Beijing hotels, like so many aspects of the Chinese economy, are wildly variable in quality and value. I’m sure you can all think of some horror* stories! Well, it turns out the the capital is in fact home to what has been voted the best hotel in the country – and that includes Hong Kong and Macau. Under the auspices of Tripadvisor, the holiday/hotel review website, the annual Traveler’s Choice Awards saw 60,000 hotels throughout the Middle Kingdom voted on. Fairmont Beijing, in Jianguomenwai Dajie, came out top – well done for them!

Head to agendabeijing.com for more on Beijing's best and worst and to share your own experiences of hotel hijinks.

A few weeks ago we posted about yet another Groupon China (a.k.a. Gaopeng) scandal involving a bogus McDonald’s meal deal and pointed out how the company’s problems reflect the deteriorating condition of China’s flailing group buying (tuangou) industry as a whole.

Read more about the fate of group buying on Agendabeijing.com.

 Dominic Johnson-Hill shares the Plastered Experience – how one ‘random idea’ became an iconic brand with global sales, whilst remaining a community project with grassroots values

Hard to imagine now, but only five years ago Nanluogu Xiang was a quiet hutong, where the sighting of a foreigner was worth commenting on. Then Dominic Johnson-Hill opened Plastered, selling high quality t-shirts plastered with iconic Beijing designs. Right time, right place, or insightful entrepreneurship? No one knows, but Dominic must have done something right, as Plastered now has six locations, and the founder himself has become an entrepreneurial icon to many. Here Dominic talks about tapping into the need for local creativity, and the importance of karma and keeping it local.

Check out agenda for the full story on Dominic and Plastered's past.

Living in Beijing, it’s not uncommon to be surrounded by people who have everything they need and more, which can greatly complicate holiday shopping. If you’re looking for a unique and thoughtful gift for anyone from your wife to your business partner or secretary, check out this list for gifts, ranging from the affordable to the decadent. Happy Holidays!

Check out AgendaBeijing.com for the full list of last-minute gift ideas.

New UCCA Director Philip Tinari discusses the exciting changes ahead for 798’s flagship art venue

First, can you catch us up on how the UCCA is doing? In the four years since it opened UCCA went from an art center in 798 to what many people consider the leading independent art museum in China. In the first three quarters of this year we’ve had over half a million visitors. And when you compare that to numbers around the world it’s really quite impressive. To give you an idea, [New York’s] MOMA is at 3.5 million a year. So, to say that you’re a seventh of that based on a rotating program is really quite a lot. Of course, Beijing is a big city.

Click over to Agenda to read the full interview with the man behind one of the city's most renowned art centers.