Just in time after the Labor Day Holiday, the tbjkids May issue is out! In our special music issue, discover Beijing’s grandest concert halls, read about a range of music makers in Beijing and tune into the life of a real radio DJ. As the weather heats up, spend an afternoon lounging lakeside and spelunking the caves at Beihai, find the best places for families to explore in Gongti, and make your own rainstick. Also, glimpse the photos from the most recent tbjkids’ pirate hunt and check out the section on how to communicate with your ayi. Plus, discover the traditions of Peking Opera, see the thrill in swing dancing, and find out how toddlers make music in Kindermusik. And, as always, discover the best events happening around town in tbjkids’ top ten things to do.

What ho! We dedicate this month’s issue of that’s Beijing to the top restaurants of 2008, as picked by you, our lovely readers. Nice one. In addition to the 26 winners, Dining Editor Jessica Wang picks her top eateries for each category, as does one of our five Beijing food experts, leaving you with an impossible number of dining options to tuck into over the next few months.

After gorging yourself on our cover feature, check out Rachel Bradsell and Cecily Huang’s interview with dancer Jin Xing who’s in town performing Haishang Tango this month, while Venus Lau chats to Andy Warhol’s personal photographer Christopher Makos about his forthcoming Beijing exhibition and book launch. Also, Diana Kuan finds how to party like Van Gogh in Beijing (keeping her ears intact), Carissa Welton shoots the breeze with Loco Dice, Roy Kesey revisits The Field, Ed Lanfranco plays with fire and Kaiser Kuo tests our Beijing know how. Lastly, there are three new bars and seven new restaurants reviewed - all this and squillions of great events to keep you deprived of sleep and sanity through May. Bonza!

With more bass shops, more pipes, and more robots, Immersion Guides’ Summer 2008 Houhai Area Guide is more useful than ever: There are over 60 new venues, expanded coverage, updated streets, and a sleek design, to help you find that perfect bar or cafe for a summer evening. We keep up to pace with all the changes on streets like Yandai Xiejie and Nanluogu Xiang - you’ll find all the latest restaurants, shops, cafes and cute courtyard hotels. Included for the first time are the neighborhoods around Beiluogu Xiang, parts of Xihai, Deshengmennei and more. As construction and renovation die down, now is the perfect time to grab a map and go walking the hutongs!

The ultimate Chinese phrasebook

How do you flirt in Mandarin? What Chinese characters are used to distinguish the men’s and women’s restrooms? How do you say “tattoo the words ’Beijing 2008‘ on my forehead” in Chinese?

Find out in Immersion Guides' Mandarin Phrasebook, the companion volume to the popular Insider’s Guide to Beijing, and the only English-Mandarin phrasebook to address the specific language needs of Beijing’s foreign residents and visitors.

Packed with essential phrases, vocabulary and Beijing slang as well as over 30 labeled illustrations, this indispensable book gives you the essential words and phrases to survive an thrive in any situation, from ordering a meal and bargaining in the markets to renting an apartment and interviewing a baby sitter.

Informative, funny and easy to use, the Mandarin Phrasebook will help you get the best deals – deal out the best quips.

Say it like you mean it – a true Beijinger!

“My niubide [“awesome”] phrasebook got me through a 33-hour train ride to Xiamen: the elderly lady in the bunk beneath me helped me through all the tounge twisters ...”
—Reader
“I have been studying Chinese for way too long and have seen many phrasebooks ... but none of them command the attractiveness and practicality that the Mandarin Phrasebook does.”
—Marshall Chang