Nuandao first hit our radar last month, when it drew massive hipster crowds to its creative party of pop-up stores. The bilingual Beijing-based design blog has been quietly operating for about six months, publishing regular content on local brands, designers and events, while racking up quite a loyal fan base (350,000 followers on China’s Tumblr, DianDian, to be exact).

Yesterday, Nuandao announced its official soft launch to the public for the first time. The new-and-improved website also features e-commerce services. According to the press release, we can expect a carefully curated selection of well-designed products, some exclusive to Nuandao and “handpick[ed] for their authenticity, originality and style.”

For non-Americans, Black Friday may require some explanation. You may already know that in the US, Thanksgiving is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. This year, that falls on November 24, 2011. (Click here for the first of many turkey guides on our blog). Black Friday is the name for the day after Thanksgiving, which marks the busiest shopping day of the year as well as the official inauguration of the Christmas season.

Imagine a day where stores open their doors as early as 4am (this year, several major retailers are starting out at midnight), and impatient shoppers wait in massive lines that snake into the parking lot. Does this sound like your greatest nightmare? Well, we forgot to mention its biggest draw: shopping deals and discounts beyond your wildest dreams. And now, even those of us living in Beijing can take advantage.

The heating is turning on officially in a matter of days, which means the holiday season is just around the corner. Thanksgiving is coming up in a couple weeks, and right after that, Christmas!

What’s that? You haven’t gotten started shopping for gifts yet? No worries. These next couple weekends, Beijing is sure to be a little more fun than usual. We see flea markets far too infrequently here, and now we are being treated to handful of them at once. But without further ado, here are the ones to look out for.

Following in the footsteps of Louis Vuitton and Bulgari – which launched retrospective exhibitions at Beijing's National Museum of China in June and September, respectively – Chanel is hosting "Culture Chanel" at the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) from November 5 to December 13.

For China’s growing nouveau-riche population, the House of Chanel hits the mark in many ways. It’s French (read: highbrow), longstanding (read: reliable) and bears an iconic (read: easily recognizable) logo. No wonder it is currently ranked as the second most-desired brand in China after Louis Vuitton, according to research firm Bain & Co.

Whew. Beijing has seen a flurry of store openings, fashion shows and big-name visitors in these last couple weeks – and the Beijinger has the inside scoop and photos right here.