The Beijinger Blog - Beijing News

Literary with a Capital M: Festival Tickets on Sale Now

thebeijinger — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0800

Tickets went on sale yesterday for Capital M’s Literary Festival. The restaurant’s fortnight of talks on writing, food and travel begins on February 25, which also serves as the unofficial kick-off date for Beijing’s book-based festival season. Here's a rundown of what to expect, where to purchase tickets, and the novelists, journalists, memoirists and adventurers who will be showcased at the Capital M Literary festival.

Art Attack: Food Writers at Capital M, Valentine’s Music and Last Calls

thebeijinger — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0800

Forgive me, I’ve been less on top of artsy news this week because I’ve been too busy trolling the internet at odd hours to keep up with this Jeremy Lin business. Yes, I am the world’s most intermittent basketball fan. But that’s beside the point. There are actually quite a few exciting things going on this week, like Capital M Literary Festival tickets going on sale, great indie films, a blind movie-watching experience and your last chance at several art exhibits! Click through for more.

The Best Hotel In China?

thebeijinger — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0800

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.

Chinese New Year By the Numbers!

thebeijinger — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0800

What do fireworks, great action movies, fruit wrapped in baskets, fancy envelopes, new clothing and people getting fat have in common? You guessed it, they’re all things you see during Chinese New Year! As this year’s chunyun comes to a close, let’s take a minute and look back on some of the impressive figures that were rung up during the CNY period.

Not Lovin' It: Price Increases A Sign Of Things To Come?

thebeijinger — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0800

We’re not long into the Year of the Dragon and the big chains are already putting the drag into it. Starbucks, Pizza Hut and McDonald's have riled netizens for raising prices on many of their products China-wide. The increases may seem small (the odd kuai here or there) but is it a sign that more retailers will be raising prices in the year ahead? An article on ABC News, reporting on Starbucks' similar pricing increases in the States, certainly seems to think so; they've listed another 11 things that American consumers can expect to pay more for in 2012.

It’s Not Demolition, It’s Restoration

thebeijinger — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0800

If the Drum and Bell Tower area were a person, they’d be a skittish, elderly worker constantly worrying about whether or not they will be fired. "Surely seniority counts for something?" they fret.

Well, after years of will-they-won’t-they debate about demolishing the hutongs that surround the towers, it looks like the pink slip is finally in the mail.

Bookworm Festival Tickets On Sale!

thebeijinger — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:00:00 +0800

It’s time for the rest of us late-rising birds (I guess that would be owls, then?) to get our shot at buying tickets for the upcoming Bookworm International Literary Festival. Here, we list the events most likely to sell out fast, as well as some of our own recommendations. Get ‘em while they’re … not sold out!

News You Might Have Missed: Year of the Break-ups, Apple Reappears and Subway Spats

thebeijinger — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0800

The start of February brings the end of the holiday period, fireworks and ... maybe your relationship? Meanwhile, Apple resumes online selling, and the Chinese government has their own answer to the iPad. It's also time again to plan for trips to the Rugby Sevens in Hong Kong. Just do not eat on the subway.

Toying With Safety? Why Heavy Metals Are Bad For Your Kids

thebeijinger — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0800

Robin Guo is appalled to hear that her child’s playthings may be poisonous. The mother of 3-year-old Colleen is one of countless Chinese parents stunned by a new study that found dangerous levels of heavy metals in nearly ten percent of the country’s children’s products.

Sleeping Satellites! Where Were You During Beijing's Lucky Miss?

thebeijinger — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 10:00:00 +0800

Do you remember what you were doing at around 10am in the morning on Sunday, October 23 last year? Little did we all know that it could have been our last moments on Earth.

At some time between 9.45 and 10.15am Beijing time on October 23, 2011, a German satellite entered the earth’s atmosphere and took around 15 minutes to hit the Earth. What we didn’t know until just recently is that Beijing came very close to being the site of the collision. According to London’s Daily Telegraph, the head of the European Space Agency’s debris team, Heiner Klinkrad, has now divulged, "Our calculations showed that, if Rosat had crashed to the ground just seven to 10 minutes later, it would have hit Beijing."

What does that mean?