closed. Over in Sanlitun, one of the longest running Taikooli restaurants, Union Bar and Grille, has also closed. And somewhere in between, along Dongzhimen Wai Dajie, rogue hot-dog stand No More Bunz is no more.

(That’s right: No more No More Bunz.)

Feeling betrayed? Worry not. As the saying goes: When one (restaurant) door closes, another (restaurant) door opens. And we’ve got the scoop on all the best openings here, so read on. #TeamKimye. NM Bye bye Beiluo Bread

Bar

O F F T H E B E AT E N P L AT E

Pacific Coffee, the swashbuckling competitor of Starbucks and Costa, has three new baijiu-injected coffee drinks. Yes, baijiu. Options include the Huadiao Mocha, Erguotou Zesty Chillino and Erguotou Pink Grapefruit Chillino, all RMB48. Huadiao is a variety of huangjiu (literally “yellow wine”) from Zhejiang province. It is also the base liquor for the Huadiao Mocha (pictured), which begins with a shot of booze swirled into a whimsical cross between a frappe and espresso. The drink is small enough that you can taste the liquor, but big enough that it functions effectively as a coffee beverage.

Will this lead to a wave of alcoholic coffee beverages in Beijing malls? Will Dunkin’ Donuts start putting tequila shots in Coolatta’s? Will Starbucks add rum to its venerable Pumpkin Spice Latte? Only time will tell. NM

Huadiao Mocha, RMB48; Pacific Coffee (see www.pacificcoffee.com.cn for locations)

H E A D -TO - H E A D / CO N V E N I E N C E S T O R E B AOZ I

VER SUS Family Mart Baozi

7-Eleven Baozi

全家包子 RMB2

7-11包子 RMB2

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The buns are taken away for a minute, and when they return they’re searing hot. The work of a microwave, we assume.

Foregone are the regulation pork clumps, in their place a filling made of pork shreds and various pieces of vegetables.

The outside breading is as flaky as a Tinder date, while the inside is juicy and compact.

Most of the filling is concentrated on one side of the bun. It explodes at an angle like a misfiring volcano.

FIRST BITE

FINAL THOUGHTS

Generally inferior to your street-side baozi guy – but what did you expect?

If you could do something with the monolith of pure bun taking up half of this thing, it could be going places.

VERDICT

We appreciate the great leap in steamed bun filling innovation from 7-Eleven, but they need to center the pork-and-veggies so we don’t end up eating the filling and the bun separately. Family Mart takes this one. NM 4 6 | A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 | W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M

Ed i t e d by No e l l e Ma t e e r /

BA RT I SA N S

T H E Y SA I D I T, W E R E A D I T

Dunkin’ Donuts Ever wondered what kids these days think of some of Beijing’s long-standing foodand-drink establishments? To give you an idea, we’ve handpicked and translated some comments from popular ratings site dianping.com. This month: Dunkin’ Donuts, the American import making waves in Shunyi.

The “Death by Chocolate” donut really is deathly good.

I feel so guilty eating it for breakfast.

How does this Dunkaccino taste so good?!!!

This month, we head to German restaurant and bar Brotzeit where head chef Adam Puetzfeld talks about two of our favorite things: booze and meat.

The donuts are so soft.

Whenever I feel like something sweet, this is my first choice!

PHOTO BY HOLLY LI

The donuts do look very delicious but their attractiveness exceeds the taste itself.

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

N E WS B I T E

UnTour Launches Food Tours in Beijing

UnTour’s Shanghai food tours have been lauded by The New York Times, Travel + Leisure, Monocle… well, everyone really. Now, the crew is bringing its gluttonous walks to Beijing. Finally, right? We’re clearly biased, but isn’t Beijing cooler than Shanghai anyway?

City loyalties aside, here’s how it works: You meet your guide at a designated location in the hutongs, and then he or she takes you to five different restaurants.

If that sounds like a lot, it’s because it is. But the inevitable bloating you’ll experience afterward is worth it – UnTour has scoured Beijing’s restaurants for the tastiest and most authentic local dishes, and where you end up may surprise you. Guides are also on hand to explain the history of every dish, so even seasoned locals may learn a thing or two. Both dinner and breakfast tours are available (RMB400 and 350 respectively, for more information or to book, visit www. untourfoodtours.com).

— So, you’re from Germany?

I’m actually not – I’m Polish. But I moved to Germany when I was 14, and I got all of my experience and training in Germany. I also ended up in Mexico for a few months where I learned about Mexican cuisine.

— What sort of dishes do you specialize in?

My personal favorite is Italian food. A large portion of my family lives in Italy, and my aunt owns a hotel with a restaurant in there, where I also used to work.

— So you know how to cook many different cuisines?

Yes, except for Polish! My grandfather was an excellent cook, but he passed away when I was young, and my parents never really taught me their local cuisine.

— Do you have a favorite dish here at Brotzeit?

Definitely the pork knuckle. We do a really good one here. We use a very old-fashioned procedure, and end up cooking it five times.

— What drink do you recommend having with it?

Beer! [Laughs.] Wheat beer. Though most of our customers like to eat the knuckle alongside a pilsner.

— German cuisine in three words?

I’ll go with heavy, healthy…

— Wait… healthy? What’s healthy about German food?

We use a lot of cabbage for example. Plus potatoes and other vegetables.

— Is beer healthy?

Depends on the quantity you drink [chuckles].

Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant (see Listings for details)

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E AT & DRINK | RESTAUR A N T S

LONG XIAO BAO SOHO Is in a Pickle (Soup)

wo rd s by No e l l e Ma t e e r, i m a g e s by Ho l l y L i

If we had to make, say, a top-ten list of the Worst Ever Noodle Broths to Get In Your Eye, Hunanese spicy-sour would be number one. It stings, dude.

It’s hot. It’s acidic. It’s a shame societal norms advise against wearing protective goggles to a noodle restaurant.

Hunanese noodle broth stings the tongue as well. But when we slurp it – rather than unwittingly fling it into our corneas – the sting is a different sensation entirely. This sting, we imagine, is why long lines of customers trail outside Long Xiao Bao’s Sanlitun SOHO doors every lunchtime.

We’ve had many, varied noodle soups in Beijing. And still, Long Xiao Bao adds something new to the pot. Even in this noodle-slinging capital, Hunanese joints are sparse. Which is why what follows is a requisite explanation of the cuisine of Hunan province.

In two words: spicy and sour. But in more: Hunan is the home of fiery fare, and we don’t mean the sort of slow-building, long-game numbing variety of Sichuanese. Hunanese is immediate, spicy lightning. It is a pile of dried chili peppers, topped with pickled chili peppers for good measure. It is the macho cuisine of Hunan’s most famous former resident, Chairman Mao. It is not for the faint of heart. Do not get the broth in your eye.

A proper Changsha banquet would leave you in delirious pain. But Long Xiao Bao takes China’s most aggressive gastronomic tradition and fits it into aesthetically pleasing wooden bowls, pairing its broth with mild, rubbery rice noodles.

Visitors to the shop can select dry or soup noodles (RMB19-39), and then choose additional toppings. We love the soft egg dumpling (an additional RMB5) atop ours. And we strongly recommend adding extra scallions, which serve as delightful oases of cool in a desert of chili.

Long Xiao Bao’s aesthetics go a long (xiao bao?) way towards making an aggressive cuisine seem calming and gentle. The restaurant design is genuinely inspired. Thin iron bars crisscross the wood-paneled space, as if we’re eating in a hip, stylish jail. The music overhead is accordionlaced coffee-shop European bubblegum, which is exactly what our mind’s ear hears when we think of Hunan and its fiery chilies. (It’s not.)

Long Xiao Bao is a lovely stew of heat and calm in the middle of the 95-percent worthless Sanlitun SOHO. Just don’t get the broth in your eye.

Daily, 10.30am-2.30pm and 5.30-10pm; Building A, Sanlitun SOHO, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯 SOHO 写字楼 A 座 出口旁 (5785 3096)

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RESTAUR A N T S | E AT & DRINK

YI JIA REN

Not for Casual Dates

by No e l l e Ma t e e r

Yi Jia Ren is a bad place to take someone with whom you’ve been casually, you know, ‘chilling.’ Let my tale serve as a warning.

Blake* is a dude I hang out with whenever he’s in town. He’s not my boyfriend; we’re not into labels –but who is anymore? It's 2016. What is a date, anyway?

Well, Yi Jia Ren is a bonafide date.

I did not know this, so I went ahead and booked a table for me and my Casual ManFriend anyway. This is a mistake. Because the moment we enter Yi Jia Ren’s candlelit, floral-scented hallway, I realize saying “let’s grab some casual hot pot at Yi Jia Ren” is like saying “this is totally not a date” and then booking a high-end couple’s massage.

It’s like saying “we’re not a thing” and then wearing matching outfits to TRB’s Valentine’s Day dinner. It’s like saying “we’re just friends,” and then having the conductor at the NCPA pause his orchestra’s performance to let you take the stage, grab the mic, and – while looking past the sea of people at your one-and-only as if you’re alone together in a crowded room – ask, “Will you marry me?”

“Dude, I thought we were just chilling,” she’d reply. Yi Jia Ren is like that.

There are a lot of rose petals. They are artfully scattered across the dark tiled floors and piled around the base of candles, yes

candles – of course there are candles. The reigning color is magenta. Yi Jia Ren made headlines last month when it claimed to be the “World’s Most Beautiful Hot Pot.” The overall vibe is traditional Beijing mansion meets Valentine’s Day sale at your neighborhood mall – plus views of Worker’s Stadium. It's a weird mix.

Nonetheless, we like it. While design is a bit over-the-top for our tastes, our literal tastes fare much better. We opt for cuts of premium lamb, premixed sesame and seafood sauces, and wicker baskets full of mushrooms and tofu. Yi Jia Ren uses quality ingredients – a wide variety of them in fact – and gently-flavored soups.

Yi Jia Ren isn’t exactly gaudy, but it’s not subtle, either. But since when have hot pot restaurants been known for their restraint?

As far as hot pot restaurants go, Yi Jia Ren is a welcome change of pace – at least from the chaos and subsequent gastrointestinal issues that is the Haidilao hot pot experience.

Or the Gui Jie hot pot experience, for that matter. Put simply, few hot pot spots exude the hospitality and comfort of Yi Jia Ren. It is a great place to go if you want to boil your own meat without the clamor or confusion.

As for my date, Blake* was chill about the whole thing. As I said, we’re chill about a lot of things. I do suggest, though, that you take

your next casual fling to Taco Bar. I find that works much better. *Name DEFINITELY changed.

Daily, 10am-2am; 3/F, China View, Bldg 3, 2 Gongti

Donglu, Chaoyang 朝阳区工体东路 2 号中国红街大厦 3 号楼 3 层 (6777 7456)

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DOG HOUSE If being “in the dog house” is an Englishlanguage idiom that roughly equates to “you’re in trouble,” then what does “the Dog House is in Beijing” mean? It means hot dogs. The Shanghai chain’s first Beijing shop serves novelty dogs such as the Sichuan Dog (RMB45, topped with crispy pepper flakes) and the Philly Dog (RMB45, smothered in Philly cheese steak cheese). Both delicious.

Daily, 9am-9pm; 103B, Tower 14, Central Park, 6

Chaowai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳区朝外大街 6 号新城国际 14 号楼 103B (6500 2067)

CHARLIE CHAPLIN 2 A RT E M I S Sanlitun is hip cafe central. But Artemis takes hip to new heights with its cafe-withina-design shop concept. The Taikooli store sells arty objects and designer notepads alongside pastries, drinks and a really rad raspberry and mint ice tea (RMB28). Snack prices are low, but we dare you to buy only edibles.

Daily, 10am-10pm; S6-11A Taikoo Li Sanlitun South,

Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯太古里南 S6-11A (6416 5126)

Charlie Chaplin has opened a second location a 15-minute walk from its first. This one screams faux-prohibition era speakeasy just as much as the first (velvet chairs everywhere) – but adds one crucial thing: a lengthy menu. The decor borders on cheesy, but we don’t mind when the drinks are this good. We love the house special Charlie Chaplin and the Rose Old Fashioned (both RMB80).

Daily, 7pm-3am; 18 Xinzhong Lu, Dongcheng 东城区新 中街18号 (185 1848 9818)

is R ic e l e e h t f s i s ll You he Ha We Te Worth t

M AG N U M P L E AS U R E S TO R E

DUBUJIB

This month’s mifan that’s definitively not worth the mafan is Sanlitun’s pop-up Magnum Pleasure Store. Not a condom shop, but rather an ice cream publicity stunt, this Pleasure Store is offering free Magnum ice cream bars that you can decorate yourself – to whomever is willing to wait for them.

Lines wrap around the building, and the wait time is often two (two!) hours. If you plan to go, you might want to cancel the rest of your afternoon plans.

Daily, 10am-10pm; A105, 46 Fangjia Hutong,

The Grand Summit is shaping up to be a veritable cornucopia of good-value eats.

The latest is Dubujib – and no, we can’t pronounce the name either. At lunchtime, crowds form daily for its biggest seller – a gently spicy seafood-and-tofu soup – but also for its hot bowls of bibimbap and perfectly cooked beef bulgogi. It’s a quick lunch spot, sure – but that doesn’t mean it’s low quality.

Expect to fill your belly for under RMB100.

Dongcheng 东城区方家胡同 46 号 A105

南区 B111 (8531 5102)

Daily, 11am-10pm, through Aug 7; The Red, Taikoo Li North, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯北太古里北区

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B I S T R O JA D O Each month, there’s one spot that makes us go: “How long do you give this place?” Sorry, Bistro Jado, but this time it’s you. The closetsized Fangjia Hutong sandwich shop sells subpar baguette sandwiches (from RMB30) and a smattering of low-quality pizzas. Fine if you’re drunk, and on Fangjia, we often are.

Daily, 10am-10pm; B111, The Grand Summit, 19

Dongfang Donglu, Chaoyang 朝阳区东方东路 19 号官舍

RESTAUR A N T S | E AT & DR INK

CAFÉ FLO Merci You There

Paris is always a good idea.

But Paris is hard to get to. It’s expensive.

It’s excessively crammed with tourists this time of year. And with all this in mind, Café FLO is your next-best bet.

The cafe and casual-dining spot, opened by the same team that’s behind – you guessed it – Maison FLO (formerly known as Brasserie FLO), is not new to Beijing. There are currently other Café FLO locations in Parkview Green and Guomao. But this latest opening is the brightest star of them all. And much of that has to do with its location.

Café FLO sprawls across a grand, highceilinged space on the top floor of Sanlitun’s bustling Taikoo Li South.

The complex comprises a dining room, terrace and small shop – all decked out in a mixture of azure paints and wood.

Inside its sunlit dining room, we realize how perfect a fit Parisian dining is for Sanlitun shoppers.

After all, Parisians know how to lunch.

As such, Café FLO isn’t a grab-and-go

sandwich joint (although you can take away yogurts and pastries at the shop counter); nor is it a stuffy dinnertime affair. It’s quality, hearty French food and swift service, but in relaxing, charming environs. It’s also a place with a lot of wine. Nothing makes more sense in Beijing’s pleasure capital, Sanlitun.

On our recent visit, we enjoy spreading rich pork pâté on our fresh bread before tucking in to tender duck confit and finishing it all off with a platter of desserts. And while it is a workday – we opt for coffee – we could easily spend longer at Café FLO lingering over glasses of pinot.

Alas, we have to run. But there’s good news on that front, too. This Café FLO location is the first to offer a DIY yogurt bar – choose your base of artisanal yogurt, a jam and toppings, and be out of there in a flash.

But only if you must.

Daily, 10am-10pm; S6-33 Taikoo Li, 19 Sanlitun Lu,

Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路 19 号院 6 号楼三层 S6-33 单元 (6409 4224)

THE WOODS CAFÉ New York to Go

wo rd s by D o m i n i q u e Wo n g , i m a g e s by Ho l l y L i

Venturing into The Woods Café, we’re greeted with a pleasant surprise. Who knew that an afternoon spent on the ground floor of a mall in Xicheng would be so satisfying?

Who could foretell the brilliance of a simple croissant?

But such is the skill of the team at The Woods Café, the same group behind the restaurants of the same name. Similar to its Central Park and Seasons Place restaurant counterparts, the cafe (also in Seasons Place) offers European-style food – just repackaged for more casual dining purposes. (Think: pick up and go.)

The cafe is newly opened, and also quite literally open, with an inviting deli counter facing the public thoroughfare and tables set on an exposed island in the middle of the ground floor. The set-up is welcoming, and is particularly great for busy shoppers and businesspeople.

Meanwhile, the menu is simple and wellexecuted (salads and sandwiches), with a twist. The ‘signature sandwiches’ are served on homemade ‘Dutch crunch’ bread.

We love The Californian (RMB45), filled with tender chicken and soft mango chunks, and complemented by homemade smoky Jack Daniels BBQ sauce.

Another highlight is The New Yorker (RMB55). Inspired by the classic NYC staple sandwich, its combo of roast beef, cheddar, tomato, arugula and horseradish crema is perfectly balanced. This is perhaps unsurprising, considering that The Woods’ General Manager Ahmed Labib hails from the Big Apple himself, and thus lends a certain authenticity to the food.

Thirsty? Try a mocktail (only RMB32 for what is surely one of the biggest glasses we’ve ever seen). The pineapple sage option is true to its name, while the blood-orange mojito is how we imagine a Blood Orange song would taste like (sweet, bitter and altogether rather delicious).

Lastly, we recommend sampling one of the cafe’s Viennese pastries or desserts. The former are made with 100-percent French butter, which is, funnily enough, also how

we would rate them.

Winning flavors and high quality ingredients mean we’ll be sure to find ourselves in this neck of The Woods again.

Daily, 11am-9pm; Seasons Place, 1/F, 2 Jinchengfang Jie, Xicheng 西城区 金城坊街 2 号金融街购物中心二期 1 层 (6622 0988)

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E AT & DRINK | RESTAUR A N T S

KE CONG HE CHU LAI

At Least It Looks Good in the Photos wo rd s by No e l l e Ma t e e r, i m a g e s by Ho l l y L i

Ke Cong He Chu Lai (客从何处来) must be the first dessert place to ask, upon our entering, if we have a reservation.

We don’t. They seat us anyway. Honestly, the restaurant is half-empty, and there is no reason to ask other than to create an illusion of exclusivity.

But Ke Cong is full of illusions. What happens next is the most interesting of them all: We see the prices.

According to Dianping, the average customer drops RMB124 here. This would be fine for a restaurant, but for a dessert shop? Sure, the pastries are pretty; the silverware is fine. But still, something doesn’t seem quite right.

This is a restaurant made for WeChat.

Let us explain. There is an epidemic in Beijing – hell, in China; hell, in the world – of services created specifically for their social media shareability. People love taking photos of pretty things, and restaurants love when those people share their photos online. Visuals command attention. What else could explain the Hello Kitty cupcakes at BreadTalk? Or those huge, circular rainbow lollipops noone actually enjoys? Or the existence of sprinkles?

Ke Cong is very worthy of your photographs. The vibe is that of a zen spa.

Or maybe of a designer’s white-walled, minimalist studio. It is tres Japanese.

Diners’ tables – each divided into separate boxes by floor-to-ceiling wooden panels – are totally transparent, curved and topped with bouquets and bottles of Antipodes (No free water! Only sparkling artisan imported from New Zealand!).

These modern booths line up along the shop’s front-facing glass facade, as if they’re being displayed to the pretty world of Taikoo Li North outside.

All this sleek design, ultimately, is why we dub Ke Cong a Place Worth Checking Out. It is also why the food comes as a second thought.

For a minute, we think the desserts are great. Thumb-sized matcha cream (RMB68) comes wrapped in translucent rice paper and topped with specks of gold leaf. The rolls are beautiful and mild. Next we have two powdery spheres of dark chocolate presented on a plate amid black stones (remember what we said about the spa vibes?). And finally, we wash it all down with tiny cups of chilled lychee tea.

This strategy truly almost works. And the desserts aren’t, to be fair, bad.

Totally fine. A-OK, hunky dory, mmhmm. But they are by no means great.

The matcha rolls are dull, the chocolate balls are standard fare and the tea is – frankly – boring. All this becomes painfully obvious after the wait staff dotes on us, bows and refills our tea cups. They make a shrine to desserts that don’t deserve a shrine.

It’s always been our opinion that some of the best desserts look like shit (kind of literally, sorry). Not all desserts, of course. But honestly, certain Beijing restaurateurs have to learn the same lesson as so many people around the globe: It’s not about how you look, but what’s on the inside.

And what’s on the inside better taste damn good.

Daily, 1-11pm; 26 Sanlitun Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路北小区北 26 号楼 (5701 2155)

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BA RS | E AT & DRINK

NO.9 BEER

The Growing Pains of a Taproom

by O s c a r Ho l l a n d

No.9 Beer is that kid at school who hits puberty early and develops long, uncoordinated limbs: It’s so big that it doesn’t know what to do with itself. And this gargantuan new beer fortress is, simultaneously, another playground pariah: the kid who tries too hard.

This is a Frankenstein of a bar stitched together from incongruous interpretations of cool; a patchwork of what was, is or might be the zeitgeist. Although there’s an overarching theme of (you guessed it) industrial chic, No.9 is like a beer theme park with interconnected zones – each possessing its own distinct personality.

Our favorite is one we’ll call Bar Zone. Built around the impressive brewing equipment, this is a pleasant spot to pull up a barstool (though the red brick wall looks like a TV set that might collapse at the slightest touch).

At the back, we find Weird High-Table Zone. Tall chairs have been placed around a weird, high table. The bottle display and shiny wall decorations give the impression of

a fuerdai lounge. Not quite the taproom vibe.

Connecting Bar Zone to Weird High-Table Zone is Purgatory Zone, a somewhat bleak thoroughfare of thoughtlessly dumped tables and a wooden barrel. This veritable limbo is framed by bare concrete walls, their emptiness exacerbated by spotlights shining directly on them. But there’s nothing there, just concrete. It’s as if the artworks that once hung have been stolen and no-one’s even realized.

There’s also Hotel Lobby Zone (high ceilings; kinda clinical). And get this: There’s a whole upstairs area that was still to open as we went to print. What more could we find above?

Quite the damning summation thus far. But there are actually a number of likable things about No.9. Lest we forget, kids with flailing arms are often better long-term companions than, say, the emotionally damaged bullies.

Or the manipulative socialites. Here’s why: First, they’re usually pretty generous.

In turn, the service at No.9 is wonderfully

attentive. We feel welcome here. Nuts are constantly replenished and a phenomenal amount of free beer is made available during soft launch. (Disclaimer: this review has been fuelled – almost exclusively – by said free drinks.)

Second, they’re always up for a beer – something No.9 is unlikely to run out of.

The selection of self-crafted brews includes passable red and dark beers (both RMB45), although the cloudy and oddly sweet IPA (RMB48) is best avoided.

Third, they’re often pretty ambitious. For this, No.9 should be applauded.

And so – just as with the gangly, overenthusiastic kid at school – we’ll reluctantly be No.9’s friend. It’s just down the road, and no-one else from school lives in Dongzhimen.

We just might not, you know, stand up for it when it gets bullied.

Daily, 3pm-late; 9 Dongzhimen Nei Dajie, Dongcheng 东城区东直门内大街 9 号 (6401 9799)

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TOP STORIES

INSTAGRAM HIGHLIGHT

BEIJING • Baijiu Coffee is Apparently a Thing Now Pacific Coffee takes the phrase ‘morning wakeup’ to a whole new, crazy level.

• Beijing Teachers Tasked with Monitoring Obese Students Possible measures include limiting children’s food intake to an apple a day.

• Beijing’s New Airport Will House a Bullet Train Station The capital’s new airport is fast on track to be the coolest in the country.

• Woman Held After Trying to Bring Guns on Beijing Subway An unfortunate misunderstanding of the term “suns out, guns out.”

• Scantily Clad Male Models

THE MONTH ON

THATS MAGS. COM

Models berated for “corrupting public morals” (and also our eyes).

• Pokemon GO Unavailable in

VIDEO OF THE MONTH WATCH: Heavy Rain Wreaks Havoc on Beijing

Kicked out of Wangjing Event

NATIONAL

Thanks to @montielism for tagging #thatsbeijing. Tag your pictures for a chance to be featured on our Instagram.

Beijing roads turned into rivers after the city was hit by heavy rainfall.

COMMENT OF THE MONTH

China Because Life Isn’t Fair Gotta catch ‘em all but can’t catch any.

• Pedestrian Causes Insane Bike Pileup at Tour de Qinghai Man picks the worst possible moment to cross the street.

• Is This ‘Asian Cobra Tower’ to be Built in China?

‘Visionary’ design or ‘ugly as fuck’? Hm.

• Shanghai Mayor Vows to Shut Down Yongkang Lu

“Why do they have to wait for almost two hours when the hospital is just beside there?”

The infamous bar street attracts some unwanted attention.

• Authenticate Alipay, WeChat Wallet Before It’s Too Late A new rule requires third-party payment platforms to apply real-name registration.

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--wonders user Edison on ‘Sanlitun Chaos as Man Left Under Truck for Two Hours’

S can the QR code to v isit that smags .com

A DV ER T ORI A L | EDUCAT ION

GUOJI.114STUDY.COM

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL APP OUT NOW

Choose the Right International School with Yuanbo International Education’s New Mobile App Interest in studying abroad has been growing for years, and international schools in China are also flourishing. Many parents look closely at domestic international schools when deciding what’s best for their children. When it comes to choosing a school and preparing for further studies, parents know they need to make rational, informed decisions. But the process of researching, visiting and comparing schools can be time-consuming. So in order to make the process more thorough, accurate, quick and reliable, Yuanbo International Education has developed its new International School App. Here’s how it works:

Thorough – Mass Enrollment Information at Your Fingertips

Quick – Use ‘Onekey’ to Find and Book Key School Events

The International School App compiles enrollment information from over 100 international schools across the country. The information covers different mainstream international curricula and school grades.

International School App gathers information on events and activities, including the latest international school recruitment seminars, consultation exhibitions, expert lectures, open days, entrance examinations and more. Onekey is all you need to reserve your spot at one of these events, making the path to choosing the right school.

Accurate – 360° Contrast of Different International Schools

Reliable – Senior School Choice Team Consulting Online

International School App helps you evaluate different options at the touch of a button. Understand the differences between various schools through the multi-dimensional and comprehensive comparison tool.

What kind of international curriculum is most suitable for your child? What kind of schools should they choose? What kind of international schools are there? These are just some of the questions that our online professionals are here to help answer. Yuanbo International Education will regularly invite renowned education experts to help you solve these common queries.

At Yuanbo International Education, we believe that easing the doubts of parents is our responsibility. Through International School App, choosing the right school is easy.

As the first domestic one-stop advisory service platform for international school parents, Yuanbo International Education is committed to offering comprehensive enrollment information services to parents and students, from primary school to university. We believe that everyone can be an outstanding student. For more information call our advisory hotline 400-995-2020, or visit guoji.114study.com

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Toby Mak / Gig

SuG Gig

HEAR

Bok Bok + L-Vis 1990 DJs London label Night Slugs has been a driving force in the UK’s alternative electronic scene since 2010.

Founders L-Vis 1990 (pictured) and Bok Bok not only run the label, but have defined its sound through their own productions, which are hard-hitting and eminently danceable. Check the pair’s packed 2014 Boiler Room set for a taste of what to expect.

Fri Aug 19; Price TBD; Dada (see Listings for details)

Sunflower Bean Gig

With such a cheerful name, Sunflower Bean sound like they should have a thoroughly jovial disposition. But there is also a tangible melancholy in the trio’s jangly guitars and bittersweet lyrics. The New Yorkers arrive amid considerable buzz around their debut album Human Ceremony.

Thu Aug 18, 8.30pm; RMB120 (presale), RMB160 (door); ModernSky Lab, 5-108, B1/F, Bldg. D, Galaxy SOHO, Dongcheng 东城区朝阳门银 河SOHO D座B1层5-108

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One of Shanghai’s most respected jazz cats gets even cooler, teaming up with electronic producer Soulspeak for some new adventures in sound. The Australian trumpeter gives us a preview. See the full interview at www.thatsmags.com.

On Soulspeak...

We met several years back working with Tia Ray and the J-Crew team. His creative and organic approach to music, and his openness to different genres, really made me excited to work with him. The main goal was to explore new directions, create an interesting musical dialogue between us and then just see where it led.

On making Love in the Land of Robots...

Soulspeak lives in Beijing, so we were actually only in the same room once throughout the process. It’s truly the digital age – so much WeChat discussion.

On the album’s sci-fi theme...

Shanghai just has that futuristic feel. It’s a place that changes fast and adapts to new technologies quickly. It’s hard to think of a more Blade Runneresque skyline than Shanghai’s. AC Toby Mak’s new album Love in the Land of Robots is out now. Available for downlload at ranmusicbj.bandcamp.com

Rockers SuG may have taken their name from the Japanese transliteration of the word ‘thug’ (sagu), but they seem harmless enough.

Steeped in the tradition of ‘visual kei’ – a style that sees bands incorporating flamboyant costumes and makeup – the five-piece are guaranteed to entertain. SuG’s last two albums failed to chart in Japan (time for a China tour!) but earlier albums like Lolipop Kingdom and Tokyo Muzical Hotel sold reasonably well.

Fri Aug 20, 7.30pm; RMB380; Tango (see LIstings for details)

Vincent Herring + Eric Alexander Jazz

Simple Plan / Gig

Quebec’s Simple Plan have followed a path taken by many bands since poppunk brashly thrust itself into the mainstream in the late 1990s: After the genre fell out of favor in the mid-2000s, they got a bit older and more ‘serious’ by adding a tinge of emo. Then they just kinda… clung on. Back with a new album Taking one for the Team (which features Nelly, weirdly), Simple Plan have shown themselves to possess greater longevity than many of their contemporaries. The five-piece are actually only in their mid-30s, so if you fancy some pop-punk nostalgia and find the aging blink-182 a little too depressing to handle – this one’s for you.

Sun Aug 28; RMB288-RMB588; LeSports Center, Wukesong Culture Square, 69 Fuxing Lu, Haidian 海淀区复兴路69号五棵松文化广场

As well as having the best name in jazz since Dizzy Gillespie, saxophonist Vincent Herring also has one of the most interesting takes on postbop. Experimental without veering into self-indulgence, the American’s improvisation is clean and effortless. Herring has played almost every major festival in existence, and how about this for a discography: In addition to releasing 15 records as a band leader, he’s featured on over 200 as a sideman. He’ll be joined by pianist Eric Alexander.

Sat Aug 20, 10pm; East Shore Live Jazz Café, 2 Qianhai Nanyan, Xicheng 西城区前海南沿2号 (8403 2131)

TEDxSanlitun / Conference

Education Without Borders Panel

DO

Water Wars Game Still summer, still sweaty AF. Though they can’t change the season, outdoor adventure company Imagine can solve the latter problem with its two Chaoyang Park ‘water wars’ events. If you’re over the age of 18 but miss being a child, or just like getting wet, cool off with an afternoon of water fights and games.

Ticket price includes all equipment needed for the water war.

Sun Aug 7 and 21, 2-4pm; RMB70 (RMB50 advance); Chaoyang Park 朝 阳公园 (imagine-china.com, 5739 4933)

X gon’ give it to ya, gon’ give it to ya… Sanlitun.

TEDx, an offshoot of the nonprofit innovation leader TED, is about creating quality events for communities and its members. In this case, it’s the multi-cultural Sanlitun getting the TEDx treatment, with the theme ‘Red’ representing Sanlitun’s diverse range of people and their underlying passion.

The conference will get ‘red people’ together to share new knowledge and ideas. It’s about celebrating learning, differences, community and, above all, life. Leading up to the event, keep an eye out for a ‘Red’ photographic exhibition as well as a ‘Humans of Sanlitun’ feature, sharing real stories about real people in Sanlitun.

Celebrate Sanlitun: a place inhabited by locals and foreigners from a range of areas including commerce, fashion and diplomacy, and each of them with their own different tales and hobbies.

Sun Aug 21, 2-6pm; The Red, Taikoo Li North, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯太古里北 区 (For more information check out tedxsanlitun.com)

This free, half-day conference has been created for young professionals with leanings towards inter national education or education innovation. Or for those who are simply job-hunting but curious about learning. The event includes engaging panels with industry leaders in the global education world.

Sat Aug 6, 1.30-5.30pm; Peking University, 1 Yiheyuan Lu Haidian 海 淀区 颐和园路1号 (contact kelsey. ouyang@syieducation.com, www. ewbforum.com)

Maliandao Tea Tour Walk

Roundabout Book Fair Charity

This one’s for all you book nerd philanthropists out there: The British School of Shunyi is hosting a massive Roundabout Book Fair with all proceeds going to help children in need. We’re talking thousands of pre-loved books for all ages, and at prices starting as low as RMB1, so there’s bound to be a favorite or two (or four or five, you know how it goes).

Sat Aug 27, 10am-3pm; Aug 29-Sep 2, 3pm-4.30pm; The British School of Beijing Shunyi, 9 Anhua Lu (south side), Shunyi 顺义区安华路9号南院 (8047 3588)

Tea is a classic drink but there’s more to the beverage than black, green and red. If you want to get your fill of the best brews and get schooled at the same time, The Hutong’s Maliandao Tea Tour is a must do. The day includes tea sampling, a delicious Northwest Fujian-style lunch, followed by more tea sipping. And all of this in the best tea and wholesaling area in the region.

Sun Aug 7, 10.30am-3.30pm; RMB300; Maliandao Tea Street, 11 Maliandao Lu Xuanwu 宣武区 马连道 路11号 (thehutong.com)

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Summer Salads at blue frog Dining

Italian Aperitivo by Bellavista / Drinking

TA S T E

Artisanal Gelato at Annie’s Dessert Annie’s is ready for summer.

Beijing’s most popular group of Italian restaurants is cooling off with a new collection of artisanal gelatos, made in-house by Annie’s expert Italian chefs. Flavors include Valrhona chocolate, fresh straw berry and vanilla made with imported beans.

Annie’s Italian Restaurant (see Listings for details)

Sure, eating at blue frog can get heavy. (Buy-one-get-one burger Mondays have a tendency to leave us stuffed.) But fortunately, our favorite burger slingers are offering a healthy alternative with their Mango Shrimp Salad. Chiliseasoned shrimp sits atop mixed greens, roasted bell peppers and ricotta cheese – and it’s all mixed into a lovely mango sauce. Perfect for replacing your burger order (or, you know, adding to it). blue frog (see Listings for details)

Chinese Valentine’s Day Dining

Brew Cruise at Houhai Lake Parties

Jing-A and 4corners are throwing the ultimate boat party… on Houhai.

The party institutions are bringing food and booze to Beijing’s most notorious lake, where partygoers can rent boats with friends and purchase picnic baskets from 4corners with Jing-A beer. Expect fun freebies and surprises – plus “live music on the lake,” whatever that means.

Sat Aug 20, 2pm; 4corners (see Listings for details)

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We at That’s Beijing are known Valentine’s Day cynics. (See our February 2016 issue, “The Lonely Hearts Club,” about singledom and heartbreak for proof.) But it’d be unfair if we didn’t include Chinese Valentine’s Day in the month’s dining events nonetheless. The lovers’ holiday calls upon chefs across the city to impress with some of their most lavish, exuberant dishes. Or just champagne. Either way, prepare your appetites (and wallets).

Chinese Valentine’s Day is August 9

Aperitivo is Italian for good time. OK, not literally – but we’ve definitely never had a bad time while having aperitivo, just saying. There are few things more relaxing than the Italian tradition of sipping a pre-dinner glass of wine.

And this is especially true when said wine is Italian, and said Italian wine is paired with Italian nibbles – as it should and will be at the opening party for Bellavista’s aperitivo series at la Spazia Italia.

Bellavista is our go-to for top-notch Italian vintages in Beijing. Summer evenings in the city are long and hot, and we can’t imagine a better way to improve them than with a Bellavista bottle. Whether you’re Italian or not – a seasoned aperitivo drinker or someone who saw that word for the first time in this event description – the Bellavista team will be on hand to guide you through this marvelous tradition. Grab a glass of Bellavista, plus Italian tapas, for RMB138. In collabortation with Kelit, Opera Bombana, Bottega, La Pizza, Velvet and Alio Olio.

Aug 3, 4.30-6.30pm, La Spazia Italia, 1/f, bldg 1, Hai Long Plaza, 13 Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区工体体育场北路13号院1号楼一层1-01

Aim High in Creation / Film

Le Nozze di Figaro Theater

SEE

Moon Water Dance Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, named after the oldest known dance in China, presents its latest event, the evocative Moon Water. Named the best dance of the year by The New York Times (2003), the show’s 24 artists will leave you breathless as they combine modern dance, ballet, martial arts and calligraphy into one beautiful performance.

Aug 25-28, 7.30pm; RMB180-680; Opera House of NCPA, 2 Xi Chang’an Jie, Xicheng 西城区西长安街2号 (tickets available via sales@theatrebeijing.com)

A revolutionary comedy-cum-documentary from Australian director Anna Broinowski, Aim High in Creation both satirizes and pays tribute to DPRK propaganda filmmaking.

Determined to stop a new gas mine near her Sydney home, Broinowski travels to the DPRK to learn from the masters of propaganda cinema.

Pyongyang’s top directors, composers and movie stars take her to script rehearsals, Taekwondo stunt fights, dances and drunken picnics to teach her Kin Jong-il’s techniques. Once back in Sydney, Broinowski’s band of fighters follow instructions to produce a socialist melodrama, complete with song and battles, in which “heroic workers” rise up to defeat the “evil, gas-fracking miners.” Intense.

Koryo Tours acted as executive producers of the film and after the screening, founder Nick Bonner will take part in a Q&A and plus talk about the Pyongyang International Film Festival taking place in September.

Sun Aug 21, 7.30pm; free; Pop-Up Beijing, Courtyard 4, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区工体北路4号院22号楼北侧首层

One of Mozart’s most famous operas, Le Nozze di Figaro tells the tale of Figaro and Susanna, a servant and maid who wish to marry but must first thwart the scheming ways of the sordid Count Almaviva. NCPA brings the opera to life, imbuing the witty story with its own fresh spin by substituting the theme of love for rights and politics.

Aug 3-7, 7.30pm; RMB420-680; Drama Theatre of NCPA, 2 Xi Chang’an Jie, Xicheng 西城区西长安 街2号 (tickets available via sales@ theatrebeijing.com)

> < Art

Lin Zhipeng aka 223 / Photography

WeiLaugh Comedy Club Open Mic Stand-up

Liven up your Tuesday by checking out the newest open mic in town, brought to you by Subnormalz and hosted by Irish legends Paddy’s.

The latter guarantees a steady supply of booze on hand to keep you refreshed while the former provides the jokes with help from local comedians. You laugh, Wei all Laugh.

Every Tue, 8.30pm; free; Paddy O’Shea’s, 28 Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳区东直门外大街28号 (6415 6389)

Lin Zhipeng is a member of the new generation's vanguard. The kids that cut their teeth on social media. They found followers and fame but are still keeping it real. Well, in Zhipeng’s case at least, with his raw and exposed photography like a punch in the guts. Also known as 223, Zhipeng’s appear as an open diary of a young generation who has decided to stick it to society and its expectations, and instead live their own lives. The subjects are at once free and lost, an apt description for youth if there ever was one, resulting in photos both punk and poetic. Zhipeng has contributed to various creative and fashion magazines such as Vision, as well as brands like Converse and Nike.

Through Aug 28, 10.30am-6.30pm; De Sarthe Gallery Beijing, 328-D Caochangdi, Chaoyang 朝阳区草场地艺术区328-D (8418 2441)

Life is about balance, the space between ‘greater than’ -(>), and ‘smaller than’ -(<), and yet finding, much less maintaining, that middle ground is a challenge. EGG Gallery’s group exhibition allows viewers to find their inner harmony by showcasing both emotional art works turned calculating, and abstraction geometric shapes. The two female artists’ works differ in form yet work together to reach equilibrium.

Tue-Sun, through Aug 25, 10am6pm; EGG Gallery, 327 Caochangdi, Chaoyang 朝阳区朝阳区草场地327号 (6432 8089)

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EVENTS

WEEKLY SPECIALS

Happy hours Meal deals Brunch

Food and Drink

Ladies' nights

Palms L.A. Kitchen and Bar Palms is a fiesta-within-a-restaurant. The California-inspired kitchen may serve a unique fusion of cuisines from Korea and Mexico, but it parties like it’s in LA. And so it’s only fitting that the team has launched a brunch, the preferred meal of day drinkers worldwide.

It’s not just for you, but your dog too. Called “Hair of the Dog,” the brunch sees the Palms team murdering hangovers one cocktail pitcher at a time. Dogs are welcome as long as they’re leashed. The brunch menu features an array of new dishes, such as the kimchi and chicken breakfast burrito, featuring Palms’ house-made kimchi. There’s the chorizo eggs Benedict, and a black-garlic bagel set as well – plus more. Best yet: most brunch sets are under RMB100. Thanks to Palms, lazy summer Sundays are a no-brainer.

Sundays, noon-3pm, Palms L.A. Kitchen and Bar (Liangmaqiao location); Ground Floor, 66 Xiaguangli Building D, Yuanyang Xinganxian, Chaoyang 朝阳区霞光里66 号远洋新干线D座底商 (8446 7565)

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 11.30am-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) Agua Agua’s new set lunch menu is RMB118/ person for three courses.

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> 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) MEI All cocktails 50-percent off from 6-9pm. > 5F Rosewood Beijing, Jing Guang Centre, Hujialou, Chaoyang 朝阳区呼家 楼一号京广中心北京瑰丽酒店3层 (6536 0083)

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 Pebbles Just RMB10 per taco – order as many as you want. > Midday to midnight; 74 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng 东城区五道营胡同74 号 (8404 0767)

TUESDAY TO FRIDAY

杯胡同7号 (6401 7797)

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)

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

SIZZLER After 4pm, get 29 percent off your bill. > 3/F Shimao Plaza, 12 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区工体北路12号楼世茂广 场3楼 (8400 4773)

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) MEI ‘Modern 80s’ themed music all night alongside 50-percent off deals on bottles of Belvedere vodka. > 5F Rosewood Beijing, Jing Guang Centre, Hujialou, Chaoyang 朝阳区呼家 楼一号京广中心北京瑰丽酒店3层 (6536 0083) 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

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) MEI Free martinis for ladies from 9-11pm followed by a midnight lucky draw. > 5F Rosewood Beijing, Jing Guang Centre, Hujialou, Chaoyang 朝阳区呼家 楼一号京广中心北京瑰丽酒店3层 (6536 0083)

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)

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 Contemporary & Mixed Cuisine 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

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

Peking Duck Country Kitchen The name ‘Country Kitchen’ may sound like a diner, but a diner this is not. Rosewood Beijing’s resplendent Northern Chinese restaurant serves elegant Hebei fare unlike you’ve ever had it. Excellent peking duck is on offer as well. > Daily 11.30am-2.30pm and 5.30-10:30pm; 3F Rosewood Beijing, Jing Guang Centre, Hujialou, Chaoyang 朝阳区呼家楼一号京广中心北京瑰丽酒店 3层 (6597 8888)

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

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. > 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)

Xihe Village Restaurant and Bar

No 16 Courtyard 后海16号 (Beijing) Houhai No. 16 is a courtyard restaurant in Houhai, specializes in dishes once served for the government in the imperial times, with customizable menus. ¥380/person (without drinks)Open: 11.30am-9pm > D4, Dajin Hutong. Xicheng District, 西城区后 海大金丝胡同4号(8322 6461,13716551797,www. houhai16.com)

Jing Yaa Tang 京雅堂 (Chinese, Peking Duck)

G+ THE URBAN HARVEST Mushroom With A View What exactly is an “urban harvest”? Is that an oxymoron? According to Beijing’s own Urban Harvest: No. No it is not. G+ The Urban Harvest brings farm-fresh produce to Sanlitun for an organic experience of the most cosmopolitan variety.

Walk into G+ The Urban Harvest, and you’ll notice two things: its sleek, modern design (replete with a contemporary art gallery), and fresh vegetables.

And the Taikoo Li dining spot makes it clear that the two belong together. As we sit in our cushiony silver booth, staffers bring over baskets of fresh sprouts and mushrooms, and invite us to cut them ourselves. All while gazing upon the artworks hanging above us.

Fear not, though – while snipping away at veggies is undoubtedly fun, G+ The Urban Harvest takes them to the kitchen where the serious business happens. Later, we munch on the results of our labors, which are fresh, healthy and hearty. Sure, we love organic farms, but we also love the convenience of eating in the middle of Beijing. G+ The Urban Harvest has brought together the best of both worlds. > Daily, 10am-10pm; S2-32, 3/F 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S2-32 (6460 2296)

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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)

The Urban Harvest

>Unit S2-32, 3/F, Bldg 2, South area Taikooli Sanlitun, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯太古里南区2号楼三楼S2-32单 元 6460 2296 / 6460 2297

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)

> Mon-Fri Lunch: 11am-2.30pm; Dinner: 5-9pm; Sun: 11am-9pm, S9-33, 3/F, South Area of Sanlitun Taikooli, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路19 号三里屯太古里南区三层S9-33(6417 6082)

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)

LISTINGS 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 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)

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)

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). > 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)

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) 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)

Regional

> 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)

> 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)

Beijing institution Xihe Village is best known for its Peking Duck – and rightly so. But there’s plenty more on offer. Now, another bona fide classic has been added to menu: xiaolongxia (‘little lobsters,’ or crayfish). Unlike the straggly little guys you find in most Gui Jie restaurants, these crayfish are meaty and delicious (RMB298 for 20, RMB168 for 10). So put on your plastic gloves and dig in. The mala variety is the obvious choice – and excellent too – but there’s also a garlic variety for those who looking to really appreciate the crustaceans’ natural flavor. Seeing that we are struggling to get every last gram of maeat from each crayfish, the chef sits at the table to offer a masterclass in dismemberment. Basic rule: Unless it’s hard, you can eat it. > Available at branches across Beijing, but we ate at: Taikooli South, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路19号三里屯太古里南区 (6417 6082)

Fine Dining 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.

Grange Grill ** Located in the Westin Beijing Chaoyang, Grange Grill serves up some of the city’s best steak, seafood and grill offerings. The restaurant’s welcoming decor provides a relaxing atmosphere to enjoy a glass of cocktail or a fine vintage from the extensive wine collection. Be sure to try the ‘luxurious oyster feast,’ where you can enjoy the delicacy raw, grilled or with cheese. > Lunch: Mon-Fri 11.30am-2.30pm, Sat and Sun 11.30am-3.pm; Dinner: Daily 5.30-10.30pm; The Westin Beijing Chaoyang 7 North East Third Ring Road, Chaoyang 东三环北路7号 (5922 8888)

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.

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.

ShiChengJi Shaobing 实诚吉烧饼 If ever a food were able to alleviate life’s

The Georg ** This hutong mansion has an elegant restaurant, leather-couched lounge area,

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

That Fish Cray

> Daily 10am-11pm, 84 Beiluoguxiang, Dongcheng 东城区北锣鼓巷84号 (8404 2407)

WESTERN

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.

XIHE VILLAGE

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.

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)

OPEN DOOR

> Daily 11am-midnight; 18 Xiaoyun Lu, Chaoyang 朝 阳区霄云路18号 (6595 5135)

FIORENTINA Elegance is Hot It is a shame that, on our most recent visit, it’s too hot to eat outside at Fiorentina. We visit on an all-too-typical summer day in Beijing – suffocatingly hot. Oh well, we’ll just have to gaze longingly at the gorgeous outdoor terrace from inside. Fortunately, the interior is beautiful too. Fiorentina is one of the most gracefully decorated restaurants in town, and the swirling cerulean patterns and gold accents within make for a welcome respite to the oppressive heat outside.

But there’s elegance on display in more than the decor. We sample Fiorentina’s summer menu, and delight in the subtle, satisfying pleasures therein. Imported salmon goes perfectly with Fiorentina’s basket of freshly baked breads; crab ravioli is light and tenderly wrapped. Because we’re always hungry for more – we round things out with Fiorentina’s signature dish, a hearty seafood risotto. All this can be paired with Fiorentina’s excellent list of wines – which we’ll be back for in cooler times to drink on the terrace. > Fiorentina (see Listings for details)

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sleek bar and sick location near Houhai. But most importantly, it has some of the most thoughtful, innovative cuisine in town. Go for a dinner you won’t forget. >10.30am-midnight (dinner 6-10.30pm), closed Mondays; 45 Dongbuyaqiao Hutong, Dongcheng 东 城区东不压桥胡同45号 (8408 5300)

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)

Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB) ¥¥ (Contemporary Western) ** Setting is everything here, especially if it’s fashioned inside a restored Buddhist temple. The bold contemporary European cuisine is fitting in majesty and the service alone is worthy of worship.

> Daily 11.30am-2.30pm, 6-10pm; 23 Songzhusi Temple, Shatan Beijie, Dongcheng 东城区沙滩北街嵩 祝寺23号 (8400 2232)

Mio ¥¥ Glitzy Italian fare at the Four Seasons, with a mobile Bellini cart, wheeled straight to your table.The Chef 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, 朝阳区亮马桥路48号北京四季酒店 (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. > Daily 11:30am-2:30pm; 5:30pm-10pm; Sundays 11am- 4pm. Shangri La, Valley Wing, 1/F, 29 Zizhuyuan Lu, Haidian 海淀区紫竹院路29号北京香格 里拉饭店 (6841 2211 Ext. 6727)

Contemporary Western

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 by one of the most extensive wine lists in town.

> Daily 6.30-10.30am, noon-2pm, 6-10pm. 79/F, China World Trade Center Phase 3, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国门外大街1号国贸大酒店 79楼 (6505 2299 ext 6424)

Factory Fun, contemporary cuisine that’s as creative as its 798 environs – plus some South American fare from Chef Camilla Betin.

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.

> 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)

Sizzler Sizzler invented ‘casual dining’ in Australia when it introduced the first soup, salad, pasta and fresh fruit concept. Since those pioneering days, it has expanded its ‘classic grill’ to include, not only steak and seafood, but also delicious chicken dishes, BBQ ribs, combination meals, and burgers.

‘Variety’ and ‘freedom to choose’ set Sizzler apart from other dining experiences. At Sizzler customers are free to control the volume, nutritional balance and variety of each meal by ordering from the grill and helping themselves to our famous soup, salad, pasta and fruits.

Tomacado Tomacado is indeed a mash-up of ‘tomato’ and ‘avocado’ – and while you’ll certainly find these ingredients on the menu, you can also expect pleasant drinks, light soups and heartier main courses from this charming cafe. Fowers are also available for sale.

> 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. > 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)

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awfullychocolate

> Daily 10am-10pm (Lunch start from 11am, Only afternoon tea served on Mon-Fri 2.30-5pm), No. 19/20, B1/F, Jia Ming Center, 27 Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区东三环北路27号嘉铭中心地下一层 19/20号(6500 3354)

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)

Wood

>Daily 10.30am-11pm, Lakeside Gourmet Street, Solana, 6 Chaoyang Gongyuan Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区 朝阳公园路6号蓝色港湾南边湖畔美食街 近南边地面 停车场 5726 8255

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.

> Wed-Mon, 11:30am-2:45pm, 6-10pm, 9 Jianchang Hutong, Dongcheng 东城区箭厂胡同9号 (6407 6308)

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. > 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)

>Daily, 8am-8.30pm; 1/F, Tower A, East Gate Plaza, Dongzhimen, Dongcheng 东城区东直门东环广场A座 一层幸福咖啡馆 (6418 1096)

Bistrot B Rosewood Beijing’s exquisite French restaurant is the sort of place chefs like to eat.

Expect lavish luxury.

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.

Café/Deli/Sandwich

Miss K Cafe (Xing Fu Cafe) Whether it’s a rainy morning or a sunny afternoon, relax with your favorite novel and a cup of freshly brewed coffee. Experience a quiet moment of serenity amid the hustle and bustle of Beijing.

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.

> Daily, 11.30am-2.30pm and 5.30-10:30pm; 1F Rosewood Beijing, Jing Guang Centre, Hujialou, Chaoyang 朝阳区呼家楼一号京广中心北京瑰丽酒店 3层 (65360066)

> 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)

>Factory A1, North Business Building 797 Zhongjie, 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 (5762 6451)

>All stores open daily, 10am-10pm ;Wangfujing Oriental Plaza Store 王府井东方广场店 (8518 6315); Chongwenmen Glory Mall Store 崇文门国瑞购物中 心店 (6714 0399); Wangjing Capital Mall 望京凯德购 物中心店 (6471 3876); Wanliu BHG 万柳华联商场店 (8258 9405) Wan Shoulu Crystal Capital Mall 万寿路 凯德晶品店 (6826 086); Xizhimen Capital Mall 西直 门凯德购物中心店Mall (5830 2199); Sanlitun Shimao Gongsan 三里屯世茂工三店 (8400 4014); Changying Paradise Walk 常营龙湖天街店 (8539 0438); Tianjin Joy City 天津大悦城店 (8728 1620)

> 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)

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.

This place is anything but awful. The cakes, ice creams and pastries are enough to satisfy any sweet tooth.

>Daily 9am-10.30pm, 1) Sanlitun: Opposite to BHG, B1/F, Southern area of Taikooli, Sanlitun, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯太古里地下一层华联超市对面 (8468 3802); 2) Indigo: B1/F, Indigo Mall, 18 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区酒仙桥路18号颐堤港地下一 层 (8426 0917); 3) Joy City Chaoyang: 5/F Joy City Chaoyang, Qingnian Lu, Chaoyang Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区朝阳北路青年路朝阳大悦城5楼悦界区 (8582 2677); 4) Raffles City: B1/F, Raffles City, Dongzhimen, Dongcheng 东城区东直门来福士地下一层 (8409 8038)

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. > Tue-Sun noon-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)

Café Flatwhite

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).

> 1/F, Building D, Tsinghua Science Park, 1 Zhongguancun Donglu, Haidian 海淀区中关村东路1 号院清华科技园D座1楼 (8215 8826 )

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)

TRIBE * Salads, wraps and sandwiches, and noodle and grain bowls are as tasty as they are holistic, and there are more superfoods in one single dish than we even knew existed.

Come hungry, leave basking in the warm, glow that comes from knowing that you are eating well. Kombucha is the icing on the (organic, locally-sourced) cake. > 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.thatsmags.com for details)

American/BBQ/Grill Hailing from New Zealand, Café Flatwhite uses fresh and healthy ingredients in its tasty selection of sandwiches, pizzas, salads and brunch options, all served alongside some of the best coffee in Beijing. > Open Daily, Mon-Fri 8am-9pm, Sat-Sun 9am-9pm; Sanlitun Soho Store: B1-239, Building 2, Sanlitun SOHO, 8 Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区工体北 路8号院三里屯SOHO2号楼B1-239 (5785 3762 / 15910944325); 751 D-Park Store: No.4, 798 Dashanzi Art District, Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区酒仙 桥路4号798大山子艺术区751动力广场 (6432 2798 / 13522120390); 798 Dashanzi Art District Store: D09-1, No.4, 798 Dashanzi Art District, Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang朝阳区酒仙桥路4号 798艺术区D09-1 (5978 9067 / 13051771436); China Central Mall Store (Hua Mao): China Central Mall, Room L315, 81 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang朝阳区建国路81号L315 (8588 7978 / 15652922791); Jianguomenwai DRC Store: Building 7-1-11, 1 Silk Street, Chaoyang 朝 阳区秀水街1号建国门外外交公寓7-1-11 (8532 2633 / 18701092189) www.cafeflatwhite.com, cafeflatwhite@hotmail.com, WeChat username: CafeFlatwhite

Element Fresh (Contemporary Western) Chain of restaurants and one of the longest running with quality ingredients and good service. One of the mainstays in Beijing. > 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)

Eudora Station 亿多瑞站

> (Near Lidu place))No 6,Fangyuanli Chaoyang 朝 阳区 芳园西里6号(丽都广场对面)(6437 8331, 6437 8334)

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 www. thatsmags.com for details)

NOLA N’Orleans finds a dark-wood home in the leafy embassy area, with a jazz soundtrack,

LISTINGS 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 Bar-B-Q Slowly cooking meats over mesquite wood is an age-old Texas tradition. This classic American cuisine is in Beijing at Tim’s, where chefs hand-rub beef briskets with a secret blend of spices. Come for the ribs, stay for the margaritas. > Daily, 10am-midnight; B109, Block F, Wangjing International Commercial Center, Chaoyang 朝阳区 望京国际商业中心F座B109 6470 0501 ; Daily 10am11.30pm, Unit111, Bldg 11, Central Park, Chaoyang 朝阳区新城国际11号楼111室 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 Blue Frog is pleased to introduce a creative new Drinks Menu. As the new year begins, this new menu will wake up everyone’s taste buds with a bevy of specialty and original cocktails, mocktails, shots, beer, wine and healthy drinks inspired by popular ingredients.

> 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)

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 French bistro – not a Guinness in sight.

> Daily midday-midnight, Xingfu: No.55-7 Xingfucun Zhonglu, opposite of April courmet, Chaoyang 朝 阳区幸福村中路55-7杰作大厦底商绿叶子超市斜对 面 (8448 8250) ; Central Park: No.o103 building 20, Central Park, No.6 Chaowai Avenue, Chaoyang 朝 阳区朝外大街6号新城国际20号楼103 (6533 6599); shunyi: No.11-102 Shine Hills, No.9 Antai Avenue, Shunyi 顺义区后沙峪安泰大街9号祥云小镇南门 11号 楼102 (8048 5080)

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)

> 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)

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)

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) 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.

>All open Daily,10.30am-11pm; Beijing Riviera: opposite west gate of Lane Bridge Villa, Shunyi 朝 阳区来广营东路5号长岛澜桥别墅西门对面尚古城一 楼 (8470 4768); Lido: Jiangtai Lu, opposite United Family Hospital 朝阳区将台商业街4号楼2楼和睦家 医院对面 (6436 3735); Wangjing: 2F, beside the Daimler Tower, LSH Plaza, 8 Wangjing Jie 朝阳区利星 行广场A座戴勒姆大厦裙楼2层近望京商业中心 (8476 0398); Chaoyang Park: West Gate of Chaoyang Park 朝阳区朝阳公园老西门南侧 (6591 1931); Sanlitun: China View Building, opposite East Gate of Workers’Stadium 朝阳区工体东门对面中国红街一楼 (8587 1469); Ritan Park: Ritan High Life, 3F, north of Ritan Park 朝阳区神路街39号日坛上街3-108号 (8569 3031); The Place: East of the Place, south of Central Park 朝阳区金桐西路10号远洋光华国际中心AB座1 层 (8590 6428); Guomao: Ruisai Business Building (southest of Guomao subway) 朝阳区东三环南路2 号瑞赛大厦商务楼1层 (6568 5890); Sunshine 100: Guanghua Lu, opposite Sunshine 100 Building 朝阳 区光华路阳光100公寓对面首经贸南门 (858 98366)

Mercante ¥ * Old World family charm in an intimate hutong setting. Time (and, occasionally, service) slows with a rustic menu from Bologna offering an assortment of homemade pastas and seasonal mains. > Tue-Sun 6-10.30pm. 4 Fangzhuanchang Hutong, Dongcheng 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)

Tiago Home Kitchen

Bocca Della Verita Trattoria¥

Even the most exacting palettes are delighted by TIAGO, whose team prepares globally sourced ingredients and sustainably grown produce. TIAGO’s dining experience is distinctly Italian, but its menu also offers such classics as Australian steaks and Boston lobster - plus a wide selection of salads, pizza, pasta and desserts.

Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant 博璨德国啤酒餐厅

>Indigo: Daily 11.30am-10pm, Shop L173, Indigo Mall, 18 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区酒仙桥路 18号颐堤港购物中心L173商铺(6438 8772); Chaoyang Joy City: Daily 11am-10pm, 5F50/6F, Chaoyang Joy City, 101 Chaoyang Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区朝阳北路 101号朝阳大悦城5F50/6F(8558 3892)

Good-value homestyle Italian is the order of the day at this little-known spot in Beixinqiao.

Brotzeit offers its customers a unique experience with authentic German cuisine and world famous German beers in a casual environment. Coupled with its contemporary setting and unique brand appeal, Brotzeit is distinct from the traditional-style German restaurants still seen in Germany and other parts of the world. > Daily 11am-late; F109, Grand Summit, bldg 5, 19 Dongfang Donglu, Chaoyang 朝阳区东方东路19号 楼(DRC外交办公大楼)一层F109 (8531 5166, www. brotzeit.co)

Drei Kronen 1308 * Authentic (truly – when they say 1308 they mean it) 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).

>Dinner: 5-10pm; Lunch: 10am-3pm; 3/F, 277 Dongzhimen Nei Dajie, Dongcheng 东城区东直门内 大街277号三楼 雍和宫大街和北新桥头条交叉处的四 层商业楼三楼 (6455 3832, 1391 0969 240)

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. > 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)

Florentina 翡冷翠意大利餐厅

Hacker-pschorr Brauhaus

> Room 3, Building 3, No 12 ,Xindonglu Chaoyang 朝阳区 新东路12号院3号楼3门(5323 3399)

Italian

Steak 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)

Bene ¥ * Chef Ricci will have you singing like a soprano with his pork ravioli and prize-winning

> 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. > 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)

Aria ¥¥ * This gold standard of opulence has crafted a new Spanish menu. A fantastic place for paella brunch. 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)

> Daily noon-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)

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 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)

Spanish

Niajo ¥ * 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 11am-2am. 1/F, Bldg 5, China View, Gongti Donglu, Chaoyang 朝阳区工体东路中国红街5号楼1 层(6503 5555)

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-midnight (closed Mondays); 14 Zhangwang Hutong, Dongcheng 东城区旧鼓楼大街 张旺胡同14号 (6405 4352)

Annie’s ¥ * Now a certified Beijing institution, Annie’s, serves up the city’s most reliable Italian fare. Delivery is free anywhere between Line 5 and the the Fifth Ring Road (call for delivery prices outside this area), and can be ordered in English between 10.30am and 10.30pm from www.annies.com.cn.

Alternatively, drop in to your local branch.

tions@isolabeijing.com )

German

> All open Daily 10am-late; S2-30, Level 3, S2 Tower, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路19号三 里屯太古里南区三楼S2-30 (6417 4030) ; No.167, 1/F, 18 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区酒仙桥路 18号1层167号 (8426 0017) ; No.125, 1/F, Bldg 1, Sanfeng(North), Chaoyang 朝阳区三丰北里1号楼1层 125号 (8561 2665) ; Unit 15-16, 1/F, Bldg AB, Ocean International Center, 10 Jintong Xilu, Chaoyang 朝阳 区金桐西路10号远洋光华国际中心AB座一层15 16单 元 (8590 3168)

Chef Too ¥ With its crisp white tablecloths and service, this upscale New York diner serves up some of the classiest burgers in town.

tiramisu. Excellent set menus (RMB588) and extensive wine selection.

> Daily 11am-2.30pm, 5.30-10.30pm. Sheraton Beijing Dongcheng, 36 Northeast Third Ring Road, Dongcheng District 东城区北三环东路36号(5798 8995)

Florentina serves authentic Italian fare in low-key, yet elegant surrounds. Cuisine is high-end, the environment is relaxed. A beautiful outdoor terrace makes this place a godsend for Lido residents.

> Daily 11-late (Kitchen serves until 10pm), 1/F, Bldg 2, No. 6 Yard, Fangyuan Xilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区芳园 西路6号院2号楼1层(8431 0027)

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 (6416 3499, www.gaiagroup.com.hk/isola-beijing, reserva-

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)

Pizza 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, Chaoyang 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,

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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)

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 Beijie, 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)

African/Middle Eastern Al Safir 阿拉伯餐厅

> Daily 11.30am - 10pm, Shop 6-12, 35 Food Street, Ocean Express Building, 66 Xiaguangli, Chaoyang 朝阳区霞光里66号远洋新干线美食街35号6-12铺 (5130 4243)

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.

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)

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)

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

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)

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: 2/F, 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 details.

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. > 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

> Daily 11am-2am, 3-4 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳 区工体北路3-4号 (6532 4050)

in Sanlitun Tai Koo Li South; Kerry Centre Mall (see www.online.thatsmags.com for details)

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.

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.

> 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)

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)

Asian South-East Asian 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)

Bhoomi Store Indian Food Shop

> 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)

Malaysian food with a view, this spacious and airy restaurant sits on the banks of Shunyi’s Roma Lake and at a new unit in the heart of the city at The Place, making a great spot for their beef rendang or green curry prawns.

> Daily 11am-10pm; 6 Roma Lake: 6 Luodong Lu, Luogezhuang Village, Hoshayu Town, Shunyi 顺义 区后沙峪镇罗各庄村罗马湖东北三路6号C院 (8049 8902); Signature: Shop L203, 2/F, The Place, 9 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区光华路9号世贸天阶2 层L203 (6587 1393)

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 curries (RMB44-180) – but our pick’s the seafood pad Thai (RMB45). > Daily 11am-11pm, 55 Xingfu Yicun, Chaoyang 朝 阳区幸福一村55号 (6413 0899)

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. > Tue- Sun 11.30am-11pm; 10 Qianliang Hutong Xixiang, Dongcheng 东城区钱粮胡同西巷10号 (8400 2699)

Indian Indian Kitchen

Flor de Loto Sleek and chic Vietnamese restaurant – always draws a crowd. DIY fresh spring rolls are a highlight. Worth the ride to

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Sui Ka Is this what after-work hangouts are like in Japan? We’re not sure, but we hope so: This charming izakaya nails it when it comes to sake selection and fried delights to munch alongside it.

>Daily 5pm-1am, Ichibangai First Avenue Food Court, Zaoying Nanli, Maizidian, East 3rd Ring Road, Chaoyang朝阳区东三环农展馆北路宾都苑 东侧一层底商一番街内 (137 1692 7543)

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. Sanlitun branch: 2 Sanlitun Bei Xiaojie, Chaoyang 朝阳区 三里屯北小街2号 (6464 2365); Lido branch: 2F, No.9-3, Jiangtai Xilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区将台西路 9-3号2层 (8420 0998)

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.

Korean

> Mon-Sat 9.30am-9.30pm, Sunday 2-7pm. 266 Yaohong Lu by Hongsong Dong Lu, Minhang Shanghai, 上海闵行区姚虹路266号, 近红松东路 (021 2428 3400)

> 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)

> Daily 6pm-midnight. 7A Tuanjiehu Beisantiao, Chaoyang 朝阳区团结湖北三条甲7号(6436 1608)

> 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)

Bhoomi stores One stop destination where a wide range of Indian & Pakistani food products are served.

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.

Sake Manzo * 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.

Ai Jiang Shan This upscale seafood restaurant proves that chargrill and composure can go together. Their RMB58 bibimbap lunch is an absolute bargain.

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)

> 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 (5109 6036/6037) see www.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 Wagyu barbecued beef is almost too good to be true.

> Daily noon-11pm; 128-1 Xiang’er Hutong, Dongcheng 东城区香饵胡同128-1号(5741 5753)

Vegetarian 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-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.

Arrow Factory The newest craft beer taproom on the block, Arrow Factory is a rustic hideaway brimming with good Anglo-Scandinavian vibes (courtesy of the brew-masters) and the brand’s distinctive Chinese brewed ales.

A winning combination > 38 Jianchang Hutong, Dongcheng District 东城区箭 厂胡同38号(6407 6308)

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.

> Daily 1pm-2am; 13 Beiluoguxiang, Dongcheng 东 城区北锣鼓巷13号 (159 1025 6538)

BBC (Bottle, Boot & Cigar) The brainchild of local spirits professional Douglas Williams, this bar provides the discerning Beijing drinker with a peerless selection of liquor for sale, cocktails and coming soon, shoe shines, cigars and straight-razor shaves.

> 1pm-late. 1 Taipingzhuang Nanli (At Xingfucun, between Frost: Coffee, Nails & Cocktails and Commix Bar), Chaoyang 朝阳区太平庄南里1号 (1861 405 7407, www.bbcbeijing.com)

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 (6409 3319; www.capitalspirits.com)

China Bar ¥¥ Top views from the 65th floor and flash drinks are the attractions on offer at this hip hotel bar.

> Sun-Thu 5pm-1am, Fri-Sat 5pm-2am. 65/F, Park Hyatt, 2 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国 门外大街2号柏悦酒店65层 (8567 1838/40)

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 Lu, 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

LISTINGS all-around bar-restaurants.

> Sun-Tue, Thu 5-11pm ;Fri-Sat 5pm-late ; closed Wed. 28 Xiguan Hutong (Hutong entrance is 300m north of subway line 5, Zhangzizhong Lu stop), Dongcheng 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. > Daily 11am-11pm. 34 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng 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 东 城区方家胡同50号(158 1038 2089)

Enoterra Looking for an affordable glass of wine with that date? Look no further than Nali Patio’s wine center. Although the food leaves a bit to be desired, the selections are vast, and if anything, you can enjoy a nice cheese plate with that tart glass of vino. > Daily 10am-2am, 4/F Sanlutun Nali Patio, 81 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路81号那里花园 D405室 (5208 6076)

First Floor First Floor is like that friend who’s too popular to properly enjoy their company.

At weekends, it gets aggressively full, with regulars and the passing tourist trade all baying at the bar. A good place to meet new friends, perhaps.

> Daily, 4pm-late, Sanlitun Beixiaojie, Chaoyang 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, Chaoyang 朝阳区工体 北路8号工人体育场东门内 (6593 8227)

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 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)

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. >Daily 6.30pm-2am. 203, 2/F, Taiyue Suites Hotel Beijing, 16 Nansanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 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 朝阳区工体南路东草园26 号 (6551 6788)

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 11-4am. 14 Xindong Lu (next to The James Joyce), Chaoyang 朝阳区新东路14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 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 朝阳区东三环北路36 号朝阳剧场南侧 (6507 1107)

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, Chaoyang 朝阳区工体北路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

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 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 朝阳区三里屯路11号院1号楼 (6417 6688)

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)

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

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 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)

The Irish Volunteer Everything – from the red-faced owner to the grub – is authentically Irish: tinged with alcoholism, doggerel and drunken regret. 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 朝阳区将台路311 号 (6438 5581)

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 Nearby the Tree (live music, two floors).

> Daily noon-2am. 100m west of Sanlitun Bar Street, Youyi Youth Hostel, Chaoyang 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)

Trouble Bar Beijing’s leading venue for imported craft beers. Stocks a large draft selection and an even larger selection of bottles. Also does a nice line in creative cocktails, if brews aren’t your thing. Conveniently located next to Gung-Ho, hosts a full-sized foos-ball table, darts, and plenty of TV’s to accommodate any event, meetings, and gatherings. > 2-101, China View Building, 2B Gongti Donglu, Chaoyang (Next To Gung-Ho) 朝阳区工人体育场东 路乙2号中国红街2-101叫板比萨隔壁 (8590 0390, troublebar@gmail.com, www.trouble.bar)

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. > 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)

10 Best Livehouses 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.

> Daily 8pm-late. 53 Wudaoying Hutong, Chaoyang 朝阳区五道营胡同53号 (6402 8881, 6406 9947)

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 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)

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 东城区方家胡同46号 (6400 7868)

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 (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)

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. > Daily, 7pm-late. Bldg B, 206 Gulou Dong Dajie, Dongcheng 东城区鼓楼东大街206号B楼202 (131 6107 0713)

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 东 城区张自忠路3-2号(6404 2711）

Sports Bars 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 * An entire Irish-themed pub, which could easily been trasnsported, untouched, from a back alley in Limerick and gently deposited in central Beijing. With plenty going on, including pub quiz and sports.

> Dongzhimen: Daily 10am-late, 28 Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Chaoyang 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 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 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 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 W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M | A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 | 6 7

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 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)

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 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 朝阳区光华路1号北京嘉里大饭店1层 (6561 8833)

Golden Tanning Studio is on hand to give you that golden glow with its quick, safe and effective technology. With a membership card, enjoy a 50-minute session for RMB400 and come away with natural, healthy-looking color.

> Sanlitun: 11am-9pm, 2/f, Bldg 3, Sanlitun SOHO, Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区工体北路三里屯Soho3 号楼2层217 (5785 3711, jusonghao@hotmail.com); Wangjing: 11am-9pm, Rm T5, 3/F, BOTAI International Building, 36 Guangshun Bei Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳 区望京广顺北大街36号博泰国际商业广场3层T—5 (8472 2855)

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)

Luxura Tanning Center This tanning salon has some of the city’s best state-of-the-art tanning beds, all imported from Europe. For the sexiest tan possible, get custom-made tanning tips from the well-trained staff.

> Daily, 10am-10pm. Rm 307, Bldg 4, Jianwai Soho 39 Dongsanhuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang 朝阳区东三环中 路建外SOHO西区4楼307室(5900 0427, www.luxura. net); 5005, 5/F, 3.3 Sanlitun, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯 3.3大厦5层5005号 (5136 5186, www.luxura.net)

over China.

> For more information, visit www.beijinghikers.com

Sport Cycle China Inc. 北京非常之旅 Cycle China provides organized cycling and hiking tours in and aroundBeijing as well as longer tours throughout China. Some of their more popular tours take cyclists through the Olympic Green, Tian’anmen Square, and Beijing’s traditional hutongs.

>12 Jingshan East Street, Dongcheng 东城区景山东街 12号 (6402 5653 ,139 1188 6524)

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 (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 punishing 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

Lily Nails

Mon-Wed 6pm-2am, Thu-Sat 6pm-3am, Sun 5pmmidnight; 5F Rosewood Beijing, Jing Guang Centre, Hujialou, Chaoyang District朝阳区呼家楼一号京广中 心北京瑰丽酒店3层 (6536 0083)

Daisy’s Beauty Salon

Since 2001, Daisy’s beauty salon has catered to thousands of Beijing expats and locals and is renowned for its premium waxing services and imported wax that smells like hot chocolate. If waxing isn’t your thing, the salon also specializes in an array of other treatments including IPL Facial Rejuvenation and lifting, a 90-minute treatment that uses a laser to stimulate collagen production and soften lines. Laser and IPL permanent hair removal treatment is also proving popular and effective. > Daily, 10am-8.30pm, Rm301, Building B,Sunshine100 International Apartment, Guanghua Donglu, Chaoyang 朝阳区光华东路2号阳光100国际 公寓B座301室 (5100 0556 / 0557, www.daisysbeautysalon.com)

Black Golden Tanning Studio 古铜日晒中心 Beijing is hardly the best place to pick up a natural tan. When it finally reaches the warm summer, the sun’s rays struggle to penetrate the smog. Thankfully, Black

6 8 | A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 | W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M

> 162-166, F/2, Bldg 1, No. 6 Yard, Chaoyang Gongyuan Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区朝阳公园路6号 蓝色港湾国际商区1号楼Solana商场2楼162-166号 (5905 6227)

Dragonfly Therapeutic Retreat Created as a contemporary urban retreat, Dragonfly is an oasis of peace and tranquility in the midst of the hectic city.

> Daily 10am-late. 60 Donghuamen Dajie (near The Peninsula Hotel and Oriental Plaza) Dongcheng 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); 1/F Eastern Inn, Nan Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang朝阳区南三里屯路逸羽酒店一 层 (6593 6066); Grand Summit Plaza, 19 Dongfang Donglu (100m north of Lufthansa Center), Chaoyang 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)

Orchid Spa Purify your mind, body and soul at Orchid Spa, an authentic Thai spa in the heart of Sanlitun. Orchid’s Thai massage therapists use quality hand-made oils to deliver an extraordinary experience. Services include wifi, complimentary tea and dessert, and on-site underground parking.

> Daily noon-midnight, Sanlitun SOHO Tower 5, B1532, 8 Gongti Bei Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区工人体育北路 8号三里屯SOHO五号商场B1-532 (Reservation only: 5785 3123, service@orchidspa.cn)

> Daily, 12am-midnight. Sunjoy Mansion, 6 Ritan Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区日坛路6号 (400 001 0202, www. taipan.com.cn)

BEAUTY & FITNESS

> Daily, 7.30, late. 5/F at Heavenly Spa by Westin, 1 Xinyuan Nanlu, Chaoyang 朝阳区新源南路1号威斯汀 酒店五层 ( 139 1029 0260, www.alonapilates.com)

Ann Jema Trailblazing French spa institute Ann Jema Spa uses special Arabian oil ingredients for a one-of-a-kind experience. The ‘superior life energy experts’ offer a wide range of luxurious treatments for all ages.

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.

MEI One of the livelier hotel bars in town, MEI has a nightly band, serves creatively delicious cocktails and overlooks the CCTV ‘trousers.’ Don’t leave without trying the frightfully delicious Panjiayuan Bramble.

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.

you and attend to your every need.

> Room 301, Building 5, JianwaiSOHO, CBDGuomao, Chaoyang 朝阳区国贸建外SOHO, 5号楼301 (138 1182 1008)

A long-time favorite among locals and expats alike, Lily Nails is much more than a nail spa; they eyelash services, of pampering treatments and waxing too.

>3.3 Flagship store: Daily 11am-11pm, Shop 5009, 5/F, 3.3 Fashion Plaza, Sanlitun, Chaoyang 朝阳区三 里屯3.3大厦5层5009号(5136 5919); 3.3 Star store: Daily 11am-11pm, Shop 2049, 2/F, 3.3 Fashion Plaza, Sanlitun, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯3.3大厦2层2049 号(5136 5829); Yashow shopping mall: Daily 10am10pm, Shop 22, 4/F, Yashow shopping Mall, Sanlitun, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯雅秀购物中心4层22号(6416 6441); Shimao store: Daily 10am-10pm, Shop E301, 3/F, ShiMao shopping center, Sanlitun, Chaoyang 朝 阳区三里屯工体北路世茂购物中心3层E-301号(8590 0569 ); Ginza store: Daily 10am-10pm, Shop B1-11H, Ginza Mall, Dongzhimen, Dongcheng 东城区东直门东 方银座Mall B1-11H号(8447 7178) ; CapitaMall Crystal store: Daily 10am-10pm, Shop B1-09,CapitaMall Crystal, Haidian 海淀区复兴路51号凯德晶品购物中心 B1-09号(8819 7078); CapitaMall Wangjing store: Daily 10am-10pm, Shop K01, 2/F, CapitaMall Wangjing store, Guangshun Beidajie, Chaoyang 朝阳区广顺北大 街凯德望京购物中心2层02-K1(5602 0736) ; Carrefour Siyuanqiao store: Daily 10am-10pm, Shop 08, 3/F, Carrefour Siyuanqiao store,Yiju Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区 四元桥家乐福购物中心3层08号(647 71889)

ZELL BeauCare Clinic 泽尔丽格医疗美容 Overseen by Fellow of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS), ZELL cosmetic clinic provides state-of-art comprehensive minimal invasive procedures, including, Botox, dermal filler, fractionated laser skin resurfacing, Ulthera skin tightening and lifting, professional skin care treatment (acne, pigmentation, aging), and plastic surgery (including double eyelid, rhynoplasty, among others).

2 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, 8599 7395)

> Daily 10am-8pm. 3/F, No. 2 South Building, Blue Castle, Dawang Lu, Chaoyang 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); 3/F, Bldg. 14, Solana, No. 6 Chaoyang Gongyuan Xilu Chaoyang 朝阳区朝阳公园西路6号,蓝色港湾14号,三层 (5905 6065/67, www.yh42.com)

Broadwell International Tennis Academy Located inside Chaoyang Park’s Tennis Center, this indoor club boasts a complete state-of-the-art air-supported structure for all-weather year-round indoor tennis, with an advanced lighting system and controlled climate. Ideal for peeps looking to perfect their service and batting a few balls. > Nongzhan Nanlu, Chaoyang 朝阳区农南路1号朝 阳公园网球中心(400 6406 800/ 6595 8885, www. broadwell.cn1)

SPA & MASSAGE Angel Hands Massage Center

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.

> Unit 2002, 1/F, Vantone Center, 6A Chaoyangmen Wai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳区朝阳门外大街甲6号万通 中心AB座一层2002 (5907 3390,186 1248 3390, www. zellbeauty.com)

Beijing Hikers Want to experience the wild, unrestored Great Wall, away from the tourist masses?

Or do you just want to get out of the city for some exercise? Beijing Hikers offers hikes in the countryside of Beijing every week all year round. Hikes for all fitness levels! Regular hikes are priced from RMB380, with discounts for members. Cost includes hiking guide, transportation, tickets, food and water. We’ve also got adventures all

HAIR SALONS Laurent Falcon

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

> 209 2/F, 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 (6409 4243, 135 0137 2971)

Hair Attack Hair Attack with stylists from London, Tokyo and Seoul, creates elegance, poise and makes you uniquely you. Among its regular customers, Hair Attack is also trusted by

LISTINGS celebrities.

Our goal is to provide a world-class salon experience accessible to anyone. Whether you’re a highly driven professional, a supermom, a struggling artist, a sassy grandma who wouldn’t dare look her age– Hair Attack is right for you.

HAIR ATTACK is FOR THOSE WHO KNOWS THE DIFFERENCE AND WANTS TO BE DIFFERENT.

>Unit 3006, 2/F, Tower AB, Vantone Center, 6 Chaowai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳区朝外大街甲6号万通中心AB座2 层3006室(187 1006 1306, www.tomyuen.com)

Catherine de France

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)

Raffles Medical International SOS and Raffles Medical Group have formed a joint venture to enhance and expand the services of its China Clinics. From March 30 the International SOS clinics in China will be branded and operated by Raffles Medical with expanded services to all patients and privileged access for International SOS members. Patients of the clinic will continue to have access to the same doctors, the same facilities and same level of high quality care.

Raffles Medical Group is a leading medical provider in Singapore and has been operating for 40 years with over 100 clinics and hospitals in Asia. The joint venture is committed to maintain the high standard of quality with a focus on innovative and expanded clinical services and excellent patient care. > Suite 105, Wing 1, Kunsha Building, No.16 Xinyuanli, Chaoyang 朝阳区新源里16号琨莎中心1座 105室(6462 9112/ 6462 9100, www.internationalsos. com)

Awarded best expat salon in 2014/ 2015, with a trained team of international and local stylists, colorists and beauticians, this salon welcomes all ages and budgets in a modern and relaxed atmosphere for a wide range of hair and beauty treatments, include manicure, pedicure and waxing.

Wella, SP, INOA, TIGI Language: French, English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian.

> East Avenue BLD Ground Floor, No.10 Xindong Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区新东路10号逸盛阁首层(8442 5120, 135 2147 3492, eastavenue@catherinedefrance.com, Wechat: CDFSalon, www.catherinedefrance.com)

HEALTH SERVICES Amcare Women’s & Children’s Hospital With a zero waiting-time policy, top-quality inpatient facilities, home visits, night services and transportation assistance, Amcare provides a trustworthy experience. Englishspeaking 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)

American-Sino OB/GYN/Pediatrics Services 北京美华妇儿医院

> 18 anyuan road,chaoyang district,Beijing 北京市朝 阳区安苑路18号 (8443 9666, bj.americanobgyn.com)

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 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 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. (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, 朝阳区朝阳门外大街6号万通中心 AB座2层3017室(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 ( 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(8046 5432); Shunyi Dental Clinic顺义牙科诊所, Wi-fi internet, Mon-Sat, 9.30am7.30pm, Pinnacle Plaza, Unit 818, Tian Zhu Real Estate Development Zone, Shunyi 顺义区天竺开发区荣祥广 场818号 (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 (5927 7005 www.ufh.com.cn, patientservices@ufh.com.cn)

Beijing HarMoniCare Women and Children’s Hospital 北京和美妇儿医院 > Wi-Fi available. Chaoyang: 2 Xiaoguan Beili, Beiyuan Lu 北苑路小关北里甲2号 (6499 0000. contact@hmcare.org, en.hmcare.net)

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, 8.30am12.30pm; 24 Hour Emergency Bldg C1, 9 Jiuxianqiao Beilu Chaoyang 朝阳区酒仙桥北路9号C1栋 (400 876 2747, 5985 0333, www.oasishealth.cn)

Vista Medical Center 维世达诊所

> 24hours. Wi-Fi internet. 3/F Kerry Center. 1 Guanghua Lu 光华路1号嘉里中心商场3层 (8529 6618, vista@vista-china.net, www.vista-china.net)

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.

>Rm 201, the Exchange-Beijing, 118B Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国路乙118号国贸桥东南角京 汇大厦201室 (6567 5670); Rm 208, Tower A, CITIC Building, 19 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳 区建国门外大街19号国际大厦A座208室 (6500 6473); Rm 308, Tower A, Raycom Info Tech Park 2 Kexueyuan Nanlu, Haidian 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); Rm 101, Bldg 16, China Central Place, 89 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国 路89号华贸中心公寓16号楼101室 (8588 8550/60/70); 1/F, Somerset Fortune Garden, 46 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区亮马桥路46号燕莎东侧盛捷福景苑 1层 (8440 1926)

PrettySmile Dental 普瑞美口腔 PrettySmile is an international-standard dental clinic in Sanlitun SOHO. Highly trained dental professionals offer a broad scope of dental expertise and services, and PrettySmile’s premises are equipped with only the highest quality, advanced dental equipment. > 5-105-1, Building 5, Sanlitun SOHO, Chaoyang 朝 阳区三里屯SOHO 5号商场1层5-105 (5785 3898/5785 3689, www.prmkq.com/english, psd3898@163.com)

United Family Shunyi Dental Clinic The Beijing United Family Dental Clinic in Shunyi is a satellite of the main hospital in Lido (which has its own dental clinic onsite). A comprehensive range of services are at hand, including restorative dentistry and cosmetic dentistry. Call ahead for all appointments.

Euro Plaza, No.99 YuXiang Road,Shunyi 北京顺义区 天竺镇裕翔路99号欧陆广场LB07-08号 (8046 6084); Mon-Fri 9am-8pm. FC222, 21st Century Hotel, 40 Liang Maqiao Lu,Sanyuanqiao 亮马桥40号21世纪饭 店2层 (6466 4814, 6461 2745); Mon-Fri 9am-8pm.

4076B, 4/F, New Yansha Mall, Yuanda Lu,Haidian 远 大路金源燕莎购物中心Mall4层4076B (8859 6912/13); Mon-Sun, 10am-7pm, 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(5977 2488)

The Frontiers School

Joinway Dental A reputable and trusted dental practice, Joinway Dental provides the perfect combination of cutting edge technology and comfortable treatment, while maintaining the strictest sanitary and sterilization processes. The clinic uses high-quality imported materials, and its professional, US-trained staff offers a personalized and private service.

> Mon-Sat, 9am-6pm; 11D, Building D, Oriental Kenzo Plaza (Ginza Mall), 48 Dongzhimen Wai Dajie, Dongcheng 东城区东直门外大街48号东方银座D座 11D (8447 6092/93, mobile:1326 181 6708, joinway@dentalcn.com, www.dentalcn.com)

EDUCATION International Schools 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: RMB102,993246,057. Contact our Admissions team to arrange a school tour.

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)

Hutong School

> Mon-Fri, 8am-4.30pm, South Side, 9 An Hua Street, Shunyi 顺义区安华街9号南侧 (8047 3558, www.britishschool.org.cn, admissions@britishschool.org.cn)

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 朝阳区亮马桥路38 号 (6465 7788,www.cisb.com.cn)

Springboard International Bilingual School 君诚国际双语学校 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 顺义区后沙峪镇火沙路古城段15号 (8049 2450; www.sibs.com.cn, office@sibs.com.cn)

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 朝阳区来广 营东路10号(5986 5588)

> 818 Pinnacle Plaza, Tianzhu Real Estate Development Zone, Shunyi 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)

Mandarin Schools

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, teethwhitening and veneers. Credit cards accepted.

> Room 208, 1 Panjiapo Hutong, Chaoyangmenwai, Dongcheng 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) ; Gucheng Village, 15 Huosha Lu, Houshayu Town, Shunyi 顺义 区后沙峪镇火沙路古城段15号 (8049 0307)

>Mon-Fri 9am-8pm. NB210, 2/F, CBD, Guomao, China World Shopping Mall, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie建外 大街1号国贸商城地下2层 (6505 9439/31/93, www. sdmdental.com); Mon-Fri 9am-8pm.Olympic Area,F0186B, Sunshine Plaza, 68 Anli Lu(east of Sunshine Plaza)亚运村安立路68号阳光广场东侧 (6497 2173,6498 2173) ; Mon-Sun 10am-19pm.LB07-08,

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

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.

Learn Mandarin with Beijing’s best Mandarin school, Hutong School. Our experienced teachers will customize your classes and help you learn in a fun environment. >Room 1501, 15/F, Zhongyu Plaza, A6 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区工体北路甲6号中宇大厦1501室

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 朝 阳区亮马桥路42号光明饭店5层503室(153 2179 3321 Grettchin)

Kindergartens 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. > 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);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 > LidoRoom C103 Lido Country Club, Lido Place Jichang Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区蒋台路机场路丽都广场 (6436 7368 www.etonkids.com) ;3/F, Block D Global Trade Mansion Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区光华 路世贸国际公寓D座3层 ( 6506 4805) ; 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(8437 1006); Kehui Lu, Chaoyang, Beijing 朝阳区科荟路大屯里 社区(8480 5538) ;Bldg 19, Central Park, 6 Chaowai Dajie Chaoyang 朝阳区朝外大街6号新城国际19号楼 (6533 6995); Palm Springs International Apartments 8 Chaoyang Park Nanlu Chaoyang 朝阳区朝阳公 园南路8号棕榈泉国际公寓 (6539 8967); Bldg 21, Guangqu Jiayuan, Guangqumen- wai, Dongcheng东 城区广渠门外广渠家园21号楼 (6749 5008); Baoxing International Phase 2, Wangjing Chaoyang朝阳区望 京宝星园国际社区2期 (8478 0578); Block 1, Arcadia Villas, Houshayu Shunyi 顺义区后沙峪罗马环岛北侧 天北路阿凯笛亚庄园1座(8047 2983); 20A Xidawang Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区西大望路甲20号首府社 区内 (5870 6779)

3e International 北京3e国际学校

>9-1 Jiangtai Xilu Chaoyang 朝阳区将台西路9-1号(四 德公园旁) (6437 3344 , www.3eik.com)

> Guangming Hotel School: Room 0709, 7/F

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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 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 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

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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 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

BUSINESS CENTER Regus Serviced Office 雷格斯服务式办公室 •Flexible office leases from 1 day to 1 year •Quick and easy to set up for 1-200 people •Prices from RMB180 per month •Find more on Regus.cn •Tel: 400 120 1207 >> BEIJING (20 LOCATIONS) << Lei Shing Hong Plaza [New] 北京利星行广场 5/F, Tower C, Lei Shing Hong Plaza, No.8 Wangjing Street, Chaoyang District 北京市朝阳区望京街8号利星行广场C座5层 Sun Dong An Plaza [New] 北京新东安广场 7/F, Office Tower 2, Sun Dong An Plaza, No.138 Wangfujing, Avenue, Dongcheng District 北京市东城区王府井大街138号新东安广场写 字楼2座7层 Zhongyu Mansion [New] 北京中宇大厦 6/F, Zhongyu Mansion, No.6 North Workers Stadium Road, Chaoyang District 北京市朝阳区工体北路甲6号中宇大厦6层 Diplomatic [New] 北京亮马桥外交办公大楼 17/F, Tower E, Liangmaqiao, Diplomatic Office Building, 3rd Embassy District, Chaoyang District 北京市朝阳区第三使馆区亮马桥外交办公大 楼E座17层 Kerry Centre - South Tower [New] 北京嘉里中心-南楼 10/F, South Tower, Kerry Centre, No.1 Guanghua Road, Chaoyang District 北京市朝阳区光华路1号嘉里中心南楼10层 Landgent Building [Coming Soon] 北京乐成中心 5/F, Block A, Landgent Center, No.20 East Middle 3rd Ring Road, Chaoyang District 北京市朝阳区东三环中路20号乐成中心A座5 层 China World Tower 3 北京国贸三期 15/F, China World Tower 3, No.1 Jianguomenwai Street, Chaoyang District 北京市朝阳区建国门外大街1号国贸中心3座 15层 Lufthansa Centre 北京燕莎中心 C203, Lufthansa Centre, No.50 Liangmaqiao Road, Chaoyang District 北京市朝阳区亮马桥路50号燕莎中心C203 Kerry Centre 北京嘉里中心 11/F, North Tower, Kerry Centre, No.1 Guanghua Road, Chaoyang District 北京市朝阳区光华路1号嘉里中心北楼11层 Pacific Century Place 北京盈科中心 14/F, IBM Tower, No.2A North Workers Stadium Road, Chaoyang District 北京市朝阳区工体北路甲2号IBM大厦14层 China Central Place 北京华贸中心 9/F, Tower 2, China Central Place, No.79 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District 北京市朝阳区建国路79号华贸中心2号楼9层 Parkview Green 北京侨福芳草地中心 15/F, Office Building A Parkview, Green, No.9 Dongdaqiao Road, Chaoyang District 北京市朝阳区东大桥路8号芳草地办公楼A座 15层 China Life Tower 北京中国人寿大厦中心 5/F, China Life Tower, No.16 Chaoyangmenwai Street, Chaoyang District 北京市朝阳区朝阳门外大街16号中国人寿大 厦5层

China Life – West 北京中国人寿大厦-西 West, 5/F, China Life Tower, No.16 Chaoyangmenwai Street, Chaoyang District 北京市朝阳区朝阳门外大街16号中国人寿大 厦5层西区 IFC 北京财源国际中心 10/F, IFC East Tower, No.8 Jianguomenwai Street, Chaoyang District 北京市朝阳区建国门外大街甲8号财源国际中 心东座10层 Prosper Center 北京世纪财富中心 6/F, Tower 2, Prosper Center, No.5 Guang Hua Road, Chaoyang District 北京市朝阳区光华路5号世纪财富中心2号楼6 层 Financial St. Excel Centre 北京金融街卓著中心 12/F, Financial Street Excel, Centre, No.6 Wudinghou Street, Xicheng District 北京市西城区武定侯街6号卓著国际金融中心 12层 NCI Centre 北京新华保险大厦中心 15/F, NCI Tower, No.12A Jianguomenwai Street, Chaoyang District 北京市朝阳区建国门外大街甲12号新华保险 大厦15层 Taikang Financial Tower 北京泰康金融大厦 23/F, Taikang Financial Tower, No.38 East Third Ring Road, Chaoyang District 北京市朝阳区东三环北路38号泰康金融大厦 23层 Zhongguancun Metropolis Tower 北京中关村欧美汇大厦 7/F, Metropolis Tower, No.2 Dongsan Street, Zhongguancun Xi Zone, Haidian District 北京市海淀区中关村西区东三街2号欧美汇大 厦7层 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.

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W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M | A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 | 7 1

CITY SCENES Jedi bartender conjures The Force to make Bacardi bottles levitate at TGI Fridays’ 21st anniversary celebration

Musicians appear to emanate a royal purple glow at Fete de la Musique Kickoff Party at Sofitel Wanda Beijing

Woman’s eyes glaze over in existential despair as she realizes the torment inflicted upon innocent watermelons at Jing-A’s watermelon-eating contest.

Chef at Annie's is delighted to make it through the gauntlet of hungry bruschetta-munchers with some of his lunch in tact

DJ definitely regrets wearing a flannel shirt on hot July day for That’s Beijing’s 2016 Lifestyle Awards at Eudora Station

G20 SUMMIT 2016 Hangzhou Gets Ready to Receive the World

G20

11

… is the number of permanent guest invitees represented at the summit.

Among them are high-profile non-state organizations such as the African Union (AU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

45

… is the percentage of the G20 electorate that went through elections last year, meaning plenty of new faces at the table.

… is the percentage of the world’s population currently living in G20 countries. This is down from 74 percent in 1960.

… is the percentage of world trade that G20 nations are responsible for. They also account for 85 percent of gross world product.

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… is the number of industrial facilities around Shanghai that have been ordered to close for 14 days to ensure clean skies in Hangzhou for the summit.

3900

… is the number of local volunteers recruited to help the summit run smoothly. Over 26,000 people from universities across Zhejiang applied for the positions.

140,000 … is the number of Hangzhou drivers on taxi-hailing apps who have undergone background checks ahead of the G20. Non-local cars have been banned from using the apps for the duration of the summit.

450

billion

… is the amount, in USD, that G20 countries spend subsidizing fossil fuel industries every year. Observers hope that 2016’s summit will mark a sea change the G20’s approach to green energy.

G20

No-one knows exactly what will be discussed when the world’s most powerful nations converge.

But a careful look at the preliminary meetings and agendas from previous years can give a good indication. Here’s our prediction of the big topics up for discussion:

SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH Creating sustained global growth has always been at the center of G20 discussions, especially since the 2008-2009 economic crisis.

Despite the recovery, growth is slowing in many of the world’s major economies, and leaders will assess the progress made on the 2014 commitment to add 2 percent to the G20 countries’ collective GDP by 2018.

TERRORISM

Much has changed since last year’s summit. In the wake of attacks in Paris and Ankara at the end of the last year, the G20 released a statement declaring terrorism to be “a major priority for all our countries.” This act of solidarity now needs to be fleshed out: discussion on the financing and movement of terrorists is likely to figure centrally in talks.

HEALTH Managing the Zika virus will be a priority, but is unlikely to dominate the agenda as Ebola did in 2014. So while tackling global epidemics is still likely to feature in talks, the G20 countries may have an opportunity to discuss more ‘macro’ health issues, including growing resistance to antibiotics and the management of superbugs.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

After the success of last year’s UN Climate Change Conference in Paris, now’s the time to make good on promises. The G20 summits don’t often take much meaningful action on climate issues, but China wants to prioritize these discussions this year. After all, most of the countries responsible for global carbon emissions will be around the table.

AND PLENTY MORE…

INFRASTRUCTURE

The World Economic Forum estimates that that the world’s infrastructure needs over the next 20 years amount to USD$100 trillion. This requires financing. Working out how the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) fits into the equation will be of considerable importance to the hosts. And expect at least a few slides on the One Belt, One Road initiative.

There are many more issues likely to figure in the wide-ranging discussions. Items set to roll over from the last G20 summit include: tax, the movement of labor (especially in the light of the Syrian refugee crisis), corruption and, you know, the entire financial architecture of the world. Hold on to your hats, folks.

AGING POPULATIONS

This is somewhat new territory for the G20, but is increasingly relevant for many of its members. Germany, Italy and Japan have already been classified as “super-aged” countries (where more than 20 percent of the population is over 65), and another 10 countries are set to join them by 2020. All need to ensure that growth is inclusive of older people’s needs.

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G20

Kenneth Jarrett, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai

“I

t was more just for the adventure,” Kenneth Jarrett says of his first visit to the Mainland in 1979 as an English teacher at the Shanghai Foreign Language Institute. The opportunity came almost immediately after China and the US normalized relations, and he jumped at the first chance to visit the country in which he would end up spending two decades.

After returning back to his home country, Jarrett joined the US State Department in 1982. For the next 26 years, he spent time in Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing and Chengdu before serving as the US Consul General of Shanghai from 2005-2008. Having been the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai since 2013, the seasoned diplomat and expert in US-China relations talks about what the world’s two largest economic powers can do to find new ways to promote growth in the global economy with other G20 nations’ leaders in the upcoming summit.

You served as the US Consul General in Shanghai (2005-08) and have been in your current role as the President of AmCham since 2013. How have US-China relations changed in the past decade?

The power relationship between the two countries has shifted.

Seminal events that have taken place – the financial crisis, the war on

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terrorism and the disintegration of the Middle East – essentially define the last decade. Then as a backdrop, you have China’s incredible economic growth and development. It’s growing in confidence and assertiveness; it has become a major economic power and wants political power that comes with that. This is all happening as the US receives a couple of blows to its confidence, in terms of its role as a financial giant, which was shattered after the financial crisis, in addition to the challenges it faced in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In terms of what the two governments are talking about – regional security, health, climate change, global law and order, and so on – I’d say that this hasn’t changed so much. But it’s much deeper and broader than before. Collaborations in environmental issues are a much bigger component than they were 10 years ago. The main change to

G20

the relationship is the power dynamic – China no longer feels it is a weaker partner to the United States.

In your latest President’s Note to AmCham members, you wrote: “US-China relations have many dimensions.” Can you further explain this statement?

What I meant by that is, for many people, if President Obama and President Xi Jinping are seen having a meeting with one another, that’s US-China relations. That’s one component of it, but my main point is that the elite political interaction isn’t the only thing that defines the bilateral relationship. There are equally important dimensions such as the business relationship and the flow of students in both directions. China has over 300,000 students in the US; over the long-term, it does a lot to shape perceptions and serves as a ballast to the relationship.

China’s economy is slowing down and according to AmCham’s 2016 China Business Report, revenue growth and investment are slower than in past years. Optimism about the future is at its lowest since 2008. Do you think this trend will continue or is the end of the slump in sight?

I think China’s GDP and growth rate will continue to slow down.

That’s the trend we’re looking at – the new normal. For both foreign and local companies, the efficient allocation of resources is now more important. You have to be as mindful of your margins as your market share. When the economy was growing very quickly a few years ago, everyone’s market shares were expanding quickly. You didn’t have to be as rigorous in how you run your business, whereas in the current climate, it’s really about being smart with managing the margins.

The [low] level of optimism among American companies is a combination of a number of things: China’s slowing GDP, growing competition from Chinese companies and restrictions and policies, depending on the industry you’re in. But the level of optimism is still at 80 to 81 percent so the majority is still optimistic, but people are changing their expectations on what this market will be able to deliver.

barriers for foreign companies, such as challenges in registration in healthcare, reducing restrictions in financial services, and so on.

The same goes for other G20 nations, [decreasing restrictions] can facilitate more integrated and inclusive growth [for the global economy].

At the moment, there are active and ongoing discussions between the US and China for a bilateral investment treaty (BIT). It’s different from a free trade agreement, like the one Australia recently signed with China, because it’s limited. But it does touch on market access.

If the two governments can resolve this, that would be an important interim step to a free trade agreement.

At the moment, the US is focusing on the TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership), which still has to go through the US Congress for approval and it’s uncertain what will happen before the end of the Obama administration. While China is not currently part of the TPP, many countries have expressed openness to having China participate in the future. The more likely sequence is first a BIT, then TPP takes effect and China joins after a couple of years.

On the US Presidential Elections, how would a Clinton or Trump presidency affect US-China relations?

Well, hopefully not too much. First I’d like to make the point that, whether in China or in the States, US-China relations have survived many leadership transitions on both sides. The US has moved from having a Republican to a Democrat [in the White House], to having new presidents where China was initially really worried about their attitude, but by the time they left office, they were very happy with them.

So is there something different about this campaign? The rhetoric is a bit sharper, but again, it’s campaign rhetoric. What’s more concerning is that there is a strong anti-global trade sentiment in the US. Whether or not this will translate to a tougher position on China, regardless of who’s in the White House, [is still unknown]. As mentioned previously, the backdrop of the relationship and the shifting power dynamic may translate to some rough going in the future of US-China relations. But only part of that would be related to the individual candidate.

www.amcham-shanghai.org

“THE MAIN CHANGE TO THE RELATIONSHIP IS THE POWER DYNAMIC – CHINA NO LONGER FEELS IT IS A WEAKER PARTNER TO THE UNITED STATES”

The theme of the 2016 G20 Summit is “Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy.” How does this reflect how the two largest economic powers should work together to find new potential for economic growth?

I think there’s a lot of promoting the idea or the rhetoric of it.

There’s plenty of discussion and talk, but global economic growth still isn’t picking up and will continue to slow down in 2016. The question then becomes: What can the larger economies still do? One of the things that China could do is to reduce some of the market access

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G20

Richard Ling, Board Member of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai

A

lawyer by trade, Richard Ling left his birthplace of Hong Kong to pursue a bachelor’s degree at University of Waterloo, and later graduated from McGill University’s law school as one of the few French- and English-speaking lawyers of Asian descent. With four decades of experience in his field, Ling arrived in Shanghai in 2013 to take up a post at Deloitte and is the legal advisor to – and a board member of – the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.

We speak to him about Canada’s trade relationship with China and the role that it should assume between nations with stronger economic and political power.

How would you describe the current state of Canada-China relations?

It’s an interesting question. Former Prime Minister Stephen Harper saw Canada as a staunch ally to the US, and therefore, Canada followed the same diplomatic approach as our neighbor during his time in office. Now in Justin Trudeau’s new administration, many are hoping that he’ll follow in the footsteps of his father Pierre Elliot Trudeau (whose administration was among the first Western countries to officially recognize the People’s Republic of China in 1970), and look at Canada as a ‘facilitator’ between the powers. By and large, Canada is a non-adversarial nation and how [Trudeau Jr.] would steer his foreign policy remains to be seen.

In what ways can Canadian and Chinese people work more closely together to facilitate more trade?

Canadian corporations are relatively small compared to companies from the US or other G20 nations. Where Canada really needs help, in terms of equity injection, is in the SME sector. Unfortunately, they don’t always receive enough attention from high-level officials. In the

“COMPANIES HAVE TO STAY AWAY FROM THE ‘MARCO POLO MENTALITY,’ WHERE PEOPLE THINK THERE’S GOLD EVERYWHERE IN CHINA AND THERE’S A SHARE OF IT FOR EVERYONE” last 20 or 30 years that I’ve been in the business, what I’ve noticed is that the SMEs [from both countries] are the ones that need the most help.

An organization like CanCham can serve as that facilitator, sharing our knowledge with incoming Canadian companies and introducing them to their peers through our network. It’s a good forum for SMEs to gain connections with other members and local resources.

What advice would you offer Canadian SMEs who want to do well in China, and vice versa?

Canadian companies have to stay away from the ‘Marco Polo mentality,’ where people think there’s gold everywhere in China and there’s a share of it for everyone. SMEs have to spend time understanding China, the systems here and the geographical differences between different regions, provinces and cities within the country.

There’s higher potential for those in education and healthcare to succeed here, as these are areas that China wants to further develop.

For Chinese SMEs, I think Canada can act as a training ground for entering larger markets such as the US. At the end of the day, the market is in the US. Canada is simply too small. But the infrastructure and systems of the two countries (US and Canada) are similar, and a lot of companies have operated successfully this way. www.cancham.asia

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G20

Hangzhou-based Artist, Qian Jiahua

W

hy did you stay in Hangzhou instead of returning to Shanghai after graduation?

It was due to various reasons but mostly because I’ve already been living here for about nine years since high school. I’d already gotten used to living in the suburb area of Hangzhou, where my college is located and where many of my classmates call home. Besides, it’s not far from Shanghai anyway, thanks to the high-speed train. So I thought, why not stay here a bit longer?

What do you think about Hangzhou after living there for nine years?

Though I don’t visit the Old Town much, I do find that people here understand the merits of enjoying life. Compared to Shanghai, Hangzhou has a much slower pace and is less stressful to live in.

My mother asked a fortuneteller to read my fortune and he suggested that I should incorporate more water in my life [one of the five Chinese elements: metal, wood, water, fire and earth]. I guess there’s plenty of that in Hangzhou.

After graduation, I moved to the Binjiang area, which locals would refer to as the ‘new district.’ I used to have a flat with a view of Qiantang Lake, which was really nice. But since that district is planned for industrial use, more factories, chemical plants and waste incinerators have been built. Subsequently, I decided to move to the other side of the lake three years later, as the neighborhood had become less friendly for living.

Hangzhou is known for its rich cultural history and scenic views. Does the city inspire your work as a contemporary artist?

I think traditional art forms like calligraphy are definitely well-preserved and appreciated here. Contemporary art, however, has yet to become a mainstream art form and is only being exhibited in a few galleries. Having said that, I think it’s fortunate that we have so many brilliant and persistent artists

like Zhang Peili, who is known as the father of Chinese video art. The creative inspiration and atmosphere is unparalleled.

Your first solo exhibition at Shanghai Gallery of Art (SGA) was held shortly after graduation. What was that experience like?

I must say that I was lucky to be recommended by my professor and to have a chance to present my works at SGA. I think our generation is blessed with more opportunities, as the market for contemporary art is starting to grow.

Your art pieces are simple, yet they show infinite possibilities. Why do you prefer to use elements of basic geometry to express yourself?

Though I graduated from a prestigious school, I don’t find myself interested in – or rather against – academia. It seems to me that traditional artists tend to draw inspirations from their mundane life to show off their skills, which confuses the audience because it’s not what art is about. So I attempt to explore, from the rudimental composition of art – point, line and plane – to structural language, and establish something from there. This could be a much more challenging approach, but I’ll keep searching with references from experienced artists.

In regards to the upcoming G20 Summit in September, do you see or have you experienced any changes in Hangzhou?

Yes. House prices have gone up in more affluent neighborhoods, including my compound. Regulations, like the closure of all public swimming pools before and during the meeting period or not being allowed to eat ice cream while driving, strike us as odd.

I also heard that police officers would replace all cab drivers during the G20 summit for safety concerns. I don’t know if I’ll go out during that time, or I might just take a short holiday and visit Shanghai.

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G20

T

he capital of Zhejiang province, Hangzhou is recognized for its magnificent scenery, which has inspired many an influential poet and artist. In fact, when Marco Polo passed through at the end of the 13th century, he is said to have proclaimed the area to be ‘Heaven on Earth.’

West Lake is the city’s biggest attraction. Rumored to have been created during a quarrel over a jewel between a jade phoenix and golden dragon, the jewel was dropped to earth, landing where West Lake now lies. The lake, however, is not the only natural vista worth a visit. Mountains surrounding the water offer exceptional hiking and camping options, while the longjing (dragon well) tea plantations offers visitors a chance to pick their own leaves. Within the city center, the National Tea Museum and National Silk Museum offer historical insight into the region’s products.

For shopping and souvenirs, such as silk, pay a visit to Qinghefang Old Street. Wellpreserved old buildings line the street, housing a variety of shops and restaurants featuring local favorites, like the must-try ‘beggar’s chicken.’

Lingyin Temple

An UNESCO World Heritage Site, West Lake is known for having influenced poets and painters throughout Chinese history. Studded with temples, pagodas and gardens, this freshwater lake is roughly 6.5 square kilometers in size. There are 10 wellknown scenic spots along the lake, each marked by an epithet written in calligraphy. Visitors can go for a boat ride, as well as cycle or walk the lake’s circumference. Not to be missed is the Impression West Lake Show, which consists of five acts featuring dance, music and light performances.

Located on the northwest side of West Lake, Lingyin Temple is one of the 10 most notable Buddhist temples of China. Also known as Temple of Soul’s Retreat, it can be traced back to the Eastern Jin dynasty (317-420 AD). Containing an important collection of Buddhist literature, it is protected as a research center of Buddhist culture.

At its largest, it was comprised of nine buildings, 18 pavilions, 77 palaces and halls with more than 1,300 rooms providing accommodation for nearly 3,000 monks.

Xixi National Wetland Park

Thousand Island lake

Crossed with six main watercourses, this natural wetland is comprised of 2,800 acres and is the first – and one of the only – wetland parks in China to combine urban life, farming and culture. The original site of Chinese South Opera, it is a typical water village that features silkworm feeding and silk production. Every year one of the most recognized traditional dragon boat contests is held here.

This man-made lake is dotted with 1,078 large islands, plus a few thousand smaller ones. It is recognized for its crystal clear water, which covers an area of 573 square meters and is 100 times larger than West Lake. The surrounding forest covers about 90 percent of the area and is home to over 1,800 varieties of plants and 2,100 wild animals.

It is also popular among scuba divers for its two underwater cities: He Cheng and Shi Cheng.

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Hangzhou in numbers Population

~9

million

West Lake

Total area

16,840.76 km The

11th

2

G-20 Summit

will be hosted in Hangzhou this September Hangzhou is the

3rd

Chinese city

to host the Asian Games (in 2022)