That's Shenzhen - July 2017

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JULY 2017

城市漫步珠三角 英文版 7 月份 国内统一刊号: CN 11-5234/GO

that’s PRD 《城市漫步》珠江三角洲 英文月刊

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 : 北京西城月坛北街 26 号恒华国际商务中心南楼 11 层文化交流中心 11th Floor South Building, Henghua lnternational Business Center, 26 Yuetan North Street, Xicheng District, Beijing http://www.cicc.org.cn 总编辑 Editor in Chief of China Intercontinental Press: 慈爱民 Ci Aimin 期刊部负责人 Supervisor of Magazine Department: 邓锦辉 Deng Jinhui 编辑 : 梁健 发行 / 市场 : 黄静 李若琳 广告 : 林煜宸 Editor in Chief Jocelyn Richards Shenzhen Editor Sky Thomas Gidge Senior Digital Editor Matthew Bossons Shenzhen Digital Editor Bailey Hu Senior Staff Writer Tristin Zhang National Arts Editor Erica Martin Contributors Lachlan Cairns, Connor Frankhouser, Lena Gidwani, Mia Li, Noelle Mateer, Dominic Ngai, Betty Richardson, Angel Song, Dominique Wong, Allyn Zamora

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Distribution across the Pearl River Delta: 63,000 copies

Editor's Note

JULY 2017

Summer’s here, the air is sweet, and we’re bringing you relaxing beach reads about, er, pain… We’ve tackled some pretty heavy topics in the first half of this year, from the controversial Chinese hukou system and cetacean captivity on the mainland to the fall of urban villages. Our goal is always to draw attention to crucial issues that are unfolding right now in Chinese society. Or, in the case of this month’s cover story, that are right on the verge of becoming big.

Pain killers, particularly OxyContin, have for years been abused by no small number of US citizens (1.7 million in 2015), but what does that have to do with China?

As recently as February of this year, China expanded its list of Western medicines reimbursable by public health insurance schemes from 133 to 1,297, signaling a new era of more affordable Western medication and liberal prescription.

OxyContin, heralded as a “global bestseller” with few side effects in various medical training sessions on the mainland, already enjoys a 60 percent market share of cancer-related pain relief in China. And though China has long remained cautious about painkillers following its history with opium abuse, attitudes appear to be shifting in the country that stands to be one of the most lucrative markets for drug companies like Purdue Pharma, OxyContin’s manufacturer.

It’s not all gloom and doom, however, as we also introduce a myriad of alternative methods used to treat pain in the second half of the cover story, sharing words from experts in physical therapy, osteopathy, chiropractic and traditional Chinese medicine.

Turn to p40 to read the whole story.

If you prefer a lighter read, our photo essay on p16 featuring an entertaining narrative about sneaking into an abandoned amusement park in Guangzhou might be more your style. Or, everyone’s favorite Dear Jamie column on p52, where your sincere (though often comical) questions about life – especially life in China – are answered.

We all know Watsons and Evian are the priciest bottled water brands at 7-11, but just how much would the most luxurious water in the world set you back? Find out on p24, where our Shanghai-based editor-in-chief Dominic Ngai explores the work of a water sommelier (yes, that’s a thing).

In Arts, we’ve got the story behind Higher Brothers – a rising rap foursome from Chengdu who are all the rage overseas (and on YouTube), but not so much in China, so it’s okay if you haven’t heard of them yet (p36).

Finally, as always, our Eat and Drink section is packed with cool new eateries to check out this month, from La Medina and 13 Factories in Guangzhou to Minikor and Luxury bar in Shenzhen.

Here’s to enjoying a long, lazy, sizzling summer!

Cheers,

Jocelyn Richards Editor-in-Chief

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ThatsGuangzhou

ThatsShenzhen

Hourly updates on news, current affairs and general weirdness from around the PRD and China.

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40 COVER STORY

8 CITY

PAIN KILLERS

9 SOLE MAN

How OxyContin could trigger a second opioid epidemic in China.

Curbside cobbler.

12 AD NAUSEUM Are consumers buying Chinese advertising?

21 GRACE CHEN Designer and founder, Grace Chen.

22 TAP THAT APP Airmule.

32 ARTS

50 COMMUNITY

THE WRAP

20 LIFE & STYLE

72 EVENTS

SZ

33 TRANCE ENCOUNTER Our sober interview with Dutch DJ Jochen Miller.

JULY 8

36 HIGHER BROTHERS

Endless Summer Beach Party

On the brink of international stardom, Chengdu's rap foursome launches their debut album tour.

MO

60 EAT & DRINK 66 MINIKOR Mega fusion.

70 LUXURY Fancy without frills.

ONGOING Monkey King

HK

JUL 15-16 LKF Beer and Music Fest

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CITY On Dangerous Grounds

Inside Guangzhou’s deserted amusement park, p16

Instagram of the Month P10 8 | SZ | JULY 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM

Chinese Slang P11

MAN ON THE STREET

SOLE MAN Curbside Cobbler

Text and photo by Jocelyn Richards

“Y

our shoes don’t need mending,” a cobbler surnamed Hu says as he extends a stained cloth bag towards a woman who looks to be in her 70s.

“That strap here, see…” He pulls a plastic sandal from her bag. “It’s secure, don’t worry. I’m not going to charge you.” At those words, the woman’s pursed lips soften into a grin.

She chats with Hu for a few minutes until a young man arrives, demanding to see heels he dropped off the day before. “In that bag there,” Hu signals.

The young man lifts two nude stilettos and peers intently at the rubber tip on each heel. “Can you tell if they’re even?” He asks.

“I have no idea what I’m looking at. My girlfriend told me to make sure they are even.

But you think they are, right?”

In just 15 minutes, Hu has consoled four customers (they all seem to come with baggage other than shoes), fixed one pair of heels and entertained all of our questions.

His repair shop – a patch of concrete located halfway up a four-story public stairway in Taojin – feels more like a psychiatrist’s office, and it's not hard to see why. Hu’s presence is calming – even for us. It’s clearly one of the reasons he’s been able to maintain

the same business in the same location with (mostly) the same prices for the past eight years. Well that and the free rent. And his bro-like relationship with local chengguan.

Originally from Hunan, Hu admits he taught himself everything he knows (“there are no real techniques required in shoe repair”) and enjoys the job to the extent that it challenges him more than his previous work as a bao’an.

Fixing the tips on a pair of heels costs the same today (RMB8) as it did when he first began his business in 2009. Hu says cobblers down the street charge RMB15-20 for the same service, but they have rent to pay.

His daily income fluctuates between “less than RMB100” and “hundreds of renminbi,” due primarily to the randomness of shoe repair demand among his sizable pool of returning customers.

The work day begins when Hu sets up a massive beach umbrella on the pavement at 9am to block the elements until he departs at sundown – 7pm in the summertime. His seat is a concrete block that’s been shoved under a metal pipe. He keeps a pink plastic chair for his customers.

Though Hu’s service fees haven’t changed

much in eight years, he says the quality of shoes has: “you used to be able to wear shoes from your childhood. Now a pair only lasts one to two years.” It hasn’t noticeably affected his business, however, as the greater frequency of worn-out shoes compensates for the fact that half of Hu’s potential customers today prefer to just buy a new pair.

Shrugging off the particulars, Hu divulges what he likes most about his work. “I have more freedom with this job. I can do what I want. Not like other manual labor for migrants.”

“So you can take days off,” we observe.

“Oh no!” Hu erupts. “Then I wouldn’t make any money!”

THE DIRTY DETAILS

Monthly salary: RMB5,000 Days per week: 7

Hours per day: 10 You can find Hu halfway up the public stairway between 47 Taojin Bei Lu (淘金北路47号) and 11 Taojin Jie (淘金街11号) in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou

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THE BUZZ RANDOM NUMBER

1260

… is the number of meters per minute a new elevator in the 530-meter-tall Chow Tai Fook (CTF) Finance Center in downtown Guangzhou will be able to travel, winning it acclaim as the world’s fastest.

It joins five other elevators in Greater China on the world's top 10 list. The number two spot belongs to the Shanghai Tower, while third place is held by the Taipei 101 tower in Taiwan.

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CITY SNAPSHOT

Electric Sky Our Instagram photo of the month comes from Ana João, a freelance graphic designer who has lived in Guangzhou for over three years. She says: “I've recently got into astrophotography so I am familiar with night settings. When the I saw the intense storm outside, I decided to try my luck to see if I could get some lightning in the picture. This photo was taken in Panyu, across from Dashi bridge.

I stood by my window for a long time and took over 100 photos before I got this one right.”

Have photos of Guangdong? Tag #thatsprd on Instagram for a chance to be featured on our feed and in the magazine.

、

… is the age of one Shenzhen man trying to get lucky in Lianhuashan Park’s marriage market. Zhou Dehua, a divorcee with two children, says he hopes to find companionship in old age, someone special with whom he can start a business with and travel the world. Though marriage markets – or areas of public parks where singles post ads hoping to find a match – are popular in China, it’s uncommon to see listings for bachelors over the age of 50.

Still, with a house, car, shop of his own and plans to study English, Zhou seems to be quite the catch. Interested singles may find him lounging around Lianhuashan at this very moment.

BEHIND THE CONCRETE

China National GeneBank Situated on the foot of Guanyin Mountain in Dapeng New District, Shenzhen, the China National GeneBank (CNGB) is the largest gene bank of its kind in the world. The center is primarily used for preserving and managing genome data and biological samples, as well as carrying out research for hundreds of millions of genetic samples. It's also home to a cancer database with more than 3,000 samples.

Resembling a cruise ship and holding a massive library of animal, plant, microorganism and human body cell samples, the CNGB is often nicknamed ‘China’s Noah’s Ark’ by mainland media.

Prior to its opening in September 2016, the world’s largest gene banks were located in the US, Japan and Britain.

“We hope to make the gene bank China’s – and even the world’s – largest biological information data center, like Google but in the field of life and health data,” Director Mei Yonghong is quoted as saying.

Though you’d be hardpressed to score an inside tour, the exterior architecture (viewable from Jinsha Lu) is just as stunning.

Jinsha Lu, Dapeng New District, Shenzhen 深圳市大鹏新区金沙路

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E D I T O R . P R D @ U R B A N A T O M Y. C O M

Jianpanxia / jìanpánxiá / 键盘侠 n. those who think they are getting justice served by commenting on social media That school of migrant workers’ children is closing down due to lack of funding.

But my timeline is flooded with hundreds of people calling it a grave injustice.

Yeah but they are all jianpanxia and will never do anything in real life to help the school.

All that indignation for nothing.

The world is an unequal place filled with injustices. Kids get bullied in schools and abused at home; workers get exploited in factories and office buildings. We all want to help, but the cost of helping is high, especially in China. The bullies might turn on you when you try to stop them; corporations might fire you or sue you if you speak out. Or maybe there are no consequences, but you simply don’t want to exert any effort. Is there an option where even the laziest, the most selfish, timid and cowardly people can feel like they are getting justice served?

Yes and that is being a jianpanxia, or a keyboard hero, who types furiously on a laptop and posts comments on social media like: “Shame on fast fashion brands that exploit underage workers!” and “More must be done to make education more affordable!” and “Sharing is caring!”

They do so till their fingers hurt from all the noble and righteous typing and clicking before they go to bed knowing that justice was served for another day, only to realize the next day that little has changed, thus prompting more furious commenting and sharing the following night. Such is the perpetual cycle of a jianpanxia’s life.

They do so much online with their fingers that they never have time to lift one of them to help the neighbor’s kids with their homework, or dial the phone to call the local police to fix a traffic light. Yet they consider themselves heroes for their heightened sense of justice.

The most remarkable thing about jianpanxia is that they seem to have two personalities, depending on whether they are with or without a keyboard. With a keyboard, they are capable of crusading with strong language and an impressive amount of bravado. Take their keyboard away, and they immediately become quiet and obedient. This leads to only one logical conclusion: that the source of their superpowers must be the keyboard, hence the name.

They work tirelessly to fill your Facebook and WeChat every day. They are quick to point out others’ mistakes in comments, although they don’t support any causes in real life. They can bully someone online mercilessly while hiding behind anonymity.

They may never be the center of attention in real life, but once behind a keyboard, they can become all-powerful, almighty jianpanxia. Mia Li

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CIT Y | F E AT URE

Chinese brands are spending unprecedented amounts of money on advertising. But, asks Dominique Wong, are consumers buying it?

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F E AT URE | CIT Y

“We need to respect what works here and limit comparisons to what works in the West. China’s history and heritage play a strong role in communication”

“MISTER BROW: BEST EYEBROW SHAPING! COME INSIDE NOW!!” The sound of an eyebrow salon aurally assaulting passersby is heard daily in Sanlitun.

One of the more basic – and pervasive – forms of advertising in China, the speaker-shout is unrelenting. And if it’s not disembodied voices, it’s voices screaming from televisions inside and outside elevators, or images flickering on screens inside taxis and buses. Or posters plastered across bus stops and subway stations, and inside subway cars themselves. And don’t forget the mobile phone pop-ups.

Put simply, advertising is everywhere in China and it’s unlikely to let up anytime soon. While spending on advertising is set to fall globally, forecasts predict that total media expenditures in China will grow 7.8 percent to RMB581 billion this year, according to a recent report by media investment company GroupM. In the US meanwhile, the growth rate for ad sales in 2017 was predicted to slow to 1.8 percent, reported CNBC last year.

People in China are thirsty for information, says corporate marketing consultant Roohi Hamlani. Having worked in the Middle East, Africa, North America and, most recently, China, Hamlani sees the market here as “highly advanced, in some respects. Marketing and advertising appears fastpaced; content is abundant.”

The way such content is presented can overwhelm, Hamlani admits. “[The] aesthetic can feel relatively ‘busy’ and basic,” she says. “However, I interpret it as reflecting the pace [of] the country’s development and need for having the latest information in a rapidly changing environment.”

But, ubiquity aside, is the advertising effective?

Two advertisements went viral in China last year for very different reasons. One, an ad for Chinese detergent brand Qiaobi, depicted a black man who transformed into a pale-skinned Chinese man after being ‘washed.’ The other, an ad by Japanese skincare brand SK-II, tackled the social issue and stigma of being a ‘left-over woman’ (a derogatory term that generally refers to an unmarried woman over the age of 27).

Commenters on Weibo expressed their horror at the racist Qiaobi ad and accused the Chinese company of plagiarizing an earlier Italian ad, which also used the ‘blackturns-white’ trope. Meanwhile, the ‘left-over women’ ad was praised for its sensitivity and watched over 10 million times within ten days of its premiere, according to Chinese news blog What’s On Weibo.

The contrast couldn’t be clearer: The latter, a conversation-starter, the former a brand-killer. (Qiaobi took down the commercial and apologized via its official Weibo account for causing offence.)

SK-II’s video, part of its worldwide ‘Change Destiny’ campaign, was an exceptional hit, unique in its astute use of social messaging. But more often than not, brands in China rely on a few tried-and-tested strategies, such as celebrity endorsements, patriotism and cultural traditions.

For example, racism crosses a clear line for most observers, yet Qiaobi was, in its own (racist) way, simply reiterating a commonly accepted beauty ideal in China. That is: pale skin is best. Cultural differences must be navigated carefully, says Hamlani: “We need to respect what works here and limit comparisons to what works in the West. My impression is that China’s history and heritage will continue to play a strong role in communication.”

Not everyone in the industry is content with the state of advertising in China. Over tea one evening, former ad

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CIT Y | F E AT URE

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“Marketing departments, PR agencies and advertising companies are sensitive to price and time. It’s very, very rare that you find a client who cares about art and aesthetic”

PHOTO BY VICTOR LIU

producer Zhu Xing* and ad design studio owner Ma Yun* express their frustration with China’s advertising scene.

The creativity problem is an institutional one, Zhu says.

“I’m often told by [PR] agencies: ‘This is what the client wants and what the client agrees on, just follow what they want.’

“Marketing departments, PR agencies and advertising companies are sensitive to price and time. It’s like: ‘Give me this tomorrow, don’t be creative,’" Zhu laments. “It’s very, very rare that you find a client who cares about art and aesthetic.”

But aren’t price and time sensitivities industry concerns everywhere?

“I think it’s a China issue, because if you look at the consumer market, it’s the same,” Zhu counters. “The thing people care most about is price and availability. If they want it, they have to get it right away.”

Studio owner Ma agrees, highlighting the differences between the industry in China and other Asian markets.

“Japan, Korea and even Thailand are doing a better job because they have interesting ideas, at least,” she says. “[My studio] serves some big companies but it’s always through a famous agency – we can’t get the job directly. Some Japanese studios work with famous international companies [directly] but here it’s difficult.”

Thai ads are often narrative-heavy and have garnered their own following in China (Weibo accounts are dedicated to sharing them online). The same cannot be said for Chinese ads. Many brands rely on the formula: celebrity + product = ad. Customers face an overwhelming amount of information, and celebrity endorsement is supposed to make it easier for consumers to make choices. Yet the recipe is rather stale.

Celebrity endorsement in China is a free-for-all.

Seemingly every second ad, whether it’s for a smartphone or instant noodles, uses the gimmick – though feedback varies. Male singer Jiro Wang’s promotion of Freemore sanitary pads drew particular ridicule. And actors Gong Li and Fan Bingbing were left red-faced after a diet pill they endorsed, Qumei, was found to contain a chemical that can increase the risk of heart disease.

In light of these embarrassments, China’s Advertising Law was amended in 2015 to include tighter regulations on celebrity endorsement. Now, an advertising spokesperson can only recommend a product or service if they have personally used it. Those flaunting the regulations risk having their endorsement fees confiscated and penalties imposed.

A quick look at the countless celebrity endorsed advertisements splashed around the city suggests the amendment hasn’t had much effect. Does Angelababy really use Crest toothpaste? Is Chinese singer Xue ‘Joker’ Zhiqian a hardcore KFC-lover?

And, despite the change in regulations, men are still fronting for cosmetic brands. Pop idol – and prolific celebrity endorser – Lu Han endorses make-up brand L’Oreal, while teenage boyband TFBoys are spokesmen for the Chinese cosmetics brand Chando (whose current campaign sees the boys promoting a face ‘brightening’ cream).

Celebrity endorsements are used to establish trust between the brand and consumer, Zhu says. “Chando is a Chinese brand. People question China-made brands, but if you have the resources and money to have TFBoys endorse you, it makes the audience feel like you’re a well-known [brand].”

F E AT URE | CIT Y

Negative opinion towards domestic brands forces companies to reevaluate their image – something that even the government and state media support. In April, China’s State Council named May 10 ‘Chinese Brands Day.’ (According to industry commentators, this was due to a speech made by Xi Jinping in 2014, where he called for Chinese ‘products’ to advance to ‘brands.’) And on World Consumer Rights Day, March 15, CCTV hosts a special annual show, criticizing brands for their ‘misleading’ advertisements. Past ‘name and shames’ have included Muji, Nike and Apple.

According to Hamlani: “Consumers are getting harder on brands and companies, especially when it comes to doing the right thing.” Yet, cynical viewers are quick to point out that the gala appears to mainly target international brands – coincidence or conspiracy?

After all, there’s money to be made – and Chinese brands want a piece of it. A report by the Boston Consulting Group states that China’s consumer economy is expected to increase by around half, to USD6 trillion by 2020.

The ad battle is increasingly being fought in digital arenas. China’s online advertising market reached almost RMB300 billion in 2016, making up 68 percent of the country’s five key advertising media revenues (digital, TV, outof-home, print and radio). For comparison, only a quarter of advertising expenditure went towards TV spots, according to China Internet Watch.

This bodes well for advertisers in China, as Hamlani notes: “Technology in China is highly progressive and makes what’s available and the speed of it feel light-years ahead in comparison [to the West]. WeChat, Taobao and Weibo are far more advanced. And this means marketing and advertising here have to keep up too.”

“Keeping up” includes shifting expenditure from purely advertising to marketing and PR, according to Shanghai PR agency Reuter Communications’ director Chloe Reuter. “[Brands] must transform themselves to stay connected to their socially savvy audiences,” the Shanghai-based marketer says.

The key, Reuter says, is having an integrated marketing strategy. “You need to be working with media and social influencers, and creating compelling content to amplify your message – with the end game to be driving commerce.”

Essential as marketing and PR may be, advertising remains a necessary part of business. Just ask smartphone maker Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun who once infamously declared, “we don’t waste our money on advertising” – before spending millions on advertising the Xiaomi 6 phone following a 36 percent decrease in sales last year.

Posters line the city declaring that the Xiaomi 6’s camera zoom “takes the most beautiful photos.” The company spent RMB1.4 million sponsoring the popular TV show U Can U Bibi. Multiple celebrities now endorse the brand.

The company’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. Even video producer Zhu is effusive: “A few days ago I saw a new ad for the next gen Xiaomi phone and thought it was nice.

It’s a video commercial, so there’s a lot of sound. The screen is blank and then you hear the [sound of the] ocean. “...And then you see the phone.”

PHOTO BY VICTOR LIU

* Names have been changed

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CI T Y | P HO T O E S S AY

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P HO T O E S S AY | CI T Y

We Snuck Inside Guangzhou’s Abandoned Amusement Park

By Tristin Zhang

INTO THE

WILD

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CI T Y | P HO T O E S S AY

T

he moment the guard laid his vicious eyes on us, we knew the jig was up and a hefty fine was about to be demanded.

It was a sizzling afternoon in late May, and there we were in remote Huangcun, a Guangzhou suburb, sitting on roadside chairs outside a shabby convenience store sipping jinjiu and coke.

We had just undertaken the one-hour commute to the Huangcun Metro Station and a half-hour of walking and fence-jumping through the enormous Guangdong Olympic Stadium to make it to the gate of what was once Guangzhou’s biggest amusement park: Grand World Scenic Park.

A week earlier, it was just an abandoned amusement park we’d read about in an old news report. On that sunny afternoon, however, after a bit of Gollum-esque sneaking, we found ourselves inside.

Guangdong saw a boom in amusement parks in the early 1990s. In the wake of the roaring success of Shenzhen’s Window of the World, Grand World Scenic Park, occupying an area of about 48 square kilometers and costing somewhere in the neighborhood of RMB600 million to construct, opened its gates in 1995. Hundreds of thousands of visitors came every month.

Billing itself as a ‘world-themed’ amusement park, its grounds are dotted with landmarks from around the world – some of them reportedly the same size as the originals.

A Guangzhou Daily article published in August 2009 reported monthly ticketing contributed to an approximate income of RMB30 million for the amusement park in 1996.

But just a year later, it saw a significant decline in profits and the company behind Grand World Scenic Park sunk into a morass of debt.

Confrontation began in 2005 when its creditor asked for an auction of the land, only to be refused by the amusement park. In 2009, part of the amusement park was set ablaze as a mob of 40 men rioted, armed with broadswords, harpoons and guns, according to a Guangzhou Daily report.

Despite the storied history, when we arrived at the park’s main gate, there were no signs marking the entrance, only a metal replica of the ram statue in Guangzhou’s Yuexiu Park sitting on a rusty globe.

The now-defunct park no longer allows visitors but is rented out to a private wedding photography studio.

So, there we were, a party of three, being stopped at the entrance by a sturdy man who refused to ‘sell tickets.’ So we improvised.

Following the long fence around the outside of the park,

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P HO T O E S S AY | CI T Y

we found a place where other miscreants had apparently cut a hole (because, you know, we aren’t that shady).

Inside, we were greeted by a rotted wooden house with a floor covered in broken glass, while across the road a couple in full wedding regalia posed for photos.

Avoiding eye contact and attempting to look like we had just as much right to be there as them, we strolled by, coming on the bleak sight of unkempt Buddha statues and a rotting Thai-style structure.

Twigs have grown into the glassless windows, and a moss-like layer of vegetation now covers most statues.

For 20 minutes, we stealthily photographed and videotaped ramshackle Thai houses, a weathered Buddhist temple and wrecked Arabic theaters.

Security staff use electric carts to patrol a paved

path that leads to an imitation Greek theater, the Palais Garnier, an aerospace theme park and a quirky selection of other architectural knockoffs.

It was precisely one of these guards who eventually pulled over and ‘invited’ us to take a ride out of the park in a golf cart. Busted.

According to various online sources, previous interlopers have faced fines up to RMB500 – but we were more concerned with facing the burly guard we’d attempted to buy entry from earlier.

Fortunately, when we exited the park, he was too occupied with his phone to see us.

Scan the QR code here to watch a video recap of our adventure.

WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | JULY 2017 | SZ | 19

LIFE

P HO T O E S S AY | CI T Y

CI T Y | P HO T O E S S AY

&

STYLE Precious Sips

Drinking with China's master water sommelier, p24

Weekend Getaway P23 2 0 | | SSZZ | | J JUULLYY 22001 177 | | WWWWWW. .TTHHAATTSSMMAAGGSS. .CCOOMM

Street Style P28

SPOTLIGHT

GRACE CHEN Designer and Founder, Grace Chen Interview by Dominic Ngai

Oprah Winfrey, Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Mirren are just some of the famous Hollywood stars that Beijing-born couturier Grace Chen created red carpet looks for while she was working in the US. Chen, who was the first mainland Chinese graduate of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, returned to Shanghai in 2009 to start her own eponymous label of couture dresses. Sitting down with us in her gorgeous villa-showroom, Chen tells us about the philosophy behind her brand, the differences between her Chinese and American customers, and why she’d like to create a dress for the new First Lady of France, Brigitte Macron.

You worked as a fashion designer in the US before returning to Shanghai to start your own couture label, Grace Chen. Why did you decide to do that?

Just like many others, I’d always wanted to have my own label ever since I became a designer. The reason why I started it in Shanghai is because I wanted to build a brand that’s from China – it’s more meaningful for me.

What does your brand stand for?

There are two important purposes that I’d like to achieve with my brand and design.

One is to make the world understand more about Chinese culture, arts and our sense of style and fashion. Secondly, I think Chinese women are very beautiful and intelligent, but due to many reasons, many people don’t think we’re very fashionable. Sometimes what these women are wearing doesn’t bring out their character. I want my dresses to show how great they really are.

How would you describe your style of dresses?

My style is timeless; I don’t follow any trends.

It’s fundamentally artistic, and very universal.

My inspirations come from anything that moves me: a book, a movie, things like that.

The concepts of my collections all stem from an abstract idea. I don’t usually start off with a color, a texture or a fabric in mind.

What’s the most difficult part about establishing your own brand in China?

The most difficult part is how to build up a healthy business and customer base. You

“China is the true market for luxury and couture” must have a sustainable, steady [revenue stream] to survive. I’ve been in the business in the US for a long time, not just as a designer, but I was also the general manager of the brand I used to work for. Oftentimes, the media and other players in the industry just focus on how many awards a brand has won, how many times they’ve been featured or whatever, but they don’t really care about how healthy the business is.

How different is the process for designing ready-to-wear evening gowns versus couture?

Very different. For couture, you know who the customer is and you work with them directly to create the dress. You know how it looks on her and what she thinks about it. In a way, it’s actually easier because of this, but of course, it requires much higher precision and is more technically demanding. Ready-to-wear dresses are displayed and sold at a store.

When you’re designing, you’re imagining who your customers are, but you don’t really know them.

Are there differences in what Chinese and American women prefer in terms of style?

You’d think they’re very different, but it’s actually not. Besides physical traits like body types and skin color, their concerns are the same. They all want their bodies to look better – smaller waist, longer legs, etc. Most importantly, all of my customers are going for

an understated style. It’s all about the subtlety and elegance; they all want to be beautiful, attractive and respected.

Is it easier to work with Chinese or American customers?

I think women in general are difficult customers [to win over], especially for fashion items.

Clothing is so personal; it’s like an extension of the person and it’s attached to your spirit.

But once you you’re able to win their hearts, it gets easier and easier.

Is there someone that you haven’t worked with but would love to?

There are so many… I’d love to make something for Brigitte Macron, the new First Lady of France. I like her a lot. In general, I’m more drawn to women with a sense of elegance and their own style, instead of the conventional pretty face.

How high is the level of appreciation for couture dresses in China?

Chinese people are very used to having very fine, nicely made objects in our lives. We have a long history of craftsmanship and it’s the best in the world. In our blood, we appreciate these types of luxury… I think China is the true market for luxury and couture.

Learn more about Grace Chen at www.gracechenstyle.com

WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | JULY 2017 | SZ | 21

STYLE RADAR TAP THAT APP

Airmule Flying to and from China just got significantly cheaper. We’re talking USD199-400 for roundtrip airfare between China and the US on major commercial airlines. And yes, it’s legal.

Thanks to Airmule, a new web app built in Los Angeles that launched this past March, travelers can now sell their luggage space to certified shipping companies for cash.

It works like this: list your flight info on airmule.com (or opt to book a flight directly through the site) and if there’s a demand for a courier on those flights, you may choose to sell one or both of your allocated spaces for checked bags, earning USD150 per bag.

Sell both of your luggage spaces flying to and from your destination and you will earn up to USD600 total.

Cofounded by Rory Felton and Sean Yang in late 2015, Airmule is currently available for anyone flying out of Beijing or Shanghai to the US or vice versa. In the near future, the service will expand to include Guangzhou and Shenzhen, as well as more cities worldwide.

“Our mission as a company is to be global, so within a short period of time we hope to be servicing many countries all over the world,” Felton told us over a WeChat call.

Airmule lets travelers act as couriers on behalf of TSA certified shippers, which have actually been transporting goods on commercial airlines for years – this is nothing new.

The experience for travelers is a breeze: prepackaged, inspected luggage is handed to you at the airport and is 100-percent guaranteed safe for travel. When you arrive at your destination, a shipping representative will meet you at the airport to receive the luggage. And that’s it! You’ll find a chunk of money deposited into your bank account within 24-48 hours of completing the trip.

Sound pretty awesome? Try it out at airmule.com.

22 | SZ | JULY 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM

COVET

RAINS x DOE For China residents, summertime usually means saying hello to weirdly named tropical storm systems and this collaboration between Shanghai streetwear brand DOE and Danish rainwear label RAINS couldn’t have come at a better time. Consisting of a parka (RMB799), boonie hat (RMB249) and gymsack (RMB299), this three-piece collection uses dark gray as its color theme, and is made with an ultra-light and waterproof material, which is perfect for defying humidity and the gloomy and rainy days ahead. Available on DOE’s website and in stores.

www.doeshanghai.com

INSPECT-A-GADGET

i-Lit Color-Changing Lamp and Speaker It doesn’t pack the ‘space-transforming’ wattage of the colorshifting Phillips Hue and it also doesn't bear the RMB450 price tag for a single bulb. Yet the i-Lit avoids being the ‘poor man’s’ version by sporting a respectable Bluetooth speaker, sturdy design and a ‘whoa’-moment feature.

You don’t need to use i-Lit’s app to adjust its color, but we would recommend it. At the swipe of a finger on your phone screen, the palm-sized bulb shifts across the RGB spectrum. Flickering a warm orange, the ‘candle mode’ allows you to turn it off by physically blowing on the lamp.

The speaker packs a surprising amount of bass and a micro SD card slot allows the i-Lit a music library of its own, with volume and brightness adjusted by twisting the light at the top, which has a solid feel as it gives off a clicking sound.

For everything the i-Lit gets right, it gets one thing wrong: a ‘party mode’ that

sees the light shift colors and flash with music playing. Let’s be honest, this gadget will never keep a party bumping.

After reviewing so many products with clunky apps, we expected an equally bloated piece of software from i-Lit. Instead, the app downloads in seconds and skips the nonsense features to focus on what counts: straightforward controls for music, color and alarm.

The i-Lit only has an Apple app, leaving Android users in the dark – for now.

RMB299 on ideadot.taobao.com

E D I T O R . P R D @ U R B A N A T O M Y. C O M

DAYTRIPPER

Meilin Greenway and Mountain

M

eilin, meaning ‘plum forest,’ is full of activities for the outdoorsy. Even better, it’s within Shenzhen’s city limits, meaning residents can skip the hours-long bus ride to hike a mountain in a remote locale.

Arriving in Meilin, visitors from the city center can instantly detect a difference in their surroundings. Buildings are shorter, with more space in between them. Sidewalks seem more spacious, traffic less hectic.

The area isn’t lacking in shared bikes, though, which makes it simple to grab a set of wheels and ride or walk up to the 4.6-kilometer-long Meilin greenway.

The cyclist and pedestrian path passes by the Meilin reservoir, offering particularly picturesque views. Although we’re told it’s just a 10-minute ride to the reservoir from the greenway’s eastern end, it feels longer because of an uphill incline.

Once we turn off towards the dam, though, gravity begins working in our favor.

We’re speeding along by the time we spot the walkway that spans one end of the reservoir.

Here, the view over the smooth expanse of water is bordered by a long, imitation-granite slab featuring what seem to be inspirational quotes from past centuries.

It’s possible to go back up the slope and continue on the greenway, but instead we opt to take the exhilarating ride downhill and to the west, where there are two entrances to Meilin Mountain Park.

The mountain presents us with a moderate challenge, though not for the reasons you might expect.

From the eastern side to the highest point, Meiyu Pavilion, it’s a leisurely twohour trek. So leisurely, in fact, we spot men napping in hammocks along the way.

Then it’s a sometimes steep, hour-long descent to the Qiaoxiang entrance.

But compared to the slope, the path proves to be a bigger problem. A couple areas were apparently hit by minor landslides, and we’re forced to search for our own footholds.

At other points, ongoing construction projects – such as a blocked-off section where a

How to get there: High-speed trains between Guangzhou South and Futian Station take less than an hour. To reach the eastern end of Meilin greenway, take the subway to Meicun Station, Line 9, and head West on Meilin Lu. Turn right on Meibei Lu, then right on Meibei San Lu. Head left on Erxian Gong Lu. To enter Meilin Mountain Park from the East, take the subway to Meijing Station, Line 9. Take Xiameilin Yi Jie, then turn right onto Xiameilin Er Jie. Take the first left after passing Songde Guoji building, and follow the walkway up to the entrance. To enter from the West, take the subway to Qiaoxiang Station, Line 2, then head Northwest up Antuoshan Qi Lu. Make a right and take the first pedestrian bridge, which will bring you to the entrance.

transmission tower was built directly onto the path – necessitate detours.

But the views more than make up for it.

Throughout the hike, skyscrapers peek tantalizingly through gaps in the trees. At the top of the Meiyu Pavilion, we finally find a full panorama of unobstructed views. On one side, a series of rolling green slopes; on the other, the sprawling mass of Shenzhen’s central districts, with more mountains receding into the distance.

The sight stays with us long after we’ve climbed down and made our way back home, a reminder that, despite the aches and mosquito bites, it was well worth the trip. BH

Meilin Mountain Park (East entrance), behind Meilin Yi Village, Futian District, Shenzhen 深圳市福田区梅林一村后山 Meilin Greenway (East end), Western side of Mei’ao Ba Lu, Futian District, Shenzhen 深圳市福田区梅坳八路西侧

WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | JULY 2017 | SZ | 23

LIFE & ST YLE | F E AT URE

PRECIOUS SIPS A Tasting Session with a Water Sommelier

M

y conversation with John Zhu is peppered with terms that I abandoned back in high school chemistry class: calcium, magnesium and sodium, total dissolved solids, minerality and pH levels.

Test tubes, beakers and Bunsen burners, however, are nowhere to be found. Instead, Zhu and I are sitting at a dining table with a white tablecloth, expensive silverware and place settings, as lush jazz music plays in the background at the Park Hyatt Shanghai’s Dining Room restaurant, 87 floors above ground. And, Zhu isn’t a science teacher. He’s one of China’s few certified master water sommeliers, and tasting water from around the world is his full-time job.

The Australian-Chinese sommelier, who has been involved in luxury water for almost a decade, is also the founder and CEO of Purelogica, an importer and distributor for luxury water brands in the Greater China region. Besides Park Hyatt Shanghai, several other luxury hotels such as the Aman Summer Palace Beijing, Ritz-Carlton Beijing, St Regis Tianjin and Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund are also using its luxury water collection with bottles from Norway, Greenland, Slovenia, Canada, Chile and the UK. 24 | SZ | JULY 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM

BY DOMINIC NGAI

Water sommelier is a relatively rare profession; there are just a few countries around the world that offer professional training programs to learn the trade. Zhu, who received his certification from the Korean International Sommelier Association (KISA), established the Purelogica Academy in 2016.

Designed in conjunction with KISA, this program provides water knowledge and practical training for frontline staff in some of the country’s most luxurious hotel restaurants. In the last year alone, 69 students in China have received the entry-level water sommelier certificate.

Zhu explains, “[Being a] water sommelier isn’t just about water; it’s about how well you can use water, and your fundamental knowledge about water, and applying it to making tea and coffee, as well as wine and food pairing. This is the job of a water sommelier.”

WATER ECONOMICS In front of us are five bottles of luxury water that Zhu supplies to the hotel, and the prices range from RMB118-385 per bottle.

“The most expensive bottle in our portfolio is actually the Iluliaq ‘iceberg water’ from Greenland; it’s RMB1,500 a bottle,” Zhu explains.

“The water is hand-harvested by locals who travel by fishing boats to glaciers where they would collect small chunks of ice that have fallen into the ocean. Upon return, they’d shave off the surface, allow the ice to melt in room temperature and collect the water. These icebergs have been around since the Ice Age and have never melted until now, so you’re actually tasting water from 100,000 years ago.”

According to Zhu, while mass-market high-end water brands such as Fiji, San Pellegrino and Evian extract their water from natural sources, they also have facilities equipped with packaging and filtration systems to ensure the chemical, mineral, and bacteria level stay consistent in each bottle. Though this filtration process makes the water much safer to drink, it also affects the

F E AT URE | LIFE & ST YLE

natural taste of the water to a certain extent, whereas many bottles in the Purelogica collection are bottled at the source. This sheds light on one of the most common questions that water sommeliers around the world get asked: “What makes luxury water so expensive?”

The answer is simple, according to Zhu. “It’s because of the production volume. Every year, these producers only bottle a small quantity to minimize damage to the source’s natural habitat. As a result, we cannot achieve economies of scale like mass-market commercial brands. Also, these places are isolated from human activity, and that leads to expensive logistical costs.”

Adding to the equation, the water brands in Zhu’s collection are packaged in bottles created by award-winning design firms and are specially produced by an Austrian manufacturer.

A recent report by EMKT.com.cn (a Shenzhen-based market research firm affiliated with McKinsey) states that the sales for premium bottled water (including domestic and imported brands) in China hovers at around RMB10 billion per year as of early 2017, and this, according to Zhu, is only a small fraction of the global market.

If you look at the general bottled water market, China has for the past few years surpassed the US as the world’s largest consumer by volume, increasing from 19 billion liters to 37 billion liters between 2010 and 2015, according to consultancy firm Zenith.

Zhu is optimistic about growth potential within the luxury segment of the market, citing Nongfu Spring’s newly launched high-end product line to illustrate his point. He notes, “It shows that there’s a demand for higher quality water among Chinese consumers.”

Days after our meeting with Zhu, CocaCola introduced Valser, a premium Swiss sparkling water label, on e-commerce platform Tmall. At the time of writing, two 750ml bottles cost a whopping RMB98. It looks like commercial giants share Zhu’s confidence in the market, but can consumers taste the difference?

H2O TASTING 101

Water sommeliers meet skepticism about their line of profession all the time, and some even say the job is a marketing gimmick.

“People always ask me, ‘Doesn’t all water taste the same?’” A short version of his answer to this question is ‘no,’ and Zhu says he usually conducts a water tasting session to prove his point. “It’s pure geology,” he adds.

Much like wine and coffee, the taste of the water is affected by the origin of its source and the surrounding geological formation. This is an integral part of a water

“The most expensive bottle is the ‘iceberg water’ from Greenland; it’s RMB1,500 a bottle... you’re actually tasting water from 100,000 years ago”

sommelier’s basic knowledge. Water from Western and Central Europe is high in minerals, while those extracted from Latin America, South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand have relatively low minerality as the rock formations are much more solid and the chemical elements don’t dissolve easily into the water.

“Basically, if the level of total dissolved solids (TDS, a measurement of minerality in water) is low, the water is very crisp and pure. As the TDS level rises, minerals add taste and character to the water,” Zhu explains, while opening a bottle labeled ROI. It’s a rare naturally carbonated water from Slovenia, a country known for its thermal spas with water containing high levels of magnesium and calcium – an all-natural muscle relaxer.

Surprisingly, the water comes with a sharp, almost citrusy flavor that resembles an unsweetened version of a classic preserved lemon and 7-Up drink popular in Hong Kong diners. What I’m tasting, according to Zhu, is magnesium. “If the water contains high levels of magnesium, it has a metallic taste,” Zhu tells me as I try to decipher that oddly familiar flavor. “It actually goes quite well with freshly shucked oysters.”

With its pH level of 6.7, when you mix this Slovenian magnesium-rich water with the seawater in the oysters (where the pH level is as high as 11 or 12), it actually neutralizes the saltiness and bitterness and makes the oyster sweeter. “In fine dining, the aim is to achieve a balance in flavor. Water can be used as a ‘counterbalance agent,’ according to their TDS levels and chemical compounds.”

When water is rich in calcium – such as those produced under the Elsenham label from a confined chalk aquifer in the UK – it has a slightly sweet taste and a thicker ‘texture’ that is best paired with savory items like cured meat and roast pork. “It’s almost like milk that has been filtered multiple times,” Zhu explains while I take a sip. I can’t detect the sweetness, though the creamy mouth-feel

is immediately noticeable.

For desserts made with dark chocolate, a pairing with high-sodium water such as the Canadian gold-filtered mineral water, Gize, can bring hidden sweetness to the surface.

When compared with Elsenham, Gize is much lighter in texture and a touch saltier too.

The level of carbonation also has to be taken into consideration when you pair water with wine. “We don’t want to have bubbles that are ‘too big’ or ‘too loud’ because they can numb your palate. Smaller bubbles can stimulate your taste buds and make them more sensitive for the next wine or dish.”

While every sommelier around the world has his or her own way to conduct a tasting, he tells me that the compare and contrast method he uses is usually the standard approach. “What’s your favorite?” he asks. I’m surprised at how quickly I’m able to choose one – the Slovenian bottle, mainly because of its distinct flavor. Perhaps the gimmicky façade is a way for water sommeliers like Zhu to show people how interesting water is.

DRINK RESPONSIBLY

Raising awareness about the importance of protecting water sources is something that Zhu also hopes to achieve with his Purelogica Academy. He sees his collection of luxury water as an important tool to educate not just the folks within the F&B industry, but also the general public, about the issue.

“I want people to have the fundamental understanding that waters from different places DO taste differently… Water is a precious commodity and we shouldn’t waste it. One day, clean drinking water will become very expensive as sources dwindle down.”

WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | JULY 2017 | SZ | 25

LIFE & STYLE | FASHION

SHORTS FOR ALL Time to Show Off Dem Legs Compiled by Dominic Ngai

Shorts are an essential part of your summer look. Whether it’s a fancy Sunday brunch, a workout class at the gym or just some good oldfashioned day drinking with friends, there’s a pair for every occasion.

Dress up with a button-down shirt with leather loafers, or go casual with a simple tee and white sneakers. The possibilities are endless.

Here are our picks from some of our favorite brands.

45rpm, RMB2,300 45rpm.jp

For Her

H&M, RMB199 hm.com

Under Armour, RMB749 underarmour.cn

Beams, RMB1,000 beams.co.jp

H&M, RMB249 hm.com

For Him 45rpm, RMB2,500 45rpm.jp

Beams, RMB520 beams.co.jp

Nike, RMB499 nike.com

26 | SZ | JULY 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM

LIFE & STYLE | STREE T ST YLE

PRD Wearabouts Each month, we scour the streets of Shenzhen and Guangzhou to find some of the most stylish people in town and see what they’re wearing.

Photos by Angel Song and Tristin Zhang

Yuzuki

Ashanti

Xun

Top: DavidCD Watch: Rolex Shorts: Nike RT Shoes: Nike x Supreme

Top: R3D Shorts: H&M Headphones: LG Glasses: Random store on Beijing Lu Shoes: the market outside of Guangzhou Railway Station

Bag: Fjallraven Shirt and pants: Zara Shoes: Teenmix Watch: Kate Spade

GUANGZHOU

28 | SZ | JULY 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM

GUANGZHOU

STREE T ST YLE | LIFE & STYLE

Damon

Cash

Waistcoat: Initial

Shirt and pants: Jieor

T-shirt and shorts: Jieor

Shoes: Stan Smith, Adidas Originals Necklace: 1016

Shoes: Nike Air Footscape Watch: Seiko Bracelet: 1016

SHENZHEN

SHENZHEN

SHENZHEN

WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | JULY 2017 | SZ | 29

LIFE & STYLE | COOL SHOP

ISABELLA LIFESTYLE

The Brand with a Mission to Better China By ByJocelyn JocelynRichards Richards

“I

n the last 30 years, China has gained a lot. But I believe it has lost even more… and now it’s time to collect the pieces.”

In a society grappling with problems of superficiality and fake goods, Isabella Zhai – founder of Isabella Lifestyle brand based in Foshan – says she is determined to give consumers another option: quality.

“If we can’t do something with care, we might as well not do it,” she explains. That approach weaves throughout her entire three-part experience shop in Foshan, which functions as a designer clothing boutique, hair salon and cafe.

Starting as an upscale international buyer store four years ago, Isabella Lifestyle expanded its 'lifestyle' concept in 2015 to include the latter two components, which now comprise BELLA'S PLACE. As for its fashion apparel, the brand manages to feel down-to-earth despite housing costly collections from some of the world’s most prestigious designers. Japanese brands Hanae Mori Manuscrit and TAE ASHIDA sought out Isabella Lifestyle as a trusted partner through which to sell their pieces in China – the only shop to receive such a privilege on the mainland.

30 | SZ | JULY 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM

“You have to understand these brands and the idea behind them before you can sell them,” explains Zhai, who has been working in fashion-related industries for the past 20 years.

She’s opted to represent primarily Japanese designers, who she says adhere to the highest standard of quality and whose pieces tend to suit the body types of local clientele.

From the clothing boutique, one can access the cafe and salon directly by walking through an adjoining hallway, where custommade pearl and precious stone jewelry is on display.

Decked out in warm wooden tones, the salon is compact but resourceful: smart leather chairs imported from Japan swivel and recline towards stand-alone sinks, allowing customers to get a wash and cut in one spot without ever having to leave their seat. Manicures and pedicures are available as well, and given that it’s an ‘experience shop,’ services can be mixed and matched. Anyone who stops in for a cup of coffee or lunch at BELLA'S PLACE, in other words, can come back for a manicure, while guests at the boutique are free to hop over to the cafe for dessert.

Even on a weekday afternoon, almost every table is occupied, with regulars stopping

by to catch up with friends, the wait staff or Zhai herself. “[The cafe is] full of human touch, which is how I think life should be,” says Mr. Huang, an associate of Isabella Lifestyle, on our tour.

Serving simple snacks, sandwiches, Italian pasta, desserts, coffee, fruit tea and more, BELLA'S PLACE has secured solid reviews on sites like dianping.com for its consistency and quality. The coffee, though not the most expensive variety, always utilizes beans roasted within the month, ensuring a fresh taste.

It's this painstaking attention to details and quality, which other shops tend to forgo, that allows Isabella Lifestyle to distinguish itself from comparable brands in China.

“There are lots of lifestyle shops in China, but they are only surface-level,” Zhai explains.

“They can copy, but they won’t be better.”

It’s a refreshing approach, and one that may indeed gain traction as Isabella Lifestyle prepares to expand upon its Foshan location and open shops across China beginning this year.

1/F, Shop 2-3, 38 Tonghua Yi Lu, Tonghua Dong Xiaoqu, Tonghua Lu, Chancheng District, Foshan 佛 山市禅城区同华路同华东小区同华一路38号2，3座首层 (0757-8335 3745)

ARTS Sounds of the Season

Hong Kong punk rock group Dear Jane on July’s playlist, p35

Transformers P34 32 | SZ | JULY 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM

China Music Corner P38

DRUMROLL

TRANCE ENCOUNTER

Our Completely Sober Interview with Dutch DJ Jochen Miller

By Matthew Bossons

This summer, Jochen Miller returns for his third Greater China tour, where he'll kick things off with a debut show in Hong Kong on June 29 before performing in Shanghai on June 30 and, finally, in Guangzhou on July 7. The Dutch DJ is notable in the electronic music scene for his high-profile concerts at major festivals like EDC Las Vegas, Ultra Music Festival, Tomorrowland and Kings Day. We caught up with Miller recently to chat Armin van Buuren, burgers and pets.

For your fans in the Pearl River Delta, tell us what made you choose Jochen Miller as your stage name?

My surname is van der Steijn and, in my opinion, it is nearly impossible to pronounce my name in many countries, so I opted to use a name that is simple and clear. The idea of using Miller as a stage name popped up when I drove home to my parents one day and passed the name sign of the small town I grew up in, Mill. I repeated it a couple of times in the car, and it felt like 'me' instantly.

Your name is often dropped in the same sentence as Tiesto, Armin and Above & Beyond, what makes people connect so well with your work?

First off, it is an honor to be named among these legends, thank you.

And I think it’s the accessibility and emotion in my work that makes that connection. Making and playing music is my life and I think that love is something people can relate to, it’s our music, our passion.

Within your genre, who are your greatest influences?

That would be Armin, as he’s paved the way for every DJ in our scene and music style; he always knows how to come up with something new. And when it comes to electronic music in general I love to listen to Daft Punk, as they’ve always been so innovative and original.

If you could collaborate with any musician currently active, who would it be?

Oh... Chris Martin from Coldplay and Sia are on my bucket list, they are both so inhumanly talented in their writing and singing! Would be the ultimate production if I had one of them sing it. A man can dream, right...?

Did you have a chance to explore the Guangzhou on your last visit?

I had the chance to see just a little bit of the city, unfortunately not enough! I’m hoping there will be a little more time for sightseeing and wandering around town this visit, so I can explore this beautiful city and its exquisite cuisine to the fullest!

Dogs or cats?

I am definitely a 'dog person.' My parents had a lot of dogs back in the day and I still really like them so much! The Berner Sennen dog is by far my favorite one. Probably because dogs are playful and like to run around, I consider myself to be just as playful and energetic, haha.

If you had to choose, would you rather eat McDonalds or Burger King for every meal, every day, for a year?

I prefer McDonalds! But some burgers are better at Burger King. I'm a huge fan of the Big Mac, but the Whopper is also a high-quality burger!

But hey, every meal, for a whole year, I think I'd stop eating in about a week. For me it's healthy food all the way, to maintain my health. I love Asian food so much, another reason for me to be looking forward to coming to China!

Fri Jul 7, 9pm-4am; RMB100 (includes a free drink). Fei Bar, 2/F, W Guangzhou, 26 Xiancun Lu, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 广州市天河区珠江 新城冼村路26号 (020-6628 6628)

WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | JULY 2017 | SZ | 33

COLL AGE SINO CELEB

Jing Tian If there’s one Sino celeb to remember in 2017, it’s Jing Tian (景甜). You might know her as the female lead who starred opposite Matt Damon in The Great Wall, or as San Lin in Kong: Skull Island. Her rise to fame has been swift, to say the least –suspiciously swift. Chinese filmgoers in particular have been left puzzled by her unusually smooth ascent within the Chinese entertainment industry, winning roles beside actors like Jackie Chan and gaining more international visibility than Fan Bingbing (The Empress of China) and Tang Wei (Lust, Caution) after only a few years in the game.

It’s not that Jing Tian isn’t capable – she has degrees from both the Beijing Dance Academy and Beijing Film Academy. But the 28-year-old has only just begun dabbling in acting, is nowhere near fluent in English and has still managed to secure roles in three Hollywood blockbusters in just two years.

Naturally, Chinese netizens have devised a number of theories to explain the Jing Tian mystery, which range from feasible to fanciful: 1) Jing Tian’s longtime boyfriend is a Wanda shareholder (possible though unproven); 2) Jing Tian is the secret daughter of Wang Jianlin (not likely); and 3) Jing Tian is a vessel for laundering Wanda money (highly unlikely). We’re not sure what to make of this two-time Golden Broom Awards ‘Most Disappointing Actress,’ but chances are we’ll be seeing her face on the big screen for the indefinite future, so we’d better learn to like her.

Kind of like: an educated Kardashian Famous for: being famous unexpectedly See her next in: Pacific Rim: Uprising

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CANVASSED

Transformers VR Parks to Open Across China After holding the world premiere of Transformers: The Last Knight (aka the fifth movie) right here in Guangzhou on June 14, DMG Entertainment and Hasbro announced they would be opening several Transformers-themed virtual reality amusement parks across China over the next five years. The “digital simulation experience” at the parks will offer fans of the franchise VR battle walk-through, VR rides that simulate flying and driving, interactive experiences and more. Spokespeople have said that the park’s aesthetic will resemble the original comics more than Michael Bay’s blockbuster movies.

HAO BU HAO

Hao Fans of Stephen Chow’s epic film The Mermaid will be pleased to discover that the rights to a TV series remake of the film have been sold to major streaming site iQiyi for a record-breaking RMB420 million. Chow has confirmed that he will script and produce the TV adaptation himself, so fans need not worry about a new producer meddling with the fantastical world he created.

TV remakes that expand upon and add more detail to already-loved stories, like Hulu just did successfully with Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, seem to be a new media trend for 2017, and all signs point to this remake being a major hit.

Bu Hao

Dozens of accounts on Weibo, Tencent, NetEase and Baidu that focus on entertainment and lifestyle news were shut down in early June in keeping with Beijing’s new law on cyber security, which states that online content cannot invade anyone’s privacy. Previously, millions of users would stay up-to-date on celebrity gossip, like actor Wang Baoqiang’s high-profile divorce, by following these accounts. Some netizens applauded the move, while others complained about the loss of some of their favorite guilty pleasures. Weibo’s focus on entertainment news and gossip in the last few years has played a major role in giving it a bigger share of the global market (USD17.2 billion) than its Western counterpart, Twitter (USD12.8 billion).

E D I T O R . P R D @ U R B A N A T O M Y. C O M

WHAT’S NEW

From the Higher Brothers’ clever, catchy rhyme-spitting to the dreamy pop stylings of Banks, here are our 10 top picks from artists playing in South China next month.

Splashh – ‘See Through’ Jochen Miller – ‘Cubic’ While She Sleeps – ‘Hurricane’ Higher Brothers – ‘WeChat’ String Fever – ‘The History of Music in 5 Minutes’ Zhou Yunpeng (周云蓬) – ‘September’ Xiao He (小河) – ‘From Far Away the Black Night Came Running Back’ Banks – ‘Crowded Places’ Dear Jane – ‘无可避免’ Priscilla Chan – ‘千千阕歌’

Zhang Ziyi Joins Godzilla Franchise Zhang Ziyi (Memoirs of a Geisha and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), who is one of China's best-known actors in the West, has announced that she’s joined the cast of the Godzilla franchise in a major starring role. Her character’s story arc will span several movies. The first film in the series, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, is set to hit theaters in 2019. Zhang will play a leading figure within the “covert Monarch organization” alongside Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), Bradley Whitford and Ken Watanabe. A monster mash-up film called Godzilla vs. Kong with the same characters will follow in 2020.

WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | JULY 2017 | SZ | 35

ARTS | MUSIC

HIGHER BROTHERS

On the Brink of International Stardom, Chengdu’s Rap Foursome Launches Their Debut Album Tour

By Erica Martin

I

t’s been a hallmark year for Higher Brothers. After dropping several music videos that culminated in the release of their debut album, Black Cab, in May 2017, the Chengdu-based foursome have gone from relative obscurity to one of the year’s most buzzed-about Chinese music groups. Articles from major Western publications like NPR and Paper Magazine have popped up almost daily since the album’s debut. All of them express incredulousness that these artists soaked up hip-hop’s influence from overseas and developed their own style, given all the restrictions on music platforms in China.

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The group gamely fields these questions, but their music and lyrics reveal where their preoccupations actually lie. Take their breakout track ‘WeChat’ featuring major South Korean rapper Keith Ape, which has an irreverent DIY music video made to look like one continuous WeChat video call. The overall takeaway is that young people’s social media experience in China revolves around WeChat less because they can’t access anything else and more because it’s just the best app ever.

All the songs on Black Cab are appealing in part thanks to this focus on everyday subjects. “This album is about what’s been happening in our recent daily life,” says Higher Brothers group member Psy.P, referring to songs like ‘Franklin,’ a chilled-out, 90s-inflected track featuring Jay Park about Grand Theft Auto, and ‘7/11,’ an ode to the convenience store. “We'll come up with an idea, or one of us will have an idea, and then each of us completes our own verse,” says Psy.P of their songwriting process. “Then we record together and modify each other.”

One of their standout tracks is ‘Made in China,’ a bawdy satire mocking foreigners' perception of the PRC, which opens with a Valley Girl-accented voice reading actual YouTube comments the group has gotten on their videos. The track has a catchy beat and a hilarious, high-energy video. In June, Asian music platform 88rising released a reaction video for the song, in which several major rappers, including Higher Brothers’ heroes Migos, respond positively to the video and to Dzknow’s ferocious delivery in particular (they dubbed him “Chinese Biggie”). It garnered over a million views on YouTube in less than a week. We hope that the irony of a bunch of Westerners commenting on a Higher Brothers song that mocks Westerners’ comments on Higher Brothers’ songs wasn’t lost on all those million viewers; in our favorite moment of the video, one rapper says earnestly, “they bring their culture into it, that’s what makes it stick,” while Masiwei is onscreen dressed in head-to-toe red, waving a fan

MUSIC | ARTS

Every stop will create history

around and joke-rapping about how toothpaste is made in China.

The four MCs all grew up loving hip-hop, and each cites a different defining moment that turned them onto listening: Psy.P’s friend played American rap trio Migos for him in his car; Melo heard someone’s Jay-Z ringtone in junior high; Dzknow heard a snippet of hip-hop in a car commercial. They found their style of rapping and wrote their first songs while performing locally in Chengdu. “It’s developing well; there’s a higher acceptance than other cities,” says Psy.P of the hip-hop community there. Though much of their media buzz has been overseas, and their music videos have much higher views on YouTube than on Youku or QQ, Higher Brothers has never performed outside of China. This album tour will take them to almost every major city, including Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen. “Every stop will create history,” Psy.P says.

Higher Brothers’ strategy for making a splash so far has been to enjoy the exposure that comes with being a novelty in the West while still retaining all their playfulness and authenticity, writing verses relevant to their own lives that ring true to anyone living in China. This may well prove a lasting recipe for mainstream fame both at home and abroad.

Sat Jul 1; RMB60 presale RMB80 at door. Dazzle Club, 3/F, Central Commercial Building, 88 Fuhua Yi Lu, Futian District, Shenzhen 深圳市福田区福华一路88号中心商务大厦三楼 (0755-2348 1542); Sat Aug 5, time and price TBD. B10 Live, Building C2, North District, OCT-LOFT, Nanshan District, Shenzhen 深圳市南山区华侨城创意 文化园北区C2栋北侧 (b10live.taobao.com, 0755-8633 7602)

WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | JULY 2017 | SZ | 37

ARTS | MUSIC

CHINA MUSIC CORNER

Three New Homegrown Albums on Our Radar This Month One Hundred and Twenty Seven by Play Rec Label The first compilation release from this new label of “cutting-edge sound art & electronic music from China” offers tracks from 10 experimental electronic musicians. ’Experimental’ electronic music can sometimes be cool in theory but beatless and unpalatable in actuality, but this collection of tracks does a decent job of bridging the gap and being enjoyable for a casual listener. Rather than music for the club or the dance floor, the ambient tracks on One Hundred and Twenty Seven seem better suited for listening to mid-afternoon in your office and wondering whether we’re all living in a simulation (Zafka’s ‘Who’s Calling’ is especially good for this). Highlights include Flower’s spare and evil ‘Flower Crash,’ GOOOOOSE’s hypnotic and aptly named ‘Sea Changes’ and Xiong Zhenkai’s brooding ‘drown.’ The album is named for the fact that all the songs have the same tempo of 127 beats per minute. The album cover, with its cracked strip of highway and crashed cars (plus all the musicians’ photos crammed together into the rearview mirror), sets up the metaphor nicely that they are setting off toward some post-apocalyptic future and making music to match.

Listen at: https://playreclabel.bandcamp.com

Homeless by Howie Lee One of Beijing’s preeminent electronic musicians, Howie Lee released Homeless as the first follow-up to his December 2015 full-length LP, Mù Chè Shān Chū. What stands out right away is the focus on vocals, including what sounds like screaming pixies, spiritual chanting and elements of Lee’s own voice. Beginning with a long, lonely ambient intro and then launching into the frenetic beats that make up the rest of the album, these vocals help keep the energy high throughout, adding urgency to all the tracks. The album explores ideas about being unable to feel at home anywhere in the world, due to the amorphousness of the Internet. Lee explains in a statement that the record is meant to capture “the sound of traditional China, dragged kicking and screaming into the electric age.” The album’s last two songs, ‘Muztagata’ and ‘Homeless’ are the highlights, moving from frenetic, up-tempo Asian-inspired melodies and otherworldly vocal cries into the haunting, spare finale, which evokes the emptiness of the album’s name.

Listen at: https://dohits.bandcamp.com

Phases (Phase 2) by I Love You This record has an appealing aura of mystery surrounding it. Created by a Lanzhoubased band that offer almost no info about themselves online and have a name so generic that it seems to purposely defy internet searches (我爱你 or I Love You), Phasęs (Phase 2) is a 10-track collection of earnest and emotional lo-fi dream pop. The LP was dropped unceremoniously on Bandcamp as a follow-up to the band’s January 2017 album Phases, which is endearingly humble given that so many indie musicians release a single or a three-track EP with much more fanfare. The album’s centerpiece is two versions of the track 'I Can Get,' a plaintive song with vulnerable vocals that offer up plenty of emo band nostalgia with lyrics like: “I don’t know who I want to be. I’m just glad we still talk.” The last three songs are an eclectic choice of covers from folk artist Elliott Smith, indie rockers The Paper Kites and rapper Lil Uzi Vert. Surprises abound.

Listen at: https://iloveyouso.bandcamp.com

A T. TSHMAATGS SM. AC GO SM. C O M 3 8 | JSUZ L |Y J 2U0L 1Y7 2| 0W1 7W |WW. TWHW

COVER STORY

By Betty Richardson

“When we talk about opioid painkillers, we are essentially talking about heroin pills” – DR Andrew Kolodny, C0-Director of Opioid Policy Research, Brandeis University

COVER STORY

China's Painful Subject

I

t might have been stamped out during the Communist Party’s efforts in the 20th century, but China’s history with opium use still characterizes its attitudes towards pain relief to this day. Despite having been used socially among China’s elite idle rich since the Tang dynasty, by the early 1900s nearly 25 percent of the working male population were using opium, following defeat by British forces over the importation of the substance.

For both international observers and the Chinese, the apparent loss of productivity, business activity and an uptick in corruption within the civil service brought on by opium addiction crystalized the idea that narcotics had the capacity to cripple entire societies, leaving them vulnerable to foreign manipulation and economic ruin.

Today, an opioid addiction epidemic has unfolded in the United States. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)

has described it as “the worst drug epidemic in US history,” claiming over 200,000 lives from overdoses. But this time, the drug that kick started the epidemic is a legal painkiller prescribed by doctors: OxyContin.

A backlash from doctors and scrutiny from regulators has forced its manufacturer, Purdue Pharma, a company privately held by the billionaire Sackler family, to seek new horizons; up-tapped markets where OxyContin’s success might be replicated with the same terrifying efficiency achieved in America. China offers one of the most lucrative expansion opportunities, with the company posting profits of USD100 million in 2015. But can the same strategy work in a country already bearing the scars of opioid abuse?

"For Chinese, opium is a big word"

A

nti-opium campaigns had existed before the Communist Party took control in 1949, but the Party’s drastic methods to remove the ‘scourge of opium’ cemented attitudes towards their use. Harsh anti-narcotic laws and limits on prescription, aimed at preventing the spread of nonpain related opioid use in society, have also contributed to a lack of pain management options.

Doctors sense a prevailing stigma towards opioid analgesics from patients too. “The Chinese are very concerned about opium. Opium is a big word,” notes Dr Anne Lee, a clinical professor at the University of Hong Kong. Fear of addiction is so strong that even post-surgical patients refuse basic opioid analgesics like morphine, according to Dr Cheung Chi-wai, president of the Society of Anesthetists, adding that sensitive memories of China’s battle against opium deters patients from accepting relief.

China’s consumption of opioids pales in comparison to the United States, at a startling comparison of approximately 7 ME (Opioid Consumption in Morphine Equivalence, mg per person) among the Chinese versus 677.7 ME for Americans in 2015, figures that suggest a sizeable portion of patients aren’t receiving adequate pain relief.

The numbers don’t look good from a pharmaceutical company’s perspective, but China’s soaring cancer rates have ushered in new attitudes and policies towards treating pain, and new opportunities for the companies who exploit them.

"Heroin Pills"

A

ndrew Kolodny is a medical doctor and Co-Director of Opioid Policy Research at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. He’s one of the world’s foremost experts on opioid rehabilitation, and one of the most vocal advocates for cautious prescribing of opioid painkillers. “The effects that opioid pain relief medication like OxyContin and and Oxycodone produce on the brain are indistinguishable from the effects produced by heroin. We are essentially talking about heroin pills.”

“This doesn’t mean we should never prescribe them,” he continues. “These are very important medicines for easing suffering at the end of life, or when used on a short-term basis. Unfortunately, the bulk of consumption of US-based opioids [have not been] for end-of-life nor short-term prescription.”

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COVER STORY

"I’ve treated patients who’ve beaten cancer and wound up addicted to opioids."

– DR Andrew Kolodny, C0-Director of Opioid Policy Research, Brandeis University

42

Overcoming Opiophobia

O

pioid analgesics like morphine have been used to treat pain for decades, so why did the launch of OxyContin result in an addiction outbreak? Part of the reason can be attributed to its claim of a 12-hour extended-release system, a mechanism which Purdue sought an FDA-issued patent for, asserting that it minimized the chance of addiction.

In 2007, Purdue and three of its executives pleaded guilty in a federal court of misleading doctors, patients and regulators over the addiction risk of OxyContin, and were ordered to pay a fine of USD634 million. A lot, perhaps, but just a drop in the USD31 billion ocean that the company has accrued from the sale of the drug. So much revenue that the Sackler family, who own Purdue Pharma, debuted on Forbes 2015

list of America’s richest families with an estimated net worth of USD14 billion.

OxyContin is still approved by the FDA for long-term use, something that Kolodny argues is incompatible with sustainable treatment. “The trouble with opioids for chronic pain isn’t just that they’re addictive, dangerous and have pretty bad side effects, the problem is that they don’t work. What happens after as little as one week is that the patient becomes tolerant and needs higher doses. Finally, you get to a point where instead of the opioid giving pain relief you get a phenomenon called hypoalgesia, where you actually become more sensitive to pain.”

Studies by Bradley Martin, a professor of pharmaceutical evaluation and policy at the University of Arkansas for Medical Science have shown that in patients who took opioids for 10 continuous days, one in five were still on an opioid drug years later.

COVER STORY

250 million

opioid prescriptions in USA, 2013 (CDC)

Kolodny adds that this study examined only immediate release opioids, “For extended release opioids like OxyContin, those statistics are even higher.”

A Pattern of Addiction

B

y 2009, emergency room visits related to prescription drugs reached 1.2 million cases, with OxyContin attributed as the leading cause for visits and fatalities.

An investigation by the LA Times found that when faced with withdrawal, users turned to illegal or black market sources to maintain their supply. The report found a phenomenon of non-prescribed users crushing the pills into a powder to snort, smoke or inject to bypass the extended release system, delivering intense and immediate relief from withdrawal.

Subsequent ‘abuse-deterrent’ reformulations of the drug have reportedly done little to quell abuse. A study at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri found that a third of users were able to sidestep the mechanism, while the National Bureau of Economic Research found that others turned to heroin, resulting in a spike of heroin overdose fatalities.

Reports of America's addiction epidemic have caused a decrease in sales of OxyContin. According to Forbes, prescriptions have declined at a rate estimated to be at around 17 percent last year, down 40 percent since 2010. As such, Purdue Pharma realized that the time was nigh to start thinking outside the US.

China’s Changing Attitudes

1.7

million

Americans used OxyContin ‘non-medically’ in 2015 (Bloomberg)

A

s recently as February 2017, the Chinese Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security expanded its list of Western medicines reimbursable by public health insurance schemes for the first time in eight years from 133 to 1,297. It signalled a new era of affordable Western medication and more frequent prescription.

Mundipharma, an associated company of Purdue Pharma that manufactures OxyContin in China, has already capitalized on the evolving nature of state medical care, which emphasizes a standardized approach to care that could offer pharmaceutical companies a lucrative near monopoly state on certain medicines.

OxyContin, which has been available in China for many years, currently enjoys a 60 percent market of cancer-related pain relief according to Greater China General Manager Wang Zhongling, in an interview on Mundipharma’s website.

The rules for prescribing opioids in China are more stringent than in the US. In non-cancer patients, they must have been in pain for at least four weeks, be over the age of 40 and have tried alternative pain management methods. Additionally, they are only permitted a seven-day supply (up to 15 for cancer patients) according to the global NGO Human Rights Watch.

Dr Ivan Lau, a Family Physician at the Jiahui Clinics in Shanghai, notes that doctors have jurisdiction to repeat a patient’s seven-day prescription “dependent on follow-up clinical assessment.”

“The doctor may also consider adjusting the dosing,” he adds, confirming that China’s regulatory framework allows leeway for doctor discretion on individual cases, underscoring the significant influence that holding training seminars for medical professionals can have.

Still, Andrew Kolodny argues that these guidelines allow too much margin for addiction. “Even the ‘perfect’ pain patient will start to need higher doses to get pain relief, just as they will have cravings when they try and come off. If they stay on OxyContin for a few months, many may never be able to come off. For particularly painful surgeries, an opioid won’t be needed for more than seven days.”

The interview with Mundipharma’s general manager goes on to state that the company’s focus will be toward palliative care for late-stage cancer patients, though Wang also endorses OxyContin’s potential for non-late-stage cancer sufferers “to help patients establish confidence” – something Kolodny says also poses a risk. “Many people with cancer now survive it. If you use opioids aggressively on somebody with a curable cancer, they can be left with an opioid addiction that can devastate their lives.

I’ve treated patients who’ve beaten cancer and wound up addicted to opioids.”

“Secondly, even with cancer that is unlikely to be cured, you need to be cautious with opioids early on because if you’re too aggressive in the beginning, the patient will need astronomically high doses in order to get pain relief at the end. If, in the course of their cancer they need surgical care or medical intervention that is painful, as the doses escalate it becomes very difficult to treat their pain, meaning they can have more suffering at the end.”

COVER STORY

Same Tactics, New Country?

C

hina’s low consumption of opioids suggests widespread under-prescription for palliative care and major post-surgery patients, a problem that the government has made a concerted effort to resolve by increasing access to opioid analgesics.

Training sessions designed to educate doctors on the safe administration of pain management are another method to influence doctors. Mundipharma has been involved with government bodies in China since 2011, when it assisted the health ministry and Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology with an initiative called the ‘Good Pain Management Programme.’

A Bloomberg reporter has alleged that materials used during an educational seminar training session in eastern Zhejiang province cited decades-old studies and letters (Jane Porter, Herschel Jick, New England Journal of Medicine, 1980) stating that opioids have addiction risks of just 0.6 percent, a statistic that was used on doctors in Purdue’s training seminars in the 1990s. The presentation also highlighted OxyContin as a “global bestseller” with few side effects, thereafter devoting several slides to the “shortcomings of rival therapies.”

Virtually identical content was seen at a similar conference in Beijing, and again in a patient manual posted to the Mundipharma website. Mundipharma claims that such presentation materials were prepared by the speakers outside of its involvement, and the patient manual was published by the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology.

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74%

increase in China’s cancer deaths from 2006-2015 (Bloomberg)

“I would imagine the message that drug companies are putting across is that because of China’s history with opium there’s been an overblown fear of opiumbased drugs, and that patients have been subsequently suffering without adequate pain management,” argues Kolodny, who says that the US ‘opioid lobbyists’ have attempted to pin the opioid addiction epidemic on ‘drug abusers,’ suggesting that if opioids are prescribed medically, the risk of addiction is low. “I’m not really sure why China even needs Oxycodone (the generic opiate in OxyContin) at all if they already have morphine available.”

Evidence may also suggest some within China’s medical community harbor misconceptions of prescription opioids that pre-date the American addiction epidemic.

“Clinical observations show that pain itself is capable of putting up the most powerful defense against any potential addiction," says Xu Guozhu, former director of Peking University's National Institute on Drug Dependence in a February 2013 China Daily article. "In other words, patients who take morphine for pain relief are much less likely to get hooked than those who do so recreationally, for fun."

“That’s totally not true,” Kolodny refutes. “If you’re using an opioid repeatedly, whether you’re smoking opium, taking pills recreationally or because a doctor pre-

scribed them to you, the use of this highly addictive drug causes structural changes in the brain.”

“Furthermore, many doctors also don’t realize that Oxycodone and OxyContin are chemically more similar to heroin than morphine is to heroin, something that drug companies have also exploited.”

A Warning Message

“I

think it’s really important that China learns from our mistakes,” says Kolodny. He’s backed up by a letter from 12 US Congressional Representatives sent to the World Health Organization’s Director General on May 3, 2017, urging caution against the spread of OxyContin into other countries. “The greed and recklessness of one company and its partners helped spark a public health crisis in the United States that will take generations to fully repair,” it reads.

Citing the Sackler family by name, the letter issues a bleak warning that describes the troubling similarity between ‘training seminars’ given abroad and those in America during the mid-90s. “The international medical community has a rare opportunity to see the future,” it continues. “We urge the WHO to learn from our experience and rein in this reckless and dangerous behavior while there is still time.”

COVER STORY

GENTLE

HEALING Non-invasive, Conservative and Alternative Approaches to Pain Management

By Dominic Ngai

“With the evolution of medicine, there are now many options for managing pain without drugs or surgery” – Dr Eric Yue, FOUNDER AND CHIEF PHYSICAL THERAPIST, the clinic

A

ccording to a 2013 report by the Journal of American Osteopathic Association, pain is “the most common reason for physician consultations” in developed countries. This unpleasant sensory experience is usually a symptom of an underlying condition associated with tissue damage, which could be induced by pathological, mechanical and thermal factors.

“One of the biggest misconceptions most people have is that if you’re not experiencing pain, it’s not serious. If it’s painful, then it’s serious,” explains Dr Eric Yue, founder and chief physical therapist at the clinic. “But pain is not always proportional to the degree of damage you have – it’s subjective according to [one’s tolerance].”

In most non-emergency cases involving musculoskeletal pain, non-invasive approaches – namely physical therapy (PT) – are usually the first options for doctors in the West. “With the evolution of medicine, there are now many options for managing pain without drugs or surgery,” says Yue. Several types of alternative pain management methods such as osteopa-

thy, chiropractic and traditional Chinese medicine have also become more and more mainstream – many of which are compatible with one another in dealing with pain.

Meanwhile, comprehensive medical and wellness centers like the clinic (they have PT, osteopathy and TCM on offer) have also been gaining popularity in the West, and Yue believes that’s the future of medicine.

“Many medical conditions are multifactorial; you need to evaluate them from different perspectives. If you work with a group of people who are trained in different specialties, you can attack the problem from different points of view,” he explains.

“I don’t think PT is better than osteopathy, TCM or chiropractic or vice versa; it’s all about applying the right tools, at the right time, on the right person, and on the right medical conditions.”

In the second half of this story, we speak to four practitioners and experts in PT, osteopathy, chiropractic and TCM to find out more about their medical specialties and how they manage pain.

COVER STORY

I

PHYSICAL THERAPY

Dr Eric Yue, Chief Physical Therapist, Founder and Managing Partner, the clinic

n the 15 years that he has been practicing medicine in Spain, France and China, Dr Eric Yue, who’s the founder, managing partner and chief physical therapist at the clinic

by International Rehabilitation Specialists, says the best doctors that he’s worked with are ones who show more empathy to their patients. He says, “When you’re dealing with severe injuries, physical therapists see their patients more frequently than any other medical professionals, and we get to know them very well. In my profession, at the end of a workday, I feel like I’ve done something good for the community.”

Physical therapy (or physiotherapy) is a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialty that remediates impairments and promotes mobility, function, and quality of life through examination, diagnosis, prognosis and education for prevention, and physical intervention by using physical agents such as manual therapy and exercise-based therapy.

Modern physical therapy (PT) was established at the end of the 19th century and institutionalized during World War I. Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, DC established the first school of physical therapy following the outbreak of the war to help wounded soldiers – many of whom sustained serious injuries that required amputations – transition back into society.

But in modern day metropolises around the world, physical therapists are able to treat anything from relatively minor conditions such as chronic pain to helping post-surgical and trauma patients with musculoskeletal damages regain mobility and

functionality. Within the discipline of PT, there are many specialties including trauma, orthopedics, sports, neurology, pediatrics and geriatrics (Yue specializes in the first three). While chiropractors, osteopaths and TCM doctors can all treat non-emergency and chronic pain cases, physical therapists are the only ones who should work with patients requiring post-surgical or traumatic care.

“In most Western countries, PT is the frontline conservative, non-invasive medical approach for pain management that is drug-free,” says Yue. A course of PT treatment lasts anywhere from few sessions to six months, which gives the body enough time to do its own partial healing. Only once all resources have been exhausted and the patients have yet to improve will therapists refer them to other doctors to prescribe medication or recommend surgery as the last resort. In most of the cases, according to Yue, that is not necessary.

He adds, “In places like China, you see people getting surgeries for conditions that they shouldn’t get surgeries for, which is sad and not the proper way to practice medicine.”

Manual therapy (like massage, myofascial techniques and manipulation) and exercise-based therapy are the two most common techniques used in modern PT, while other physical agents such as ultrasound, laser and shockwave therapy are also weapons in a physical therapist’s arsenal. But before prescribing a treatment plan, Yue notes that the first part of the consultation process is actually the most important step.

“When a patient comes for a consultation, the therapist has to do an anamnesis (an interview about the pain – Where does it hurt? When did it start? Is it associated with a recent trauma or a lifestyle or postural habit? etc.) and it might take 30, 40 or 50 questions. The more detailed it is, the sharper the diagnosis,” Yue explains.

“Diagnosis is an art. It’s how you get to the root of the problem. If you see 10 cases of lower back pain, you might have to prescribe 10 different treatments based on the cause. That’s the beauty and complexity of the medical approach in physical therapy.”

Find out more about physical therapy treatments at www.singhealth.asia

COVER STORY

Dr Elodie Nordey, Osteopath, the clinic

“T

he Chinese generally don’t know what osteopathy is, but the philosophy and techniques used are actually quite similar to traditional Chinese medicine,” says Dr Elodie Nordey, osteopath at the clinic by International Rehabilitation Specialists. After graduating from a sixyear-long program at Ecole d’Osteopathie de Paris, Nordey’s been practicing osteopathy – a form of alternative medicine that emphasizes massage and other physical manipulation toward soft tissues (including ligaments, tendons, muscles) and joints to relieve musculoskeletal conditions – in Shanghai since 2016.

Nordey continues, “Westerners, on the other hand, would only know about us if they, or a friend of theirs, have been treated by an osteopath. Many people, however, don’t really know the differences between a chiropractor, a physical therapist, and an osteopath.”

Founded in 1874 by American physician Andrew Taylor Still, osteopathy is guided by the notion that since the human body is one dynamic unit with multiple interrelated functions and structures (i.e. your brain would not function without your heart, and vice versa), it should be treated as one whole unit instead of just focusing on isolated parts as with allopathic medicine.

Another major principle behind osteopathic medicine is that the body possesses self-regulatory mechanisms, giving it the ability to heal itself. “Osteopathic medicine is a tool-free approach. We only use our hands to diagnose and treat and do not rely on machines or medicine,” Nordey explains.

“Osteopaths make joint and body adjustments. If we have to identify one thing that osteopaths focus on, it’d be body joints – just like how chiropractors mainly focus on the spine and nerves.”

Back pain (including neck, thoracic and lower back) and joint pain (most commonly shoulder and knee) are conditions that osteopaths treat most frequently, often when patients are experiencing acute condi-

OSTEOPATHY tions in which painkillers are not effective.

Osteopaths also treat conditions like belly pains, headaches, vertigo and problems with digestion and breathing when severe medical evidence has been discarded.

Nordey stresses, however, that severe conditions such as fracture, inflammatory or systemic diseases (diabetes, cancer) are things that osteopathic medicine isn’t able to treat. “The consultation process (medical questionnaire and physical exam) helps us exclude these conditions, so we can refer patients to other healthcare professionals as needed.”

Due to many people’s sedentary lifestyle with long hours sitting at their desks, back and neck pain are problems that Nordey treats on a daily basis through manual manipulation. Much like seeing other types of doctors, the consultation process for visiting an osteopath starts off with a medical questionnaire and physical examination, followed by treatment and patient education – the last of which is particular important for patients suffering from chronic pain due to postural imbalance.

Says Nordey: “Besides treating pain symptoms, we try to help patients understand the root cause of the pain as well. In most cases [involving back and neck pain], we’d also recommend some lifestyle changes.”

Find out more about osteopathy at www. eurammedicalcenter.com

47

COVER STORY

Dr Gordon Boo, Chiropractor, Chiropractic First and Parkway Health

CHIROPRACTIC

48

C

onsidered a form of alternative medicine, chiropractic focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, and the effects these disorders have on one’s general health.

Practitioners believe that our central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and peripheral nervous system (everything apart from the brain and spinal cord) are the keys to the human body and the manipulation of the spine – the pathway for sensory and somatic neuron signals linking the brain to the rest of the body – can be an effective way to manage pain without the use of medicine or surgery.

While some medical professionals remain skeptical of this approach, in recent decades, chiropractic has become more widely recognized in Western countries such as the US, Canada and Australia as an effective treatment option for neck and lower back pain.

Born in Malaysia and educated in Kuala Lumpur’s International Medical University, which is accredited by CCEA Australia and MOH Malaysia, Dr Gordon Boo, chiropractor at Chiropractic First and Parkway Health and a registered member of World Federation of Chiropractic, has been practicing in Shanghai for the past two years after working in Singapore. “It’s a relatively new field and discipline in China but there’s been an increase in interest over the past few years,” says Boo, citing an uptick in the ratio of local Chinese versus expat patients he has treated over the past couple of years.

A chiropractor’s goal is to make corrections to vertebral subluxations (misalign-

ments of one or more bones in the spine that interfere with the proper communication between the brain and the body) to restore the spine and nervous system back to normal functioning through techniques like manual therapy and spinal adjustment – a technique developed by chiropractic founder, Daniel David Palmer. “[When a patient comes in complaining of back or neck pain], we first do a physical examination to determine if there’s a spinal problem. If it’s a problem with the muscles, we would refer him or her to another physician,” Boo explains. “If the problem is spinal, we do an X-Ray to analyze at what angle and direction the vertebra has been shifted [in order to prescribe treatment].” Knowing the cause of the pain, according to Boo, is extremely important. For pathologically induced pain (such as from an autoimmune disease), medications are actually a more suitable pain management method.

But for mechanically induced pain from force-related injuries (including everything from chronic pain caused by poor posture to sports injuries), chiropractic is a drug-free and non-invasive approach that’s becoming more mainstream. He adds, “Painkillers and non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs are designed to stop our brain from receiving pain signals, but they don’t actually solve the root of the problem; they can only provide temporary relief and might come with numerous side effects. Chiropractors make spinal adjustments by using opposite force to correct the vertebra misalignment.”

Find out more at www.bellaireclinic.com

COVER STORY

Dr Evan Pinto, Shanghai Trinity TCM Clinic

TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE

E

van Pinto is one of the few Westerners practicing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in Shanghai. Having been based there since 2012 after graduating from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in New York City, Dr Pinto has been part of the team at Shanghai Trinity TCM Clinic and an instructor at Shanghai University of TCM. According to Dr Pinto, about 75 percent of the patients who come to see him have some sort of pain-related issues, such as migraines, muscle aches from sports injuries, chronic wrist and elbow-related problems as a result of practicing yoga, and menstrual pain.

“The reason why most people want use TCM for pain management is either because they want to try something natural and stay away from pharmaceutical drugs, or they’ve already tried Western biomedicine and it didn’t help,” Pinto tells us. The elemental foundation of TCM is to balance the yin with the yang, as well as to promote the healthy movement and circulation of qi (energy) within one’s body. “If there’s no movement of qi, there’s pain,” Dr Pinto explains.

“A TCM doctor’s job is to figure out where the blockage is and get the qi flowing again.”

As a licensed acupuncturist and board certified herbalist, these are the two main methods Pinto uses to treat pain. In most courses of treatment, he uses a combination of both disciplines.

He explains: “Acupuncture starts the healing process from the outside while herbs attack the problem from the inside. When the two meet, wellbeing and harmony are achieved.”

Pinto likens all the acupuncture points in the body as keyholes with different functions, while the needle acts as the key. Doctors, who are familiar with each point in the body, turn on certain functions when they insert the key into the keyhole to eliminate the blockage of qi. “In each session, we usually only work on eight or nine acupuncture points, and as the course of treatment progresses and according to the patient’s condition, we work on different points at different times.”

TCM doctors study more than 600 herbs and 400 different formulas, each with anywhere from three to 12 herbs, that are designed to help promote the flow of qi via the digestion and bloodstream. “A lot of opiatebased painkillers used in Western biomedicine attack only the symptoms, but when you stop taking them, the pain comes back, whereas in TCM, if the formula is administered correctly, it’s meant to get rid of the symptoms completely while taking care of the root cause as well,” says Pinto.

A course of treatment for pain, according to Pinto, generally lasts about three to four months. “Qi changes in your body on a seasonal basis. We have to take into consideration other factors in the surrounding environment and adjust the qi accordingly.”

Scan the QR code here to see a list of acupuncture professionals near you.

COMM UNITY Bringing Back Decorum How etiquette varies across cultures and what we can do about it, p55

Women's Rugby P52 50 | SZ | JULY 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM

Staying Abreast P54

FEATURE

BEEFING UP THE BARGAIN 5 Tips for Negotiating a Gym Membership in China

By Connor Frankhouser

S

o you've decided you want to get a gym membership and trade in Nestle Crunch bars for abdominal crunches; exchange queso cheese dip for weighted triceps dips. You have even typed in jianshenfang (健身房) into Dianping and found a nearby gym that you can go to 3-5 times a week easy. Great.

In China, there is one extra hurdle standing between you and that body you are dreaming of. We aren’t talking about RMB7 fried noodles or Tsingtao that is cheaper than water. No, we are talking about the hurdle of getting a gym membership in the first place. In China, it is a needlessly obfuscated process in many cases.

Instead of getting frustrated, read our guide below and follow the simple steps to make bargaining for a gym membership as painless as possible.

Arriving at the gym

Here is what will happen: someone in a bright fluorescent green shirt whose job it is to shill passersby into joining the gym will see you walk onto the premises and know you aren’t a member. They will show you the facilities in a cursory manner and then sit you at a table that has a calculator and a man who looks like the seedy car salesman dad from the 90s film Matilda.

Expect no English to be spoken and for all numerical figures concerning how much you will pay to be typed into the calculator.

It is kind of like shopping at the fake market.

At this point you should follow the steps below or risk getting the short end of the stick.

1. Investigate the premises

Leave the negotiating table and walk around the gym and locker rooms.

Determine if the changing area meets your standards and be sure to ask if there are any extra fees for using the lockers.

Try to visit the gym at the time you will be working out to make sure it won't be too crowded. If you are unable to do this, ask staff what the facility’s peak hours are.

Inspect the machines and free-weights and see if they are all operable.

2. Refuse the opening offer

Some gyms in China will outright fabricate their prices based on how much of a sucker they think you are. This is especially true in gyms located farther away from the city center. The prices for gyms are seldom posted, leading to even more confusion.

Note that some of the more high-end gyms will not negotiate a basic membership fee – their quote will be the true price.

Assume that all of the other gyms are out to take you for a ride. The opening offer the gym staffer quotes you is probably going to be way too high, which brings us to step three...

3. Fire back with a reasonable offer on the low side All first-tier cities have different rates for

a yearly membership, which is the de facto contract length the gym will try to sell you on.

We recommend chatting with other expats in your city to get a rough idea what the price is like before going into negotiations.

In Guangzhou, for example, a nice gym near the CBD will range from RMB3,5007,000 (depending on quality and location); RMB1,500-3,000 outside of it. If you are quoted RMB3,500 for a gym nowhere near the center of town, fire back with an RMB1,400 offer and work from there.

4. Set up a favorable payment plan

While many gyms will not go along with what we are about to encourage you to try, we recommend you try it anyway: avoid paying the balance for your membership upfront. If you negotiate and agree to RMB3,000 for a year, try to pay RMB750 for four months. If possible, aim to string payments out as long as possible.

5. Before handing over cash, inspect the contract

If your Chinese skills aren’t up to par, this is where you will likely need some help from a friend, as many contracts are written in Chinese. Check that there are no hidden fees or services listed, and that the contract will not renew automatically.

Like this guide? Find dozens more like it on thatsmags.com.

WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | JULY 2017 | SZ | 51

COMM UNITY

AROUND TOWN

DEAR JAMIE

Breast Buddies Dear Jamie, I’m a white female and I work with about a dozen Chinese colleagues. When I started the job, a female coworker asked if she could touch my breasts, I guess out of curiosity. It was weird but also sort of funny, so I said sure. Later on, another female coworker asked and I also let her. Over about a month something happened like this about once a week. Now it’s sort of become a thing they do if I show up in a new top or even just when they want to be funny.

I’ve seen them do it to each other, but I’m getting tired of it and don’t want it done to me. Is this just something I should accept as part of a different culture or is there a way to get them to stop without ruffling any feathers?

-Baffled in Shenzhen Dear Baffled, In all my years in China I’ve never been invited to join the ‘breast friend brigade’ – a jolly bunch, I gather, laying their hands on each other in a familiar way to turn a regular nine-to-five into a tactile experience. You must feel honored – or just uncomfortable and confused.

Is this normal behavior? I conducted a bit of a survey and women of the Chinese persuasion described it in terms ranging from ‘weird’ to ‘fun’ to ‘normal.’

But it doesn’t really matter what they think: it’s about what you’re comfortable with. You may need to put up with loud talking in the elevator, but you have every right to draw the line at physical contact. The next time you notice a coworker about to get hands-y, tell her firmly – and politely – that it’s not happening.

And a word of advice for the future: set boundaries early. If it’s not something you want happening later, don’t let it happen now.

-Jamie Got a problem? Alcohol is technically a solution, or you can email Jamie at Jamieinchina@outlook.com.

52 | SZ | JULY 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM

SOCIAL SKILLS

Guangzhou Women’s Rugby Club Meters from the try line the ball carrier is cut down with a brutal tackle, hitting the muddy pitch and eliciting a palpable gasp from the spectators. Moments later the whistle blows, the home team wins again.

Although this could be a scene from the 2015 Rugby World Cup, it is but a typical Saturday for members of the Guangzhou Rams Women’s Rugby Club. The Lady Rams barnstorm all around southern China, playing games in Guangdong, Xiamen, Hong Kong and Macau each year, under both touch and contact rugby codes.

The team has an international squad featuring a healthy mix of local individuals and foreign expats and is social in nature, focusing just as much on having fun off the pitch as they do executing textbook plays on it.

Their season kicks off in September with the infamous Macau Beach Rugby Invitational and typically wraps up in late April or early May. Every Wednesday at 7pm at Tianhe Sports

Center, the ladies meet up to play touch rugby; contact training occurs at Xianggongdong area in Haizhu District every Thursday at 8.30pm.

Club president Vega Ouyang has been playing with the team for over a decade and says that at first, the Lady Rams were touch rugby only. But after the team went to a touch rugby tournament in Hong Kong and saw a fellow women’s team playing contact rugby on an adjacent field, the seeds for a full-contact team in Guangzhou were sown.

The Lady Rams added contact rugby to their repertoire in November 2005 and have been going strong in both codes ever since.

The club has membership fees to pay for field use and a comprehensive insurance plan for members. Yearly fees are RMB400 for contact, RMB300 for touch. Full-time students get a special price break.

For more information, add Vega’s WeChat (Vegahuihui) or visit www.guangzhourugby.com

INTERNATIONAL CHITTER-CHATTER

Network and Chill

Curious what local consulates and chambers are up to this month? Look no further – we’ve got the scoop.

The Canton Plage 2017 will be held at Nikko Hotel on July 14 in Guangzhou and July 15 in Shenzhen, in partnership with the General Consulate of France in Canton. It is a major event in the Sino-French business community every year, attracting roughly 700 people in each city.

Later in the month, the European American Chamber of Commerce and Industry will hold its 3rd China Intelligent Equipment Industry Exposition and 6th China Electronic Equipment Industry Exposition from July 27-29 at the Shenzhen International Convention and Exhibition Center. Want to get in on key networking and sourcing opportunities? Contact Ruby Lee at 177-2762-6348 or via email at business25@eacham.org.

E D I T O R . P R D @ U R B A N A T O M Y. C O M

TAKE FIVE

Paul van Loenen Known more commonly around Guangzhou as ‘the Viking Beer guy’ or ‘the guy who brings swords to parties,’ Paul van Loenen is a long-time fixture of the city’s F&B culture.

Moving to the Flower City back in 2008, he runs a successful food and beverage company that imports healthy edibles and, you guessed it, beer!

Which Guangzhou tourist attraction is the best to drink a sneaky beer at?

That must be Shamian Island, I love the atmosphere there. Almost as if you are going back in time when you cross that bridge.

Craziest drunken adventure you have undertaken during your time in China?

Probably walking around Zhujiang New Town in a tight dress with the rest of the Guangzhou rugby team.

Worst Guangzhou taxi experience?

Too many to describe. The worst is during the Canton Fair when they don’t want to turn on the meter and literally ask 10 times the standard rate. Glad when it is over and everything gets back to normal.

A weekend in Hong Kong or Macau and why?

Must be Hong Kong, mostly because I’m just more familiar with it then Macau. But I really love the diversity. And the Asian-Western mix.

It is almost good on all occasions. Sightseeing, shopping, the outdoor activities – the possibilities are endless.

Your favorite martial arts film and why?

Probably Bloodsport, it’s such a classic. It was kind of cool then, but now it’s just funny to re-watch it. It has almost become a cult.

WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | JULY 2017 | SZ | 53

COMMUNITY | HE ALT H

KEEPING ABREAST

What You Should Know About Breast Pain

By Allyn Zamora, M.D.

B

reast pain, palpable breast mass and nipple discharges are the three common symptoms for which women seek consult for medical advice. At our Ob-Gyn clinic, the most commonly encountered benign breast conditions are fibroadenomas, mastitis and breast abscesses.

Women who complain of breast pain or mastalgia often show anxiety because of fear that the pain is a symptom of breast cancer.

In some cases, the severity of the pain can impact a woman’s daily life.

Breast pain is associated with higher prevalence in premenopausal and postmenopausal women, in women with larger breast size and in women with lower fitness and activity levels.

Breast pain symptoms are treated based on classification type. Cyclical pain, for example, is the most common type of breast pain and coincides with the female menstrual cycle.

Cyclic pain characteristically starts up to two weeks before menstruation and gradually increases in severity and subsides once menstruation has started and disappears after few days. Treatment options include wearing a well-fitting brassiere for better support, application of a warm or cold compress to provide symptomatic relief and medical therapy with acetaminophen, NSAIDS or danazol.

In the non-cyclical type, the pain has no relationship with the menstrual cycle. It may be intermittent or constant and women often describe it as heavy, achy, pulling, stabbing or pinching pain that usually has unilateral breast involvement. Examples of non-cyclical breast pain include lactational mastitis, which is common in nursing mothers up to 12 weeks post-delivery, traumatic fat necrosis, stretching of the cooper’s ligament and benign breast tumors or cancers.

Another type of breast pain is the extramammary pain. In this type, the woman perceives pain in the breast but it is actually related to an extramammary site. This type of breast pain has no pattern; it can occur in any age group and almost always has unilateral breast involvement. Extramammary breast pain is commonly caused by inflammation of the costochondral junctions of the chest wall, costal cartilage symptoms and chest wall muscular pain.

Breast mass is another common symptom encountered in the clinic. These masses may be initially detected by the woman herself during self breast examination or by her clinician during routine clinical breast ex54 | SZ | JULY 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM

amination. In most cases, these masses are fibroadenomas, palpable solid tumors that are well-defined, smooth, mobile, non-tender masses with rubbery consistency on a physical examination or well-defined round or oval solid masses with smooth contours on an ultrasound.

Fibroadenomas are usually found in females ages 13-35 and although their etiology is unknown, they could be related to hormonal factors, as they may persist throughout the female reproductive years and can increase in size during estrogen hormonal therapy or pregnancy and regress in size after menopause. Younger women with fibroadenomas are managed conservatively by a close follow up every three to six months. Women whose breast mass increases in size or remains unchanged by age 35 should pursue further investigation to rule out the possibility of malignancy.

In women who seek consult for nipple discharges, it is important to differentiate benign and possibly malignant discharges. A patient’s clinical history and physical examination findings are helpful in distinguishing the cause of these discharges.

Those that are benign often have bilateral

and multi-duct breast involvement and occur in patients with a history of breast manipulation. Those discharges that are malignant are associated with females over 40 years old, the presence of breast mass and persistent or spontaneous discharges that may be clear, yellow or blood-tinged with unilateral and single-duct breast involvement.

Although breast conditions are mostly benign and treatable, it is still recommended that women pay close attention to breast symptoms or discomfort and seek professional evaluation to rule out potential malignancy.

Allyn Zamora, M.D. is an obstetrician and gynecologist at United Family Guangzhou Clinic, 1/F, Annex, PICC Bldg, 301 Guangzhou Dadao Zhong, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 广州市越秀 区广州大道中301号人保 大厦南塔副楼首层(4008919191, emergency: 8620 8710 6060, www. ufh.com.cn)

EDUCAT ION | COMMUNIT Y

CASHING IN ON ETIQUETTE The Good, the Bad, the Necessary

By Lena Gidwani

M

ost of us think getting into an elevator is a fairly straightforward affair: press a button for your desired floor, press again to close the elevator (or better still, wait until it closes automatically), and wait until you reach your destination (making slight eye contact with those around you or attempting a smile if warranted). Established elevator etiquette is as easy as 1-2-3, right?

Wrong. In China, elevators can really get you down. There can be obscene throat clearing not normally observed, people standing so close that you can hear their digestive juices rumble or people shrieking into their phones whilst carrying bags of take-out oozing foul-smelling sauces. Our ultimate favorite has to be ‘The Pushfest,’ when someone barges in while everyone else is still in the elevator and waiting to get out.

Whenever I have friends or family visit China for the first time, I always get a perverse, aberrant nous of pleasure seeing the near-homicidal state of panic that erupts when they enter or exit an elevator, especially after they’ve just navigated the sweaty throngs of humanity on jam-packed streets, markets and metro stations. It usually involves plenty of eye-rolling, unintelligible

muttering and the occasional tantrum (or six). But they are always forgiven. Most visitors coming from places with a low population density will have a larger and more territorial sense of personal space than those who hail from more densely populated environments.

They say it’s the little things that often offer the best insight into a culture, and etiquette takes the cake here.

For example, you can often tell if someone is new to or from the Chinese mainland just by how he or she behaves in a queue. You can also tell a lot by observing one’s attempts at bargaining, or hosting, or shaking hands.

Different etiquette is not necessary bad, it’s merely representative of one’s culture, identity and background. And it works both ways: Westerners don’t necessarily know everything about Chinese table manners, local customs or guanxi, right?

Looking to expose mainland Chinese to more globally accepted standards of etiquette (while introducing foreigners to the nuances of Chinese decorum) is Lawrence Leung, CEO of Prestige Education Consultancy.

A Cantonese native born in the UK who

spent some of his childhood in Hong Kong, Leung is the first to admit a growing trend of local Chinese attending homegrown etiquette schools to learn everything from business finesse to wine tasting and even walking, in an attempt to open doors on an international level, solidify social standing at home and of course, improve their guanxi.

“PEC was one of the first to bring international etiquette to China,” says Leung. “Many have opened since then, but we remain truest to our cause and intent.”

With an established presence in China since 2011, the feather in Leung’s cap for the last three years is none other than Paul Burrell, former butler to the Queen of England and to the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Often referred to as the ‘world’s most famous butler,’ the author of two books served the royal family for 21 years, so if anyone knows manners fit for royalty, it's him.

With Burrell serving as head consultant, PEC offers courses to both children and adults. The latest round saw Burrell in Guangzhou for a few days in June to officially inaugurate PEC’s Guangzhou office, while training a lucky few on matters of poise, elegance and, lo and behold, elevator etiquette.

WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | JULY 2017 | SZ | 55

CITY SCENES Food and Drink Tasting at The 7th Day Saturday, June 17 saw an afternoon of food and drink tasting at The 7th Day all-day brunch restaurant in Shenzhen, where attendees were given a choice of Vedette Extra White or Liefmans beers as a welcome drink before creating their own meal from a menu that included a delicious smoked salmon and spinach main. The rain lent a cozy feeling to the dinner, which brought families and friends excited to learn about Shenzhen’s latest addition to the F&B scene. The event was capped off by a lucky draw that saw guests win business set lunches and VR experience coupons from Atlife.

B10 Live Tomorrow Festival

2017 BritCham Golf Tournament

(Supported by

(Supported by

)

The Japanese avant-garde hard rock band Fushitsusha, led by Keiji Haino, rocked B10 Live in OCT Loft this past month. Music was destroyed, rebuilt and reborn within the three-hour show, closing off the fourth Tomorrow Festival. It began on May 18 and invited some of the most experimental musicians to Shenzhen. Attendees ranged from veteran players in the Chinese music scene to Norwegian multi-field musician Maja S.K. Ratkje. Photographs provided by Xu Yiming.

56 | SZ | JULY 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM

)

The 2017 BritCham Golf Tournament was held at the Norman Golf Course in Dongguan Mission Hills on June 9. Seventy golfers participated, which rendered it the group’s biggest golf tournament to date.

The tournament raised more than RMB5,700 for the Captivating International Foundation through the Charity Hole group. The Foundation runs a program to provide illiterate girls in rural China with intensive vocational training.

AIFA and SFSM International Youth Tournament 2017 (Supported by and ) In collaboration with Urban Family and sponsored by Guangdong Nanyue Bank, the AIFA and SFSM Youth Tournament took place at Shenzhen’s Degrantin Soccer Fields on June 3 and 4. HarMoniCare Women and Children's Hospital ensured the safety of the players with on-site first aid. Ten separate football academies participated in the event that attracted about 700 children and parents. The tournament also saw 35 pairs of shoes donated on behalf of underprivileged children in Nigeria, and AIFA remains open to further donations (call 187 1903 8314). Food and drink were provided by La Maison, George & Dragon, Alexander’s Ice Cream and Taps Brewpub. Photographs provided by Victor Chen. AIFA would like to extend a special thanks to all the supporters of this event, as well to Mr. Larry Chi and Mr. J. Jewett for their contribution for the success of the tournament.

Sino-French Forum 2017 (Supported by

)

The fourth edition of the Sino-French Business Forum was held on June 6 at Sofitel Guangzhou Sunrich, thanks to cooperation between the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China (CCIFC) and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Guangzhou Council (CCPIT), the Guangzhou General Chamber of Commerce (GGCC) and the Ronggui Youth Chamber of Commerce. The occasion was also supported by the Consulate General of France in Canton, the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Hong Kong (FCCIHK) and Business France.

WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | JULY 2017 | SZ | 57

PRD FOCUS T

he British School of Guangzhou held an ‘Awards Day’ on June 30 to celebrate students' achievements and to wave goodbye to their graduates, many of whom are heading to universities ranked in the world’s top 100.

C

onrad Guangzhou unveiled in May in the city’s CBD. Overlooking the Pearl River, the hotel is an artisan oasis for those seeking inspired experiences, with an interior design boasting a stylish interpretation of traditional Xiguan culture.

I

n the last decade, Guangzhou’s Eclipse English Center has grown to become an influential institute in the community. On June 18, the language center commemorated its 9th anniversary by hosting a charitable exhibition of its students’ artworks, the proceeds of which went to Little Angel Charity.

58 | SZ | JULY 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM

T

he Patagonia Mussels project, in concert with online chef community GeeKitchen, hosted a tasting at the Sheraton, Shenzhen to promote juicy Patagonian seafood. Chefs, provided with a variety of ingredients, created delectable dishes with Patagonian mussels for attendees.

A

fter a half-month or so trial run, Shenzhen’s first gym to introduce genetic testing for athletic ability, CaptainV Room, officially opened on June 19 in downtown Futian District. Its opening party gathered both local media and bodybuilding enthusiasts.

C

anton Global Academy (CGA) and the Canadian International School of Guangzhou (CIS), in concert with Urban Family, hosted a Summer 2017 Family Fun Day at Crowne Plaza Guangzhou City Center. The funfilled occasion included workshops, sports activities, snacks, a seminar and a stage performance.

O

n June 14, the Grand Mercure Shenzhen Oriental Ginza held a conference to promote a Chinese calligraphy contest for Guangdong’s expats. Taking place in September and offering a RMB10,000 first prize, the contest aims to encourage foreign residents to learn about and enjoy Chinese calligraphy.

T

he Italian National Day was observed last month in Four Seasons Hotel, Guangzhou. On June 2, at a reception hosted by the Consulate General of Italy in Guangzhou, Consul General Laura Egoli greeted and celebrated the occasion with invitees.

O

n June 15, just over two years since ISA International School Guangzhou opened, the school became an IB World School. It now stands among a family of more than 4,500 IB schools around the world.

TEAMLAB

Shenzhen reviews, events and information

Boundary Blurring Digital Art

See p74

This month

61 Home Cooking 62 Grapevine 66 New Food and Drink

A monthly insert for July 2017

EAT &

DRINK Low-key Luxe

Sweet sips on Honey Lake, p70

Beef Baron P67 60 | SZ | JULY 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM

Convenience Store Cocktails P68

HOME COOKING

AN ACT OF COD

Marinated Codfish with Citrus and Honey Reduction SCAN TO WATCH Scan the QR code to see Chef Greg Delbost prepare this dish.

D

ear reader, your complaints began as a trickle – this or that ingredient was too hard to find, you said. From there it became a chorus: ‘We don’t own ovens!’ ‘This recipe takes too long!’ ‘What’s the difference between a boil and a simmer?’ Alright, alright. We get it. This month we’ve turned to one of Shenzhen’s finest chefs and asked him to keep it simple – very simple. Some quality cod, basic spices and about 15 minutes of your time and this fish is good to go. Happy? Now get cooking.

Ingredients:

The fish 200g piece of codfish The marinade and reduction 1 orange 1 lemon 1 tablespoon of honey Salt Pepper Cayenne pepper powder 1 teaspoon of five-spices mix Olive oil Side dish Your choice of salad

Method:

1. Squeeze the lemon and orange and mix the juices.

2. Add honey, the spice mix and salt

and pepper to the juice to create the marinade.

3. Marinate the codfish in the mix for up to 10 minutes.

4. Panfry the fish in olive oil at low heat, switching sides when the honey caramelizes and changes color.

Check firmness with needle or knife and add olive oil as needed.

5. While frying the fish, use the stove to reduce the marinade to a syrup.

6. Plate the fish with your choice of salad and drizzle the reduction over the dish before serving.

This recipe is courtesy of Chef Greg Delbost at Taste Moment, 1/F, Bldg 1, Block A, 1979 Culture and Creativity Park, 1011 Qiaoxiang Lu, Futian District, Shenzhen 深圳市福田区侨香路1011号1979 文化创意园A区1栋1层 (0755 8255 6173)

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GRAPE VINE THE SCANDALOUS SCOOP

We’re digging:

Speakeasy Haploid’s keeping it low-key in a high-decibel party park; word of The 7th Day’s scrumptious smoked salmon-based brunches; whitecollared pummelings that resulted in RMB100,000 for charity; the city getting Tech-Crunchy with the website’s first South China event.

We’re done with:

Closings and closings in Shekou as bottom-line wrecking rent takes its pound of flesh – goodbye Ghost Bar, Dunkshot and Premium Meats; the Ofo oh-no with a faulty-brake-ed bike beaming an elderly woman before Miss Hit-and-Run made off in an also Ofo-aided escape; Malaysian-named Merbok flooding roads, homes and Shenzhen's subway system causing RMB260 million in damages – would proper drainage have been cheaper?

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OLDIE BUT GOODIE

Juice Baby Café It was way back in 2012 that Juice Baby opened its doors, with ambitions to deliver juice to nearby schools. At least half the fruit went to rot as James Beattie and his partner discovered the Shuiwei community didn’t want healthy sips for kids, but stiff drinks late at night.

Since then, Juice Baby has gone through a sort of evolution – though maintaining its name, and a logo showing an Eiffel Tower filled with fruit – it has become a locus for expat teachers that work at the nearby schools and an easy stop for locals looking for quality alcohol or Western fare.

The Cambrian explosion of Shuiwei’s food scene pushed cafe-cum-bar – which is mostly outdoor seating with a view of a large screen TV – to up its game. Still known for its hot dog and Tiger beer Monday special (RMB45), a renovation saw dishes like smoked salmon salad (RMB50) added to the menu.

Now sporting a laundry list of liquors, and the usual suspects of mixed drinks, Juice Baby still serves up its notoriously strong Long Island iced tea (RMB55).

The atmosphere is friendly, but it’s not the type of place you go to strike up conversation with the table over. Though, it’s a gold mine for people watching with Saturday night Shuiwei being a particularly earthy experience.

The kitchen closes at 10pm, but barbecue is still served – an obvious nod to local preferences with RMB5 chicken feet recently added to the menu.

Before you ask, they still serve juice, with glasses of apple juice going for RMB28.

Shop 101, Chenhui Garden, Shuiwei Cun, Futian District 福田区水围村皇晨晖家园街铺101铺 (135 4329 0902)

D I N I N G @ U R B A N A T O M Y. C O M

COCKTAIL

The Summer Sling Cocktails are storied beasts. Origins are often unclear and regional variations abound as the drinks form pseudo histories through a mixing of cock and bull with fact – unless we’re talking about the summer sling. “It was originally designed for a music festival I catered, so it’s incredibly easy to make,” says Shenzhen-based mixologist Ross Woodford.

Six easy-to-find ingredients, a bit of shaking and the drink is ready. And while the Summer Sling doesn’t yet have the lore that makes for a classic, that’s where you come in.

Ingredients Basil 45ml vodka

20ml lemon juice 20ml strawberry puree or two fresh strawberries 15ml sugar syrup with basil Soda water

Method

1. Place a pinch of washed basil in a shaker with vodka and muddle the basil.

2. Add all the other ingredients and shake well.

3. Strain into a glass and top with soda water.

This recipe was provided by our friends at Shenzhen’s Providence Cocktail, 2/F, Paradiso Apartments, 82 Furong Lu, Futian District, Shenzhen 深圳市福田区福荣路82号金域蓝湾2楼 (186 6538 3106)

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E AT & DR INK | F E AT UR E

Mung Bean Popsicle

‘Snow Rice Cake’

Often tragically mistranslated as ‘green beans,’ mung beans are in fact an Asian staple, a common ingredient in desserts and summertime beverages. Take the mung bean popsicle, for instance. Don’t be put off by the coloring; its mild sweetness is sure to soothe on a hot day.

It’s a wonderful idea – vanilla ice cream inside a soft, mochi-like outer layer – but somewhat tricky in execution. Our advice? Unwrap and wait for the ice cream to soften before digging in. Poke it with the tiny plastic fork provided to check when it’s ready.

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The ‘Milk Stick’ Among convenience store desserts, this is as basic as you can get: a modest cylinder of white ice cream served on a stick. It tastes like the faint memory of milk after being watered down and sweetened, but it’s cold and cheap and served in moderate portions.

Red Date Milk-Flavored Ice Cream For an ice cream with date juice inside, this option is surprisingly accessible to a Western palate. A thin outer shell of white chocolate covers ice cream with a swirl of fruity filling. The date is satisfyingly sweet, as is the rest of the treat.

Chestnut Red Bean Ice Cream Unless you’re really fresh off the boat, you’ve probably tried red bean desserts before. The taste is sometimes sickly sweet, which is why we prefer this rendition: bits of sweet chestnut and whole red beans embedded in yet another milk-flavored popsicle.

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E AT & DR INK | NE W R E S TAUR A N T

MINIKOR Mega Fusion

By Lachlan Cairns

The Place With dozens of food options, Coco Park is a crowded market for a restaurant. That means you have to stand out, or you die out – and quickly. Minikor does this with its modern interior and evolving Korean fusion menu. Traditional, this is not.

The Food

We start off with a surprisingly alcoholic, but refreshing Korean makgeolli and Sprite cocktail (RMB58) served in a frosty metal

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bottle, before the kimchi gimbap with mashed tuna (RMB62) arrives. The gimbap is accompanied by American cheese and jalapenos, giving it a slightly sour, spicy kick, which is mellowed by the tuna. The rice cake bolognaise (RMB48), with thick noodles, is geared towards Chinese sensibilities, with the bolognaise sauce heavy on the tomato and onion flavors. The fried chicken wing platter with salad and kimchi (RMB88) is meant to capitalize on the popularity of Korean fried chicken, but eschews the expected spiciness and is, unusually, battered with breadcrumbs.

We wish we had saved the sweet pumpkin ‘pizza’ with honey (RMB49) for last, as it works well as a dessert and is actually a Chinese-style pancake with a creamy topping.

Last, comes the buttery Australian strip steak (RMB98), cut and served on a stone grill at the table with, again, more breadcrumbs.

The Vibe Over the two levels of the restaurant the decor is sleek and glamorous. Gray colors and wood paneling abound with black metal and glass art deco partitions separating tables – let’s call it ‘WeChat friendly,’ with people lounging in large chairs and the occasional couple.

Fusion food is a balancing act and when you base an entire menu on it, not all of the dishes will be winners. Minikor will do well if it finds the soul of the food it is cooking and innovates from there.

Price: RMB40-120 Who’s going: curious diners, moneyed housewives Good for: decor excellence, chilled makgeolli cocktails

L01-B01, Coco Park, 269 Fuhua San Lu, Futian District 福 田区民田路福华三路269号Coco Park L1-B01 (8606 9266)

NE W R E S TAUR A N T | E AT & DR INK

GODFATHER BISTRO Steaking a Claim By ByBailey BaileyHu Hu

The Place The Shuiwei Village neighborhood is littered with tiny shops and street food vendors.

Across from Godfather Bistro, a couple paunchy men, one of them shirtless, sit outside a general store that stocks everything from flip-flops to plastic washtubs.

The bistro sticks out, with its darkened interior, shiny red booth seats and foreign beers on tap.

It’s not alone, though. Along with other recent openings that include a taco shop and craft beer bar, the restaurant points towards the neighborhood’s changing character.

The Food

Despite the name, rather than pastas and thin-crust pizza, Godfather specializes in authentic American cuisine.

The house steak (RMB148), which alternates between Argentine Black Angus and Australian Angus rib eye, is a prime example.

Our medium-rare cut of Argentine beef is soft and flavorful, even without the aid of a buttery ‘black pepper sauce.’ The accompanying steak fries are fresh, with a hint of crispiness.

An American cheeseburger (RMB60) is just as satisfying, with a juicy patty, melted American cheese and lightly cooked onions inside sturdy buns.

For lighter fare, try the cooked oysters with garlic at RMB6 a pop. Although pleasingly succulent, they’re best avoided on first dates.

Of the eight draft beers served in 450ml pours, flavors range from the light, wheat beer-lager mix of Estrella Damm’s Inedit (RMB35) all the way to BrewDog’s fittingly named Jackhammer IPA (RMB50).

In the in-between range, the smooth Jet Black Heart Stout (RMB45) offers flavor and a buzz, without too much bitterness.

The Vibe

With hearty food and quality beers, Godfather is a respectable alternative to similar, pricier options in Shekou or the CBD. In fact, the bistro has proved especially popular with Hong Kongers, co-owner James Beattie tells us. Although the place is nearly empty on the early Friday evening we stop by, we’ve seen respectable crowds on previous weekends.

In the evolving Shuiwei scene, Godfather is determined to stake out its own space.

Price: RMB100-150 Who’s going: Hong Kongers, meat lovers Good for: real American food, late-night snacks

97 Shuiwei Qi Jie, Futian District 福田区水围七街97号 (135 4329 0902)

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E AT & DR INK | NE W R E S TAUR A N T

UDOG Or Don’t

By Sky Thomas Gidge

The Place Take a left at the end of Sea World’s pulsating food street and walk to the end of the coffeeshop-lined alley: there you'll find Udog.

Outside, two huge, cartoonish dog sculptures flank the outdoor seating and inside the faintly sterile smell of a PetSmart greets you. The gray floors and sparse furniture are brightly lit by bulbs hidden in dog boneshaped cutouts stretching the length of the ceiling. Out back, a collection of canine clothing and dog-carrying bags. Out front, puppies in pristine glass enclosures, set to be carried home for RMB2,888.

Originally introduced to us as a dog cafe, of ‘cat cafe’ ilk, Udog instead welcomes you to bring your own dog – or purchase one of theirs.

ince of Starbucks, but now it’s expected at any cafe on the better end of the spectrum, though serving the food on paper plates and in disposable plastic bowls means Udog’s offerings will not be peppering your WeChat Moments anytime soon.

The menu offers no surprises: an Americano for RMB25, a cappuccino for RMB28 and so on. The perhaps-a-fad mint cheese tea (RMB26) is as good as any we’ve had and the spicy sausages (RMB26) are served after a session in the convection oven. Portions are fair for the price, but will reheated meat prove a draw when you’ve just passed two of the city’s best restaurants?

The Vibe

How do you feel about pet stores? Because Udog doubles as one. They also offer nail clippings, an animal spa and professional pet photos – which are absolutely adorable. The floors and furniture are of a sort you could

easily wipe… a spilled drink from, making Udog suitable for pets, but all the design concessions to our furry friends gives the space a distinctly un-cafe feel.

On-sale puppies are displayed in large, square enclosures that make up a wall, with a daily health check form visible through the glass. If one is not opposed to the pet trade (and judging from Dianping, plenty aren’t), sipping a competently made latte (RMB28) and fawning over pooches will make for an hour of fun. Otherwise, the more pet conscious will only visit for something they have no intention of eating: the wide selection of imported animal food.

Price: RMB60 Who’s going: Shekou pet owners Good for: affordable coffee, reliving pet store memories

Ying Rui Shang Wu building, Section A, Sea World, Shekou, Nanshan District 南山区蛇口海上世界英瑞商 务旁Udog (8827 0061)

The Food

It’s standard cafe fare. Five years ago, perhaps, the decent sesame cheesecake (RMB28) would have been the sole provE AT & DR INK | NE W B A R

HAPLOID Hidden Appeal

By Bailey Hu

N

othing about Haploid is as it seems.

First, there’s the entrance, concealed inside a tiny convenience store at the heart of Shenzhen’s famous (or infamous) bar street, Shopping Park.

The cashier, wearing smoky eye makeup and black clothes, confirms we’ve found the right place, but it isn’t until we announce our purpose that she shows us the entrance.

After a descent, we emerge in the cozy bar, with chairs clustered around black tables. ‘Where love lives’ is spelled out in neon lights against a wall, and, on another, is a Star Wars-themed poster of Dave Lam, the bar’s ‘professional director.’

Lam hails from Hong Kong, where he won a ‘Chivas Master’ competition last year.

He’s the creator of Haploid’s 16 signature cocktails, like the refreshingly tangy ‘I am Groot’ (RMB80). It comes in the guise of a potted plant, with a sprig of mint balanced 68 | SZ JULY 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM

atop an Oreo-crumb ‘dirt’ topping.

The Beef Eater (RMB80), is made with its namesake gin, and is milky white yet carries a sour, fruity kick.

The Yuan Yang drink (RMB98) is a little more traditional, adding whisky to the Hong Kong blend of milk tea and coffee. It comes served with a special treat, however: two triangles of toast, paired with a tube of Chivasinfused condensed milk.

Haploid has classic cocktails, but with a price range of RMB80-88, customers might as well order the signature drinks. For the purists, the menu boasts five pages of whisky.

Lam tips us off to Haploid’s second floor; up a winding staircase and past another se-

cret door, we find ourselves in a set of rooms with eclectic decor: chandeliers, bead curtains and star-spangled throws abound.

Haploid feels like a clubhouse for the inthe-know, and therein lies its appeal. We’d tell you how to get in, but that would only spoil the fun.

Price: RMB80-160 Who’s going: trendy bar hoppers, cocktail sippers Good for: creative concoctions, feeling fancy H-Store, Shop 5, Yingjifu Square, Shopping Park, 138 Mintian Lu, Futian District 福田区民田路138号购 物公园内英吉夫广场商铺05号哈士多

E AT & DR INK | NE W B A R | NE W B A R S

LUXURY

Fancy Without Frills

By Sky Thomas Gidge

T

hree years ago, the 1979 shopping complex looked like a failing retail venture: bored security guards roamed hallways lined with empty, padlocked storefronts. Today, there’s a threestory coffee shop, New York style pizza and some of Shenzhen’s finest new restaurants – all apparently thriving on our weeknight visit.

At the back of the area, with AstroTurfed putting greens abutting its wall, is Luxury.

Despite the name, the decor is unpretentious. Within the single-story space, twinkling Christmas-style lights hang above a long sofa that curves toward the bar’s dimly lit rear.

Make no mistake, the drinks are premium priced, but the quality matches the cost.

The first page of drinks on the bilingual menu is original to Luxury, the brainchildren of the head bartender, known simply as ‘Feng.’

Feng’s kiss – the drink, not the action – uses single malt whisky, pineapple and orange juice (RMB88). In Chinese we’re told it’s like a real kiss: the first ‘taste’ is sweet but then it turns strong and a bit bitter. The description proves true.

The RMB88 girl’s skirt has another moniker that invites a double entendre, but it’s also a sweet sip that should be taken seriously. By the time our lips touch the ice at the bottom of this egg-white-topped drink, we’ve deemed it one of the best ‘girly’ drinks we’ve had in recent memory.

At this point Feng pauses, sits down and begins talking about a beautiful woman he knows from Beijing. She favors tequila, drinks like a majestic fish and is the inspiration for an off-menu cocktail: Beijing girl (RMB98).

Based around Patrón Silver and sprinkled with rose petal powder, the drink is finished

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with a touch of something odd or original, we’re still not sure which. Feng sprays the top of the glass with a mist of the tatted-up, felon cousin of the baijiu family: erguotou.

The tinge of bitter liquor doesn’t overwhelm the sugary drink, but it also doesn’t add much to it – the only unfortunate moment of the evening when reality falls short of imagination.

Price: RMB100 Who’s going: in-the-know cocktail connoisseurs Good for: quiet dates, drinks with a story

1/F, Bldg 1, Area A, 1979 Culture Creative Park, 1011 Xiang Lu, Honey Lake, Nanshan District 南山区 香蜜湖侨香路1011号1979文化创意园A区1栋1楼 (8256 4103)

Benefit Concert for Blind Summer Camp Concert

Endless Summer Beach Party

HEAR Dystopia Disco Party

DJ Headless Ghost – and his signature visuals – and DJ Ectoplazm, with synth lines, punchy drums and songs that could soundtrack retro-futuristic dreams, will start off the night. Craft beer on tap, midnight munchies and Magma’s signature cocktails are all on menu – with special deals promised as well. This party marks the sonic return of the people behind Baishizhou’s Magma bar.

Sat Jul 1, 9pm to late; free entry.

Dolores Par, 101 Nanhai E-Cool, Gongye San Lu, Shekou, Nanshan District 南山区蛇口工业三路南海意库2 栋101铺 (3313 3667)

Higher Brothers Rap

As part of Street Culture Week, rising Sichuan trap group Higher Brothers will give Shenzhen a taste of their original rap music, sung in a mix of Mandarin and Sichuan dialect with the occasional English phrase dropped in for good measure.

Sat Jul 1; RMB60 presale RMB80 at door. Dazzle Club, 3/F, Central Commercial Building, 88 Fuhua Yi Lu, Futian District 福田区福华一路88号中心 商务大厦三楼 (2348 1542)

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Celebrated folk artists Zhou Yunpeng and Xiao He will play a benefit concert, with all proceeds going to a summer camp for blind children to be held in Shenzhen.

Blinded as a child, Zhou started his music career in 1994, becoming one of China’s most celebrated folk singers. He is also an accomplished poet, author and actor.

Wed Jul 19, 8pm; RMB100 preorder RMB120 at door. B10 Live, Building C2, North District, OCT-LOFT, Nanshan District 南山区华侨城创意文化园北区C2栋北侧 (b10live. taobao.com , 8633 7602)

This party features 13 international DJs, Western food and the Secret Spot venue in Xichong. Tickets include transportation, beach entry and one drink. Buses leave July 8 and will depart from Xichong Beach July 9.

Sat Jul 8, 11am and 8pm; RMB120.

Shalanzai Beach, Gate 3, Hesou Village, Xiyong, Nan'ao Town, Dapeng, Longgang District 龙岗区大鹏新区南 澳镇西涌鹤薮村3号收费站沙兰仔沙滩 (135 5474 1859)

String Fever Show

win!

We have tickets to this show to give away. Message our official WeChat account (ThatsShenzhen) before July 15 with the band name, your contact number and why you should win.

Fresh 9-Year Anniversary Party

Take three brothers, one cousin, four string instruments and add a generous amount of talent and comedy and what do you get? A unique act that exceeds all expectations! From traditional baroque to modern heavy metal, String Fever brings you into a party of prominent playing skills and engaging humor.

Sat Jul 15, 8pm; RMB80-280. Shenzhen Concert Hall, 2016 Fuzhong Yi Lu, Futian District 福田区福中一路2016号深圳音乐 厅演奏大厅 (8284 1888)

For the past nine years, Fresh has been pushing all kinds of underground sounds in Shenzhen, from drum n' bass to dancehall to deep house and more.

To celebrate another year, they return to one of their favorite venues – a gritty and always exciting lesbian bar. Featuring nine fresh artists performing 90-minute back-to-back sets starting at 9pm sharp.

Sat Jul 22, 9pm-3am; free entry. Sugar Bar, A2-A4 Yufeng Building, Shangbu Nanlu, Futian District 福田上步南路国企大厦对面Sugar炫酒吧 (8362 4801)

2017 Shenzhen French National Day Party

Ceramics Pottery Class

DO Xichong Language Exchange Gathering

Practice your language skills and build new friendships on the beautiful Xichong beach. Languages from all over the world are welcome in a bid to build Shenzhen's international community. Transportation provided from the Shopping Park metro station.

Sat Jul 1, 10am; RMB100. Secret Spot Café, Shalanzai Beach, Gate 3, Hesou Village, Xiyong, Nan'ao Town, Dapeng, Longgang District 龙岗区大鹏新区南 澳镇西涌鹤薮村3号收费站沙兰仔沙滩 (WeChat: cometochinacici, 135 5474 1859)

This 2017 Shenzhen French National Day party will be held July 15. French and Chinese communities will gather to celebrate this historic day, discovering French culture and cuisine. An expected six hundred guests will enjoy wine, beer and a buffet dinner, consisting of French and Asian food.

Sat Jul 15; RMB250 early bird members, RMB350 early bird non-members, RMB400 at door. Location TBD. (8632 9602)

Spa and Tea Special Deal

Experience the process of creating your own pot or plate, from shaping and candling to painting. The art is your own, with professionals standing by to help out and guide. Your only limit is your imagination – and the malleability of the clay.

Daily until Aug 13, 10am-12am; RMB 168.

Nanshan Book Mall, 2748 Nanhai Dadao, Nanshan District 南山区南海大道2748号 (8612 2001)

Oriental Cup Calligraphy Contest

Canadian and American Independence BBQ Party

Bring your favorite American or Canadian dish to share and you'll receive free admission. All proceeds go to Sunshine Academy Orphanage.

Burgers, hot dogs, salad, poutine, maple bacon and Quebecois meat pie are all on the menu and kids under 12 eat for free.

Sun Jul 2, 2pm; RMB80 for members RMB100 non-members. The Snake Pit 1089 Wanghai Lu by Haichang Jie, Nanshan District 南山区望海路1089-6号 (130 4897 3180)

Starting with a relaxing 60 minutes of aromatherapy and massage treatment in the Yue Spa followed by afternoon tea in the Yi Bar and Lounge, you and a friend will have found the perfect remedy for Shenzhen’s stifling summer heat.

Reservations required.

Daily all month, spa 10am-11pm tea 2.30-5.30pm; RMB1,888 for two plus 15 percent service charge. Four Seasons Hotel Shenzhen, 138 Fuhua San Lu, by Yitian Lu, Futian District 福田区福华三路138号 (8826 8700)

Foreigners working or living in Guangdong with a valid Chinese visa are invited to the Oriental Cup calligraphy contest. The contest promises big prizes, including a RMB10,000 first prize.

All month until Jul 30, 9.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-1pm Sat; free.

Shenzhen Oriental Art Gallery, Shenzhen Grand Mercure Oriental Ginza Hotel, Shennan Dadao Xi, Futian District 福田区深南大 道西竹子林东方银座雅高美爵酒店7楼 (oriental_cup@sina.com)

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SEE

TA S T E Half Off Cocktails Happy Hour

Luxury Bar’s premium cocktails are half off during happy hour – a steal, given the premium ingredients and skill that goes into making them.

Located in the Honey Lake area, Luxury Bar’s happy hour is the perfect launching point to explore the area's new restaurants, cafes and shops.

Daily, 5pm-8pm. 1/F, Bldg 1, Area A, 1979 Culture Creative Park, 1011 Qiaoxiang Lu, Honey Lake, Futian District 福田区香蜜湖侨香路1011号 1979文化新天地A区1栋1楼 (8256 4103)

Afternoon Tea Set Deal

The St. Regis Shenzhen has launched a mango serenade tea designed for family and friends and held in The Drawing Room on floor 96. The set features a wide selection of mango desserts in Western and Cantonese styles.

Daily until Jul 19; RMB230 plus 6 percent service charge. St. Regis Shenzhen, 5016 Shennan Dong Lu, Luohu District 罗湖区深南东路5016号 96楼 (2223 9485)

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TeamLab Exhibition

The TeamLab exhibition in Shenzhen emphasizes the idea of ‘digits and art.’ The past TeamLab exhibition in Japan was praised as one of the top 10 art exhibitions of 2015. This time, in Shenzhen, visitors are able to see six astounding artistic works that use digital equipment.

Fri Jul 1 to Nov 30, 10am-10pm; RMB150-320. OCT Design Museum Studio, Happy Harbor, 8 Baishi Lu, Futian District 福田区白石路8号欢乐海岸OCT创意展示中心 137 1458 4985

FC Bayern vs. AC Milan Soccer Match

In the summer of 2013, Stephen M. Ross and Relevant Sports revolutionized the international soccer landscape by organizing the Guinness International Champions Cup (ICC). Now the ICC match between FC Bayern and AC Milan in Shenzhen gives soccer fans in China an opportunity to attend an exciting, world-level soccer game.

Sat July 22, 5:30pm; RMB199-1,299. Universiade Center Stadium, 3001 Longxiang Dadao, Longgang District 龙岗区 龙翔大道3001号大运中心体育场 (8998 0111)

Muzikbox Film and DJ

Now combining First Fridays, a monthly showcase of short films from local filmmakers, with drum and bass vinyl DJs on a 360-degree sound system, Muzikbox is taking up a summer residency in a Shekou coffee shop.

Fri Jul 7, 8pm films 10pm DJs; free but suggested drink purchase. For Times Coffee, 102 Zone 5, Meinian Square, Nanhai Avenue, Nanshan District 南海大道花样年美年广场五 栋102一楼 (8827 5866)

OCT-LOFT Plant Memories Exhibition

Spread throughout OCT Loft, you’ll find pieces of artwork commemorating the area’s unique history. Once a cluster of factories, the area is now the city’s top art district – and who remembers this better than the plants?

That’s the thinking for this bizarrely named, yet pretty straightforward area-wide exhibition. Contributing artists include ‘Nut Brother,’ who once made a brick from Beijing’s smog.

All Month; free. OCT Loft, Overseas Chinese Town, Nanshan District 南山区华侨城东部工业区创意文化园 (8271 9826)

OPEN DOOR

LUXURY BAR

THE 7TH DAY

Enjoy afternoon tea at Luxury Bar in the Atlife Club for a promotional price of only RMB258 from 10am-5pm. A virtual driving range is available after you’ve finished your tea – a new, relaxing way to pass an afternoon in Shenzhen.

The 7th Day just launched their new brunch menu, including slow-cooked poached eggs with smoked salmon and fresh spinach. Priced at just RMB58 per order, this is a deal that will leave both wallet and stomach full.

1/F, Bldg 1, Block A, 1979 Cultural and Creative Park, 1011 Qiaoxiang Lu, Futian District 福田区侨香 路1011号1979文化创意园A区1栋1层 (8256 4103)

Building B, SCC Building, Coastal City, 9 Wenxin San Lu, Nanshan District 南山区海岸城文心三路 9号中洲控股金融中心B座2C (8638 0028)

Introduces Afternoon Tea

Launches a New Brunch Menu

HONG KONG & MACAU CALENDAR HK

ALL MONTH TUE-SAT

Reunions: A Collector’s Journey, 10am-6pm; HKD200. Liang Yi Museum (www.liangyimuseum.com) Inspired by the three movements in Beethoven’s Les Adieux, this exhibition explores themes of loss, absence and return, featuring over one hundred pieces of Chinese furniture from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Tours by appointment only.

sion. Lan Kwai Fong (www.lankwaifong.com) This will be a showcase of different beer brands from around the world with more than 60 booths offering delicious food, fine beers and interactive games alongside all-day performances.

Hong Kong Book Fair 2017, various times; prices vary. Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (www.hkbookfair.com) Whether you’re a convicted bibliophile or a casual reader, the 28th Hong Kong Book Fair is sure to please. High-caliber authors will be sat between publications while 300 related cultural events are held.

SAT FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix, various times; MOP150. (www.sport. gov.mo/en) Teams from China, Italy, the US and Turkey will face off in the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix taking place at the Macao Forum.

With more prize money up for grabs than any of the other three volleyball classics (the World Volleyball Cup, World Volleyball Championship and Olympics), this is one of the most fiercely competitive sporting events held in Macau.

JUL 15 SAT

FRI-SUN

Dear Jane, 8pm; MOP280-880. Cotai Arena, The Venetian Macao (www. venetianmacao.com) Formed in 2003, Dear Jane is a Hong Kong punk rock band with Tim Wong singing lead vocals, Jackal Ng on the bass, Howie Yung on guitar and ‘Nice’ on the drums.

Wong, Ng and Yung all grew up outside of Hong Kong, however, picking up pop-punk styles from the States, Canada and Taiwan before forming the band.

SAT

Fireworks Marking the 20th Anniversary of the SAR, 8pm; free.

Victoria Harbor (www.lcsd.gov.hk/eo) Join crowds along Victoria Harbor to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with a glittering fireworks display.

JUL 15-16

memorate the birthday of Guan Yu, also known as ‘Kuan Tai’ – a general of Shu during the Three Kingdoms period – this feast sees locals come together in celebration, holding lion and dragon dances, banquets, sports competitions and more. Check it out if you’re in Macau that weekend.

JUL 22

JUL 28-30

JUL 1

Janice Vidal, 8pm; MOP280-880.

Cotai Arena, The Venetian Macao (www.venetianmacao.com) Known as the ‘Queen of Cantopop,’ and enjoying album sales exceeding 10 million, Janice Vidal has won hundreds of awards and toured throughout China, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, United States and Canada. Catch her live this month at the Cotai Arena.

ONGOING

DAILY (EXCEPT THU)

JUL 17

SAT-SUN

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FRI-SUN

WED-TUE

SAT-WED

LKF Beer and Music Fest, 1pm-12am Jul 15 1pm-10pm Jul 16; free admis-

JUL 14-16

JUL 19-25

ALL MONTH

Ancient Egypt’s Quest for Eternal Life, 10am-7pm (Mon-Wed, Fri) 10am9pm (Sun-Sat); various prices. Hong Kong Science Museum (hk.science. museum) On loan from the British Museum, coffins, burial objects and centuriesold mummies are used to introduce the funeral customs of ancient Egypt, with a focus on the culture’s pursuit for immortality.

MO

MON 19th Ani-Com & Games HK, 10am9pm; HKD35 (presale at 7-11s). Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (www.ani-com.hk) This is one of the most popular summer carnivals for the younger generation, packed with a selection of animation, comics, games, toys and limited edition collectibles.

Feast of Kuan Tai, all day; free.

Various Kuan Tai temples in Macau (www.temple.mo) A quasi-religious custom to com-

Monkey King, 8pm; MOP420-1,580.

Sands Cotai Theatre (sandscotaicentral.com) Known as “one of the most famous and enduring stories told in Chinese folklore and one of the most dynamic characters in world literature,” the Monkey King is indeed a force – and show – to be reckoned with. See it daily (except Thursdays) in Macau through December 2017.

URBAN MOMENTS

Corona Summer Promotion @Bar Street, Coco Park, Jun 10

HOTEL NEWS Four Seasons Hotel Shenzhen

Appoints D'Alessandro Giovanni Battista as Executive Chef

Shenzhen Marriott Hotel Golden Bay Appoints Ms. Maggie Ji as Director of Sales and Marketing

Shenzhen Marriott Hotel Golden Bay has appointed Ms. Maggie Ji as director of sales and marketing, overseeing a team of 24 sales and marketing associates for the Marriott City Retreat in Shenzhen, located on the beachfront of Golden Bay, an ultimate luxury destination for both leisure seekers and business travellers alike.

“Shenzhen is a modern city with a lot of potential. As the second Marriott Hotel in Shenzhen and first Marriott city retreat to open in this city, it is our responsibility as representatives of the brand to bring about a positive and lasting impression to our associates, to the community and to the local economy,” says Ms. Maggie Ji.

Prior to joining Four Seasons, Battista gained valuable experience working with other premier luxury hotels in Shenzhen.

In his role as executive chef, Battista will be responsible for the culinary operation of the hotel, providing leadership to his kitchen team and delivering culinary excellence at Four Seasons Hotel Shenzhen’s food and beverage outlets. Giovanni draws on his experience and passion for fresh produce to create and deliver unforgettable dining experiences. When not working he enjoys traveling and experiencing new cultures and cuisines.

Marco Polo Shenzhen

The St. Regis Shenzhen

Appoints Mr. Jta Wen Yap General Manager Marriott International, Inc. announced the appointment of Mr. Jta Wen Yap as the general manager of The St. Regis Shenzhen.

Originally from Malaysia, Mr. Yap is a professional hotelier with over 17 years experience in the hospitality industry. He is renowned for his strong personnel management skills and distinctive leadership style, critical and valuable assets in positioning the property as one of the finest and most sophisticated hotels in southern China. “I am pleased to play my part and to lead The St. Regis Shenzhen team to continue and elevate the extraordinary and unique St. Regis traditions and deliver a legendary St. Regis journey to the discerning traveler,” he said.

Wins Best Business Hotel 2016 and Remarkable Hotel Manager Awards

IHG Foundation

Holds Charity Carnival The IHG Foundation have partnered with the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation to hold a culinary and gourmet charity event at Crowne Plaza Guangzhou Science City.

Together with involvement by IHG sister hotels – InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express – sponsor companies, media and individuals, the attendance of the charity event was well

over 400. With the generous support from all involved participants and sponsors, IHG Foundation had a successful night.

The IHG Foundation is an independent charity, which works to create stronger, healthier and more prosperous communities around the word. The IHG Foundation is committed to helping communities develop hospitality skills, ensuring support for those impacted by disasters, facilitating local community investment and protecting the environment.

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Marco Polo Shenzhen won the Best Business Hotel 2016 Award in Shenzhen and Remarkable Hotel Manager at the 2017 annual Shenzhen Hotel Association ceremony on May 22, 2017. This award ceremony involved more than 60 hotels and many individuals. The awards included Best Business Hotel, Best Wedding Hotel, Best Conference Hotel and Best Resort Hotel. The individual awards won are Leading Figures in the Hotel Industry and Remarkable Hotel Manager. In order to have a fair and honest result, the awards were judged through online voting and expert reviewing, and they were only offered to the top three participants. “I very much appreciate that the Shenzhen Hotel Association gave me the Remarkable Hotel Manager Award, this is affirmation and recognition of my career.

As a hotel manager, this reward will encourage me to lead my team better and provide great service,” Marco Polo Shenzhen EAM Ms. Rachel Wang stated.

Ascott

Launches Trailblazing lyf Brand in China and Singapore The Ascott Limited has secured contracts to manage its first three properties under its latest brand, lyf, in two key markets: China and Singapore. This marks the launch of Ascott’s new co-living concept in China as Ascott captures the booming millennial market and shapes the future of travel.

Signifying a new way of living and collaborating as a community, Ascott showcased its first lyf property recently. The 112-unit lyf Wu Tong Island will open in the first half of 2018, Mr. Lee Chee Koon, Ascott’s chief executive officer, said: “Since Ascott unveiled the lyf brand in Singapore last November, we have received very strong interest in this new co-living concept designed by millennials for the growing wave of millennial and millennial-minded travellers… they also offer vibrant spaces for these change-makers to build new connections and co-create with the community therein.”

FEATURED LIS Scan for complete listings

Want to see all restaurants, hotels and more in Shenzhen?

Check out www.thatsmags.com or download our app by scanning the QR code.

EDUCATION American International School, No. 82,Gongyuan Lu, Shekou,Nanshan District (8619 4750) 南山区蛇口公园路82号青少年活动中心

Green Oasis School No 4030, Shennan Middle Road, Tianmian, Futian District. (8399 6712) admission@ greenoasis.org.cn www.greenoasis.org.cn 福田区田面村深南中路 4030 号

International School of Nanshan Shenzhen A Canadian school accepting application for Pre-Grade 1 through Grade 12. 166 Nanguang Lu, Nanshan District (2666 1000, 2606 6968). admission@isnsz.com www. isnsz.com 南山区南光路166号

Peninsula Montessori Kindergarten the Peninsula one, Jin Shiji Lu, Shekou Nanshan District ( 2685 1266)

半岛城邦国际幼儿园 南山区蛇口东角头金世纪路1 号半岛城邦一期

Quality Schools International 2/F Bitao Center, 8 Taizi Lu, Shekou,Nanshan District (2667 6031). www.shk.qsi.org 南山区蛇口太子路 8 号碧涛中心 2 楼

QSI International School of Shenzhen (Futian) A1, TCL Science Park, No. 1001 Zhongshan Yuan, Nanshan District (8371 7108) 中山园路1001号TCL 科学园区A1栋 Shekou International School Jingshan Villas, Gongye Er Lu, Shekou, Nanshan District (2669 3669). www.sis.org.cn

Bin Lu, Nanshan District (8888 8888) www. kempinski.com/cn

南山区后海滨路海德三道

Marco Polo Shenzhen Fuhua Yi Lu, CBD, Futian District (8298 9888). www. cn.marcopolohotels.com 福田中心区福华一路 Mission Hills Resort No.1 Mission Hills Dadao, Bao’an District.(2802 0888)

观澜湖酒店集团 宝安区观澜湖高尔夫大道 1 号

Shangri-La Hotel East of the Luohu Train Station, Jianshe Lu, Luohu District (8233 0888). www.shangri-la.com 罗湖区建设路火车站东侧

Sheraton Dameisha Resort 9 Yankui Lu, Dameisha, Yantian District (8888 6688) 盐田大梅沙盐葵路 ( 大梅沙段 )9 号

St. Regis Shenzhen No.5016 Shennan Dong Lu, Luohu District.(8308 8888) 深圳瑞吉酒店 罗湖区深南东路 5016 号

The Langham, Shenzhen, No. 7888, Shennan Dadao, Futian District (8828 9888). 深圳朗廷酒店，福田区深南大道 7888 号

The Ritz-Carlton, Shenzhen 116 Fuhua San Lu, Futian District (2222 2222) 福田区福华三路 116 号

The Venice Raytour Hotel Shenzhen No.9026, Shennan Dadao, Overseas Chinese Town, Nanshan District (2693 6888)

深圳威尼斯睿途酒店 南山区华侨城深南大道 9026 号

The Westin Shenzhen 9028-2 Shennan Dadao, Nanshan District (2698 8888) www.westin.com/shenzhen 南山区深南大道 9028号-2

南山区蛇口工业二路鲸山别墅内

Shen Wai International School 29 Baishi San Lu, Nanshan (8654 1200, www.swis.cn) 深圳外国语学校国际部南山区白石三道 29 号

HOTEL Futian Shangri-La Hotel Shenzhen No.4088 Yitian Lu, Futian District (8828 4088). 福田区益田路 4088 号福田香格里拉大酒店

HEALTH HarMoniCare Women & Children's Hospital 12018 Shennan Dadao, by Nanshan Dadao (3339 1333) 深圳和美妇儿科医院 南山区深南大 道12018号

Four Seasons Hotel Shenzhen 138 Fuhua San Lu, Futian District (8826 8888)

Vista-SK International Medical Center Lvl 4, Bldg 4C, Shenzhen Software Industry Base,Xuefu Lu, Nanshan District (3689 9833) 南山区学府路软件产业基地4栋C座裙楼4层

Grand Hyatt Shenzhen No.1881 Baoan Nan Lu, Luohu District (8266 1234) www.shenzhen.grand.hyatt.com 罗湖区宝安南路1881号

C-MER (Shenzhen) Dennis Lam Eye Hospital 1-2/F, Shengtang Bldg, 1 Tairan Jiu Lu, Chegongmiao, Futian District (4001 666 120, 3322 7188) 福田区车公庙泰然九路一号

深圳市福田区福华三路 138 号

Hilton Shenzhen Shekou Nanhai 1177, Wanghai Lu, Nanshan District

深圳蛇口希尔顿南海酒店 南山区望海路 1177 号 (2162 8888)

Hilton Shenzhen Futian Town B, Great China International Finance Centre, 1003 Shennan Dadao, Futian District (2130 8888) 福田区深南大道1003号大中华国际金融中心B座

JW Marriott Shenzhen No.6005 Shennan Dadao, Futian District. (2269 8888) 福田区深南大道 6005 号

JW Marriott Shenzhen Bao’an 8 Baoxing Lu, Baoan District (2323 8888) 深圳前海华侨城 JW 万豪酒店 , 宝安区宝兴路 8 号

Kempinski Hotel Hai De San Dao, Hou Hai

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盛唐大厦1-2层

IMC(International Medical Center) serves the local community and expatriates from all over the world. We are proud to provide private, personalized healthcare for each patient. Our experienced staff from Hong Kong, Mainland China and overseas provide comprehensive medical services including general and specialty outpatient services, health assessments, inpatient services and more. Scan QR Code above for more info of IMC. 深圳市福田区海园一路，

香港大学深圳医院国际医疗中心 International Medical Centre，The University of Hong Kong - Shenzhen Hospital, 1, Haiyuan 1st Road,

Futian District, Shenzhen （0755-86913388）

BUSINESS 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 1) Futian Anlian, 26/F, Anlian CentreNo.4018 Jintian Road, Futian District; 2) A8 Building, 15/F, A8 Building, No.1002 Keyuan Road Tech Zone, Nanshan District; 3) Futian NEO, 44/F, NEO Tower A, No.6011 Shennan Avenue Futian District; 4) SCC, 7/F, Tower A, SCC Financial Centre, Junction of Houhai Avenue & First Haide Avenue Nanshan District; 5) New World Centre, 23/F, New World Centre, No.6009 Yitian Road Futian District; 6) Times Financial Centre, 14/F Times Financial Centre, No. 4001 Shennan Avenue Futian District; 7) New Times Plaza, 3/F, New Times Plaza,No.1 Taizi Road Shekou District; 8) Panglin Plaza, 35/F, Panglin Plaza, No.2002 Jiabin Road Luohu District; 1)深圳安联中心, 深圳市福田区

高新科技园南区留学生创业大厦3楼314室

SERVICED RESIDENCE

Savills Residence Daxin Shenzhen Bay 1168 Houhaibin Road, Nanshan District, Shenzhen (2685 6688) 南山区后海滨路1168

号 www.savillsresidence.com

Somerset Grandview Shenzhen No.5 Xinsha Road, Futian District, Shenzhen (400 820 1028) 福田区新沙路5号 www.ascottchina.com

FOOD & DRINK

金田路4018号安联大厦26层; 2) 深圳A8大厦,深圳 市南山区科技园科园路1002号A8大厦15层; 3)深 圳NEO大厦, 深圳市福田区深南大道6011号NEO 企业大道A座44层; 4) 深圳中洲控股金融中心, 深圳 市南山区后海大道与海德一道交汇处中洲控股金融 中心A座7层; 5) 深圳新世界中心, 深圳市福田区益 田路6009号新世界中心23层; 6) 深圳时代金融中 心, 深圳市福田区深南大道4001号时代金融中心14 层; 7) 深圳时代广场, 深圳市蛇口区太子路1号新时 代广场3层; 8) 深圳彭年广场, 深圳市罗湖区嘉宾路 2002号彭年广场

China-Italy Chamber of Commerce Rm220, 2/F, International Chamber Of Commerce, Fuhua San Lu, Futian District (Tel: 8632 9518; Fax: 8632 9528). www. cameraitacina.com ` 福田区福华三路国际商会中心 2 楼 220 室

European Union Chamber of Commerce Rm 308, 3/F Overseas Chinese Scholars Venture Building, southern section of HighTech Industrial Park, Nanshan District (Tel: 8635 0920; fax: 8632 9785).

pho nam 1) Shop B26C, Link City Passage (near Coco Park), Futian District； 2) B1 floor, B1-04, Zhuoyue Plaza, Shangmeilin, Futian District

越小品 , 1）福田区连城新天地 B26C 商铺 (8255 7048)；2）福田区上梅林卓悦汇 B1 楼 B1-04

南山高新科技园南区留学生创业大厦 3 楼 308 室

French Chamber of Commerce in South China (CCIFC) Room 318, 3/F Chinese Overseas Scholars Venture Building,South section of Hi-tech Industry Park, Nanshan District (Tel: 8632 9602; fax: 8632 9736) www.ccifc.org 南山区科技园南区留学生创业大

厦3楼318室

German Chamber of Commerce 217 Chinese Overseas Scholars Venture Building, Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan District. (8635 0487) www.china.ahk.de 南山区高新科技园南区留学生创业大厦 217

The American Chamber of Commerce in South China Rm 208, 2/F Overseas Chinese Scholars Venture Building, southern section of High-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan District (Tel: 0755-2658 8342; fax: 0755-2658 8341). www.amcham-southchina.org The British Chamber of Commerce, Shenzhen Sub-Chamber Rm 314, 3/F Overseas Chinese Scholars Venture Building, southern section of High-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan District (Tel: 2658 8350). 深圳市南山区

The George & Dragon The quintessential British pub; good draft beers, ales, stout, cider, hearty pub food with BBQ's, screening non-stop sports, secluded beer garden. Your home away from home. www.george-dragon. com. Email: manager@george-dragon.com 3 Taizi Lu, by Minghua Lu, Nanshan District (Tel: 2669 8564). 南山区太子路3号太子宾馆1

楼后排3号商铺

TINGS CLASSIFIEDS JOBS OFFERED Mobile Game company business development position.

A NASDAQ listed Shenzhen based mobile game company iDreamSky is looking for an expat for one business development position, native English speaker and fluent in Mandarin a must, well versed with mobile games or business negotiation experience a plus. Responsible for looking for Western games suitable for the Chinese market and contacting the game developers. Our office is located in NanShan district, Shenzhen. If interested, please send resume to Evan at email: evan.liang@idreamsky.com

MOVING & SHIPPING AGS Four Winds is leading international moving company offers a full range relocation, moving, and storage services. Our global network of over 300 offices worldwide plus 40 years experience in the moving industry, we know your concerns and have the ability to serve you anywhere in the world.

We are FAIM & ISO 9001-2008 accredited, members of the FAIM and FIDI. Contact us for FREE survey and quotation: Tel: +8620 8363 3735/ +86 139 2277 1676 Email: manager.guangzhou@agsfourwinds.com Website: www.agsfourwinds.com Rayca Moving & Transportation Services With 10 years experience, Rayca provides international, domestic, local moving services & pet relocation service. We can effectively move you anywhere at competitive prices!

You move, you save!

Service hotline: 400-048-9099 Email: info@raycatrans.com Website:www.raycatrans.com

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

Party Thieves @Dazzle Club, May 27

TRIPLE THREAT PARTY @Viva Shekou, Jun 16

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Guinguette Party, Jun 10

JULY

nzhen e h S s That’

Horoscopes

Finally, a horoscope that understands your life in Shenzhen.

BY NOELLE MATEER

Cancer

Leo

Virgo

Libra

6.22~7.22

7.23~8.23

8.24~9.23

9.24~10.23

Happy birthday! For the record, C a n c e r, yo u r o c k , a n d yo u deserve the best! Treat yourself to a big party, and don’t be afraid to buy super expensive drinks.

(Full disclosure: The person who writes these is a Cancer.)

You’re energetic, restless even.

Use up your energy by climbing something tall. An obvious choice here is Ping'an, but you could also walk up all six flights of stairs in KK Mall. Use vinegar, not soy sauce.

It’s time to compromise. Your roommate will never agree to living in Baishizhou. It just isn’t going to happen. Instead, try living in an apartment complex nearby Baishizhou. Do not move to Hubei Village.

Action s have con s equen ces .

If you park your Mobike so that it blocks your neighbor’s actual bike, or if you bring your Ofo inside your apartment, misfortune will befall you later in the month. Eat tripe on the 13th.

Scorpio

Sagittarius

Capricorn

Aquarius

You’ll secure a major deal at work this month – if and only if you eat an odd number of baozi in the morning. Pork baozi , not that pansy-ass egg-and-chive kind. Avoid men in green jackets.

Yo u c a n g e t a l i t t l e i n t e n s e sometimes, so focus that intensity on a new project, like l ea r n i n g t o s a l s a , o r q u i e t l y dismantling construction equipment by night so that the sounds of drilling can no longer wake Shenzheners prematurely.

Get some new toothpaste. Your current brand is kinda lame. If you switch to Crest you will find love; if you switch to Darlie, a terrible calamity shall befall you. Floss regularly. Do not eat malatang on Sundays.

Don’t lose hope, Aquarius. Your favorite bar or restaurant or chuan’r shack will open again. Or, actually, we don’t know. It might not, TBH. You know horoscopes aren’t real, right? Clap twice before entering bathrooms in bars.

10.24~11.22

Pisces

11.23~12.21

Aries

12.22~1.20

Taurus

1.21~2.19

Gemini

2.20~3.20

3.21~4.20

4.21~5.21

5.22~6.21

July is a month of hot, hot weather and hot, hot passion for Pisces.

Cool off with your lover by taking a sexy dip in a piss-infested public pool (they're easy enough to find in this city). Eat rice noodles on the 12th.

You’re smart – very smart. But this summer’s got you feeling dumb. Get back in the game by actually attending your Chinese lessons for once. Oh, you’re too hungover again? Fine - just be prepared to be ripped off while fruit shopping for, like, ever.

This month is all about self-care.

Go to one of those places where an old lady scrapes dead skin off your feet with a tiny knife, and then eat something really nutritious, like woodear with a vat of vinegar. Do not travel to Xichong if it’s raining.

Congrats on moving to Shenzhen!

A re yo u n ew, o r a re yo u j u s t t e r r i b l e at n a v i g at i n g ? U s e your Maps app, and try to go somewhere other than Coco Park for once. We know it’s hard, but you can do it. Wear purple on the 19th.

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