No, they don’t sell monocles. Not the one-eyed corrective lenses, anyway. This exclusive boutique is the retail extension of Monocle, the super-stylish global culture magazine headquartered in London.

The first Monocle Shop opened in London in November 2008 as a pop-up for Christmas, but was made permanent due to its success. Beijing marks its sixth boutique in the world, joining London, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Osaka.

R&B heartthrob Usher delivered an unforgettable “One Night Stand” concert on Sunday at Wukesong Indoor Stadium, inducing a state of euphoria for thousands of die-hard Usher fans and casual R&B lovers alike. Classic hits such as “Confessions,” “Yeah” and “Love in the Club” kicked off the concert and got the crowd bopping their heads, albeit confined to their seats and under the scrutiny of ranks of security guards. Usher then launched into performances from his new album Raymond v. Raymond, including instant crowd favorites “Hey Daddy,” “Lil Freak” and “OMG.”

DJ Premier (read our interview here) hit Yugong Yishan last night with a driving two-hour set of Gang Starr hits and hip-hop classics, with an interlude from his Year Round Records protege MC Nick Javas.

We've seen plenty of hip-hop stars play Beijing looking bored, tired and disinterested, and with his touring schedule you might have expected DJ Premier to add to that inglorious list. As it turned out, Primo gave a masterful demonstration of what we should demand from big names stopping by Beijing. No 30-minute sleepwalking set from the former Gang Starr producer - Premier put in two hours dominated by the type of uplifting, "socially aware" hip-hop that New York burned with in the '80s and '90s.

Just as Yann Tiersen may not have recognized Yugong Yishan (the same venue he played on his first trip to Beijing in 2006, which has since moved from Chunxiu to Zhangzizhong Lu), the audience too may not have recognized immediately his electrified rendition of “La Valse d'Amélie.” For instead of playing it as a piano solo, despite having a keyboard at his disposal, Tiersen opted instead for a violin and the accompaniment of a four-person band.

Throughout the evening Tiersen himself switched seamlessly back and forth between keyboard, melodica, ukulele and guitar, in addition to providing vocals. But, for the most part, he was attached to the violin, playing so ferociously that many of the bowstrings had snapped by the show’s end. (Good thing it was, then, that two violins were readied on stage in advance.)

The Art of War 12 Fighting Championship happened Friday at the Olympic Sports Center Gym, and it was about what you’d expect out of a mixed martial arts event billed as "setting the standard for the future of China's mixed martial arts industry”: loud, gaudy, over-the-top, packed with personality.