the Beijinger

Apparently the JUE Festival’s going gonzo on us, as Japanese synth-punk band Trippple Nippples prepare to bring their existential angst and scantily-clad weirdness to 2 Kolegas tonight. What can we expect? “Mayhem, mess and happiness” in the form of tridents, feathers and… well, do you really want to know?

Most of us grew up thinking of cobblers as just funny figures from folk tales.  Here in China, though, having footwear made to order is a feasible and affordable option.  If you've ever longed to own a pair of shoes that fit you perfectly, consider the following shoemakers.

If the Mini Cooper car is out of your price range, what about a RMB 2,000 Mini bike? Nowadays, nothing’s more fashionable than eco-friendly transport. Rbike, a Hong Kong-based retailer, has rolled into Solana with a “four-wheel plus two-wheel” philosophy, advocating that car owners shift to pedal power.

There’s lots happening around Beijing in the world of film over the next week – here’s the run down on gossip, Tim Burton’s latest and indie screenings around town.

First of all, news on a massive party that only came out after our March issue went to print. The next YEN White party has been set for next Friday, March 26 at The Star Live. YEN regulars like Mickey Zhang, Patrick Yu and Blackie will be playing. Limited discount advance tickets are available from Lush or at ClubZone and cost RMB 50, regular advance tickets are available at RMB 80 from ClubZone, and tickets on the night are RMB 150 (including one drink).

View The Beijinger's 2010 Reader Restaurant Awards in a larger map

The balloting is finished, the winners have been announced, and the plaques awarded ... but the restaurant awards are not over yet. Over the course of the next couple of weeks we'll be taking a closer look at the winning restaurants in an attempt to offer deeper insight on the winners.

Our first step is to show you where all these places are - sure you know your neighborhood Annie's, but do you know where all the best Hot Pot spots are in relation to where you live/work/play?

Our favorite blog ChinaSMACK has a very amusing translation of a post on the Chinese site MOP, detailing the attempts of a portly naked Chinese man to bring the modern world to a halt, one taxi at a time. “Evil and ugly modern society, retreat!!!!” the man reportedly declared, while attempting to lift a cab from the road.

Bang! Bang! It’s a duel of the DJs! There's a clash of techno titans tonight at Lantern as Acupuncture Records’ Chinaboyz (Terry Tu and ELVIS.T) celebrate their crossover project with UK label Mothership’s Italoboyz (Marco Donato and Federico Marton) in a double feature back-to-back set. We sought a few words of wisdom from the visiting Italians to see what they have to say ahead of the party ...

George Zhou, who you voted "Best Bartender" in the Beijinger's 2009 Reader Bar & Club Awards, has left Q Bar, the massively acclaimed bar he created with long-time sidekick Echo Sun. A press release we received from Q Bar this morning states: