The ground has now been broken on what will become Beijing’s tallest building. It will be located directly southeast of the CCTV HQ on Guanghua Lu and is being built by Beijing’s very own CITIC Group. China Zun (so named as it is shaped like a zun, which we all know refers to an ancient Chinese wine vessel) will dominate the city’s skyline upon its completion in 2016.

At 510m tall it will spank Beijing's current tallest, China World Trade Center Tower Three aka the Summit Wing. My word, what a dressing down it is. China Zun will dominate by 180m – that’s 54% of Tower Three’s 330m height.

Who says Beijing doesn't have "stunning European architecture"? Our fair city certainly has its share of kitsch, but this development along the banks of the Tonghui River just south of Dawang Qiao takes the cake.

Modeled after the Alpine Swiss town of Interlaken, the "Tonghui International Bar Street" (通惠国际酒吧街) has been under construction for well over a year now, with its iconic bell tower just visible behind the large metal walls that, until yesterday, surrounded the development. Now that part of the scaffolding has been removed, we were able to walk around the perimeter for a peek.

It seems ever more clear that the CBD was planned by a complete sociopath. All those apartment complexes and office buildings, but hardly any sign of life after 8pm. No taxis. So much commercial space, so much of it seemingly willfully hidden away from view. None of this makes it easy to run a bar in the CBD. Indeed, few have succeeded.

Owned by a Finnish businessman, My Life is the latest bar to take up the challenge. On a quiet night, the heavily white space looks rather forlorn and sterile. However, picture the bar even half full, and you can see the design’s “woodland” touches – streams of running water and leaves draped overhead – coming alive.

Tai Dian’s second branch again targets CBD-dwellers. The spa chain’s specialty is the Thai massage (RMB 150 for 60 min), an intense Pilates class for the semi-lazy.

Contrary to popular stereotypes about the Shanghainese, Helen Chang of Savills has not just moved to Beijing, but embraced it. Her company’s Beijing headquarters overlook Beijing’s Central Business District (CBD) and Chang is the first to admit that this place has really grown on her during the past two years. Agenda sat down with Chang to better understand Savills’ residential operations in Beijing, the limitations of being a foreign-owned real estate company, and what the best places to invest are.