by Paul Pennay, Luan Jing Jing and Victoria Yang




Although it's not quite the hottest day that Beijing's seen this summer (it already reached 39.4 deg. earlier this month) still, temperatures today are likely to push past 35 degrees (95 to Americans). With this in mind, we've put together an up-dated list of outdoor swimming pools and water fun parks that Beijingers can splash around and cool off in. Given that we're now in the "Olympic Period" some of the cheap outdoor pools located in universities or close to Olympic venues are not open to the public. This means that the Workers' Stadium Pool, Chaoyang Park Pool and Tsinghua University Pool are all closed. Also, although they're having trouble enforcing the regulations, city authorities are encouraging people not to swim in any of lakes that dot Beijing's parks and tourist sites. Finally, bad news for those beach-starved residents who are dying to dive into some salty water, a plan to construct a saltwater pool in Beijing back in 2005 does not seem to have made it past the planning stages. Keep reading below for a list of the best places to cool off this summer:

By now you’ve likely heard that Plastered T-shirts has opened a second Beijing branch in 798 Art District. (If not, catch up on all the details here.) Now we have even more photos of the store interior which, according to their blog, was designed by founder Dominic Johnson-Hill himself.

Expats who rely on the material comforts of home may be disheartened to hear that ShopWeShip.com, previously known as Dong-Xi.com, has just announced that it will soon be discontinuing its services.

ShopWeShip.com was first established to give Chinese residents access to e-commerce sites that only shipped to US billing addresses. Back then, our options were few – we could hardly find quality Western food around town, let alone chic clothes from mid- to high-end retailers.

Plastered T-shirts, a Beijing-based brand which has carved much of its identity around Nanluogu Xiang, is now expanding its creative reach. If all goes according to plan, their new shop – their second in Beijing – will open tomorrow in 798 Art District, right across from the UCCA.

With Versace for H&M fresh on everyone’s minds, the Swedish fast-fashion retailer has announced the pending release of two more designer collaborations in the next couple months. And we have the exclusive (including prices, photos and details) below.