That's Beijing - September 2016

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4 00 8 2 0 8428 城市漫步北京 英文版 9 月份 国 内 统 一 刊 号: CN 11-5232/GO China Intercontinental Press

ISSN 1672-8025

SEPTEMBER 2016

g n i j g i n e i s B d ’ a a y e h L W Is Chin ution l o v e R n i o c t i B

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, Jens Bakker, Dominic Ngai, Tongfei Zhang, Nick Mateer, Emma Huang, Xinyu Li, Mark Edward Harris, Aelred Doyle

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EDITOR’S NOTE SEPTEMBER LUDDITES: AVERT YOUR GAZE. FOR THE CONTENTS OF THIS month’s magazine may dumbfound you. Indeed, had we published

this issue ten years ago, it might have dumbfounded all but a handful of tech speculators and futurists.

Because although 2006 doesn’t seem that long ago, remember this: The first iPhone wouldn’t be released for another year. As such, it would be difficult for our hypothetical historical reader to comprehend this month’s photo essay (page 10), in which we bring together the best Chinese entries from this year’s iPhone Photography Awards.

But while I’m confident that people could have gotten their heads around the concept (phone cameras – albeit terrible ones – existed in 2006), our bitcoin cover story would have created greater confusion.

To be honest, the subject still confuses people in 2016.

Thankfully our very own Noelle Mateer is on hand to unpick the topic for you, as she delves into China’s role in this game-changing cryptocurrency. From bitcoin ‘mines’ in rural Sichuan to the tech hubs of Zhongguancun, the country is already a major player in this borderless global phenomenon, and Noelle’s fascinating feature profiles some of the characters leading the charge.

Elsewhere in the magazine: Dominique Wong looks at China’s fixation with exotic pets and considers the ethical problems it poses (page 14); Andrew Chin chats to both rapper A$AP Ferg and the dude

who plays the High Sparrow in Game of Thrones (in separate interviews, obviously, pages 34 and 32 respectively); and I meet a veteran of the Pyongyang International Film Festival to find out about North Korea’s movie scene (page 36), before telling you about some things I’ve recently consumed for our Eat & Drink section (from page 52).

Oscar Holland Editor-in-Chief

Noelle, Dominique and I pose with a digital currency guru while on assignment for our bitcoin cover story. By ‘digital currency guru’ I mean ‘Tianjin senior,’ and by ‘bitcoin cover story’ I mean ‘our September/October Tianjin pullout ’ (which you can find in the center of the magazine).

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QUOTE OF THE ISSUE

“We were all fly but I was always into creating shit” Rapper A$AP Ferg on his Harlem crew A$AP Mob, page 34

6 CIT Y

8 TA K E N A S R E A D Can public subsidies save Beijing’s flailing bookstores?

9 CONCRETE AND GL ASS We put another building up for architectural inspection

17 MARK MY WORDS Use Chinese slang to deride the lucky and beautiful

9

18 LIFE & ST YLE

20 B A CK PA CK AT TA CK Backtrack on wack fannypacks – rucksacks are back

22 YOU TRIPPIN’ How China’s luxury jetsetters are shaping the travel industry 26 SCENE & HE ARD The latest happenings in denim, furniture and soap

26

30 ARTS

32 A VENETIAN COMETH The Merchant of Venice arrives in China (no, not Marco Polo) 36 P Y ON G YA N G C A L L IN G Getting to North Korea’s only international film festival

39 STR ANGER THAN FICTION The final book of Liu Cixin’s ‘Three Body’ sci-fi trilogy reviewed

36

5 2 E AT & D R I N K 56 STORM IN A HOT POT We try out Xiabu Xiabu’s posh cousin, CouCou 58 OPEN SAUCE Up-close and personal with Beijing’s best condiments

61 FINE WINING Two new wine bars go headto-head 4 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6 | W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M

58

THE WRAP 14 IN R ARE FORM

Inside China’s growing market for exotic – and often endangered – pets

42 BITCOIN BELIEVERS Meet the early adopters putting Beijing at the heart of digital currency

10 IPHONES KILLED THE C A M E R A S TA R Chinese entries sweep the iPhone Photography Awards

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CITY TH E B U Z Z

F I LT H Y F U N Football teams play dirty at last month’s national Mud Football Tournament, held at Beijing Railway Station.

BA BY TA L K

Nursing rooms for mothers will be installed in public restrooms across Beijing, reports South China Morning Post. In recent years, numerous complaints have been issued about the lack of baby facilities in the capital. This has led to awkward situations, and even public scrutiny, for mothers who have had no choice but to breastfeed in public areas. According to the National Health and Family Planning Commission, breastfeeding has become increasingly popular in Beijing due to better understanding of its health benefits. In 2008, only 27 percent of babies were solely breastfed during the first six months, though this had risen to around 58 percent by 2013.

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RANDOM NUMBER

73

… is the number of new green spaces being established around Beijing to help relieve pressure on the capital’s struggling drainage system. Functioning as parks for most of the year, the spaces will collect and drain excess rain during flooding, Beijing Morning Post reports. It is estimated that they will be able to accumulate around 10 million cubic meters of water.

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

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

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 Yang, 53, chatting with friends in Dongzhimen

“At Tesla we are continuously making improvements, including to translations” … said a Tesla spokesperson in an emailed statement to Reuters, after the car company removed the words ‘autopilot’ and ‘zidong jiashi’ (‘self-driving’) from its China website.

The deletion came after a Beijing driver crashed in ‘autopilot’ mode and later complained that the firm had exaggerated the function’s use and deceived buyers. The phrase used on the car maker’s website now translates as ‘self-assisted driving’, though Tesla’s spokesperson told Reuters the timely change had “nothing to do with current events or articles.”

TO P M A R KS

Two Beijing universities – Tsinghua University and Peking University – have become the first in China to break into the top 100 global ranking of universities.

According to the 2016 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), Tsinghua ranks 58th while Peking is at no. 71. Altogether, 41 universities from the Chinese Mainland are among the top 500, nine more than the previous year. The ARWU uses indicators like the number of alumni and staff winning top awards such as Nobel Prizes, and the number of times researchers are cited in academic papers. Harvard University topped the list for the 14th year.

What do you think about the stereotypes people have of Beijingers?

“Beijingers are easy-going and tolerant people. We are friendly and warm towards people from outside Beijing. I myself live among people from other provinces so I have already gotten used to this type of situation.

It is only a small group of non-locals who have prejudices against us. They think we are exclusive? Come on. Of all the people living in Beijing, six out of 10 are from other places [Editor's note: The number of people living in Beijing without a local hukou is closer to one in three]. Of course I will not be pleased if my salary goes down from 5,000 to 3,000 yuan because more people have come to Beijing to work. But it is just human nature, isn’t it? It works the same way in any other place.

Would you be thrilled if lots of people crowded into your hometown? I don’t think so. But it is a different case with Shanghainese. They really do have an arrogant attitude towards people from other places. They look down upon northerners, calling us beifang lao [a mildly offensive term for northerners]. They are born that way.

Those who think that we are exclusive confuse our complaints about their bad habits with prejudices against them. They rent our apartments without following basic rules of politeness. For example, they put out their cigarettes by thrusting their butts against the screen window, causing small holes in it. Another example is that they always leave their garbage in front of the elevator door. I mean it isn’t too much trouble to take the garbage down and throw it into the garbage bin!

But they just have to leave it by the elevator. So, as I said, we just don’t like their bad habits, not them as people.”

As told to Emma Huang W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6 | 7

CI T Y | TA LES

TALES OF THE CITY

CAN PUBLIC FUNDING SAVE BEIJING'S BOOKSTORES?

by Dominique Wong

Beijing authorities have recently set aside RMB18 million to help the city’s brick-andmortar bookstores fight back against the rise in e-books and online stores.

The criteria to apply for financial support, which will be released over the next year, include: retailers who are licensed, have fixed abodes and have been operating for three years, according the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Publication, Radio, Film and Television.

The local government hopes to offer support to 70 bookshops this year, either through subsidies or by procuring services, with the maximum amount for each store set as RMB1 million.

The plan will continue for five years, meaning that by 2020, as many as 500 bookstores may receive support, with total spending exceeding RMB100 million.

It’s promising news for Beijing’s bookstore-wanderers and may be indicative of a wider national trend. In Hangzhou, for example, local authorities subsidized some of the city’s best-known bookshops this year 8 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6 | W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M

with an annual fund of RMB3 million (in addition to tax breaks).

These pledges show a government-level willingness to combat dominant online bookstores and eBooks. Online sellers and e-devices, such as Kindle and Zhangyue, offer the big three: convenience, heavy discounts and low prices. In China, e-book sales have grown more than any other sector of the digital publishing industry. Between 2006 and 2013, the number of e-books sold in the country increased by an average of 78.2 percent a year.

This trend is having a detrimental effect on bookstores worldwide. Most face massive downturns, resulting in closures and – in the case of international bookstore chain, Borders – bankruptcy.

But some brick-and-mortar stores are taking matters into their own hands by rethinking their store designs and the shopper experience. Taiwanese bookstore chain Eslite has been leading the charge since 1989. Its massive stores, found throughout Taiwan, Hong Kong and the

mainland, encompass food, leisure and style via cafes, sitting areas and beautiful design.

They have also recently introduced 24-hour shopping hours.

Some of Beijing’s own bookstores are successfully combining lifestyle and reading culture effectively. The Bookworm, on Sanlitun Nanlu, houses a solid selection of titles but is also as well-known for its weekly events (ranging from comedy to talks and musical programs) and restaurant-café.

Page One, originating from Singapore but found in various Beijing malls, also dabbles in a mix of pleasures. Its giftware makes for a stylish present, while just next door is a European-style restaurant. If the clusters of readers that can always be found sitting on Page One’s stairs are any indication, the combination seems to be working Beijing has nearly 5,000 other bookstores struggling to survive in an increasingly competitive market. But with renewed efforts from the government – and businesses themselves – our favorite bookstores may be safe for a while yet.

ON THE BLOCK | CIT Y

NEW BEIJING POLY PLAZA, DONGSISHITIAO

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 Designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM), the New Beijing Poly Plaza is located on the Second Ring Road and was completed in 2007. The complex holds retail, office space, restaurants and a museum, and – at 100,000-sqm and 24 stories high – stands like a goliath over the busy intersection. It is comprised of three main parts: an L-shaped office building, a glass-enclosed atrium and a hanging structure known as the ‘lantern’ for its similarity to a pleated Chinese light. The building’s glass cable-net wall (see Architect's view) is supported by stainless steel components such as clamp fittings and connecting rods.

The Residents’ View Passerby Liu shares: “The glass is impressive and looks multi-dimensional. There’s plenty of light but because the wall is facing northeast, the light is strongest in the morning and isn’t too reflective.” Meanwhile inside the atrium, we find He sitting with her family. She tells us: “It’s very attractive and has a modern look.”

The Architect’s View Interior architect and founding partner of Pop-Up Creative, Vito Zhang, notes: “Poly Plaza’s [wall] is the largest ‘cable-net glass wall’ in the world. Looking carefully, it’s clear that the exterior glass walls of the atrium are not flat, but have three distinct ‘fold’ lines.

“The floating ‘lantern’ structure is a museum full of antiques. Three massive internal cables divide the three glass wall zones, reducing the need for heavy visible structural supporting elements, such as multiple beams and cables. In addition, the suspended ‘lantern’ is a counterweight for the cable-net glass wall – like holding a swing back in a playground, but without letting go!”

Zhang continues: “A large connecting pulley mechanism at the top of the ‘lantern’ was a great engineering challenge during the design process, yet the project team rose to the challenge, and the result is a stunning sculptural addition to contemporary Beijing architecture. Overall, Poly Plaza is a fine example of a truly great collaboration between architects and structural engineers.” DW

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CI T Y | PHO T O E S S AY

LIFE THROUGH A PHONE LENS Chinese Entries Shine at the 2016 iPhone Photography Awards wo rd s by O s c a r Ho l l a n d

THE RULES ARE SIMPLE, AND ANYONE WITH A SMARTPHONE (well, an Apple one, at least) can enter. But until now, the annual iPhone Photography Awards had never been won by someone from the world’s largest smartphone market.

That’s all just changed, thanks to photographer Siyuan Niu, who claimed this year’s grand prize for ‘Man and the Eagles’, a striking shot taken in the Tianshan region of Xinjiang.

“The jury members found that Siyuan Niu’s photo represented an emotional human connection, and was a perfect moment captured from the subject’s life,” the awards’ founder Kenan Aktulun tells That’s Beijing. “The image has more to it than the story between the man and the eagle.”

Given that Apple sold more iPhones in China than the US for first time early last year, it’s little surprise that Chinese entries did well across the board. Six of the 19 award categories – architecture, children, nature, people, still life and travel – were won by photographers from the Chinese Mainland.

“Participation from Chinese photographers has increased drastically over the years, especially this year,” says Aktulun, who started the competition back in 2008 – before the iPhone was even available for sale in the country.

On the following pages, you will find our favorite Chinese entries from this year’s awards. While the photographers were able to use iOS apps to edit their work, desktop processing programs like Photoshop were prohibited. Each image was taken with either an iPhone, an iPad or an iPod touch (competitors from outside China might be relieved to hear that Samsung, Xioami and Huawei photos are ineligible).

To see all the winners visit www.ippawards.com

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by KK 1st Place – Children “The photo was shot in Harbin in Heilongjiang. Two children were playing with a home-made sled on the frozen Songhua River.”

PHO T O E S S AY | CI T Y

by Jinsong Hu 3rd Place – Abstract “These Prayer flags with vivid colors are ubiquitous in the Tibetan areas of Western Sichuan – a unique feature of the region”

by Liang Huang 3rd Place – News/Events “An hour after a series of explosions at Tianjin port, when ashes of burned goods were still falling like black snow, I was in position at ground zero.”

by Fugen Xiao 1st Place – Travel “This picture shows harmonious scenery of an old couple who started working early in the morning as the sun shone in Xiapu, Fujian.”

by Siyuan Niu Grand Prize Winner, Photographer of the Year “This 70-year-old man is rigid and solemn in front of family and friends, but when he is with his beloved eagle, the corner of his mouth curves up.”

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CI T Y | PHO T O E S S AY

by Xia Zhenkai 1st Place – People “I was filming some empty lens reflex for my documentary on the riverbank of the Indian Ganges River, then happened to see this man who was bathing in the river and immediately used my mobile phone to take this moment.”

by Lei Yuting & Xianyou 3rd Place – Nature “Fast urbanization has injured our living environment, and this tree of life represents the last sigh.”

by Junbiao Cai 3rd Place – Animals “At dusk, swarms of yellow bristle geese march in Yangjiang, Guangdong. Quite a spectacular scene, especially with the dust and backlight.”

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PHO T O E S S AY | CI T Y

by Yongmei Wang 2nd Place – Sunset “I was lucky to meet one of the most beautiful sunrises in my life with the splendid clouds and the fisherman in Xingping, Guilin.”

by Siyuan Niu 2nd Place – Children “The Namuda festival is spectacular, especially the horse racing. When the child won it felt just as real as becoming a king.”

by Jian Wang 1st Place – Architecture “I was fascinated by the great visual effect which was created by the light and shade in Beijing Olympic Park.”

by Jian Wang 3rd Place – Landscape “The sun was going down and the sky was slowly fading into darkness. It was quite a unique landform.”

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CI T Y | FE AT URE

F O T D L U I O EW H T hi C n i

t s ma Huang e P t i c by E m

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s eHolly Li, add i R t i c e s by

a ong, imag m e l o b inique W

Prrds by Dom e h T wo

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FE AT URE | CI T Y

“People are attracted to exotic animals because they look cool and are easy to live with”

N

ext to the West Third Ring Road stands a building called Guanyuan Plaza.

Flanked by residential apartments and bustling traffic, it is an unremarkable sight. Boring, even.

But go underground and you will discover that the plaza is full of inhabitants from all over the world. There are chinchillas from South America, bearded dragons from Australia and turtles from the Philippines.

Officially called the ‘New Guanyuan Bird and Fish Market,’ the basement market houses animals of the exotic variety. There are ‘normal’ pets for sale, too, but why buy a boring cat when you can own a snake?

The owner of a store in the market, Fanga, tells us: “People are attracted to exotic animals because they look cool and are easy to live with.”

Fanga, 26, quit his editorial job at Tencent before opening his store. “I’m very happy now,” he says. “My girlfriend thinks I have no free time because I work on the weekend.

But I feel like I have more freedom; I like being with animals.”

The small store is the realization of Fanga’s childhood dreams. Posters of animated toad-like creatures wearing robes and holding forked weapons decorate the shop window, while inside there are tanks full of snakes, lizards and baby frogs.

“I’ve liked these types of animals since I was young,” he shares. “My family had frogs.”

He’s not the only one with a hankering for weird animals. Judging from the clientele passing through the market – children, students, couples and middle-aged people – the thirst for exotic pets is a wide-ranging phenomenon.

Outside Fanga’s store we meet Wang, who has just fed his baby black kingsnake at another pet shop downstairs – with pinky mice. He keeps his snake at the market because his family at home disapproves.

“I’m going to Xi’an for college soon so I will take the snake with me then,” he says. “My roommate doesn’t know yet. If they don’t give me their permission, I’ll have to come up with another plan. Most pet shops ask for money as rent, so maybe I will just have to keep it secretly in my room.”

A stealthy plan. Yet not all share Wang’s family’s distaste for snakes. They seem to be on sale at every other store at Guanyuan Market. Other popular exotic animals-turnedpets include foxes and monkeys.

Both of these animals experienced an increase in demand this year due to their portrayal in pop culture and social media. The hit animated film Zootopia, which includes an adorable fennec fox character, led to an increase in online searches in China for the rare (and endangered) animal. Meanwhile blog posts of ‘cute’ thumb monkeys (pygmy marmoset) were all the rage circa-Year of the Monkey celebrations.

Selling for RMB30,000, the world’s smallest monkey species – about the size of a thumb – does not come cheap. Nor does it come legally, as the pygmy marmoset is an endangered species.

These animals may make for a novel, if illegal, pet but they come with their own nuisances, according to shop owner Liu, who we meet on the other side of the city at a pet market in Shilihe. Liu and her husband manage a cat store but they know a lot about niche pets.

“Foxes have a very strong smell,” she says. “My husband used to have a white fox but the smell was so strong he couldn’t take care of him any longer, so he gave it away. He had a monkey too, but it also had a really bad odor.”

Liu’s husband still has the contacts to get hold of a fox; you just need to tell him what breed you are after. He does not have any monkey contacts. But you know who does? The Internet.

One online monkey dealer assures us that his monkey-for-sale is “non-aggressive since it’s very young” while another offers to deliver a Japanese snow monkey via truck, provided we send “several thousand” yuan in advance.

We decline. Still, it seems that the process of getting your paws on an exotic pet is as simple as buying a top off Taobao. The question of whether you should is not so easy.

Buyers are advised to consider whether the animal has been shipped into the country – and through legal channels – or if it is part of a domestic breeding program, as well as the endangered status of the species.

There are many reasons against keeping an exotic animal as a pet. The first being animal welfare – as many exotic animals in China are not part of a domestic breeding program, they arrive via trafficking.

The transportation process is brutal, according to the assistant manager of Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) China, Li Lishu.

“If you’re taking away a wild species you are disrupting the ecosystem and also bringing great harm to the animals,” says Li, a trained biologist. “A study showed that in the trade for parrots, for every one bird that survives on its way to market, 10 die along the way. Animals that are transported from continent to continent suffer stress W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6 | 1 5

CI T Y | FE AT URE

and emotional tragedy after being separated from their families.”

WCS is an American organization committed to protecting wildlife and wild places. It has offices around the world and has been operating in China since 1996.

“We try to address [illegal trade] by supporting both enforcement organizations and government cooperation,” Li says before noting a worrying trend: “We have noticed, especially in Guangdong, that trade for animals like turtles has shifted towards the pet trade. In the past trade for turtles was mainly carried out by zoos. I think this reflects trends in other places [in China], including Beijing.”

Indeed, we often see turtles for sale around Beijing – sometimes just out on the street. But, they are not as harmless as they seem. Turtles and other reptiles carry Salmonella bacteria, which is easily spread to people. The risk is so serious that selling small turtles in the United States is now illegal.

Plus, certain turtle species are endangered or protected by legal conventions, such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), of which China is a member state. This is the case for many exotic animals. Those under national-level protection in China include gold pythons, golden eagles and sables (a species of marten), while state-protected animals include monkeys.

It is possible to get government licenses to breed or access protected animals, though the process is difficult. But online trading makes it easier for people to operate without a license undetected, though there are heavy penalties for those caught trafficking illegal animals. (“Especially for traders, but also owners,” explains Li.) A Canadian man was recently handed a fiveyear prison term and a USD17,000 penalty for attempting to smuggle exotic turtles from the US into China. Campaigners such as Li hope that these punishments, along with increased education, will help deter people from illegal trading.

“We are trying to raise people’s awareness and I think the Chinese Government is doing a great job with enforcement,” she says. “This problem is a global issue. Different companies and individuals play a different role along the trade chain, so if you want to crack it, you have to crack the whole network. It requires collaboration between countries, departments and sectors.

“It’s a difficult challenge for human beings to [curb] our greed and desires,” she admits. Li cites the example of a blog about a recent exotic animal expo in Shanghai, which attracted comments such as: “The wild animals will be gone [in the future] anyway, so why not let us keep them in a facility where we can provide for them a good life.”

Ethics and the law aside, there’s one more crucial reason against keeping wilder pets: practicality. No matter how much you ‘love’ your exotic animal it typically needs special attention.

Away from their natural habitats, animals have particular environmental demands. Snakes, for example, require a controlled environment with the correct temperature and humidity.

Fanga, the Guanyuan Market shop owner, does not see this as a huge issue. “Customers can ask me [how to care for the animals],” he offers.

Yet other exotic animals require more than a heat lamp to stay content. As Liu the fox-expert from Shilihe says: “We don’t recommend you get a fox because they smell and are anti-social. If you really like foxes, you should go to the zoo to see them.”

For more information about WCS in China visit programs. wcs.org/china

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“If you’re taking away a wild species you are disrupting the ecosystem and also bringing great harm to the animals”

CHINESE URBAN DICTIONARY | CIT Y

Rensheng Yingjia / Rénshēng Yíngjiā / 人生赢家 n. winner at life, someone who wins at life Check out this year’s '30 Under 30' list.

How can one person achieve so much at such a young age? I'm about to turn 30 and I haven't done anything with my life.

Don't be so down on yourself. You might still make the '40 Under 40' list.

But these people are already so far ahead. They pretty much win life.

Yeah, they are the rensheng yingjia.

You’re either born one or you’re not.

Life is not the Olympics. But there are people in our lives (or Facebook feeds, at least) who seem to fare so much better than everyone else that they deserve medals. While the rest of us stumbled around as kids, felt our way out of puberty, floundered in our early jobs and left trails of mistakes in our love and family lives, there is a small group of humans who did well from an early age. They went on to successful careers, married the right people and raised bright kids.

They just seem to have figured out life.

They’ve racked up such high scores that they have become impossible to beat. The rest of us stop trying to catch up and just concede.

We say: “Fine, you win; you have won at life; you are rensheng yingjia, now please unfriend me on Facebook.”

Rensheng yingjia – literally ‘life winner’ – refers to those who are successful from the

start. They seem to enjoy fulfilling personal lives too, just to shut you up before saying things like: “Yeah, but are they really happy?”

Often rensheng yingjia have the kind of personality traits that society reveres, such as being extroverted rather than introverted.

They’re often from good families with high social status, which afforded them greater resources growing up. On top of everything else, they just seem to have so much… luck.

They never suffered setbacks or had to pick themselves up after failures. They knew where the prize was, so they just went ahead and grabbed it.

As class solidifies and pedigree comes to matter more than hard work, matching some people’s achievements will become harder for the regular Zhangs and Wangs.

So, in today’s China, calling the lucky ones rensheng yingjia is both self-deprecating and relieving. Because once you admit defeat, you free yourself from the pressure of trying to keep up. And as the workings of the upper classes become more opaque, at least acknowledging the mysterious ways of rensheng yingjia can bring us little guys together.

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

Timothy Parent, Founder of China Fashion Bloggers

— When did you discover your passion for fashion?

It was the absence of fashion that made me first think about it. I grew up in Washington state, where [at the time] there wasn’t much of a ‘fashion industry,’ per se. I went to Harvard for undergrad and the campus was close to Boston's Newbury Street and I went often – buying stuff at Marc Jacobs, Saks and some awesome vintage shops. As a way to engage with fashion, I did a charity fashion show called Project East where we showcased established and emerging Asian designers. It was a great opportunity for me to meet designers and learn how they work and create a business.

— Why did you start China Fashion Bloggers?

I started blogging in 2009 about Chinese street style. It was field research for my thesis – more geared toward the sociology or anthropology of fashion. I wanted to contextualize my work, so I started China Fashion Bloggers (CFB).

We are the go-to website for inspiration and information about Chinese fashion, covering not only the industry (fashion), but also the human side (style).

It was built to bridge consumers, bloggers, designers, retailers and creatives. Today, we syndicate from about a dozen bloggers who have collectively contrib-

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uted almost 5,000 posts in five years.

— How do you select which bloggers to work with on CFB? The main thing is that they must have an actual website.

We can pull content and repost from many platforms, but we prefer full-blown web blogs.

Microblogging on Weibo, WeChat or Twitter is great, but really good content will always exist on the web. Our lifeblood is our bloggers, and we want to include many different perspectives, so being unique is also important.

— Who are some of your favorite Chinese designers?

Vega Zaishi Wang, Boundless and Poesia.

— What do you never leave home without?

Sunglasses in summer (my eyes are bad and I hate those wrinkles you get from squinting), turbans in winter (these make all the difference between being cozy and freezing when outside) and a bag or fannypack year-round.

I'm always carrying something on me, and I need my hands for taking photos.

— What would you never be caught wearing?

Clothes with words on them, basic branded stuff and normcore, unless I'm feeling feisty. chinafashionbloggers.com, WeChat: CFBmedia

Ed i t e d by D o m i n i c Ng a i /

MADE IN CHINA

Wearable Culture

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

COV E T

3D Glasses Not Included The cheongsam, an iconic garment in Chinese women’s fashion since the 1920s, has been given a new dimension (literally).

The Tsinghua University Arts and Science Center recently collaborated with a Jiangsu-based 3D printing company, Seegine 3D Printing, to introduce the world’s first 3D-printed cheongsam.

Each dress features tiny flower petals and butterfly wings, and was manufactured on an EOS-P760 3D printer using nylon. Featuring the signature high cut and elegant neckline, these 3D cheongsams look similar to the classic version and take around five days to print.

OV E R H E A R D

Traditional Chinese medicine and fashion may seem worlds apart, but designer Doris Zhang has managed to somehow fuse the two. As a fan of traditional Chinese culture, the Shanghai native incorporates Chinese herbs and landscapes into her designs in the hope of bringing nature closer to the independent and confident young women who wear her clothes. Zhang’s upcoming 2016 A/W collection marries Western style and Chinese cutting. Here, Zhang channels her inner Chinese doctor by decorating long skirts and trousers with images of herbs.

For more information follow Zhang on WeChat: dorisdesign

“I CAN’T BELIEVE THERE IS A MAN WHO LOOKS THAT GOOD NOT WEARING ANY CLOTHES!”

A Chinese netizen expresses admiration for Olympic swimmer Ning Zetao on Weibo. Ning, who’s dubbed ‘China’s hottest Olympic swimmer,’ grabbed the media’s attention even before his Olympic journey began, when Buzzfeed declared: “This hot swimmer is the newest object of China’s thirst!”

The 23-year-old, who broke the Asian record for the 100-meter freestyle at the Aquatics World Championships in Russia last year (and previously at the 2014 Asian Games), became an online sensation thanks to his boyish good looks and muscular physique.

Despite his 7.3 million fans on Weibo, Ning didn’t bring home any medals from Rio. As CCTV reporter Bai Yansong commented after the games: “A pretty face is only useful when you’re not competing.”

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LIFE & S T Y LE | FASHION

PACK AN Backpacks are Back

Pull&Bear RMB199 www.pullandbear.cn

Bershka RMB149 bershka.cn

Beara Beara RMB1,120 bearabeara.co.uk

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Zara RMB299 zara.cn

The North Face RMB698 www.thenorthface.com.cn

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

Old Navy RMB299 oldnavy.gap.cn

Pull&Bear RMB149 www.pullandbear.cn

Zara RMB399 zara.cn

Bershka RMB219 bershka.cn

Beara Beara RMB2,050 bearabeara.co.uk

W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6 | 2 1

The Travel Habits of Young Chinese Jetsetters

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n May, Rupert Hoogewerf, the chairman of magazine and research firm Hurun Report, took to a Shanghai stage for a forum discussion on “Why China’s Generation Y is driving global luxury.” Ten years ago, the topic might not have been considered important. But if the number of high-end hotel brands and travel agencies here at the International Luxury Travel Market conference is anything to go by, people aren’t only seeing the change in how wealthy young Chinese consumers behave – they’re banking on it.

That same week, Hoogewerf ’s firm released a report entitled Chinese Luxury Traveler 2016, which studied the travel habits of highnet-worth adults from first- and secondtier cities. The 525 individuals who took part in the study were surveyed on their favorite travel destinations, hotel and airline preferences, overseas consumption habits, and much else. All of the participants were born after 1980 and live in households with a yearly average travel bill of RMB420,000.

Someone who knows this demographic well is Miki Tang, the lifestyle director of women’s luxury magazine Richesse. She embodies the spirit of a young and savvy luxury traveler.

A week after the conference, I meet Tang at Aunn, one of the hippest cafes in Shanghai’s Jing’an district – a location chosen by her.

The media industry veteran is also the author of Around the World in High Heels, a series of travel guidebooks set in popular destinations that incorporate Sex and the City-esque romance stories. The first of the series (on Paris and Seoul) was released in September 2015 along with Tang’s WeChat subscription account, High Heels, which already boasts nearly 100,000 followers.

“I remember looking at social media and everyone was showing off new clothes and accessories they bought. But over the past few years, I’ve noticed that people are now more keen on posting their experiences”

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FE AT URE | LIFE & S T Y LE

A travel video collaboration with online streaming platform iQiyi.com is in production, while a silver screen adaptation inspired by her book is planned for a 2017 release.

According to Hurun’s Chinese Luxury Traveler 2016 report, respondents revealed that they get most of their travel information from friends’ WeChat Moments and official WeChat accounts like High Heels (47 and 48 percent respectively). Traditional media such as TV, newspapers, SMS ads and cold calls were at the bottom of the list, used by only 7 to 22 percent of the group.

Gathering travel recommendations from her contacts around the globe, Tang’s WeChat channel focuses on the trendiest places in each city – where the creative-types hang out, rather than the obvious, touristy places she might report on for a magazine assignment.

“As an editor, the stories that you cover are often limited by the positioning and style of the publication or the advertisers,” she says of her inspiration to start High Heels three years ago.

“I’ve always wanted to start my own thing, something with an overarching theme of qingshe.”

The term she uses – which directly translates as ‘light luxury’ – refers to the idea of spending money on travel, but doing so in a smart way. It’s a message that resonates with Tang’s target audience – stylish, financially independent and well-educated women. One of her travel philosophies, especially for solo female travelers, is to stay at a good hotel even if it means paying more.

“If I’m going somewhere for four nights, I’d stay in one of the most iconic or signature hotels of the city for two nights.

For the rest of the trip, I’d move to a contemporary, designfocused boutique hotel, which is cheaper.” Another tip is about Michelin-starred restaurants. “There are ‘smart’ ways to enjoy them, such as visiting at lunch or ordering their tasting menu,” she explains.

Tang and her peers are part of an emerging market segment that new hotels also want to tap into. According to the Hurun survey, young luxury travelers’ hotel budgets average RMB3,113 per room, per night. It also shows that France is the most popular destination in Europe as well as one of the top shopping spots among respondents.

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LIFE & S T Y LE | FE AT URE

“If I’m going somewhere for four nights, I’d stay in one of the most iconic or signature hotels of the city for two nights. For the rest of the trip, I’d move to a contemporary, design-focused boutique hotel, which is cheaper”

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One of the newest hotels in the French capital, La Reserve Paris, is located next to the ChampsElysees in the 160-year-old former residence of French statesman Duke de Morny. Opened in February, the property was restored as a chic yet classical 19th century-style Parisian urban mansion, offering 26 suites and 14 rooms.

The hotel’s CEO Didier Le Calvez is confident that the hotel’s offerings will satisfy the increasingly discerning palates of young Chinese luxury travelers, who view personalized services, brand style and artistic design (in addition to room conditions) as the most important factors when choosing a hotel.

“La Reserve hotels are focused on the Chinese clientele,” Le Calve tells me. “In Paris, we’re able to offer tailor-made and on-demand Chinese breakfasts, while our Geneva property has Tse Fung, an upscale Chinese restaurant with 19 Cantonese chefs working in the kitchen.”

Unlike many brands in Europe, La Reserve is fully aware that WeChat is the best channel for reaching Chinese clientele. Besides featuring news from its properties, the hotel group’s account shares lifestyle and wine-related content with its followers (the owner Michel Reybier has a vineyard in Bordeaux).

Halfway across the world in America, meanwhile, Dream Hotels is gearing up for the grand opening of its Los Angeles outpost this fall.

The USA is the top business travel destination for young Chinese luxury travelers, and Director of Hotel Sales at Dream Hollywood, Matthew Yoakum, is ready and excited to receive this new generation of jetsetters. His hotel’s sister properties in New York and Miami have already seen a 5- to 6-percent average increase in Chinese visitors year-on-year.

“We have the advantage of building a hotel from scratch, integrating both technology and comfort into the luxury of our property,” Yoakum tells me. “Not only is our hotel ‘China ready,’ it’s also ready for the future.”

At this modern-style boutique hotel – one designed to attract a younger audience – iPad menus with multilingual software allow you to have the entire hotel at your fingertips. They come as standard features in all 179 rooms.

“We have everything these young luxury travelers are looking for,” Yoakum adds. And he’s onto something – more than 60 percent of the respondents in the Hurun survey cite interactive digital services as their favorite hotel service, coming in just behind butler services.

But it’s not just about the hardware. Like La Reserve in Paris, Dream Hollywood has also solicited help from a Shanghaibased PR team to head up their WeChat account and lure potential guests from China. In addition to basic hotel news and promotions, they’re also thinking of

FE AT URE | LIFE & S T Y LE

partnerships with local key opinion leaders.

“We’d like our target audience to see us while swiping their WeChat Moments, giving [us] a broader and more holistic communications architecture,” Yoakum says.

Back at Aunn Café in Shanghai, Miki Tang reflects on the way that consumers have changed the way they share on social media since she started out as a fashion editor nine years ago.

“When I first entered the business, I remember looking at social media platforms – Weibo at the time – and everyone was showing off new clothes and accessories bought while traveling. But over the past few years, I’ve noticed that people on my WeChat Moments are now more keen on posting their experiences – the trendy cafes or restaurants they’ve been to, or the cool people they’ve met along the way,” she says.

“I think there’s a change in the Chinese attitude to spending money; people are more willing to spend more on an experience – such as travel – instead of just buying actual products like shoes or handbags,” Tang adds.

With the number of billionaires in China surpassing that of the US for the first time this year, luxury travel providers will continue to clamor for a slice of the market.

Their success will rest on their ability to understand and harness the behavior of China’s Generation Y. █

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

SCENE & HEARD 2

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Frustrated with corporate life in the UK and Hong Kong, British designer Stephanie Lawson is going it alone with her new clothing brand, Zodiac. Hoping to put a new spin on denim, the Beijing-based label promises garments that are suitable for “high-functioning urban lifestyles.”

That broadly means denim that’s flexible, comfortable and won’t stop you from doing anything that involves stretching. And if you think the words ‘denim’ and ‘activewear’ are irreconcilable, then know that the lead singer of Beijing band 16 Minutes recently took to the stage in a pair of Zodiac’s chinos for a pretty active performance at DDC livehouse.

The brand’s new lookbook features a lot of denim pants, obviously, but there are other products available too, including a pretty flylooking denim raincoat. Officially launching this month, Zodiac will be available online and through wholesale.

For more information visit www.zodiac-active.com

SA P O S OA P WO R KS

Ruth Ng, the founder of Sapo Soap Works, started her brand earlier this year in Beijing, where she became more conscious of the quality of the skincare products she uses.

Unsatisfied with what she found on the local market, she began to bring natural ingredients back from abroad to make her own products. Ng takes cleaning up seriously: “Soap making is the perfect medium for me to combine the science of exact chemistry formulation with the art of creating an experience through shapes, colors, textures and scents,” she says. Sapo Soap Works' soaps and moisturizers – produced entirely by Ng herself – are all inspired by the inherent qualities of the raw components. Tasty and aromatic ingredients such as avocado, buttermilk, honeycomb and lemongrass can all be found in Sapo’s soap selection (starting from RMB55).

www.saposoapworks.com, WeChat Store: saposoapworks

or the brand’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/ zodiacactivecompany

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Z AOZ U O

Hip and “for the middle-classes” furniture label ZaoZuo recently opened its first Beijing store in 798 Art District, expanding its presence from online to offline. Since launching at last year’s Beijing Design Week, the homegrown brand has quickly amassed a following due to its focus on high-quality products at affordable prices.

Now, furniture fiends can get their fix in person at this 300sqm flagship store. The space employs a simple floor-to-ceiling grid display system, meaning that navigation is as minimal as the furniture itself. Founder Shu Wei’s use of local producers alongside international designers means that you can find the same beautiful and innovative wares here as you can online. Deck out your pad with a ‘Jellyfish’ lamp by Note Design Studio (RMB365) or a ‘COFA’ sofa by Luca Nichetto (RMB4556), plus more – much more.

798 Art District, zaozuo.com

ADVERTORIAL | LIFE & ST YLE

SHANG XIA Sculpture Scarf 3,800 RMB

SHANG XIA Sculpture Women's Overcoat 32,000 RMB SHANG XIA Sun & Moon Men's Overcoat 20,000 RMB

SHANG XIA Moonlight Women's Shirt 3,300 RMB

SHANG XIA Heqi Men's Jacket 5,600 RMB

SHANG XIA Breeze Women's Trousers 4,800 RMB

In the Moment

SHANG XIA Sculpture Women's Shawl 20,000 RMB

SHANG XIA Satis-feet Shoes 3,500 RMB

SHANG XIA Wufu Necklace 5,900 RMB

SHANG XIA Breeze Women's Dress 15,000 RMB

SHANG XIA Wufu Earrings (one pair) 2,580 RMB

SHANG XIA Lan Yue Cashmere Felt Handbag 14,800 RMB SHANG XIA Man Yue Clutch Bag 7,500 RMB

SHANG XIA Satis-feet Women's high heel shoes 3,500 RMB

SHANG XIA Wufu Necklace 19,800 RMB

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

SHANG XIA Man Yue Bag 12,500 RMB

A

new season has arrived and contemporary lifestyle brand SHANG XIA has chosen “In the Moment” as the theme for their Fall/Winter 2016 collection of apparel, accessories and home décor products.

Taking a cue from ethnic minorities in southwestern China, SHANG XIA’s new women’s apparel collection pays homage to the intricate hand-sewn garments inspired by their natural habitat and festive culture, along with other minute details found in traditional dresses from these tribal communities.

Through these unique colorful pieces and the brand’s appreciation for artistic craftsmanship, SHANG XIA brings the “In the Moment” theme to full circle, infusing everyday apparel and accessories with a sense of joyous and festive vitality – reminding us that all the beautiful moments in life are to be cherished and experienced to the fullest.

Pieces in the Breeze collection, which are made with high quality silk, offer an extremely refined, light and slim look with simple cuts. Inspired by Chinese overcoats, the Jin Yi collection also utilizes pure silk (instead of the traditional cotton) to create layer of softness and warmth for the cold Shanghai winter.

Also perfect for the winter are the garments from the Sculpture collection, where two different colors of handmade Mongolian cashmere felt are married into one wearable piece by a special technique courtesy of SHANG XIA’s talented weavers – allowing strips of colors to flow seamlessly along the collar, lapels and hem of these form-fitting pieces.

As for SHANG XIA’s menswear collection this Fall/Winter season, you’ll find a lot of the same materials used in a variety of coats, jackets, knitted tops and shirts. An example is their Sun & Moon collection featuring double-sided cashmere and wool jackets. Meanwhile, the wool tops in the Heqi collection can be worn as a shirt in the winter for layering, or as a light jacket in the fall.

In the accessories department, the Man Yue (full moon) leather handbags feature quality cattle hide as the body, with a moon-shaped decoration that’s handcrafted using a delicate eggshell lacquering technique. The same practice is used in the Wufu collection of collar necklaces and earrings to imitate the graceful beauty of porcelain through the brand’s dedication to craftsmanship.

SHANG XIA has once again created a line of stunning new products. The Fall/Winter season is the time for you to ‘seize the moment’ and upgrade your wardrobe.

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LIFE & ST YLE | HOTELS

TAKING UP RESIDENCE

An Exclusive Tour of Ritz-Carlton Tianjin’s New Executive Residences

If you’ve stayed at The Ritz-Carlton Tianjin, you probably checked out the next morning wishing you could stay longer. Because things that the brand excels at – warm service and excellent facilities – aren’t just comforts you look for in a hotel. They’re comforts you’d want in your home. There is surely no one in the city better placed to run executive residences for medium- and longterm guests.

So, Ritz-Carlton Tianjin is doing just that.

And with the grand unveiling just a few

weeks away (the facilities will be open by the time you read this), we were invited for an exclusive tour.

We enter through the residents’ private entrance (which is separate from that of the adjacent hotel).

Here, it’s clear that some design influences have migrated across.

But while the hotel prides itself on a grand, classical aesthetic, the residences incorporate something more contemporary – more homey. The breakfast room is a case in point. Found on the ground floor, it boasts sleek surfaces and modern design. Every morning, residents will be invited to enjoy a free breakfast here.

This is just one of the services that will make this a home away from home. Everyone taking up residence can make use of the cinema room, kids’ room and library. There’s even an on-site gym (and you won’t need to travel far for a swim – residents have full

access to the hotel’s indoor swimming pool).

So what of the apartments themselves?

Well, whether you want one bedroom or three, there’s an option for everyone, from single executives to busy families. Among the 118 accommodations (all with interiors by luxury hospitality designer Pierre-Yves Rochon), there are multiple styles and layouts available. Regardless of which you choose, all benefit from the same top-of-therange facilities, including a complementary air purifier, Narumi tableware, BOSCH kitchen equipment, international TV channels and high speed broadband.

Most importantly, everyone here has a dedicated team on hand to make life more comfortable. If the service is as attentive as at the neighbouring hotel, residents are in for a treat.

167 Dagubei Lu, Heping District, Tianjin 天津市和平区

大沽北路 167 号 (022 5857 8888, www.ritzcarlton.com/

tianjin)

NOT YOUR AVERAGE COURTYARD

A Q&A with Catherine Lew, General Manager of Courtyard by Marriott Beijing Northeast

Beijing is a city of courtyards – hutong courtyards, traditional palace courtyards, beautiful ancient courtyards. But don’t forget about the most welcoming courtyard of all: Courtyard by Marriott Beijing Northeast.

The Lido area hotel has been making its guests feel at home for years, but now, under the leadership of new General Manager Catherine Lew, the team there is kicking its characteristic good service up a notch. We sat down with Lew to talk about her plans for the hotel – and learned a lot about her hospitality philosophy in the process.

— How did you first enter the hotel industry?

When I graduated from the University of Washington, in Seattle, I was hoping to leave the US and go out and explore a little bit. I found an opportunity to intern at the JW Marriott in Hong Kong, and with that I entered the hospitality industry.

— What do you hope for your guests?

I want to give guests the experience that they expect, and even a little bit more. At the Courtyard, we place ourselves at the fourstar level, but I tell my team very directly that 2 8 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6 | W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M

we don’t rate ourselves as four star – we offer five-star service.

— What’s your management philosophy?

People come first. Hospitality is people serving people, and I believe that as the managers of the hotel, we need to show how we care for other people, whether it’s our guests or our associates.

— Do you have any advice for aspiring professionals in the hotel industry?

You need to love what you do. You need to have passion!

— What’s your favorite place to travel to?

Hong Kong – a lot of people love it, and I’m no different! It has a lot of history, and that part I really enjoy, but at the same time you also see really modern culture.

Courtyard by Marriott Beijing Northeast, 101

Jingmi Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区京密路 101 号 (5907 6653)

HOTELS | LIFE & ST YLE

FROM THE MIDDLE EAST TO THE FAR EAST A Q&A With NUO Hotel’s Chef Wisam

Whatever you’re hankering for, NUO’s got it. The luxury hotel serves all manner of high-end international dishes, and it takes a talented chef to navigate it all. Enter Chef Wisam. We spoke to the Syrian-born cooking pro to learn just how he does it.

— How long have you been cooking, and how did you get your start?

I have been cooking for more than 10 years, ever since I graduated from hotel management school. I was born into a family with chefs and restaurant owners, which led to my passion for food and my desire to share nice food with others.

— What are the unique challenges of cooking in a luxury hotel?

As a foreigner, the language barrier is the biggest challenge for me. But working in a luxury hotel, I try my best to provide the perfect service to our guests.

— How do you hope your guests

feel when dining at NUO? I will be very happy if guests can appreciate the passion I've put into my food, and I hope more people will get to know more about Arabic food.

— Which is your favorite cuisine?

My major [at hotel management school] was Arab cuisine. My favorite is shawarma, and I think the guests like it as well.

— What is your signature dish?

Arab roasted whole lamb.

— That sounds delicious! One final question: What's your favorite part of life at NUO? It is my pleasure to work at a hotel as wonderful as NUO. We have a great Executive Chef here, and I have learned many things from him. I have fantastic colleagues as well.

We work together and help each other. I have learned a lot in this hotel – I’ve not only improved in my job, but also broadened my horizons.

NUO Hotel Beijing; 2A Jiangtai Lu, Lido, Chaoyang 朝阳 区将台路甲 2 号 (5926 8888)

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ARTS CO LLAG E

W H AT ' S N E W

DRUMROLL

Ran Music brings together the best of both worlds (in this case: Shanghai jazz and Beijing electronic music) on this groovy joint disc by Soulspeak and Ttechmak aka Toby Mak. Futuristic soulful beats meet melodic trumpets in Love in the Land of Robots, the first of – hopefully – many collaborations between two of China’s hardest working musicians. Available for download at ranmusicbj.bandcamp.com.

DUBFIRE Even though we’re not from Suzhou, we’re hooked on the Worm Island podcast, which has just finished its 13-episode first season. With characters loosely based on the 1970s show The Fantastic Journey, the podcast features interviews with some of the city’s resident fixtures, from samurai aiki-jujutsu instructors to local musicians who have suddenly gone viral. Available at wormisland.com (in English).

Sichuan rhymer Kafe Hu has been quietly making a name for himself in the mainland’s hip-hop underground. Now he steps into the spotlight with his full-length debut 27: The Code of Lucifer. With contributions from acclaimed producers like Soulspeak, this is a heady introduction to the former battle rapper’s larger artistic ambitions. Available on Taobao.

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Iranian-American DJ and producer Dubfire is an underground minimal techno powerhouse. We spoke with him ahead of his performance at TekNest, a new festival by the folks at dART, which takes place at the Bird’s Nest this month.

— If there was a (dub) fire in your house, what three things would you save?

Records, Japanese cookbook and laptop.

— What was it like re-forming Deep Dish, a duo with your friend and fellow DJ, Sharam?

We regrouped with the whole team and looked back at everything that went right and wrong. We tweaked the show and launched it officially last year in Mannheim [Germany]. We did 13 or 15 shows and we'll probably double that when this year kicks off. It will begin in Birmingham [UK] at the end of this month. I am definitely excited to see the team again.

— Do you and Sharam ever eat thincrust pizza, or are you strictly… deep dish?

Best pizza: New York or Naples? Tough to choose.

— That’s exactly why we asked.

Speaking of food, why did you and Richie Hawtin play out of a taco stand in Mexico earlier this year?

We combined the spicy worlds of fine Mexican cuisine and techno – not a bad combo if you ask us.

— We did. So, how did you get Paris Hilton to do the ice bucket challenge with you?

In the end, a rush of phone calls ended up with all of us together with our surprise guest Paris Hilton – a good-humored gang of friends on the backstage of Amnesia Ibiza in our very own spontaneous ice bucket attempt.

— It's been a couple of years since your last solo release. Have you got some new music on the way?

I’ve already started working on a new album that will have a new show around it and will launch in 2018, I’d say.

— What have you got in store for your set at TekNest?

I will be there with Shaded who is also playing. And I have done some research and it is the Chinese Moon Festival [Mid-Autumn Festival], so see you at the Bird’s Nest under the full moon! OH Sep 15, 17 and 18, 11am-11pm; RMB120 (one-day

pass, presale), RMB150 (one-day pass, door), RMB300 (three-day pass, presale); Outdoor warm-up lawn at

the Beijing National Stadium (Bird ’ s Nest) 国家体育场 ( 鸟巢 ); For tickets follow dART_festival on WeChat.

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

Nadim Abbas, New Directions

Hong Kong native Nadim Abbas’ first solo show in the mainland showcases a single work split into two separate but linked segments, described as “part alien landscape, part domestic living quarters.” The installation follows Abbas’ penchant for urban dweller psychology-turned-

psychodrama, where objects sit uneasily with their own image, and bodies lay adrift in space.

Mon-Sun, 10am-7pm, through Oct 23; RMB10; Ullens Center

for Contemporary Art (UCCA), 798 Art District, 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区酒仙桥路 4 号 798 艺术区

H AO B U H AO

Hao

Bu Hao

Acclaimed director Feng Xiaogang’s latest film scored a coveted premiere spot at this month’s Toronto International Film Festival. I Am Not Madame Bovary stars Fan Bingbing as a cafe owner who spends a decade petitioning the Chinese legal system after being swindled by her ex-husband. Also showing at the festival is The Wasted Times, Cheng Er’s sprawling look at war-torn 1930s Shanghai.

Mainland films may slowly be gaining more respect abroad, but things aren’t so good at home.

This summer has seen the first drop in box office revenue in five years, with cinemas reporting a 15-percent fall in July ticket sales. Speculated reasons range from crackdowns on box office fraud to a disappointing crop of domestic films released during the unofficial summer ‘blackout’ of Hollywood films.

W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6 | 3 1

A R T S | T HE AT ER

A TROUBLING TALE

Shakespeare’s Globe Tackles One of the Bard’s Most Controversial Plays (and Yes, That’s the High Sparrow from Game of Thrones )

by A n d re w C h i n

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T HE AT ER | A R T S

TECHNICALLY CONSIDERED A COMEDY, FEW OF Shakespeare’s works have been as polarizing as The Merchant of Venice. The story has been both derided as anti-semetic and celebrated for its complex portrayal of Shylock the Jewish moneylender. It’s a divide that Tony and Olivier Award-winning actor Jonathan Pryce admits troubled him when he took on the role in Shakespeare Globe’s acclaimed adaptation.

“To be honest I had never liked the play,” he admits.

“Like many I found it difficult, unfunny and racist.”

Written in around 1600, The Merchant of Venice follows Bassanio’s attempts to woo the wealthy heiress Portia. In order to impress, he borrows money from his friend Antonio, who takes a loan from Shylock on one condition: If the moneylender goes unpaid, he is entitled to a pound of Antonio’s flesh.

When Antonio and Bassanio can’t pay off the debt, what follows is a memorable court scene featuring a controversial depiction of Jews.

Written during a time when Jews were banished from England (it would be another 50 years before Oliver Cromwell overturned Edward I’s 13th Century edict) and were forced to wear a red hat at all times in cities like Venice, the play has been cited by anti-semites for centuries. The Nazis broadcast productions of it across German airwaves in 1938 following the Kristallnacht, a horrific two-day attack on synagogues and Jewish businesses.

Others, however, point to Shylock’s memorable ‘Hath not a Jew eyes’ courtroom speech as a defense of Shakespeare. The speech is among The Bard’s most eloquent, famous for its pleas of empathy from a character who is openly mistreated throughout the story.

While the role of Shylock had, for centuries, been played as repulsively evil, it’s been one of the most coveted Shakespearean parts since Jewish actor Jacob Adler’s famed sympathetic portrayal became the talk of London in 1814. Notable thespians –

from Sir Henry Irving (the first actor to be knighted) to Academy Award winner Al Pacino – have since followed in that tradition.

Assuming the role for the Globe’s four-country tour, Pryce eventually reconsidered the role after re-reading the play last year. The acclaimed actor of both stage (his award-winning turn in Hamlet) and screen (Terry Gilliam’s Brazil), arrives with new fame brought about by his memorable portrayal as the High Sparrow in the mega-hit Game of Thrones.

“I saw the play through Shylock’s eyes and, more and more, it took on a contemporary relevance,” he explains. “It’s not a racist play but a play about racism.

It’s about the fear of the alien, the immigrant. It’s about building barriers and the restricted movement of an entire race. In short, it’s a play about the relationship between Britain and Europe.”

The show’s executive producer, Tom Bird, shares Pryce’s view.

“The play shines a light on the tolerance of others,” he explains. “We hope this production encourages recognition that all humans are fundamentally equal.”

London’s theater world was taken by storm when the adaptation showed last year at Shakespeare’s Globe, the reconstructed theater found a few hundred yards from the original Globe Theater on the River Thames’ south bank.

The show is now in the midst of a world tour that stops off in Beijing from September 15-18. It will be the third time the acclaimed production company has performed in the mainland after past tours of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet.

“The reception has been incredible from both critics and audiences,” Bird says during a rare moment of free time during the show’s tour of America. “The whole acting company is extraordinarily talented and we are delighted that most of them wanted to tour the world after the original Globe run.”

Sep 15-18, 7.30pm (with 2.30pm show on Sat); RMB180-680; National

Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA), 2 Xi Chang ’ an Jie, Xicheng 西城 区西长安街 2 号 (400 610 3721, en.damai.cn)

“It’s not a racist play but a play about racism. It’s about building barriers and the restricted movement of an entire race. In short, it’s a play about the relationship between Britain and Europe” W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6 | 3 3

ARTS | MUSIC

ONE NATION UNDER FERG A$AP’s Renaissance Man

by A n d re w C h i n

There’s a generational shift happening in hip-hop, thanks to young and ambitious acts like A$AP Mob. While A$AP Rocky kicked in the door for the Harlem crew, others like A$AP Ferg have crashed the mainstream party A$AP Ferg is a busy man. He’s just spent a week planning the next collection of his Trap Lord clothing line in L.A. and recording his third album with producer C-Note in Atlanta. But he still manages to find time to chat after spending a relaxing day “riding all the rides” at Six Flags.

After a summer of big shows, he’ll be making his China debut at Shanghai festival Concrete and Grass in September before heading to Beijing. The music festival veteran in the making admits the experiences are spoiling him.

“When you’re looking at that pool of people it becomes a blur to you,” he says. “When I perform to less than 10,000 people, it’s like, ‘Damn, this is tough.’”

Over the past year, A$AP Ferg’s name has risen up festival bills thanks to the success of his sophomore disc, Always Strive and Prosper. While his debut cemented him as a ‘Trap Lord’ with a seemingly endless array of bangers, his goal for this year’s album was “to use it as a medium to share my story with everybody.”

“A lot of people don’t know what A$AP stands for, so I wanted to bring it back to the basics,” he explains. “I wanted to tell my story of always striving and finally prospering. Sonically, I experimented a little bit more and the music really

brought out the lyrics. I know how to make something everyone will like, but how do I make something that will also sound different? That’s what I’m always aiming for.”

It’s an attitude that permeates the A$AP Mob crew. While the collective formed a decade ago, they rose to prominence on the 2011 viral success of

dresses. “When we first came out, people used to criticize the shit we wore, but now they love it,” he says.

“It’s the norm. How everyone used to want to be athletes in school before, now everyone wants to dress the craziest and the weirdest.”

In that sense, A$AP Mob is carrying on the tradition that Harlem legends Dipset started when they popularized the color pink. Ferg reflects on the crew’s younger days when Rocky “was just one of those dudes that always found a way to buy the expensive shit,” and, “Bari and Nast were always on the futuristic shit.” He notes: “We all were fly but I was always into creating shit.”

That DIY attitude led A$AP Ferg to co-direct the music video for his 2012 street single, ‘Work.’ Filmed at an abandoned schoolyard in his neighborhood, the striking visual catapulted the MC from anonymous crewmember to an artist to watch.

“I always wanted to do something there, and when I finally got the chance to flip the locks and shoot that video, it was one of those defining moments in my career,” he says. “It did exactly what I thought it would do – it caught flames and it’s never stopped burning.”

“When we first came out, people used to criticize the shit we wore but now they love it”

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A$AP Rocky’s now classic first singles, ‘Purple Swag’ and ‘Peso.’

Ferg smiles talking about the group’s influence on his hometown, noting they have even changed the way the city

Wed Sep 14, 11.30pm; Yugong Yishan (see Listings for details). Support from Little Simz and Dawei.

FEM A TUUSRI C E | ARTS

CHINA ROAD WARRIORS

Swedish Post-Rockers pg.lost Return for a Fourth Mainland Tour

by A n d re w C h i n

For the last six years, Chengdu-based promoter New Noise has been feeding China’s hunger for post-rock by organizing national tours for genre giants like Tortoise and Mono. But it all began back in 2010, when the company arranged an inaugural mainland tour for Swedish band pg.lost. Now it’s bringing the post-rock quartet back for more.

“For the first tour, we’d actually contacted Jef [Vreys, founder of New Noise] to help arrange some shows for us in Belgium, because we thought he lived there,” laughs pg.lost’s bassist and keyboardist Kristian Karlsson. “He responded, saying that he could set up a tour for us in China because he thought we’d be popular there.

“When we arrived at the airport, he was late and we thought it was all a joke. But he finally showed up and the tour was great.”

Since then, pg.Lost have repeatedly packed livehouses across the country on their three China tours, which include a headline slot on New Noise’s fifth-anniversary shows last year.

“Touring China is completely different from Europe,” Karlsson says. “In China, the audience really listens to the music. We appreciate that. In Europe, it’s more about going to drink and party. The music is just one part of the night, with other things competing against each other.”

Formed in 2004 by a group of university friends eager to make noise, the band quickly outgrew their early influences, which include Texan post-rock standouts Explosions in the Sky, Karlsson notes.

“One good thing is that we got bored of the normal type of post-rock quite early on,” he says. “There are a lot of good instrumental bands out there, but it’s easy to fall into that sound of big delayed guitars, big drums and everything sounding bombastic.”

“We wanted to sound more ‘cool’ than ‘big,’ using dirty guitar sounds and other little things; to be more inspired by Iron

Maiden than Mogwai in creating something new.”

Through a succession of standout releases, from 2007’s It’s Not Me, It’s You! to 2012’s Key, the band have amassed a loyal following for their distinct take on the genre, including their use of effects-laden vocals.

However, on their upcoming album, Versus, they’ve dropped this signature element of the sound. It was part of a forced evolution brought about by guitarist Mattias Bhatt’s decision to move to London.

“We had to sit down by ourselves much more and try to figure out our parts individually,” Karlsson says. “We sent things back and forth, so this one is more of a ‘written’ album.”

He admits that the process was difficult at first. But the resulting record is the first that all of the band’s members are individually pleased with.

“The title Versus doesn’t refer to things being against each other, but more about how things can merge together,” Karlsson explains. “A lot of these songs were originally two completely different tracks that matched up, even though it doesn’t seem to make sense when you listen to them as separate parts.”

The band is eager to premiere the new disc during their 10city China tour that stops off at Yugong Yishan on September 9.

However, pg.Lost’s relationship with the mainland isn’t a oneway street. They’ve released a joint album with Dalian post-rock band Wang Wen, as well as helped them book European festival shows last year.

“We want more people to hear them,” Karlsson says. “There’s definitely more mystique for a band coming from Asia to play Europe. They just have a completely different story and can definitely find an international fanbase – just look at Mono.”

Fri Sep 9, 9-10.30pm; RMB120-150; Yugong Yishan (see Listings for details)

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ARTS | C F EI NAET M U AR E

Everything You Need to Know About the Pyongyang International Film Festival (Including Getting There From Beijing)

i nt e r v i e w by O s c a r Ho l l a n d , i m a g e s by Ma r k E d wa rd Ha r r i s

IF YOU MISSED THE BEIJING INTERNATIONAL Film Festival, then fear not. September marks the 15th Pyongyang International Festival, and specialist travel company Koryo Tours is organizing trips from Beijing. We speak to Koryo’s Creative Projects Manager (and threetime North Korea film festival veteran) Vicky Mohieddeen to find out what to expect.

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F EC AI NT EU M RA E | ARTS

— What films are going to be screened this year?

The film festival program is never published in advance, so when we arrive, we’ll sit down with the guides and work out which films we can see. Foreigners aren’t allowed to go to every cinema in Pyongyang.

— So it’s not really designed for outside visitors?

No, the festival isn’t put on for foreigners. If films aren’t in English, they usually have subtitles, but the vast majority of people watching are Korean. There’s a very small pocket of international delegates. Then there’s a tiny, tiny group of tourists – usually fewer than 10.

— What kind of films can people expect to see?

The majority are foreign films. In 2012, there were only a couple of Korean films, mostly old ones. But last year there were more, including a couple of co-productions. The organizers won’t accept any American or Japanese films – they are very selective about what’s shown. They love Bollywood, because it’s quite sexually conservative, and the cartoon violence goes down well. Thrillers and action movies are also popular, and they love a nice long, tedious melodrama.

— Are there any themes that tie the program together?

The idea that the collective is worth more than the individual is a common trope. One year, they opened with a film about runners, where one of the athletes doesn’t want to work with anyone else – she’s focused on her own sprinting.

She then realizes that she can achieve more if she’s part of the team.

Sport films are popular because they follow this same basic story: Someone’s trying to do something and they can’t, so they reach out to a power greater than themselves and achieve what they want.

In most Hollywood films, that ‘greater power’ is love. In North Korean films, if characters can’t do something, they’ll often be inspired by the works of Kim Il-sung or Kim Jong-il – usually through a memory or a piece said to camera.

— So do all the films have to meet quite strict criteria?

It’s actually not as strict as you might think. One of the films I saw in 2012 was a drama about a guy who becomes a crime-solving monk after his family is murdered. It turns

out that the crime revolved around a gay love affair at the monastery. So there’s this sex scene played in the biggest cinema in Pyongyang, which is 2,000 seats. Sure, it was a very naïve sex scene – you know, hands on sweaty backs – but I was really surprised.

The same year, they showed an episode of Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch. There’s this part when Sherlock Holmes explains how he knows one of the characters is gay.

My guide, who was sitting next to me, turned around and whispered: “Vicky, ‘gay’ is a man and a man together, right?” and I said “yeah.” He nodded and then fell asleep.

— Is it mostly independent or small-budget films?

Yes. For established filmmakers, there’s no benefit from showing in North Korea. You’re not going to get an audience or access to a market.

It’s not on the ‘circuit,’ so winning a prize at Pyongyang won’t help you in any way.

— Has the festival changed since you first went in 2008?

Yes, a lot. In 2008, the opening ceremony was at the International Cinema Hall and they had a brass band outside. It was very old-fashioned, and we all had headphones with simultaneous translation. But by 2014, the opening ceremony was at a really modern exhibition hall and one of the co-hosts presented in English. The slogan for the festival is “Independence, Peace and Friendship,” so there was a dove of peace, and rainbows. It’s all very

kitsch and sparkly.

— What type of person normally signs up for your film festival tour? Is this one for film buffs?

Yeah, we get massive film buffs.

But sometimes people want to go because there’s a greater chance of exposure to normal North Korean life. The usual Pyongyang tours are monuments and museums – but at the film festival you see people at the cinema; you sit next to Koreans for the films.

— So there’s more chance of human interaction?

Yeah, you can have conversations with your guide and sometimes with people in the audience. Even if you don’t, you can communicate just being in the cinema – seeing how people react and understanding what things they find funny or sad.

— To put you in sales mode for a moment, can you tell us about the tours Koryo is organizing?

There are two options. One’s a basic five-night tour: We arrive the day before the opening ceremony, catch some films and do some Pyongyang tourism. The other is a more flexible nine-night tour that covers the whole festival. So that means you’ll also be there for the closing ceremony, where the awards are given out and you watch the winning film.

Five-night tour, Sep 15–20/21 (EUR1,790);

Nine-night tour Sep 15–24/25 (EUR2,590); for more information visit www.koryogroup. com, call 6416 7544 or email info@ koryogroup.com

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ARTS | M F EUASTI U CRE

BUDWEISER STORM FESTIVAL EDM Mega-Fest Comes to the Capital

by A n d re w C h i n

Since starting out in Shanghai three years ago, the Budweiser Storm Festival has established itself as the mainland’s version of EDM megafestivals like Tomorrowland and Ultra. Last year, the 40,000-person Shanghai venue sold out on both nights, while the brand ventured out of its home for the first time into Shenzhen. Now expanded across six cities, Storm will be making its Beijing debut on September 15-16. Stay tuned for our full preview at www.thatsmags.com/beijing.

Tiësto Given that he was named the “greatest DJ of all-time” by Mixmag, it’s no surprise that Tiësto is pretty good on the decks. His career has seen him open the Athens Olympics and headline every essential EDM festival around the world (including last year’s Shanghai edition of Storm Festival). And the Dutchman is still going strong. Last year he won a Grammy for his remix of John Legend’s ‘All of Me,’ and scored his first two US gold singles from his most recent disc, A Town Called Paradise. A pioneer of trance, Tiësto has since moved to more melodic, varied productions. But his sets are still guaranteed to get crowds moving. Performs on September 15.

Kaskade After headlining last year’s inaugural Budweiser Storm Festival in Shenzhen, the multi-Grammy nominated DJ and producer is back to do the honors in Beijing. Twice voted as ‘America’s Best DJ’ by DJ Times, Kaskade is a juggernaut. He was the first DJ from the US to secure a Las Vegas residency and the first solo electronic artist to sell out the Barclays Center and the Staples Center. He’s got festival credentials too. While playing the main stage at this year’s Coachella, his sets drew the two largest crowds in the festival’s 16-year history. Recent single ‘Never Sleep Alone’ is already a leading contender for this year’s summer anthem. Performs on September 15.

Alesso From teaching himself how to make beats in his bedroom in Stockholm to scoring over 40 million Spotify streams for his Grammy-nominated (and Billboard dance chart-topping) remix of OneRepublic’s ‘If I Lose Myself,’ it’s been a wild ride for Alesso. Swedish House Mafia’s Sebastian Ingrosso was one of his early champions and EDM megastars Calvin Harris, Pete Tong and Avicii count themselves as fans.

With numerous hits charting on Beatport and sold-out shows around the globe, anticipation is growing to fever pitch for Alesso’s forthcoming debut album, thanks in part to its appropriately titled lead single, ‘Tear the Roof Up.’ Performs on September 16.

Flo Rida Since bursting onto the scene with 2009’s mega hit ‘Right Round,’ Flo Rida has consistently found a home near the top of the charts. He’s appeared alongside Nicki Minaj on David Guetta’s ‘Where Them Girls At’ and boasts an impressive number of international party anthems from ‘Whistle’ to ‘Club Can’t Handle Me.’ Hardcore hip-hop heads may scoff at his rhymes, but we can’t imagine he cares very much. Nor do we, because Flo Rida is a true master of ceremonies – consistently rocking crowds everywhere he goes. If you still don’t believe us, just ask anyone at last year’s Storm Festival in Shanghai.

Performs on September 16.

Sep 15/16; Beijing Topwin Golf and Country Club, 2 Xizhuang Village, North County, Huairou 怀柔区怀北镇西庄村甲 2 号通盈雁栖湖高尔夫俱乐部 (www.a2storm.cn)

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F EBAOT O UK RS E | ARTS

DEATH’S END

Epic Finale of Liu Cixin’s Lauded ‘Three-Body’ Sci-Fi Series Now in English

by A E L R E D D OY L E

Is Liu Cixin China’s worst great writer? China’s best terrible writer?

His qualities and faults are as obvious as ever in Death’s End, the finale of his epic Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy (best known for its first instalment, The Three-Body Problem). This is amazing big-picture science fiction, with a narrative covering millions of years, mind-blowing ideas and remarkably clear descriptions of difficult concepts like multi-dimensionality.

Liu goes big from the start – and only gets bigger. We quickly move from first contact, to the danger of alien invasion, to peril for the whole solar system (and perhaps even the entire universe). It’s thought-provoking in the way that the best hard sci-fi should be.

But the writing. Yikes, the writing. Liu’s characters certainly do not get past their two dimensions, and the way he writes female characters is teeth-grindingly awful. Dialogue is stilted at best. No-one behaves in a psychologically plausible way.

There’s a deeply problematic ‘noble savage’ portrayal of a wise Australian Aboriginal. Aliens think in exactly the same way as humans. And so on.

We can’t put this all on Liu; he has been very badly served by his editors. Each book (the trilogy adds up to a good 2,000 pages) could be half its length. Liu’s strength is his ideas, and he should have steered away from hapless attempts at love stories or insights into the human condition. There’s no reason for his uniquely bad metaphors and similes to get past the editing process. (“It was as unexpected to see these things in him as it was to see water in fire.”)

For those not up to speed, The Three-Body Problem (the first Chinese book to win the Hugo Award, in 2015) saw mankind discover an invading fleet en route from the unstable Trisoloran solar system. Given the distance involved, this leaves hundreds of years to prepare; but the invaders use multi-dimensional particles to spy on everything humans say and do, and to limit their ability to make scientific breakthroughs.

The sequel, The Dark Forest, follows Earth’s attempts to stop the invasion – one prominent method entails so-called ‘Wallfacers’ given unlimited resources to prepare defenses – without revealing their plans to the invading Trisolorans.

The most derided of Liu’s characters, Luo Ji, saves the day by secretly setting up a communication system based on the ‘dark forest’ theory – if Earth is attacked, he will trigger gravitational waves to act as a beacon revealing the location of both our solar system and the invaders’. In the massive dark forest that is our universe, there are always bigger, badder predators ready to pounce. It’s mutually assured destruction and it works.

So we come to Death’s End, which starts on a hopeful note.

The Trisoloran fleet has backed off, and communication and mutual understanding is growing (the aliens have no doubt that Luo Ji, now known as the ‘Swordholder,’ will set off the beacon if they try any funny business).

But Luo Ji is getting old, and it is time to pick a new Swordholder. Young, idealistic Cheng Xin – who is less a character than a deeply annoying ‘you had one job’ meme – is a candidate; another is ruthless American Thomas Wade.

It’s unintentionally funny that Luo Ji has spent the last 50 years deep underground, literally staring at a wall with a determined look on his face. There’s no clear reason why Earth couldn’t have created an automated system to spare him the trouble.

Still, it’s a stirring premise. And when things go wrong, the ensuing global threat leads to chaos as everyone on Earth is forced to relocate to Australia or face extermination.

Meanwhile, Earth spaceships make new discoveries and find evidence of even more powerful foes; and the preserved brain of the rather hapless Yun Tianming has been fired off in a special craft to cover huge distances and attempt to make alien contact.

So we move from about 200 years in the future, to about 2,000, then to much, much further. The bigger things get, the better the book is, and the closing sections are truly brainstretching. In fact, all three books have excellent endings, and Death’s End has a satisfying, thrilling and melancholic climax.

It’s rare for science fiction on this scale to be so carefully thought out; even the best writers tend to cheat by depending on coincidence or deus ex machina last-minute rescues.

These books have been huge bestsellers in China (this one came out in Chinese in 2010) and a movie of The Three-Body Problem is due for release next year. Film production problems are foreboding, but it will probably be great fun. Liu Cixin is doing amazing work, and deserves his success. We just wish somebody would edit him.

Death ’ s End (published by Tor) will be available on Amazon from Sep 20

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

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

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

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

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

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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

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CITY SCENES Cocktail-swilling reveler falls just short of transforming into exotic tropical babe after placing pineapple on his head, at Parlor’s Tiki Party Night.

Child ponders how his character, the Pringles mascot, has anything to do with this performance of Peter Pan bt the Beijing Playhouse.

Chefs keep busy in the kitchen preparing for Annie’s antipasteria opening party in Riviera, Shunyi.

Cocktail lovers pose for a sober photo before the booze sets in at The Westin Beijing Chaoyang’s Westin Crafted Party.

MooMoo steak server smiles before realizing “moo” is the noise of the animal that is now dead, at Woodstock of Eating’s Jungle Nights.

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Virtu

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ual

Why Beijing Is Leading China’s Bitcoin Revolution Noelle Mateer Holly Li additional reporting by Emma Huang and Xinyu Li words by

graphics by

W

hen Eric Mu says that the village of Moyu, in western Sichuan, is remote, he means it. Culturally more Tibetan than Han, the tiny settlement sits in a valley among soaring mountains and deep gorges. The village is only connected to neighboring communities by a rickety suspension bridge, which wobbles above river rapids below. Mu crossed it once. He’ll never cross it again. It was terrifying, he says.

Life in Moyu is slow. When Mu is there, he runs – passing along winding roads and through tunnels that pierce the mountains, some as long as 3 kilometers. His coworkers entertain themselves with mahjong and smartphones. Some of the villagers grow corn.

Industry in Moyu has also been slow. A hydropower plant was built years ago nearby the waterfalls that crash down from the steppe. The plant’s engineers had hoped to sell their hydropower to the national grid, but demand wasn’t as high as they’d projected. The plant made barely enough money to pay staff wages. »

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So when Mu’s employer, HaoBTC, pitched the idea of building a bitcoin ‘mine’ that would run on the town’s ultra-cheap hydroelectric power, local reception was positive. It didn’t matter that the managers at the plant had no clue what bitcoin was. It was bringing money, and it was bringing jobs. Local government officials were pleased.

A few months later, rural Moyu became home to previously unimaginable tech power. And it is just one of a growing number of Chinese villages hosting massive bitcoin mines – sprawling complexes of computer servers dedicated to obtaining bitcoin, the world’s first tradeable ‘cryptocurrency.’

Because while the industry surrounding bitcoin – or the “currency of the Internet,” as Mu puts it – is global, China is taking the lead.

In Moyu – and in digital mines throughout the world – thousands upon thousands of mining computers run simultaneously inside a colossal warehouse. Bitcoin is a fully decentralized currency, which means that no one institution or government controls it. Instead, the underlying technology of bitcoin, known as the blockchain, is powered by volunteers around the world who offer up their computers to keep the chain functional and secure. These volunteers are the miners.

“I don’t know where the phrase ‘mining’ comes from, but it’s probably because bitcoin is designed to mimic gold,” says Mu. “It has some of the same features as gold – it has a finite market supply, for example.”

The blockchain system provides an incentive for miners to mine: Each day, it releases a certain number of bitcoins and distributes them proportionately among users based on the amount of computing power they have contributed. In short: The more power you have, the more bitcoins you’ll receive. For miners, it’s a simple equation: The faster the computers and cheaper the electricity, the higher the profit margin.

“People keep buying more and more machines, and they’re getting larger and larger,” says Mu.

"People keep buying more and more machines, and they’re getting larger and larger. Some people call it an arms race"

“Sometimes [people] call it an arms race.”

HaoBTC is no exception. Chinese companies mine more bitcoin than any others, and HaoBTC accounts for 5 percent of global mining, according to the online bitcoin resource blockchain.info.

“The noise is nerve-wracking,” says Mu of life inside the mine. “It feels like a million bees buzzing around your ears non-stop. Although it’s hot, curiously you don't sweat at all, because all those powerful ventilation fans create strong airflow. I assume it feels a bit like a hot and windy desert, not that I’ve ever been in such a place.”

The best mining computers run on 1,300 watts – roughly the same energy consumption as an electric heater. “But that’s just one,” says Nishant Sharma of Bitmain, the Beijing-based company that produces the world’s leading mining computers. “[Mines] have thousands of them.

Imagine the kind of cooling you would need to make sure they don’t burn.”

Then imagine how much electricity you’d need to power all the computers and the fans. This is where China excels – it’s a tech-savvy country with access to cheap power. (“Mining is big in China because the costs are very competitive compared with the rest of the world,” explains Mu.) »

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Sharma’s employer, Bitmain, also runs mines across the world – in Canada, Iceland and China. Sharma says his company originally invested in places where coal was cheap – primarily Shanxi and Inner Mongolia – but later shifted to hydropower in the Western mountains like HaoBTC did.

But in Beijing, where the company’s offices are based, it sells the most advanced bitcoin mining computers on the planet. “Nothing in the world has that kind of computational power,” says Sharma.

Sharma first got into bitcoin in Shenzhen (he had previously been living in Guangzhou, where he worked for an LED manufacturer), but his interest in the industry led him to China’s capital. Or as he calls it: “The Silicon Valley of the world when it comes to bitcoin.”

But mining isn’t the only way Beijing’s businesspeople are profiting from cryptocurrency. The world’s largest bitcoin exchange, OKCoin, is also based here.

There are hundreds of exchanges that allow partipants to buy and sell BTC in different currencies worldwide, but OKCoin currently carries out more daily trade than any of them. At the time of publication, OKCoin had facilitated more than RMB49 billion’s worth of bitcoin trade in the 30 days prior, according to industry statistics site bitcoincharts.com.

their counterparts in other countries by a staggering margin. Currently, 93 percent of all bitcoin trades are with renminbi. And OKCoin accounts for 76 percent of these transactions.

While Bitcoin’s value fluctuates more than most currencies, it has become more valuable in recent years – rarely dipping below USD300 per coin since 2013. Many Chinese bitcoiners both invest in the currency and trade it.

One person who profited from the trade is Neil Woodfine, who was working in China after graduation when a friend sent him an article about bitcoin. With a bit of money saved in the bank, he decided to invest – just two days before the now-famous 2013 price jump. “[My investment] went from 190 US dollars all the way up to 1,200,” he says. “By the end of that month the price started to crash down again, but I was already completely obsessed, so it didn’t matter.” Later that year, Woodfine got a job at OKCoin.

Today, Woodfine runs Remitsy, a Beijing-based startup that makes it easier and quicker to send money abroad by using bitcoin.

“We use bitcoin as the middle step when converting currencies into renminbi,” he explains. “So if you’re a business and you want to buy, say, plastic cups from China, we receive your US dollars, convert them immediately into bitcoin, and then sell the bitcoin in China. Then we’ve got renminbi.

We deliver the renminbi quickly and cut out that huge network.”

The network Woodfine refers to is SWIFT, the bank-sanctioned system traditionally used to send money abroad. SWIFT’s international payments can take days or even weeks.

With bitcoin, they take minutes.

Woodfine attributes Beijing’s dominance of China’s bitcoin industry to “the fact that the internet industry is so strong here.”

“If you look at any of the startups, most of them are in Beijing,” he says.

“In any internet startup hot spot, you’ll find people using bitcoin.”

Remitsy’s offices are testament to

Chinese bitcoin traders outnumber

this. Woodfine rents desks for his

Left: Eric Mu stands inside HaoBTC's mine in Moyu; Previous page: the exterior of the mine, photos provided by Mu

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small team in Tech Temple, a coworking space in downtown Beijing that offers cheap office space to hundreds of tech-minded entrepreneurs.

On workdays, the space hums with activity – and by ‘activity’ I mean young people in T-shirts and jeans typing furiously at their computers. On my first visit, the music at the in-house cafe is so cinematic that it seems like it is intentionally soundtracking entrepreneurs’ ambitions.

Woodfine’s own ambitions have a certain flair. He’s a skilled orator when describing his company, regularly pounding his fist on the table for emphasis. It’s clear that bitcoin entrepreneurship isn’t just something he’s been talking about for a long time – it’s something he’s passionate about.

Outside of Woodfine’s (very long) work hours, he runs an Englishlanguage bitcoin meet-up alongside Mu, which gives him the chance to talk to bitcoin enthusiasts who work outside the industry. In Beijing, he says, bitcoin is becoming more mainstream.

“Slowly but surely, more and more people are buying bitcoin,” says Woodfine. “People like you have got some bitcoin now.”

He’s right. In the course of reporting this story, local entrepreneur Brendan Gibson, a friend of Woodfine’s, convinces me to download a virtual wallet (read: iPhone app). To see how the process works, I download Blocktrail from the App Store. Within five minutes, Gibson has sent me BTC0.0060 (RMB23.50). Each bitcoin is infinitely divisible, and at the time of publication, one bitcoin was equal to RMB3,858.33.

Unlike Woodfine, Mu or Sharma, Gibson does not work for a bitcoin exchange or mining company – he’s just an enthusiast who believes in the currency’s promise of institution-free banking and anonymity. And in his own, non-corporate way, he’s raising awareness of its benefits.

“I’ve probably helped over 100 of my friends set up bitcoin wallets,” he says. (I believe him – just moments later he’s offering That’s Beijing’s photographer, Holly, help to get started.) »

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This page: Co-founder of bitcoin startup Remitsy, Neil Woodfine, at work in Beijing's Tech Temple.

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Left: Brendan Gibson checks his bitcoin wallet on his phone in his hutong neighborhood.

Gibson’s distrust of banks stems from the 2008 financial crisis, when he was working in home loans at Bank of America.

“I was part of that mortgage crisis,

Visa cards are accepted. But regular bitcoin spenders are still rare in China, where many places don’t even accept credit cards – let alone virtual currency. It’s still wildly impractical

there's not much use.”

As Chief Strategy Officer of OKCoin, Jack Liu is invested in investing. But to Liu, there’s much more to the currency than that.

front and center,” he says, over lunch in Beijing’s hutongs.

Gibson’s online businesses accept bitcoin, and on a recent trip to Spain, he used a special debit card that allows him to spend bitcoin wherever

to buy your coffee with it.

For China-based bitcoin enthusiasts, it’s much easier to invest. An investor I speak to in Anhui, Xu Jian, says: “I invested most of my assets in bitcoins. I am not using it daily –

Over the past three years, Liu has helped grow OKCoin into China’s largest bitcoin exchange. Today, however, he’s looking to the future.

At OKCoin’s Beijing offices, just north of the famed universities of Haidian

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and the startup hub of Zhongguancun, some of the most forward-thinking innovation in the global bitcoin industry occurs.

“It’s a bit limiting to think of it as just a currency,” Liu says. OKCoin recently launched OKLink, a service that uses the blockchain – the infrastructure behind bitcoin – to connect companies and financial institutions from around the world.

The blockchain keeps a digital record of all bitcoin transactions that have ever occurred, making the coins nearimpossible to forge, or “double spend.”

“We view the blockchain as a trust machine,” says Liu, explaining that blockchain technology would enable the OKLink team to connect financial companies “behind the scenes” – resulting in a platform that would serve as a faster, easier alternative to SWIFT. Bitcoin technology is rumored to be the next big development in the financial tech industry. A report published last month by the World Economic Forum states that “this technology has the potential to ‘live up to the hype’ and reshape financial services.”

Beijing has a historic opportunity to lead that revolution. I ask Liu about the city’s potential.

“I’m excited to see more innovation come out of Beijing. I think it’s on the way,” says Liu. “Within the bitcoin community, the focus has so far been on Chinese mining and

"There is a lot of money, a lot of computer scientists and a lot of young entrepreneurs. It feels that almost everything is possible here"

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Chinese exchanges. But as that ecosystem built up over the past two or three years, it’s grown more entrepreneurial.”

Liu is visionary, but also intensely meticulous – pausing and reexplaining concepts, intent on me fully understanding blockchain’s potential to revolutionize finance as we know it. I’m amazed to learn he’s only 28 – even though under-30s are common in this ultra-young industry.

“There is a lot of money, a lot of computer scientists and a lot of young passionate entrepreneurs,” says Jelena Strelnikova, a compliance officer at exchange company Allcoin.

“It feels that almost everything is possible here in China.”

Ultimately, it’s this optimism toward the future that keeps Beijing’s bitcoiners going.

Mu has now made three trips to Moyu, the longest of which lasted three months. When he’s home in Beijing, he works at HaoBTC’s Haidian offices, hangs out with his laptop at The Bookworm and runs meet-ups alongside Woodfine.

The mining doesn’t stay in Sichuan.

Mu runs a tiny mining operation, with just one computer, in his home. It’s not remotely on the scale of HaoBTC – it’s merely an experiment, something he does for fun.

HaoBTC will have to replace its computers every year if it wants to keep up with the pace of development. For Mu, that means more trips to Moyu, and a couple weeks after our chat, that’s exactly where he is.

“I think a two-week retreat away from crowded and polluted Beijing is still nice, despite the noise and isolation,” he writes in an email from the village. In Moyu, he’s a far cry from the tech hub – and the bitcoin hub of the world – that is Beijing. But that’s OK. For Mu, this isn’t just a job; it’s a passion.

“In my old job working as a media researcher, I didn’t see any future. I saw a dead-end. But this space is so new and so unpredictable,” he says.

“The future is infinite.” █

EAT & DRINK G RAPEV IN E

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

One minute we love something, the next minute we don’t. Many a love song has been dedicated to this fact. In 2012, Taylor Swift sang about a dude (Harry Styles) who was crazy for her one moment and indifferent the next in ‘I Knew You Were Trouble.’ In 2014, I pulled a Harry Styles myself, except that my Taylor was a very skinny Australian guy named Gavin, whom I dumped before we even went official.

Dramatic? Yes, but such is life.

Hearts are fickle, minds change, and Gavin, thankfully, does not read this magazine. He’s in Australia. As for Old What Bar, I have no clue where that went. The Beijing live-music institution shut abruptly last month citing business license issues (which could be code for anything from bad landlord to cranky neighbors).

But Old What Bar isn’t the only spot to shut last month – just, rather fittingly, the oldest.

It’s with heavy hearts we say goodbye to The Smokeyard, perhaps the only place in Sanlitun where you could get a good steak for under RMB100.

Fans need not fret, though – the team that was behind it is working on a massive food hall, slated to open this fall.

Hatchery also shocked us with an abrupt closing (and we mean abrupt – they announced it one day in advance), but that team is also looking for new spots to pop up.

Cu Ju, meanwhile, is somewhere between closed and taking a break – owner Badr Benjelloun is closing the space this month to “bring something new and equally exciting to Xiguan Hutong.” (We don’t know what that means either.)

In the meantime, you can still catch Benjelloun at Caravan.

And you can catch Gavin, probably, in Adelaide. NM

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

Olympics promotions were everywhere last month.

But one place we didn’t expect to find one was here: in an office building gai fan vending machine. The RMB18.90 ‘Flavors of Rio’ set is actually a rather standard egg-and-tomatoes over rice. Still, for vending machine fare, we grant it a solid Not Bad. And by that we mean we’re pleasantly surprised it’s even edible. The machine, a product by Fmeimei.com, has a flashy built-in touch screen menu. When we select our choice, it asks us if we’d like it heated (duh), then prompts us to wait for 90 seconds. It’s all very simple and smooth, and we’re even able to pay with WeChat by scanning a QR code at the end. Is this the future? Maybe. Or maybe not. visit Fmeimei.com for locations

H E A D -TO - H E A D / F R OZ E N Y O G U RT

VER SUS Ai Yoyo Natural Frozen Yogurt

McDonald’s Yogurt Sundae

爱呦呦冻酸奶 RMB 18

麦当劳酸奶新地 RMB 9

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

We are witnessing the eruption of Mount Ai Yoyo, which is also… melting.

McD's latest "fun" flavor takes on frozen yogurt.

This should be interesting (and healthier, maybe).

FIRST BITE

Tangy. Per our handbook of hackneyed food phrases, it tastes ‘authentic’ and ‘natural.’

The sundae looks thick and robust while the texture is gummy and sweet – no, sour! Plastic!

FINAL THOUGHTS

A light and refreshing treat – if you are into frozen yogurt. In which case we just have one question for you: why?

Who is yogurt? Why is McDonald’s? Where are the sundaes of yesteryear? Stick to the soft serve, Ronald.

VERDICT

If you really do choose frozen yogurt over ice cream (we repeat: why?), we recommend Ai Yoyo because at least it tastes like real food, whereas the McDonald’s sundae is just cheap and confusing. DW

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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

Baoyuan Jiaoziwu 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: Baoyuan Jiaoziwu, Beijing’s most popular colored dumpling restaurant.

The dumplings are rich in taste and color. But you have to pay for dips and they don't even taste good.

The dumplings are delicious.

It's a small store, but there are always a lot of foreigners!

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

The dumplings are just average, not as good as their reputation.

This month, we talk with Claudia Masüger of Cheers, the Beijing wine shops that make great wines – and parties – available to all.

The dumplings have a nice homestyle flavor. By the way, they don't accept credit – only cash, cash, cash!

N E WS B I T E

Deliver Me From Evil

The Beijing Food and Drug Administration has launched an investigation into three major food-delivery companies – Baidu Waimai, Ele.me and Meituan – after receiving over 200 complaints. The investigation stems from fears that these services are delivering meals from unlicensed, or “black,” restaurants.

This isn’t the first time “black restaurants” have been in the spotlight. In March, a CCTV expose unmasked the unsanitary conditions of several of these unlicensed spots – but many of those same restaurants have since bought fake licenses to wrangle their way back onto delivery platforms. According to last month’s story

by The Beijing News, however, reporters found kitchens in appalling states, with some even preparing food in bathrooms. Hopefully, this time, an investigation will have real impact.

— How long have you been working at Cheers, and what is your exact role?

I am the founder and CEO of Cheers, and our company is five years old.

— What’s your favorite event Cheers has ever done?

Every year in April we celebrate our birthday in our Gulou store – those parties are legendary!

— Do you have a favorite Cheers wine?

For a summer afternoon, I would definitely go with Foral Lisboa White. It’s a wonderful, refreshing white wine from Portugal. In the vineyard there, they have discovered dinosaur bones, and therefore if you drink the wine, you drink a part of history.

— What kind of wine would you recommend drinking during the upcoming autumn months?

For those many dinners coming up in autumn, I would go with gold-medal winner Jumper Malbec from Argentina.

It’s full-bodied, and the taste of blackberry and plum goes perfectly with beef, mutton and other richly flavored dishes.

—What’s the best part of working at Cheers?

The people! Cheers is my life, and our community is my family. I love it so much.

—What’s something you’re cheers-ing to this Fall?

I cheers to happiness, love and good wine.

Cheers, locations throughout the city; for more info visit Cheers

online at www.cheers-wines.com and on social media at www. facebook.com/CheersWines

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E AT & DRINK | RESTAUR A N T S

JI KUN CAFE

Don’t Chicken Out on This One 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

There is frankly very little to say about Ji Kun Cafe. This small restaurant primarily serves one thing. There is a lot to say, however, about restaurants that only do one thing, and excel at that one thing.

At Ji Kun, that thing is Hainan chicken rice.

Hainan chicken rice is a dish of humble origins. All the best ones are. It originates from the relatively backwater town of Wenchang, on the tropical island of – you guessed it! – Hainan. But this is the chicken that flew around the world. The dish is now just as popular in Singapore and Malaysia as it is in Hainan itself (if not more so), and various regional interpretations can be found throughout Southeast Asia.

Hainan chicken rice deserves the star treatment. Yet in Beijing, that’s not what it gets. It’s tossed onto hodgepodge menus of panChina fare. It’s pedaled by budget lunch chains in the basements of city malls. It’s poorly prepared, and then it’s ignored.

But Ji Kun Cafe is changing this. Situated on one of the quieter embassy roads of North Sanlitun – Sanlitun Dongsanjie, by the New Zealand embassy – the shop has been quietly churning out a glistening rendition of Hainan chicken rice since opening earlier this summer. And that’s just about it. Ji Kun serves individual sets of chicken rice (RMB48) alongside a smattering of optional sides. We opt for pickled chicken feet (RMB5); don’t ask why.

Ji Kun’s chicken is just a little bit rubbery and just a little bit slippery – which is just the way we like it. Its soft, wet skin practically shimmers in the light that pours in through the cafe’s wide-set windows. The accompanying rice is thin and airy, yet still flavorful.

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Dipping sauces possess zest never before seen.

With the entire set coming in at under RMB50, this is one of the best lunch joints in town. And make no mistake – there are many great lunch joints in town. But if you think Beijing is all about pork and lamb, think again. There’s a new meat in town, and it ain’t no spring chicken.

Daily, 11am-2pm, 5-9pm; 4 Sanlitun Dongsanjie, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯东三街 4 号 (8532 1991)

RESTAUR A N T S | E AT & DRINK

PITT BURGER Worth a Pitt Stop

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

It’s refreshing to see a burger joint invest some time in salads. Too often, they’re an afterthought; a soggy, necessary evil to offset the excesses of eating meat and bread.

But at Pitt Burger – a welcome new opening north of Sanlitun in Maizidian – they’re a respectable part of the offering. They sit proudly atop the menu, even. The quinoa variety with arugula, watercress and pear (RMB32) is a particular standout, as is the mango and shrimp (RMB38). This might sound sacrilegious, but if we needed a quick, healthy snack, we might drop in for a salad alone.

We’ll move on to the burgers. Presumably that’s why you’re here. And if so, you’ll be pleased to hear that they’re rather good indeed. In fact, you will struggle to find a better burger in this city for under RMB40.

The classic beef variety (RMB39) comes with caramelized onions and a signature sauce.

Its patty is thick, juicy and Australian; its bun a sturdy frame for the goodness. Add a few kuai and you can enjoy something more decorated,

like the mushroom or arugula burgers (both RMB46).

But as with the aforementioned salads, it would be foolish to overlook the alternatives.

The Korean fried chicken (RMB38) wouldn’t be out of place in Beijing’s own K-town, Wangjing, and the fish and chips is worthy of mention, because – and you may see a theme emerging here – you will struggle to find better fish and chips in this city for under RMB30. In fact, as well as soft, white battered fish and Britishstyle chips that actually taste of potato, you’d get RMB2 change.

Pretentious burger gourmands be damned.

We’ll take the value-for-money, unfussy kind any day, and Pitt Burger is certainly both of these. The pink signage, reminiscent of Dirty Dancing’s font, is also pretty dope.

Daily, 10am-11pm; Door 105, Haiyue Mingmen

Apartments, 38 Maizidian Zaoyingbeili Community, Chaoyang 朝阳区麦子店枣营北里 38 号海悦名门公寓 105 底 商 (6501 3525)

PACHAKUTIQ

Can a Sequel Live Up to the Hype? wo rd s a n d i m a g e s by No e l l e Ma t e e r

If you’re upset about the departure of Buenda Onda, the Peruvian pop-up by the team at Hatchery, Beijing’s first-ever-and-now-defunct culinary incubator, maybe you should check out Pachakutiq. Then again, maybe you shouldn’t.

Like any sequel, it’s sure to attract fans of the original. But also like any sequel, it’s also not nearly as good.

For those who aren’t familiar with said original: Buena Onda (RIP) served delightfully frothy pisco sours alongside fresh, tangy ceviche. When it opened in summer 2015, it was the first place in town to serve exclusively Peruvian fare.

It was a huge success. So much so that, even after it ‘popped-down’ (the beauty of a scheduled pop-up period is you never have to deal with the shame of ‘going out of business,’ right?), it came back for round two at Hatchery’s spiffy incubator premises.

In its first incarnation, however, Buena Onda occupied the Café Flatwhite at the CBD after business hours. Today, Pachakutiq occupies the Café Flatwhite at the CBD after business hours.

This is no coincidence. Pachakutiq is the

brainchild of one of Buena Onda’s original partners. This means that the menu is authentic. There are several varieties of pisco sours and ceviches on offer, plus more.

We particularly enjoy the beef avocado roll (RMB60), with its tender meat on the inside and flaky crust on the outside.

But you’re here for the ceviche, right?

Sadly, ours didn’t meet expectations. The Peruvian classic was tangy to the point of being unpleasantly sour. And speaking of sour, we found our pisco sours to be just a little too small and a little too weak (at RMB60 for a classic and RMB70 for flavored, we would like at least a mild buzz).

For all its faults, Pachakutiq is still a Peruvian pisco sour joint – a rare species in Beijing.

Almost by default, this makes Pachakutiq the best place for pisco sours and ceviches in the city right now.

If there is a ceviche-sized hole in your heart, Pachakutiq will fill it (and your stomach).

Daily 5pm-late; China Central Mall, between T1 and T2,

81 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国路 81 号 (8588 7955)

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E AT & DRINK | RESTAUR A N T S

COUCOU

Hot Pots for Big Shots wo rd s by O s c a r Ho l l a n d , i m a g e by Ho l l y L i

It’s hard to feel refined when you’re wearing a bib.

But bubbling hot pot is indiscriminately messy; it cares not for the renminbi spent.

Regardless of whether you’re scooping old tripe out of gutter oil or dipping marbled Wagyu into a gold cauldron of unicorn tears, the fact remains: hot pot is a messy dining experience.

So while Sanlitun’s Coucou is certainly swankier than its casual sister chain Xiabu Xiabu, it’s imperative that you wear a bib. But ignore this minor informality, and you’ll find an upscale restaurant that is just about worth the higher price tag.

Unlike Xiabu Xiabu, picking the good stuff will rack up a RMB150-a-head bill with ease.

But also unlike Xiabu Xiabu, ingredients are brought to life by the broth, not drowned by it.

Both Coucou’s spicy Taiwanese-style and beef-andtomato varieties are balanced and rich. As for what goes in?

Well, you know the drill. Pick the meat and vegetables you’re partial to and get dipping.

(It’s hot pot – our menu recommendations are hardly necessary.)

So let us instead tell you about the restaurant itself. After all – and let’s not kid ourselves – this is what you’re paying for. (Sure, the ingredients are better than usual, but, we repeat, it’s hot pot – they’re not going to blow your cash on chefs.) Coucou proves its worth in decor. Traditional Chinese design fuses with something altogether more contemporary and angular. The use of space is as interesting as what fills it. And while the restaurant has a dark, cavernous feel, the lighting around the tables gives the impression that

our bubbling pot is at the center of the known universe.

Crucially, this helps us forget where we are. The Topwin Center might be Beijing’s hottest new mall, but no-one wants to fork out a couple of pinks to knowingly eat in one. Equally, one might not fork out pinks to wear a bib like a blubbering infant. But it’s a concession we’re willing to make.

Daily, 10am-10pm; 3/F Topwin Center, 1 Sanlitun Nanlu, Chaoyang 朝阳 区三里屯南路 1 号通盈 中心 3 层 (5626

8311)

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RESTAUR A N T S | E AT & DR INK

L I G H T H AU S

Tue-Sun 7pm-2am; 2/F, 308 Andingmen Neidajie,

Still not sure what Sanlitun’s ‘Mercedes me’ actually does? Well, in addition to luxury car merch and Sichuanese food (That’s Beijing, May 2016), there’s also an upmarket bar on the second floor. Cocktails are the order of the day at Lighhaus, though the Mercedes own-brand wine is – believe it or not – pretty decent. Views over Taikoo Li make this a good people-watching spot.

Dongcheng 东城区安定门内大街308号2层

里屯南路一号 2/F (8588 7150)

BA R 4 N I N E Bar 4 Nine is like a gentlemen’s club (hidden location, plush couches, doting service) without all the downsides of a gentlemen’s club (classism, misogyny). The lounge is the classiest thing to hit the Jiaodaokou area for some time, and bartenders mix both classic cocktails and – for the more adventurous – baijiu creations.

Mon-Thu 4pm-1am, Fri-Sun 11am-2am; 2/F,

Mercedes me, 1 Sanlitun Nanlu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三

LEGEND BEER Once upon a time, Beijing’s craft taprooms only came in one size: tiny. Now, every new opening brings us another colossal beer house. There are plenty of empty tables at Legend, but there’s certainly some potential here. The brews aren’t bad, and (by virtue of not being a shitty club), it’s already our favorite venue in the Gongti complex.

Daily, 11am-3am; Worker ’ s Stadium West Gate,

Chaoyang 朝阳区工体西路工人体育场西门 (6551 9026)

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

TUK TUK MUSIC CANTEEN It may share its name with the Fangjia Hutong sandwich shop, but Tuk Tuk Music Canteen is another thing entirely. This one’s in Sanlitun (Courtyard 4) for a start, and it serves Southeast Asian food. Plus it claims to be “the only restaurant with the best sound system in China.” Hm. We cannot verify this claim, although the sound system does sound nice. Sadly, other senses fail to impress – our Thai beef brisket red curry (RMB58) is just average.

Daily, 11.30am-2pm, 5-11pm; Sanlitun Courtyard 4,

Building 81, 2/F, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯 四号院 81 号楼二层 (6508 3318)

R Ó N G BA R Could Sanlitun Dongsanjie be the hot new drinking spot? The addition of Róng Bar, located next to its sister bar Night & Nice, makes a good case for it. The menu offers all your favorite cocktails at reasonable prices (plus Tex-Mex food courtesy of Night & Nice’s kitchen), but it's the service and environment that make it worth a trip. Think cozy booths, a beautiful rooftop garden and a dope tunnel-like staircase leading up to it all.

T H E DA I LY BA K

Daily, 5pm-2am; 4-5 Sanlitun Dongsanjie, Chaoyang

Daily Bak is in the other Sanlitun mall (Shimao), but it’s still worth a visit. Although the server tells us that Daily Bak means ‘daily meat’ (he is as confused as we are), the cafebakery in fact sells freshly baked Europeanstyle breads, pastries, donuts and coffee. The made-to-order sandwiches are a solid lunch option – add a few kuai for a donut and you’re looking at a pretty sweet deal.

朝阳区三里屯东三街 4-5 号 (8532 3665)

百货 (8454 9331)

Daily, 10am-10pm; Beijing Shimao Department Store,

13 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang 朝阳区工体北路13号1层世茂

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e h t o t t h g i S t ra E AT & DRINK | T HE SPRE A D

Habanero Gochujang by Palms L.A. Kitchen and Bar

Nutty Pesto by Ladle & Spice

Hot Chili Sauce by Daqian

RMB50

RMB23

RMB30

Pine nuts are the stars of this insanely fresh-tasting pesto from the team behind The Meatball Company.

Be sure to check out the rest of L&S’s products (including the ‘Hot as Balls’ hot sauce and chunky tomato marinara).

Be warned, readers: There are countless chili seends floating in this one. It’s hot. Like, ‘don’t think about how that’s gonna feel tomorrow’ hot. But combine with a sour cream (or equivalent) and the complex flavor emerges.

They brought you Beijing’s first Korean-Mexican restaurant. Now they’re bringing you Beijing’s first Korean-Mexican table sauces. This one fuses habaneros with gochujang, a spicy sweet fermented chili paste.

Available from www.ladlespice.com,

Available through Wechat (search 大前

Available in-store at the Gulou and

through Sherpas or in-store at The

辣椒) or at Farm to Neighbors organic

Liangmaqiao branches of Palms L.A.

Meatball Company. Hot sauce available

markets

Kitchen and Bar. Call in advance to order.

at multiple venues across Beijing.

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

Kansas City Sweet BBQ Sauce by Home Plate BBQ

Cream Cheese by Traitor Zhou’s

RMB80 per bottle

RMB5 each

It’s a little bit smoky; it’s a little bit sweet. Most importantly, you’ll want to cover all of your meat in it. So, if you’ve enjoyed the BBQ sauce at Home Plate, just take some home by buying a bottle. Duh. Available in-store at both the Sanlitun

The Traitor Zhou’s outpost at Migas is our favorite spot for a late-night bagel. Now you can enjoy said bagels in daylight (and sober!) with a selection of cream cheeses, including the divine miso caramel and salted plum varieties.

and Sanyuanqiao branches of Home

Available in-store at Traitor Zhou’s

Plate BBQ

Nonkosher Delicatessan in Nali Patio and 1949 in Sanlitun’s Courtyard 4

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E AT & DRINK | BA RS

MIMI E COCO Lightning in a Bottle 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 you often drink on Fangjia Hutong, you probably like drinking from bottles. Cellar Door has bottles. El Nido has bottles. Fang Bar doesn’t really have bottles, but whatever – that’s two out of three and you get our point. “Bottle shops are the purview of Fangjia Hutong” is a sentence we wrote back in June in this very magazine. And so it’s fitting, then, that Mimi e Coco serves its drinks in bottles. Yet this is where its similarities with hutong beer-refrigerator bars end.

Mimi e Coco, the latest project from the crew at popular pizza spot Ramo, is a haven of slick design and even slicker beats tucked just off Fangjia and fully soundproofed for your partying pleasure. And we mean fully soundproofed.

Enter via a tiny hutong tributary into the first room, a glorified white cube, and enjoy the arctic A/C blast as you press on walls to figure out which one’s the door. (Spoiler: it’s straight ahead.) This sound-wave trapping antechamber is merely the first hint that

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Mimi is not your typical hutong joint. Quirky design elements are everywhere, from the plushy seat pillows to the arty labels on the custom bottles, which contain a selection of house-made coolers and cocktails mixed daily.

We enjoy the refreshing and bitter Arancia Rosa (RMB55, but for Campari fans only – the taste of bitter orange is strong). The Citrus Iced Tea (RMB40) is a fun twist on the Long Island using Earl Grey, and the Suan Mei Tang (RMB40) reminds us of the sugary plum juice often served at Sichuan restaurants.

For beer-lovers, a selection of not-oft-seen brands awaits in refrigerator No. 2, which includes Italian craft brews. Brewdog’s Punk IPA is on tap (RMB50 a pint).

Mimi shares many traits with Ramo, including bright colors, booze and a vibe one might term ‘partyish.’ But Mimi is different from her older sister, a point she really hammers home with the wifi password ‘nomorepizza.’ The snacks on hand are decidedly not crust-tomato-cheese, although

our pocket sandwiches are held together by pizza-dough bread. Our favorite, The Mexican (RMB40), features a moist black-bean patty topped with avocado and (best yet!) French fries. With the bread and dips (RMB35), you can dip long sticks of chewy pizza crust into homemade pesto or blue cheese dip. (These render ‘nomorepizza’ a somewhat misleading wifi password, but we’ll cut Mimi a break here.)

The snacks, however, are merely the sobering bites necessary to keep you drinking longer – and drink here long we shall, given the prices and charming atmosphere. Sure, the bottle gimmick isn’t necessary. But, strictly speaking, dope interiors aren’t necessary. A vinyl DJ booth isn’t necessary. Calming forest-green wall color isn’t necessary. But we appreciate them all the same.

Mon-Fri: 6pm-1am, Sat: 3pm-late, Sun: 3-10pm (kitchen closes at 11pm); 64 Fangjia Hutong, Dongcheng 东城区方家胡同 64 号 (8401 6288)

BA RS | E AT & DRINK

IN THE GRIP OF THE GRAPE Which of Beijing’s New Wine Bars Should You Visit? (Probably Both)

by D o m i n i q u e Wo n g a n d No e l l e Ma t e e r

Forget craft beer, it’s wine time baby (finally). We take a sip from the two newest wine bars in town – read on to find out if they fizzle or pop.

BUONA BOCCA

INVINO

Price range: Glasses from RMB50; charcuterie plates from RMB88.

Price range: Glasses from RMB50, bottles from RMB200.

Selection: Italian, Italian, Italian. To which all we have to say is: Buona, buona, buona. (That’s Italian for ‘good.’) In the expansive pantheon of grape varieties, it’s helpful to have a specialty. Lest wine is not your thing – Aperol and Campari spritz are on hand as well.

Selection: A round-the-world tour that will really get you InVino (‘in the wine’): reds span Argentina to Australia, Bulgaria to France, whereas white label countries include Italy, Germany, New Zealand and Spain.

Location: A quiet offshoot of Xindong Lu, just across the street from Jenny Lou’s.

Atmosphere: This is the hippest thing to hit Xindong Lu since, well, anything. Huge windows ensure loads of natural light, and design is arty in a quirky, colorful way. Go before it gets cold out and you can even nab seats on the terrace.

Food: The grub here is designed with wine in mind – platters feature cold cuts (they’re Italian, duh), and the complementary bread and olive oil is a nice touch.

Takeaway: This is the post-work aperitivo spot of our dreams. The fun atmosphere ensures that wine isn’t taken too seriously.

Location: Xingfuyicun Qixiang (the alley opposite Worker’s Stadium, past Bodhi Spa – massage and wine, anyone?).

Atmosphere: InVino bleeds warmth with brick walls, black tiles and crafty wooden tables lending a relaxed yet intimate feel. A place where you can comfortably spend hours sampling all the different varieties (which is exactly what we did).

Food: Items such as steak tartare, hand-cut fries, oysters, cold cuts and cheese platters show that InVino is as serious about food as it is about wine.

Wed-Mon, 5pm-midnight; 1/F, Building 4, Shoukai Bojun Xingfu Sancun Sixiang,

The Takeaway: Casual but classy, this is a great date spot, of either the Tinder/TanTan/Blued or LTR (long-term relationship) variety.

Xingdong Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区新东路幸福三村四巷首开铂郡南区 4 号楼 (5642 2236)

0519)

Daily, 5pm-late; Xingfuyicun Qixiang, Chaoyang 朝阳区幸福一村七巷 (132 2018

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• Beijing No Longer Home to China’s Wealthiest Population The capital is knocked off the top spot by Guangdong. The sun also rises.

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Bureaucratic bothers have put the brakes on this big bus.

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COMMENTS OF THE MONTH

“Glossy, high-tech solutions are more appealing than confronting real problems” -- says user Pete Chorba on ‘Are Straddling Buses the Future of Beijing Transport?’

“I want my deodorant back”

VIDEO OF THE MONTH WATCH: Budweiser Qixi Ad on Interracial and Gay Love “Insist on your own way, and never mind others’ opinions,” proclaims one of the people featured in the video.

-- demands user Brian on ‘Woman Held After Trying to Bring Guns on Beijing Subway’ (alluding to a past experience with subway security no doubt)

ground Hotel Nearly Complete The abandoned quarry-turned-hotel is supposedly “five-star.”

• Wang Baoqiang Divorces Wife After Scandalous Affair And launches a billion Weibo comments.

• Hunan Woman’s 17-Month Long Pregnancy Sets World Record Supposedly. Hmm. 6 2 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6 | W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M

“This is why it’s wise to download a translation app onto your smartphone before traveling – LOL!!”

-- recommends user Dani Marais on ‘Chinese Tourist Mistakenly Lands in German Refugee Camp’

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

BEIJING HIKING FESTIVAL With Beijing Hikers’ third annual Hiking Festival just around the corner, we spoke to three of last year’s participants about what to expect (and just general hiking stuff). Don’t forget to sign up before this year’s October 8 deadline.

Tori Larsen — So, how was last year’s Hiking Festival?

It was awesome! The trail was well marked, it was interesting (meaning, it varied a lot from concrete roads to Great Wall climbs, to windy dirt paths through the forest), and there were a lot of great people there as always.

— Was it easier or tougher than expected?

I am not sure if you are familiar with the Midwestern United States, but where I come from (Chicago, Illinois) we get excited if the snow piles higher than your head, and we call that a mountain. So yeah, it was tougher than I expected.

— What’s your favorite thing about hiking?

I like looking for the very subtle ways a scene which appears fairly uniform can vary.

From the color of rock formations, to the random pheasant that pops out at the last second to spook you while coming around a bend in a dry river bed... you know, for instance.

— What’s the worst thing about hiking?

Gear-envy: when someone’s hiking outfit is on-fleek (and somehow sweat-resistant) and you’re just stuck in your sweaty gym uniform from high school.

— What three things do you never go on a hike without?

Boots (duh), sunglasses, and my killer bright pink neckerchief.

Hilja Mueller — How was last year’s Hiking Festival for you?

Definitely busier and more competitive than the one in 2014. There was a group of young trail runners way up front who finished with incredible times. Regular hikers crossed the finish line later but with the same feeling of accomplishment and big smiles on their faces.

— What’s your favorite thing about hiking?

To get away from it all – to empty my brain and just focus on the trail and my body.

Perfect meditation.

— What’s the worst thing about hiking?

In Beijing, the long (bus) rides to and from the trails due to traffic and the litter you often find along beautiful trails.

— Can you recall a memorable (possibly funny) hiking experience?

Both my husband and I lost the soles of our hiking boots when on the trails in Japan.

The glue had suffered too much in the humid heat during our years in the Philippines. So we were using rubber bands and shoe laces to hold the soles in place – must have been a funny sight for others.

— Any advice for first-time hikers?

Keep going, make it a habit. It will enrich your life.

Jurgen Conrad — Describe the perfect hiking trail in three words.

Remote, scenic, and through varying kinds of environments.

— What’s your favorite thing about hiking?

Getting into a flow when my feet are doing all the work and my head is getting to rest.

— And what’s the worst thing about hiking?

The bus drive to and from the hike.

— What three things do you never go on a hike without?

A bottle of water, my hiking poles, and a cap.

— Any advice for first-time hikers?

Don’t start with Level 4 or 5 hikes (according to Beijing Hikers classification). Level 3 can be challenging enough.

— Do you have a favorite route to hike around Beijing (or if not, in China)?

Gubeikou to Jinshanling, again and again a very scenic hike over original and then restored sections of the Great Wall with a detour through the totally misnamed ‘SpiderValley,’ which is very beautiful downhill and then really challenging uphill.

Sat Oct 15; The Challenge: 24km+ (RMB700) / Hike for Fun: 10km (RMB500 / RMB400 for kids aged 7-12); 10% off for BJH members and teams of 5 or more; To purchase tickets and for more information visit www.beijinghikers.com

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TC / DJ

MTA

Festival

HEAR

Aesthesis Gig Russian band’s Aesthesis are the latest booking at Yugong Yishan to feed Beijing’s hunger for post-rock.

With a sizable discography and reputation for brooding live shows, there’s some nuanced instrumental rock to be enjoyed here (if you ignore the band’s penchant for pretentious song names like ‘Arise From Dreams of Thee’ and ‘Sailing to Constantinople’).

Wed Sep 21; RMB120 presale (RMB150 door); Yugong Yishan (see Listings for details)

TC may have chosen a somewhat unimaginative DJ name (he was born Tom Casswell), but the British DJ and producer has released some of the most creative drum‘n’bass bangers of the last decade. His high-octane productions are often imbued with a certain dark humor, from the absurdist ‘Deep’ (“We're comin' round ya house / We'll murder your fish, your dog, your cat / Animal, vegetable, mineral”) to the infectious ‘Where’s my Money?’ (“About the money / Uh, I don't know if I can get it over to you / Uh, cos it's like, it's in a secondary holding account”). TC’s show marks The Syndicate’s 12th anniversary, so you’re guaranteed a rollicking old rave-up. Support comes from local big dawgs Blackie, Clir, Donkey Tonk and Kay C. Sat Sep 10; RMB70; Dada (see Listings for details)

Festivals in Beijing may still be proving difficult to organize. But thankfully Hebei is on hand to help out. Over 50 local and international acts descend on our neighboring province this month, including big names like Rudimental (pictured above) and British ‘rapper’ Example.

It’s only about 90km from the city, so quit complaining.

Sat Sep 3 - Sun Sep 4; Price TBD; Sky Desert, Hebei 河北天漠

WorldService Project Jazz

Live Music at Eudora Station / Gig

Mid-Autumn Music Fair Gig + Market

If you’re in the market for vinyl, CDs, cassettes, clothing, merch and more, get yourself down to School Bar for the second instalment of Borderless Reunions’ music market.

From 8pm, some of Beijing’s most exciting up-and-coming bands will take to the stage, including the rock trio Lonely Leary (pictured above), solo electronic project Noise Arcade and alternative three-piece The Death Narcissist. Visuals come from VJ Wu Jing.

Sat Sep 17, 3pm-late (market), bands from 8pm; RMB50; School Bar (see Listings for details)

Overdrive (Wed-Sat): Playing a mix of rock, blues, soul and funk, this band is the backbone of Eudora’s line-up. Playing from 9.30pm to 1am, four nights a week, this international five-piece knows how to please a crowd.

Dinner Jazz (Sun): End the weekend with some civilized dinner jazz and enjoy some of Eudora’s home-style food while you’re there.

Latin Music Night (Sun): Straight after the jazz at 9pm, Latin band Mojito brings you authentic musical vibes to accompany some South American snacks and drinks. Get free-flow drinks with your music for RMB168.

Wed-Sun (ongoing); Eudora Station, 6 Fangyuan Xi Lu (next to the Lido hotel), Chaoyang 朝阳区芳园西路6号 (6437 8331, www.eudorastation.com)

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WorldService Project is a jazz group trying to turn the genre on its head.

Describing themselves as ‘punkjazz,’ the band cite Frank Zappa and Meshuggah as influences – and no Duke Ellington in sight. They’ll play three different venues over three nights: Temple (for party kids), DDC (for indie kids) and East Shore (for jazz kids).

Tue Sep 6; Dusk Dawn Club (see Listings for details) / Wed Sep 7; Temple Bar (see Listings for details) / Thu Sep 8; East Shore Jazz Club, 2/F, 2 Qianhai Nanyanlu, Di’anmenwai Dajie, Xicheng 西城区地安门外大街 前海南沿路2号楼2楼 (8403 2131)

Street Kids Meet & Eat / Hip-hop and Food

Saturday Session #3 @ BAO House Party

DO

Birthday Deal Flowers Best Design & Beautiful Flowers (BD&BF) offers some of the prettiest bouquets in the city. If you don’t believe us, believe its clients, which include luxury brands like Cartier, Hermes, Graff and Chopard. This month the high-end flower brand is treating VIP Card members born in September to a free exclusive birthday bouquet (worth RMB398).

Through Sep; free birthday bouquet to September birthday VIP Card members only; BD&BF Boutique (various locations, bd-bf.com)

Street Kids Meet & Eat combines hip-hop and eating for the best of both worlds. Paying tribute to hip-hop culture and its relationship with food, the Street Kids crew teams up with Migas to present a menu inspired by influential hip-hop artists and their classic songs of both today and yesteryear.

Expect to feed on colorful dishes such as Wu-Tang C.R.E.A.M. Clam and Queen La Beefah Beef Burger. Or if you’re looking for some southern comfort food, check out the Ludacrispy Fried Chicken Strips or A Pie Called Quest. We’re salivating and nodding our heads just thinking (or typing) about it.

The beats are covered by Street Kids’ all-ages friendly DJs, Cad 73 and Ludo V, who will whet your appetite with a selction of soulful tunes to classic R&B. There’s also a hot wing eating competition for those hip-hop heads looking for a little extra spice (or a prize worth RMB600).

Sat Sep 24, 5-9pm; free entry; Migas Rooftop (see Listings for details)

The Beijing Ghost Tour / Walk

Jing-A and about a dozen other vendors are back, taking over the BAO House patio for an afternoon of beers, baozi and bumpin’ tracks by Pop-up Disco. Expect killer baozi + beer and straight-up pint deals from people who know how to have a sweet time. Autumn is looking (and tasting) good.

Sat Sep 10, 3-8pm; free entry; BAO House, outside the Opposite House, Taikoo Li North, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区朝阳区三里屯路11 号 (6417 6688)

Beijing Marathon 4km Charity

WeChat 101 Class

WeChat is arguably the most essential app for anybody living in China. From WeChat wallet to ordering food, taxis or movie tickets, the app is a one-stop shop. With so many functions it may seem too complicated to function. But it’s not, says Shangri-La Farms and Miss Muesli, who are teaming up at Culture Yard to show users how to make the most of the app’s services.

Participants will also receive delicious goodie bags with treats from the organizers’ WeChat stores.

Sun Sep 11, 1-2pm; RMB60; Culture Yard, 10 Shique Hutong, Dongcheng 东城区 石雀胡同10号 (contact@cultureyard.net)

Ever wondered why Chinese zombies bounce? And who hanged himself next to Emperor Chongzhen behind the Forbidden City? OK, maybe not so much that last one, but you will find out all of this and so much gory-more if you join Newman Tours’ Beijing Ghost Tour. The city’s first ever ghost tour explores the haunted hutongs around the Forbidden Palace, featuring the aforementioned bouncing zombies, a ghost wedding, a chance to burn money for the dead and more. The interactive tour is a great way to learn more about the history and culture of Beijing and is suitable for the whole family.

RMB160-390; starts outside Exit B of North Beihai Metro Station on Dianmen Xi Dajie, near the intersection with Sanzuoqiao Hutong 北海北地铁站B出口外 地 安门西大街 (靠近三座桥胡同) (book via 13817770229, info@newmantours.com)

Run for charity with China World Hotel at Beijing Wild Duck Wetland Park and enjoy the stunning view of the scenic wetland during the 4km journey. The ticket price includes a limited-edition China World Hotel 2016 Marathon T-shirt, a healthy breakfast set, round-trip transportation and park ticket. Nature + charity + fitness = bliss.

Sat Sep 10, 8am; RMB88; Beijing Wild Duck Wetland Park, Liuhaoying Village North, Kangzhuang Town, Yanqing 延庆康庄镇刘浩营村北 (contact Jonny Zhang, health club manager of China World Hotel at 136 71025 578 before Sep 7)

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Annie’s Antipasteria New Opening

Stella Artois Recommends / Maan Coffee

TA S T E

Andalusian Butchery at Migas Dining Vegetarians: This one is not for you. Migas will host Spanish butcher José Carmón – otherwise known as ‘Pepe’ – for a one-week Andalusian butchery. Pepe will be cooking his most popular dishes from home alongside the Migas team, as well as holding a free master class on Sep 28.

Wed Sep 28-Sun Oct 2; Migas (see Listings for details)

Annie’s Beijing Riviera recently celebrated the opening of its new Antipasteria with a big bash.

Couldn’t make it? No worries – the space is now open to all. Designed to give guests in Shunyi a taste of traditional, rustic Italian food, the Antipasteria is sure to delight. Chilipepper braids hang from the ceiling, Parma hams lay freshly sliced and wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano stand proudly on the counter.

Annie’s (see Listings for details)

Oktoberfest at Hacker-Pschorr Festivals

PHOTOS BY HOLLY LI

Mooncakes by blue frog Dining

Blue frog may be inspired by the American traditions of its founder, but that doesn’t mean it ignores Chinese holidays. Through MidAutumn Festival, just RMB35 can get you a set of two mooncakes.

And during the holiday itself, spend RMB350 on your meal and get two mooncakes for free. Mooncakes available from Sep 1-15. blue frog (see Listings for details)

The season of Bavarian beerdrinking is upon us. Hacker-Pschorr, Sanlitun’s very own authentic German brauhaus, is celebrating with Oktoberfest. Join them for live music, specially brewed Oktoberfest beers and traditional Munich dishes. Throw on your dirndls and lederhosen, come hungry, and prepare to say “Prost!”

6pm-midnight; Thu Sep 15-Tue Sep 27 (except Sep 19 and Sep 25); RMB58 for tickets including one pint, RMB228 for tickets including freeflow beer and soft drinks; HackerPschorr (see Listings for details)

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Ah, coffee. That most delightful of beverages, that magic bean juice, which wakes us up in the morning and keeps us up too late at night. Where would we be without coffee? Well, for starters, this magazine wouldn’t exist.

Maan Coffee is one of Beijing’s favorite coffee shops. Whether you’re hunkering down with a laptop, catching up with friends or simply refueling, Maan’s got you covered. We love their novelty lattes and iced drinks, and we’re especially excited about their new third-wave coffee set up in their Jiangfu Park shop – perfect for seasoned coffee snobs and beginners alike.

But what happens when you’ve had your fill of caffeine? When you’ve been nursing your latte for an hour and you’re hankering for something else?

When your friends want to meet at a cafe at night?

Maan Coffee’s flagship location – in the aforementioned Jiangfu Park – has the answer. It now has cold Stella Artois beer on tap – plus a variety of signature snacks and desserts that go excellently with it. All of this goes to show, Maan Coffee is excellent for a morning pick-me-up, but it’s also great for a nighttime wind-me-down.

Daily, 10am-10pm; South gate of Jiangfu Park, Banjieta Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区半 截塔路将府公园南门 (5949 8336)

Andy Warhol: Contact / Art

A Coco Xue Exhibition Art

SEE

Stephen K. Amos Comedy Praised as “the embodiment of charisma,” Stephen K. Amos is a big deal in the English stand-up world. Also a gifted actor who has starred in numerous films and TV programs, the awardwinning stand-up will be charming Beijing as part of a Punchline Comedy organized tour. Maff Brown opens. Get your tickets through That's by scanning the QR code below.

Tue Sep 6, 8.30pm; RMB240; The Garage, Houshayu Yuyang Lu, Shunyi 顺义区后沙峪榆阳路 (8046 5456); Wed Sep 7, 8.30pm; RMB240; Nearby the Tree, Xingfu Sancun 3 Xiang, Chaoyang 朝阳区 幸福三 村三巷三里屯南 33号院内 (6413 1522/87 )

Andy Warhol: Contact features pioneering film, photography and interactive installations by one of the 20th century’s most influential and famous artists. It’s a major solo exhibition – running until next January – and for good reason: Warhol’s career spanned decades, from silent film photography in the 1960s to polaroid-shot portraits throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Keep an eye out for cameos by a bevy of Warhol’s famous subjects: Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and Edie Sedgwick, plus more. There is also an installation of Warhol’s ‘Silver Clouds’, shimmering pillow-like shapes, which float serenely through the exhibition space. There are plenty more surprises to be had, so check it out for your fifteen minutes of fame.

Tue-Sun, 10.30am-6pm, through Jan 7, 2017; RMB60 (RMB40 for students); M Woods, 798 Art District, D-06, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区酒仙桥2号798 艺术区D-06 (83123450)

Criminal Hollywood Month Film

Another shining example of mobile photography as a trailblazing function (see page 10), A Coco Xue Exhibition showcases mobile phone pics taken by photographer Coco Xue. The opening day (Sep 3) includes a panel discussion and multimedia show, while mobile photography coaching and other activities will be offered throughout the exhibition.

Sep 3-9; Sokart Mall, 798 Art District, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区酒 仙桥路2号798艺术区

Where Did the Chinese Language Come From? Talk

Macbeth Opera

This opera version of the legendary Scottish play is set to light up the Beijing Opera House with its fiery portrayal of power, play and politics. Expect a thunderous performance from Placido Domingo, the so-called “king of the opera.”

Sep 7-11, 7.30pm; RMB380-1080; 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)

Pop-Up Beijing gets gritty this month with its Classic Movie Tuesday getting the ‘Criminal Hollywood’ treatment. Aka film noir, expect to see gangsters, detectives, murder, love and deception all play out on Pop-Up’s movie screen this September. The month of madness opens with The Maltese Falcon, a classic starring Humphrey Bogart in one of his best-known roles, and moves onto the shady backstreets of 40s and 50s cinema, with Deception, Out of the Past and The Big Heat making an appearance, respectively. Fun, frivolity and freakin’ good deals will all be in attendance, what with the boutique-bar’s happy hour deal extending to all-day on Classic Movie Tuesdays. You stay classy, Pop-Up Beijing.

Every Tue through Sep; 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

Putonghua is notorious for being the “hardest language to learn.”

Find out why at this illuminating talk by linguistics expert David Moser, which will cover the history of China’s common language, the current language policy in China, and the future of Chinese in cyberspace and the Internet. Moser holds a Ph.D. in Chinese Studies and recently wrote a book about the Chinese language, titled A Billion Voices.

Thu Sep 22; RMB50 (RMB40 for members); The Bookworm (see Listings for details)

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EVENTS

WEEKLY SPECIALS

Happy hours Meal deals Brunch

Food and Drink

Ladies' nights

Tube Station Most expats haven’t been in Beijing long enough to hark back to the “good ol’ days.” But those who have are full of stories. The first thing they’re bound to tell you? Just how much Beijing has changed since way back when. One thing that’s changed for the worse is prices – don’t get a longtime expat started on how cheap living here used to be.

Beijing pizza institution Tube Station remembers cheaper times. And this September, they’re reliving it – with insanely cheap coffee deals. For two months only, all Tube Station coffees are under RMB20. Grab a Tube Station mocha for RMB15. Sip on a latte for RMB11. Pick up a vanilla caramel coffee for RMB15. And when’s the last time you paid single digits for your caffeine buzz? Americanos and Espressos are only RMB9. Just like the golden days.

Through Oct 31; Tube Station (see Listings for details)

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.

> 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)

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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)

EVENTS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SATURDAY TO SUNDAY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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LISTINGS RESTAURANTS

OPEN DOOR

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.

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

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

> 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

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)

PHOTOS BY HOLLY LI

Jing Yaa Tang 京雅堂 (Chinese, Peking Duck)

DONGTIAN KITCHEN BAR Sanlitun’s Take on Classic Chinese Cuisine If you haven’t stumbled across Dongtian yet, now’s the time. Because this truly is one of the hidden gems of Taikoo Li North. Upon entering, we’re greeted by a veritable forest of green plants, with patterned wallpaper and cute decorations providing something rather quaint. (Despite the cozy vibe, there’s plenty of space upstairs.) But while the decor may not feel like your typical Chinese restaurant, the menu features some classic Beijing- and Sichuan-style dishes that are not to be missed. We highly recommend one of the restaurant’s specialties – a laobing pancake served with slices of crispy hairtail fish (RMB79).

Another favourite is the thinly sliced grouper fish, which you cook by dipping them into a rich, bubbling soup (RMB88). In addition to these standout seafood dishes, there are plenty of other local options for both the adventurous and the not-so-adventurous (yes, there’s gongbao jiding). > Daily, 10am-10pm; Unit N3, Taikoo Li North, 19 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区 三里屯路19号N3楼 (6416 5806) 7 0 | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6 | W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M

Resembling something between a nightclub and a theater, the Opposite House’s basement restaurant proves to be more than just style over substance with their range of expertly prepared classic dishes.

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

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

Yipin 一品 (Huaiyang) * The Sofitel Beijing’s boutique Chinese restaurant, Yipin is a beautifully thought-out conflux of all that is elegant, traditional and tasty. Huaiyang cuisine headlines the menu, so expect sweet and delicate and sweet flavors with impeccable presentation. > Sofitel Wanda Beijing, Tower C, Wanda Plaza, 93 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国路93号万达广场C 座索菲特酒店 (8599 6666)

Peking Duck Country Kitchen The name ‘Country Kitchen’ may sound like a diner, but a diner this is not. Rosewood

> 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)

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

LISTINGS 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.

Dumplings Baoyuan Jiaoziwu 宝源饺子屋 Famous for their rainbow of dyed dumplings, Baoyuan have their jiaozi (six, under RMB10) wrapped in a larger yuanbao silver-ingot shape, with creative vegetarian options and authentic Sichuan food. > Daily 11am-10pm; north of 6 Maizidian Jie, Chaoyang 朝阳区麦子店街6号楼北侧 (6586 4967)

Mr Shi’s Dumplings 老石饺子馆 Since recieving a Lonely Planet recommendation the prices have risen and the walls are covered in backpackers’ scribbles, but the fantastic dumplings – boiled and fried – are still fantastic. > 74 Baochao Hutong, Gulou Dong Dajie, Dongcheng 东城区鼓楼东大街宝钞胡同74号 (8405 0399, 131 6100 3826)

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

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

Munch happily into pickled greens and don’t miss the salty-sweet deep-fried black sesame balls. They’re sensational.

> Daily 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.

> Daily 10am-2pm, 5-10pm; 69 Daxing Hutong, Jiaodaokou, Dongcheng 东城区交道口大兴胡同69 号 (6407 1800)

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.

Jia Chinese Restaurant禾家中餐厅 (Cantonese) Featuring modern Ming elements with inspired paintings from Xu Wei, a painter, calligrapher and food and wine connoisseur, the quintessentially authentic house of agriculture produces, Jia Chinese restaurant, serves exquisite traditional Cantonese specialties in their purest form with chefs hailing from Hong Kong. Using the freshest ingredients from NUO’s very own green farms, NUO Hotel Beijing provides an alternative green gourmet option in twon.

> Daily 12-2.30pm, 6 -10pm; N4-36, Sanlitun Taikoo Li North, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路11 号三里屯太古里北区N4-36号 (6417 9090)

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

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

Lost Heaven 花马天堂 (Yunnan, SE Asian) 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. > Sanlitun:Daily 11,30am-11,30pm,No.S8-40, F4, Sanlitun Taikoo Li South Area, No.19, Sanlitun Road Chaoyang三里屯路19号院三里屯Village南区8号楼 S8-40单元(6415 8858/6415 9889); Fenglan:Daily 11am-10pm, Xizhimen North Street No.32 Maples International Center Block B 1 Floor Haidian西直门 北大街32号枫蓝国际中心B座1层(6223 5583/6223 6820); Indigo:Daily 11am-9,30pm,Jiuxianqiao Road No.18 Indigo F F2 Chaoyang酒仙桥路18号颐堤港2 层(8420 0883); Zhongguancun:Daily 11am-10pm, Zhongguancun Plaza Pedestrian Street, No.15, Zhongguancun Street No. R17 Haidian中关村广场步 行街R17号(5172 1728)

Yun’er Small Town 云洱小镇 Folksy and affordable Yunnanese fare on Beiluoguxiang. Fragrant dishes including the jasmine bulbs with scrambled eggs, lemongrass shrimp, and banana leaf wrapped bolete mushrooms will keep us crawling back. > Daily 10am-11pm, 84 Beiluoguxiang, Dongcheng 东城区北锣鼓巷84号 (8404 2407)

OPEN DOOR

>Mon-Fri: 11.30am-2pm, 5.30-10pm; Sat-Sun: 11am2.30pm, 5.30-10pm; 1/F, NUO Hotel Beijing, 2A Jiangtai Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区将台路甲2号北京诺金酒 店一层（5926 8281）

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

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

ShiChengJi Shaobing 实诚吉烧饼 If ever a food were able to alleviate life’s difficulties – however temporarily – then this is surely it. In one bite, these beef shaobing will remind you exactly why you first chose to live in Beijing. They’re that good.

Queues of locals are testament. > Daily 7am-7pm; 43 Dongsi Liutiao, Dongcheng 东 城区东四六条43号 (186 1029 5038)

Xinjiang Red Rose (Xinjiang) * One of Beijing’s most famous Xinjiang restaurant, Red Rose serves some of the tenderest lamb skewers around, matched by enormous servings of classics like dapanji (a chicken, potato and pepper stew), latiaozi (noodles with a spicy tomato sauce) and nang (baked flatbrea). > Daily 10.30am-11pm; Inside 7 Xingfuyicun, opposite Workers’ Stadium North Gate, Chaoyang 朝阳区 工人体育场北门对面幸福一村7巷内 (6415 5741)

WESTERN Fine Dining Barolo ¥¥ (Italian) * Average Italian abounds in Beijing: not here, though. Quite the opposite, in fact, meaning Barolo is as well-regarded as the Piedmont wine it is named after.

> Mon-Sun 11.30am-2pm, 6pm-10pm. Ritz Carlton Hotel, China Central Place, 83A Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国路甲83号华贸中心丽思卡尔顿 酒店内 (5908 8151)

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

CHAR, CROWNE PLAZA BEIJING LIDO Steakhouse of the Sea If you picked up the July issue of That’s Beijing, you will have seen us raving about the steaks at Char, a new restaurant at Crowne Plaza Beijing Lido. But with plenty more on offer, we make a second trip to sample some of the other menu items. What a good decision that was. Because as well as having some of the finest cuts of beef in the city (including the scrumptious Blackmore Wagyu steak), this place also serves some truly excellent seafood.

As any great seafood meal should, proceedings begin with a chilled oyster (RMB80) – a Gillardeau served with mignonette sauce, tabasco and lemon, to be precise. Next up is a wonderfully rich lobster bisque (RMB128) which is so delicious that we find ourselves using our side of bread to mop up every last drop.

But if you really want to see what Head Chef Fernando Tabernero can do with a lobster, then look out for the whole poached Boston lobster (RMB378 for half; RMB678 for whole). As well as cooking the meat to perfection, he creates a delicately balanced plate of flavors and textures to accompany it, including creamy cauliflower mash, crunchy fennel and a bean paste persillade. > Daily, 5-10pm; Crowne Plaza Beijing Lido, 6 Jiangtai Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区将台 路6号丽都皇冠假日酒店 (8443 6220)

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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.

OPEN DOOR

> 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)

ANNIE’S TIME OF THE SEASON Annie’s new seasonal menu, ‘Venetian Flavors,’ takes a delectable bite out of Venice with a selection of dishes highlighting authentic Venetian tastes and ingredients. We pop into the Italian restaurant powerhouse to sample the new menu. But first, an education. With a centuries-long history, cuisine of Veneto is divided into three main categories, based on geography: the coastal areas, the plains and the mountains.

Our dishes at Annie’s take us on this very journey with creamed codfish (the coast, RMB48), “Venetian style” liver with polenta (the plains, RMB69) and risotto with Savoy cabbage and Italian pork sausage (the mountains, RMB58).

The codfish melts in our mouths while the risotto is cooked to perfection. For a heartier choice, the liver and onion on polenta is a great rendition of a classic meal. Meanwhile, we finish our Venetian meal with a sweet and rich trilogy of tiramisu (RMB35).

Of course, Annie’s knows that any good Italian meal must be enjoyed with a glass of wine. So, to better pair the dishes, all of its wines from Veneto are 15 percent off. The ‘Venetian Flavors’ menu can be ordered a la carte, but as it is a seasonal deal, time is of the – Venetian – essence. > Annie’s Italian Restaurant (see Listings for details) 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)

Brasserie Flo ¥¥ (French) * Marble slabs, mosaic floors and brass fittings establish the Parisian bona fides; dishes like snails (RMB78), oysters (RMB48 each) and steak tartare (RMB158) confirm.

The grandeur is matched only by the service, and the prices reflect the authenticity of the experience.

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

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

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

Expect lavish luxury. > 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)

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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.

and heartier main courses from this charming cafe. Fowers are also available for sale.

> 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)

Yi House (Contemporary Western) Nestled in the confines of 798, Yi’s great tasting brunch is bettered only by their wide range of cocktails. Sundays offer jazz brunches with lobster and champagne.

> Daily 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)

Wood

> 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. >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)

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. >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)

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)

>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)

Café/Deli/Sandwich awfullychocolate

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. >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)

The English Tearoom英国茶房

>Daily 10am-9.30pm; 101, Bldg 10, North area of Xiangyun Town, 9 Antai Dajie, Shunyi 顺义区安泰 大街9号院中粮祥云小镇北区10号楼101(8047 9661 / 8047 9661)

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

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)

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 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

LISTINGS 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)

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)

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 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)

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, 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)

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)

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.

going to get steak this good? (Try the RMB550 set menu if you want to save cash) > Mon-Sat 5:30-11pm, Sun 5-10:30pm; 2/F, Regent Hotel, 99 Jinbao Jie, Dongcheng 东城区金宝街99号 丽晶酒店二层 (6523 7777)

Steak Exchange Restaurant+Bar (Contemporary Western) ¥¥ * The bill is hopefully on the company kuai at this opulent eatery, where charcoal-grilled cuts of 250-day, grain-fed Australian Angus start from around RMB428 and merrily spiral. But the meat is unquestionably succulent, and cooked exactly to order.

> Daily 11.30am-2pm, 5.30-10.30pm. InterContinental Beijing Financial Street, 11 Jinrong Jie, Xicheng 西 城区金融街11号北京金融街洲际酒店 (5852 5921)

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)

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.

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.

> 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)

>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)

> 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)

Della Bocca Trattoria¥

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.

> 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)

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

> 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)

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, reservations@isolabeijing.com )

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)

Florentina 翡冷翠意大利餐厅

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)

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)

Spanish 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)

> 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.

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.

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.

Mexican/Tex Mex

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

> 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)

Italian

>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)

> 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)

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

Casa Talia by Tiago

>Daily 11.30am-9pm, 01B, 4/F, Raffles City, 1 Dongzhimen Nan Dajie, Dongcheng 东城区东直门南大街1 号来福士购物中心4层01B 8409 4009

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

> Closed on Monday; Dinner: 5-10pm; Lunch: 10am3pm; 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)

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

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 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)

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

W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6 | 7 3

Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路81号那里花园 6层 (5208 6061)

German Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant 博璨德国啤酒餐厅 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-11pm, Second Floor, Tongli Studio, Sanlitun Houjie, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯后街同里2 层 (6467 2961)

Asian Indian Indian Kitchen

> 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)

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).

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)

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)

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, 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.

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

Pinotage ¥ (South African) * A seasonal blend of Dutch, English and regional African influences, this contemporary and stylish eatery has an impressive selection of fine import-quality meats, and wines to match. The traditional borewor ground beer-sausage (RMB100) is tender and sweet, while the red-wine pork tenderloin makes the trip out to their Shunyi branch worth it. > Dongmen Building, 12 Dongzhimen Wai, Chaoyang 朝阳区东直门外大街12号东门下楼 (5785 3538) > Additional location in Shunyi (see online. thatsmags.com for details)

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.

> CBD: EB105, B1/F, China World Mall Phase 1, 1 Jianguomen Wai, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国门 外大街1号国贸商城一期地下一层EB105 (6505 0376); Taiyanggong: Unit 10-11, 4/F, CapitaMall Taiyanggong, Chaoyang 朝阳区凯德Mall太阳宫4层 10/11号 (8415 0863,www.nyonyakitchen.com)

Malacca Legend Malaysian food with a view, this spacious and airy restaurant sits on the banks of Shunyi’s Roma Lake 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-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)

> 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)

of Chinese, South-East Asian and European influences resulting in lots of bold flavors and bright colors.

The go to curry house among Beijing’s homesick Indian community, this ever popular no-nonsense restaurant has built up a solid reputation thanks to its wide range of quality dishes and particularly friendly service. Looking good after a recent rennovation and very available on JinShiSong online delivery. > Daily 11am-2:30pm, 5:30-11pm, 2/F 2 Sanlitun Beixiaojie, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯北小街2号2楼 (6462 7255)

Raj Tucked away in musty old building just underneath the drum tower, this curryhouse may look Chinese but everything on the menu is authentic Indian, espcially the rather fine naan. > Daily 11am-2pm, 5pm-11pm, 31 Gulou Xidajie Dongcheng 东城区鼓楼西大街31号 (6401 1675)

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.

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 Philippines Food Shop Bhoomi store One stop destination where a wide range of Philippines food products are served.

> 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)

Cafe Sambal (Malaysian) When it comes to Malay-style food in a hutong, nowhere does it better. Admittedly, it’s something of a niche category, but then so is the food on offer. The spicy Kapitanstyle chicken is pricey, but worth it. > Daily 11am-midnight. 43 Doufuchi Hutong (just east of Jiugulou Dajie), Xicheng 西城区豆腐池胡同43 号 旧鼓楼大街往东走(6400 4875)

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

> Daily 11am-10pm; 201, Europark Bldg A1(Cafe Bene Building) Guangshun Nandajie, Wangjing, Chaoyang 朝阳区望京园610号楼悠乐汇A座 201室 (6477 7387)

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

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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)

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

Inagiku * This Beijing branch of one of Tokyo’s oldest and most celebrated restaurants is as near to perfection as you’re likely to find.

Deceptively simple yet finely crafted, the handmade Inaniwa udon (RMB80) is not to be missed.

> Daily 11am-3pm, 6-10.30pm; Rm 315, 3/F, Park Life, Yintai Centre, 2 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳区建国门外大街2号银泰中心悦生 活3层315室 (8517 2838)

Sake Manzo * The barmen here are serious about their sake. Boasting one of the best stocked drinks cabinets in town with over 60 different sakes on offer, this super-cool little eatery is the perfect place to unwind after a hard day’s toil.

The sashimi is fresh to the cut, and the beer-marinated chicken is out of this world. One of the very best and least appreciated restaurants in town.

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

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. > 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)

Korean Ai Jiang Shan This upscale seafood restaurant proves that chargrill and composure can go together. Their RMB58 bibimbap lunch is an absolute bargain. > Daily 11am-10pm, Sat and Sun until 9.30pm; 5/F, LG Twin Towers (East Tower), 12 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang 朝阳区建 国门外大街乙12号双子座大厦东塔5层 (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.

LISTINGS > 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)

Cu Ju Moroccan-inspired bistro, cocktail destination and sports fan’s manna all rolled into one, Renaissance man Badr Benjelloun’s hutong gem is constantly evolving. Offering North African food with an international cocktails, Beijing’s widest selection of rums and sports broadcasts from basketball to cricket, Cu Ju is truly one of the city’s best all-around bar-restaurants. > 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)

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)

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).

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)

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)

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.

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.

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)

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)

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)

> 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.

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.

> Daily 10am-late, 46 Fangjia Hutong (just south of Guozijian Jie), Dongcheng 东城区方家胡同46号 (6400 7868)

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.

> 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)

> 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

> 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

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.

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,

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)

10 Best Livehouses

> Daily 5pm-1am. Building 1, 11 Sanlitun Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区三里屯路11号院1号楼 (6417 6688)

> 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)

Dongcheng 东城区鼓楼东大街206号B楼202 (131 6107 0713)

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 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.

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> 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)

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)

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

BEAUTY & FITNESS

> 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)

Alona Pilates Studio Pairing up traditional Pilates with an innovative, full-body workout, Alona Pilates offers classes designed to tone and whip you into shape fast. It also provides a personalized experience for all its students, regardless of fitness, strength and flexibility levels. > Daily, 7.30, late. 5/F at Heavenly Spa by Westin, 1 Xinyuan Nanlu, Chaoyang 朝阳区新源南路1号威斯汀 酒店五层 ( 139 1029 0260, www.alonapilates.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 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

> 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)

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)

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.

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.

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.

Daisy’s Beauty Salon

> 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)

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)

HAIR SALONS Catherine de France

> 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

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)

Laurent Falcon

> 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 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.

Let us release your stress and make you smile wherever you go... Aroma Soothes Therapy Massage, Rose Oil (RMB 280/min); Aroma Relaxation Massage; Aroma Lomi Lomi; Deep Relaxation Massage; Happy Hour at weekend, all services are 20% off.

Our masseuses will know how to pamper you and attend to your every need.

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

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.

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

> 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)

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

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

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The salon is a cut above, thanks to skills of experienced French stylist Laurent Falcon.

LISTINGS Guys/girls. Blow-dry, up-dos, highlights, coloring available. L’Oreal, Schwarzkopf, KeraSraight, Inoa. RMB165-980 women, RMB115-468 men.

comfort, care and privacy.

HEALTH SERVICES

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.

> 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)

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)

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)

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

> 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)

DENTAL

>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)

United Family Shunyi Dental Clinic The Beijing United Family Dental Clinic in Shunyi is a satellite of the main hospital in Lido (which has its own dental clinic onsite). A comprehensive range of services are at hand, including restorative dentistry and cosmetic dentistry. Call ahead for all appointments.

> 818 Pinnacle Plaza, Tianzhu Real Estate Development Zone, Shunyi 北京和睦家医院牙科诊所, 顺义区天竺开发区荣祥广场818 (8046 1102)

SDM Dental 固瑞齿科 The full spectrum of dentistry. Services include teeth cleaning, root-canal treatment, porcelain crowns, dental implants, orthodontics, cosmetic dentistry, fillings, pediatric dentistry, extraction, teethwhitening and veneers. Credit cards accepted.

>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, 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)

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)

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.

> 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)

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)

Mandarin Schools Beijing Juncheng Language School 北京君诚语言学校 > 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)

The Frontiers School

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)

The Bookworm * This glass cube looks over Sanlitun Village, providing a cozy atmosphere for browsing bibliophiles. The Western bookstore, library, film house, bar, bistro-cafe and event space always has a cultured evening on its shelves for both adults and kids.

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

> Daily 9am-2am. Building 4, Nan Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 三里屯南街4号楼 (6586 9507, www.beijingbookworm.com)

Page One The go-to shop for new releases and special requests. With sister venues in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, and two locations in Beijing, its network allows for fresh authors whilst upholding an extensive collection of titles.

> Daily 10am-9pm. Shop 3B 201, Zone 3 China World Mall, No.1 Jian Guo Men Wai Avenue, Chaoyang District 朝阳区国贸商城三期地下二层3B201 (8535 1055, www.pageonegroup.com); Page One Indigo.

Shop LG50, INDIGO, 18 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区酒仙桥路18号颐堤港商业中心B1楼50号 (8426 0408, www.pageonegroup.com)

EDUCATION

GALLERY

International Schools

Springboard International Bilingual School 君诚国际双语学校 Springboard International Bilingual School

>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)

Bookstores

> 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)

> 38 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区亮马桥路38 号 (6465 7788,www.cisb.com.cn)

The Bridge School 北京桥汉语言学校

>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)

>Daily: 9am-6pm, Room 209, Bldg 7, Richmond Park Clubhouse, Fangyuan Nanli, Chaoyang 朝阳区芳园南里 丽都水岸会所209 (6538 8111, info@idcdentalbj.com)

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.

> Guangming Hotel School: Room 0709, 7/F Guangming Hotel (near the U.S Embassy) 朝阳区 光明饭店7层0709 (8441 8391; info@beijingmandarinschool.com; www.beijingmandarinschool.com; Skype: beijingmandarinschool1998)

3e International 北京3e国际学校

IDC Dental

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.

companies and embassies have successfully learned with us each year.

Tang Contemporary Art Stressing cutting-edge exhibition installation and curatorial theory. With locations in Bangkok, Hong Kong and Beijing, Tang focuses on promoting artistic exchange throughout East Asia.

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

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

> Free. Tues-Sun 10.30am-6pm. 798 Factory, 2 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District 朝阳区大山子酒 仙桥路798工厂2号入口前行300米 (5978 9610, www. atngcontemporary.com)

Galleria Continua * In the often-insular 798, Galleria Continua is the international gallery. Their warehouse space is a forum for high-caliber artists from nearly every continent, including several of China’s artistic nobility. > Free. Tues-Sun 11am-6pm. 798 Art District, 2 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳区酒仙桥路2 号798大山子艺术区 (5978 9505, www.galleriacontinua.com)

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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 Beijing Kerry Residence Whether you’re a single business executive or a busy family, Beijing Kerry’s fullyfurnished 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments will feel just like home. As well as enjoying all the comforts of modern living – including a well-equipped kitchen, entertainment systems, high-speed broadband and much more – residents are just moments away from the Kerry Centre’s shopping mall and sports facilities. The rest of the CBD is on your doorstep too. >1 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang 朝阳区光华路1 号 (8535 6888, www.beijingkerryresidence. 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 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

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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

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.

Level 26 Fortune Financial Center, 5 Dongsanhuan Zhonglu, Chaoyang 朝阳区 东三环中路5号财富金融中心26层 (Servcorp. com.cn; tel: 5775 0310; fax: 5775 0350)

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

Need flexible and affordable ready workspace to enhance your business or register a representative office for your temporary projects in Beijing? We have the perfect solution. Located within a Grade-A building in the popular Lufthansa Business Area, our work-spaces provide you, or your company, with the ideal business identity, and most importantly, come with the most competitive rates to minimize your cost and risks.

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

Please contact: > Gateway Plaza, Tower A, Suite 16D , NE 3rd Ring Road, Chaoyang 朝阳区东三环 北路霞光里18号佳程广场A座16D T:01084400606 M:15910782518 Cynthia LU

China Central Place 北京华贸中心 9/F, Tower 2, China Central Place, No.79 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District

CSO (Singapore) Beijing Business Center We have 10 years experience in managing serviced offices in the Asia and Pacific region, and our headquarters

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

LISTINGS is in Singapore. CSO Beijing is our first business center in China . We are mainly providing fully renovated and equipped offices to clients for immediate use, and all the serviced offices can be used as incorporation purpose, and we offer maximum flexibility and complete smart office system to help our clients save cost. We also provide virtual offices, meeting room and conference room, video conferencing, incorporation services and many other services.

Add.: Level 6, Sun Palace Building, Taiyanggong, Beijing Ms. Stephanie Yan, Mobile: 18210080591 Email: sales.beijing@corporateso.com Website: www.csochina.cn Tel: 86 10 64697000

BEAUTY SERVICES

*Daily car service *Sifht-seeing car service, Tailor-made car service *Airport-Pick up/Drop off *Sedan (Audi A6, Audi A6L, VWPassat, Accord, Lacross 2.4, Benz MB100, Benz Vito, Hyundai) and Buses *Native drivers with good English *More information please contact Tel:6504 7266/6504 7256 FAx:6504 7256 www.sxsdcar.com Email:car-rental@live.com

CONSULTING SERVICE Harris Corporate Services Ltd Beijing | Shanghai | Guangzhou | Hong Kong

Black Golden Tanning Salon Sanlitun Branch Grand Opening Black Golden Tanning Salon is the only fivestar China flagship store by Ergoline. As the 2011 model of Ergoline Esprit 770’s, to bring a continuous tanning effect 25% above standard machines with unique aquacool and aroma functions, we provide customers with the safest and most comfortable tanning space. > Open time:11:00-21:00 Sanlitun SOHO Branch Add: 2rd Floor Building 3, Sanlitun SOHO,Chaoyang District Tel: 57853711 Wangjing Branch Add: Room T5 3rd Floor, BOTAI International Building, No. 36 North Guangshun Street, Wangjing, Chaoyang District Website: www.bjtanning.com Tel: 84722855

Established since 1972

LA BELLEZA La Belleza means Beauty and Aesthetics in Spanish. Professional hair-designers from Hong Kong ,Korea and China gather here.

LA BELLEZA is the hairdressing salon for you with its pleasant atmosphere, excellent service, and finest products.

New haircut! Good mood! Excellent life!

Add: F4 No.408, Jinbao Place .Jinbao Street No88,Dongcheng District, Beijing, china.

Website: www.labelleza.com.cn Tel: 010 8522 1626

Shanghai: Suite 904, OOCL Plaza, 841 Yan An Zhong Road, Jing-An District, Shanghai, PRC. 上海市静安区延安中路841号东方海外大厦 904室

MegaSun Tanning Salon As the only flagship store for this popular German tanning salon, megaSun Tanning will provide for each client the finest sun tanning experience.

Our center has prepared the newest functional 7900 alpha and pureEnergy chamber systems, combined with easyCare optical testers. At megaSun, enjoy our professional UV and tanning services. > 8 Dongdaqiao Road, sShangdu SOHO North Tower, Rm. 2302 Chaoyang District, Beijing Website: www.imegasun.com e-mail: 1019771453@qq.com Sina Weibo: @麦肤堂 Tel: 5900-2236/2238

CAR RENTAL SERVICE Beijing First Choice Car Rental Service Co., Ltd We offer short and long term vehicle leasing services for both business and sightseeing. Our commpany could provide the latest elite, high-end vehicles such as Mercedes Benz S300, BMW S5 and more!

Contact our friendly representatives for more information.

Tel: 138 1015 6525/6434 0778 www.fccars.cn fccars@live.cn Beijing TOP-A Vehicle Service Co., Ltd Beijing Top-A Vehicle Service provides: *English -speaking driver *Long-short term leasing *Airport-Pick up/Drop off *Sedan, Van and Bus We, ES-PATS Life Group, also serves with Mandarin, housemaid, Visa, driver, driving license, vehicle registration service.

Tel: 6438 1634, 1350 123 7292, service@ expatslife.com www.expatslife.com Beijing Top Rate Car Rental Service Co., Ltd *Long/Short term leasing

WFOE & Rep. Office Set Up Accounting & Tax Compliance Payroll, HR & Visa Solutions Hong Kong & Offshore Company Registration Hong Kong & China Bank Account Opening Serving all your business needs for investing in China. Call us for a free consultation.

Yang District.Beijing.100027,P.R.C. Tel: 5208 6112/6113 Fax: 8610-5208 6123

HOUSEKEEPING JNY Home Service JNY Home Service was established in 2007, supplying foreign families with English speaking/non-English Speaking nannies(maids), either daily or live-in.

As a part of our service,we make sure all references and ID cards are thoroughly checked to guarantee the safety and health of your family.

Email : jieniyou@hotmail.com Mobile: 13426362833(24h) Beijing EX-PATS Service Healty, reliable, experienced, Englishspeaking housemaid/ nanny. Free agency and 24- hour English service. Medical and Accident insurrance covered. EXPATS Life Group also serves with Mandarin, car leasing, English-speaking driver, Chinese driving license, vehicle registration. service@expatslife.com Website: www.expatslife.com Tel: 64381634 Mobile: 13501237292

MOVING AND SHIPPING

Tel: (86)10-6591 8087 Mobile: 186-019-43718 Email: info.bj@harrissec.com.cn Beijing: Room 2302, E-Tower, No.12 Guanghua Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, PRC. 北京市朝阳区光华路12号数码01大厦2302 室

Guangzhou: Room D-E, 11/F., Yueyun Building, 3 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Guangzhou, PRC. 广州市中山二路3号(东山口)粤运大厦11楼 D-E室 Hong Kong: 7/F., Hong Kong Trade Centre, 161-167 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong. 香港德辅道中161-167号香港贸易中心7楼 MHI China LTD 凯特威（北京）咨询有限公司 Room 971, 9/F，Poly Plaza，No.14， Dogzhimen Nan Dajie，Dongcheng 东城区 东直门南大街14号保利大厦写字楼9层971室 (6551 0663) Beijing Office-TMF Group In order to enable clients benefit from the increasing globalization of the worlds economy, TMF Group offers a comprehensive range of corporate administrative outsourcing services in 67 counties across the globe. With a genuine global network and qualified staff, TMF group provides an array of accounting, corporate secretarial and HR administrative outsourcing services. > Colin.Zhang@TMF-group.com Website: www.tmf-group.com CCTV Tower and Kerry Centre Suite 3107, Tower A Beijing Fortune Plaza,7 Dongsanhuan Zhong Road, Chaoyang District Tel: 65330533-860

FURNITURE Crossover Crossover Center Flagship Store, is mainly marketing international super home furnishing brand products.

Our agent brands include Poltrona Frau, Cassina, Fritz Hansen, Moroso, Cappellini, Timothy Oulton, Tom Dixon etc, over 20 international super home furnishing brands.

Our products are covered with all of fields in daily-life home furnishing, including furniture, furnishing, lighting, dinning, and office supplies etc.

Website: www.crossovercenter.com NO.81 North Road San-Li-Tun Bar St. Chao-

Rex Service Moving and Relocation Is a dedicated and professional removals company based in China, Established in 1995, which operates worldwide.

•Free of Charge Pre-Move Survey •Professional Packing Material •Professional Packing & Loading •Special Crating •Efficient Customs Clearance •Shipment Forwarding •Destination Delivery •Unpacking and Set-up •Transit Insurance for "All-Risks" •Global Network in more than 200 Countries As a respected member of global organisations such as the International Association of Movers (IAM), Fédération Internationale des Déménageurs Internationaux (FIDI) and Japan International Movers Association (JIMA), we have sought and established relationships with over 2000 companies from around the world which gives us successfully logistics network worldwide.

Contact us: Hotline: 400 8821 060 Tel: (86) 18222169211 E-mail: sales1@rexmovers.com; ew@ rexmovers.com Website: www.rexrelo.com

STORAGE China Self Storage Co. Ltd As a member of SSA and SSAUK, China Self Storage Co. Ltd. introduces an international industry standard to professionally developed Self Storage for private, family and business. Safe, clean, air-conditioned, 24h access, flexible size. To learn more, visit www.selfstorageinchina.com. To make a reservation, contact 400-600-6378 info@ selfstorageinchina.com.

Jin’an Building, Tianzhu Garden West Rd., Shunyi District, Beijing.

Koala Ministorage Koala Ministorage is the first professional self-storage provider in Beijing. To learn more, visit our website www.koalaministorage.com. To make a reservation, call us toll free at 400-017-8889, email us at questions@koalaministorage.com, or visit one of our stores.

REAL ESTATE AGENTS JOANNA REAL ESTATE RELOCATION SERVICE We are one of China’s leading real estate agencies boasting an extensive database of high-end properties for rent. We have helped thousands of expatriates find their homes as well as hundreds of companies re-locate their employees. Once we have found you your ideal home we will be on hand to deal with any post move issues and our dedicated after sales team will be contactable 7 days a week to help you with any queries you have throughout your stay in our country. > For more information please contact us: Email: paulquin@joannarealestate.com.cn Website: http:>beijing.joannarealestate. com.cn/ (Tel: 84585667 ; 13501358971) Replus-Benchmark “Replus-Benchmark” is one of the leading real estate agencies and relocation service provider for expatriates in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shenzhen.

• Residential Home Search Service • Visa Application • Commercial Office Space Search Service • Buying and Selling Property Service E-mail: marketing@replus-benchmark.com Website: www.replus-benchmark.com > A-1509,Xiaoyun Center, No.15 of Xiaoyun Road, Chaoyang District Beijing Tel: 84467119 Fax: 84467577 Silk Road Travel Management Ltd. Silk Road Travel is a pioneer in organizing Silk Road tours and other classic routes in China. Founded in 1997, we are specialized in tailor making travel packages that allow travellers to truly experience the local cultures and explore the amazing heritages. Whether you are a small group of 2-9 persons or a corporate group, our professional staff will tailor make the tour programme based on your needs.

Email: travel@the-silk-road.com www.the-silk-road.com TUI China An affiliate of World of TUI, the world’s leading tourism group, TUI China was established in late 2003 as the first joint venture with foreign majority share in the Chinese tourism industry. Its headquarters are in Beijing whilst its operations reach deep into the far corners of China. World of TUI generated approx.50,000 predominantly western tourists to China yearly and provides M.I.C.E services for renowned companies worldwide. > Add: Bright China Chang An Building, Tower 2, Unit 921-926, 7 Jianguomen Nei Avenue (Fax: +86 (0)10 6517 1371; Email: sales@tui. cn; Website: www.tui.cn; Tel: 8519 8800

CATERING SERVICES Aurora Catering An 100% authentic Italian experience whether tasting a mouthful Lasagna or a juicy Carpaccio. Our international team brings to you the authentic freshness and tidbit of an Italian Espresso or a homemade tastiness of a Mozzarella.

We offer a full range of catering and event planning services for all types of business and personal functions that are tailored for you. The best service, at your service.

Contact Jacopo Tomé at 137 1794 0458 jacopo.tome@gptinternational.com Zone de Comfort With our professional service, you can focus 100% on your event at Zone de Comfort, every single assignment is unique for us.

Our experience helps us understand your objectives with thorough planning, and of course, exquisite food with elegant presentation.

In the past 5 years, we have handled numerous catering projects covering diplomatic/business functions for embassies, high-end cocktail receptions for luxuries brands, automobiles and monthlong hospitality center services. Find out more from our Website: www.zdc-catering. com

W W W.T H AT S M A G S . C O M | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 6 | 7 9

A family

Thailand

Still Thailand (go scuba diving!)

Not really

Who are you traveling with?

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m looking forward to a break from all the stress

Vietnam

Myself

My love

My crew

by Noelle Mateer

Children

Cambodia

History

Indonesia

The Philippines

WHICH COUNTRY SHOULD YOU TRAVEL TO FOR GOLDEN WEEK?

A young professional

Hell yes

Does the idea of drinking out of a bucket appeal to you?

Semester abroad 2016!!

How serious are you?

A student

Who are you?

e re H t r a t S

Japan

Food

Singapore

City

Young adults

Russia

Early winters

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your family into?

Jeju Island, South Korea

Nature

Want to be in the city or in nature?

How old are the kids?

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

Corona Sunsets Sessions