The Beijinger Blog - Luan Jingjing

Gulou Area Facing Demolition?

thebeijinger — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 13:30:00 +0800

Disturbing news in the Chinese press has bar owners around Gulou (aka the Drum Tower) feeling nervous. Plans have been announced to “restore” the area around the tower to the style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties and build an underground “Beijing Time Cultural City,” comprising restaurants, parking spaces, and a museum about timekeeping technology.

Dreaming of Chocolate? Head to Chocolate Dream Park

thebeijinger — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:00:00 +0800

Chocolate lovers of Beijing unite! Last year it was announced a chocolate wonderland was coming to Beijing early in 2010. The World Chocolate Dream Park is now set to open on January 29 on the Olympic Green.

From the Gallery: Images from the Beijinger 7th Anniversary Party, Modern Sky, Midi, Diesel XXX Party and More

thebeijinger — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:00:53 +0800

Head over to the Beijinger Gallery to view some of the great images that we've snapped at various events over the past few weeks. We've just uploaded pics from our 7th Anniversary Party, Midi 2008, Modern Sky, the Diesel XXX Party, the Grand Opening of Drei Kronen 1308 and Eric Abrahamsen's talk at the China Culture Center.

Is any milk safe to drink?

thebeijinger — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:27:15 +0800

Starbucks customers in the capital had to take their coffee black - or more often than not choose to whiten it with soy milk - this morning as the international coffee chain decided to stop using milk supplied by Mengniu Dairy. The decision was made after news emerged that the baby milk powder scandal had spread to regular milk supplies with milk produced by some of China’s biggest brand names, including Olympic sponsor Yili, being tainted. While Starbucks continue to search for alternate suppliers, readers might be wondering what to put on their cereal tomorrow morning.

According to Chinese media reports, Sanyuan and Nestle (along with 406 other brands) have not tested positive for traces of melamine. However three of the country's most well-known brands Yili, Mengniu and Guangming all have had a small proportion of their products return a positive test for traces of the harmful chemical. Sanyuan is a Beijing-based supplier of dairy products and their share price has jumped 10% on the news of their clean bill of health. Although the fresh milk that Sanyuan produce is much more expensive than the others (RMB 8-9 a liter), the milk that the Great Hall of the People choose to serve at their official banquets looks like the safest bet for now.

Moon Gazing: Beijing by Boat

thebeijinger — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 09:39:06 +0800

Last year the central government made some changes to China's system of public holidays, one of the results is that this is the first time that the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhongqiu Jie) has been honored with a public holiday. Beijing residents are making the most of the holiday, with train stations and long distance bus stations reporting huge lines. For those remaining in town, taking to the water to admire the full moon on the evening of Mid-Autumn Festival is also proving to be a popular option.

By the time you read this post, most of the popular boating locations are likely to be booked out, but you might be able to find a space at one of the lesser-known wharfs. As you might expect, prices have been raised to meet the increased demand with Houhai wharves raising their prices by up to 3 times the usual price.