Beijing's 20 Most Interesting People: Leon Lee

We have a saying here at the Beijinger that even if nothing interesting could be written about 99 percent of Beijing's approximately 20 million people, there would still be 200,000 great stories remaining. To us, what makes a person interesting was not only their long-term presence in Beijing, but that they had done something of note within the last 12 months. Here is one of our picks, and you can always find more in our October issue, now out on the stands.

Leon Lee
Proprietor, Apothecary and Janes & Hooch

Why he’s interesting: A former editor of this fine publication, Leon moved out of the magazine business and, with Chef Max Levy, opened Apothecary, which set a new standard for the cocktail bar experience in Beijing. Since then, he’s added Janes & Hooch, named one of the 20 Best New Bars in the World by Conde Nast Traveler’s website, along with finding time to be the program curator at Post Mountain Art Space, and a contributing writer for fashion mag Numero (China).

What he says: “I used to say that to live in Beijing is to have front row seats in the theater of the world. To this day, I believe this is true ... although I wouldn't mind salted butter popcorn.”

Photo courtesy of Leon Lee