Taxing Times: A Modest Proposal for Dealing with the Cab Crisis

June 18, 2013 By

BEIJING — Liu Bin stood outside the gate of No. 4 High School, waiting to take the test that would change his life. His mother was with him, anxiously clutching the homemade lunch she’d made for her son.

“I’m so nervous for him,” she said.

But Liu remained calm. He had crammed for this test for the better part of a year.

Just then, an administrator emerged from the school and opened the gates. Liu took the lunch from his mother and flooded in with the hundreds of others who were waiting by the gate.

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Filed Under: Beijing Taxi, George Ding, Our Stuff, Peking Man, The Beijinger Magazine

Fast Food Watch: McDonald’s Beef Rice Wrap

June 17, 2013 By

When McDonald's recently announced the introduction of rice dishes at its China restaurants, there was a sudden cold snap in hell and a spate of pigs flying across Beijing skies. Whereas KFC and its parent company Yum! Brands have becomes experts in localizing fast-food favorites (except for the miserable failure of Taco Bell in Shanghai), McDonald's have been a bit more pure in their presentation of burgers and fries. Until now.

In this first edition of our new, occasional Fast Food Watch column, we decided that it was our duty to serve the Beijing community by tasting this new concoction and reporting to our astute readership – their palates so refined that TRB Temple Restaurant won seven trophies at our 2013 Reader Restaurant Awards – on its overall deliciousness and consumability, which we're not sure is a word. Actually, I just needed to grab something quick and McDonald's was on my way back to the office, but my soon-to-be-clogged heart is in the right place.

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Filed Under: Beijing, Food, Restaurants, Review, Steven Schwankert, the beijinger, The Beijinger Magazine

A Drink With: Ian Syer, President, Beijing Cricket Club

June 17, 2013 By

Beijing Cricket Club president Ian Syer shares some memorable nights of drinking in Beijing, including the time he needed to be rescued in Baiziwan Lu.

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Filed Under: Beijing People, Interview, Paul Ryding, The Beijinger Magazine

Fresco, Party of Four, Al Fresco: Great Outdoor Dining Options, Part 1

June 16, 2013 By

Although the spring has been a bit cooler than normal, outdoor weather is upon us, and al fresco dining options are improving each week. The Beijinger takes a semi-organized, multi-part look at where to soak up the sun while sipping or supping. For addresses and reviews, click on the restaurant's name.

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Filed Under: Beijing, Beijinger’s Annual Reader Restaurant Awards, Dining, Food, Restaurants, Steven Schwankert, the beijinger, The Beijinger Magazine, Things You Should Know

2013 Burger Cup: The Den vs Let’s Burger Plus

June 15, 2013 By

The Beijinger Burger Cup is back for another year and this your chance to vote for your favorite burgers before we arrange a face-to-face cook-off in August to determine the winner.

This year, we begin with Burger Battles: a series of face-offs pitting Beijing beef patties against each other. These will not necessarily reflect the ultimate match-ups in our Burger Cup bracket, but give burger fans and burger chefs an idea as to how the product may fare in the final competition.

Visit our website often for Burger Battles, updates on the Cup, and more on how you can participate in voting and other burger activities.

Round 3 pits The Den against Let's Burger Plus.

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Filed Under: Beijinger’s Annual Reader Restaurant Awards, Burger Cup 2013, Burgers, Dining, Food, Hamburgers, Restaurants, Sanlitun, Steven Schwankert, the beijinger, The Beijinger Magazine

Fan Bingbing Shows Off "Face Mask" at "One Night Surprise" Event

June 13, 2013 By

Sophie's Revenge director Eva Jin and mega-star Fan Bingbing unveiled their new romantic comedy, One Night Surprise (Yi Ye Jing Xi), at an event in Beijing Wednesday.

After Fan had complained on set that the long days and nights of shooting were taking a toll on her skin, Jin presented her with a giant cosmetic face mask, which she hoped would both give Fan "face" and thank her for her hard work on the film.

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Filed Under: Beijing, Beijing News, Beijing People, Film, Steven Schwankert, the beijinger, The Beijinger Magazine, Visual Arts

We Need to Talk About Beijing: Lionel Shriver Responds to Her Critics

June 3, 2013 By

When I, Lionel Shriver, wrote my column for Standpoint magazine, whingeing about Beijing’s dreary air and architecture, I didn’t think it would be a big deal.

Sure, I described the city as dystopic and dubbed it the ugliest city I’d ever seen, but it wasn’t an insult; I was just stating an objective a priori fact, like “The sky is blue” or “Lionel lacks tact.”

And as long as you state facts as you see them, no one has the right to be upset.

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Filed Under: Books, Chinese Culture, George Ding, Lionel Shriver, Our Stuff, Peking Man, Standpoint, The Beijinger Magazine

Going Underground: Yuanmingyuan, Line 4

June 3, 2013 By

“Going Underground” is a regular magazine column in which we explore the neighborhoods surrounding subway stations.

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Filed Under: Beijing Subway, Going underground, Nick Richards, Our Stuff, The Beijinger Magazine

Banking On It: The Vineyard on the River Does Home Brew

May 31, 2013 By

Craft beer, charcuterie and a breezy rooftop vie to welcome you to Will Yorke’s latest venue. Hutong crowds have long enjoyed the original Vineyard Café on Wudaoying, but Sanlitun shoppers and Dongzhimen diplomats no longer need make the trek to Yonghegong for pizzas, quiches, pasta and pies. Perched on the banks of the Liangma River, this maroon house overlooks a stand of willows bending thirstily into a rippling stream.

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Filed Under: Dining, Food, Nick Richards, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Review, The Beijinger Magazine

Out Now: the Beijinger June 2013 – Drinking Games

May 30, 2013 By

This month's issue of the Beijinger is a little bit different from what we've been doing for the past 11 years. As we approach our 12th birthday, we thought we'd get a little more hip - we're not too far off being a teenager, after all. That's why this month you will notice a couple of changes.

  • Our brand-new size - the same as National Geographic China
  • Improved paper quality - you can feel it in your fingertips
  • A brand-spanking-new Events section
  • iPad-optimized PDFs on Issuu.com - see the magazine at its digital peak

But enough about the changes. Here's what's exactly the same. The great content that you have come to rely on us for is all still there. So here's exactly what's going on in this June launch issue.

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Filed Under: Beijing News, Beijing People, Books, Chinese Culture, Film, Food, Jonathan White, Live Music, Love and Sex, Nightlife, Our Stuff, Shopping, Sport, Stage, The Beijinger Magazine, Travel, Visual Arts
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