The Beijing Subway is not usually considered one of the world's most attractive transportation systems. Moscow's is elaborate, Paris's a gallery of styles, Beijing's is, uhhh. But now, thanks to a Paris-based architect and cartographer, at least there's a beautiful representation of it.

It's that time again, the time for you to reward your favorite Beijing bartenders, bars, clubs, and DJs for keeping you satiated in the late hours of the day. The Beijinger's 11th annual Reader Bar & Club Awards voting kicks off at 9am tomorrow, so start thinking where you like drinking. Heck, go out tonight and try out a few new bars if you have to. 

If you’re a newbie to Beijing in the spring then you might be mistaken for thinking that the oft-muttered ‘airpocalypse’ has actually stepped it up a notch, starting to rain down unruly insta-cancer-clumps of PM2.5. Well, not quite, but we could all do with a biology brush-up – it’s time to learn about the cottonwood poplar tree.

Everyone knows that Chocolate is where the wildest nights in Beijing go down. If you don’t have stories of your own, then you’ve certainly heard tales. The same crew recently opened Dacha, which captured our pick for Most Unique Concept in this year’s Reader Restaurant Awards. Who’s the brilliant mind behind these ventures? Meet Svetlana Lustina.