Bold. Jarring. Colourful. Edgy enough to pierce your flesh - be it the pores on your bicep or your eardrums – punk rock and tattoos have much in common. Nowhere in the world have the two bled into each more murkily than China, where such art forms are now free flowing after years of clinching taboo. They both converge on Qingdao-born, Beijing based Spike (Li Yang), who has a sleeve of ink running up and down his arm. Those tattoos are easily visible as he darts across the stage while fronting his punk troupe Demerit, which will showcase that edgy ethos at Yugong Yishan on December 17.

Following in the footsteps of Louis Vuitton and Bulgari – which launched retrospective exhibitions at Beijing's National Museum of China in June and September, respectively – Chanel is hosting "Culture Chanel" at the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) from November 5 to December 13.

For China’s growing nouveau-riche population, the House of Chanel hits the mark in many ways. It’s French (read: highbrow), longstanding (read: reliable) and bears an iconic (read: easily recognizable) logo. No wonder it is currently ranked as the second most-desired brand in China after Louis Vuitton, according to research firm Bain & Co.

A New York Times review of “Coal + Ice,” Three Shadows’ largest photo exhibit to date, points out its “focus on global warming.” While this might attract armchair environmentalists, viewing the show from this angle alone obscures the bigger picture. Sure, there are giant photos and projected installations of the melting glaciers and teeming waters resulting from climate change, but there are also the coal miners themselves – determination and exhaustion mingling with the dirt on their faces – and the almost glorious industrial refineries.

Milan Design Week just celebrated its 50th anniversary this past April. Last week, London entered its ninth year of hosting Design Festivals. And now, for the first time in history, Beijing is joining in with a version of its own.

For those who have not been keeping track, Beijing Design Week (Sep 26-Oct 3) can seem a little overwhelming. There are simply so many options – over 2,000 works of design from over 30 countries, in fact – that it can be tricky to determine which exhibitions are worth seeing.

The August issue of the Beijinger is out now and what better time for us to unveil the new way to read the mag online than our Art issue? Inside the magazine - as you can see below - you'll find a veritable visual feast as we take the high roads and the low roads to explore Beijing's Art Districts. We're always hearing Chinese modern art this and Beijing's the center of that so we went for a wander around to find out where's best to have a great day out seeing it for yourself. Now you can impress your dates, astound your visitors and get fit while getting as much intellectual stimulation as you can handle.

What man in his 70s would go to Sanlitun Bar Street every night and only go home after 1am? That could only be Xiao Bao, who has been crafting frogs from palm leaves and cheerfully selling them in Sanlitun for the past decade and a half. We couldn’t get him to sit down for a chat at night, since that’s when he makes a living, so we caught up with him on a bright afternoon.

This self-billed “art lab/bar/performing arts space” is in constant flux, from the rotating art exhibits and video installations to an ever-evolving menu. Come for the endearing quirks; no two chairs are the same, and the space is peppered with tchotchkes handmade by the staff.

One of our favorite Beijing boutiques has just officially opened to the public.

We first wrote up Wuhao in our March issue (read here). The French-owned and curated store had been operating for about a year, but only those in-the-know had access to it. No publicity had been done; its reputation grew based on word-of-mouth alone. The front gates were locked – you had to ring a doorbell to enter – and there was no sign, no regular business hours.

The thought of youths with spray cans brings forth thoughts of defacing public property and running from the police but graffiti is much more than that.

ROOMbeijing and new art space +1 are teaming up to feature exciting new artists, with ROOM dedicating the back area of the restaurant to rotating exhibits of artwork presented by +1, starting with conceptual photography artist Tie Ying.