the Beijinger

From the same TV station that brought us the Super Girls phenomenon now comes Soccer Prince, and if you happen to be aged 14-19 and find yourself with the time to head out to Changping District tomorrow morning at 8.30am – it just might be you!

The show, which offers winners the chance of training with a British Premier League team or to receive a personal training session from Barecelona’s Ronaldinho, will be holding heats in six cities throughout China over the next few weeks. The Beijing leg will take place tomorrow morning at the Beijing Agricultural College. According to ClubFootball: "There is no need to register. All you need to do is turn up at the venue with a photograph and your football kit, then fill in a form and you'll be able to dazzle the judges with your silky skills."

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With every step forward, a step back. This weekend, the Ministry of Health announced that all public bathing facilities and hotels will be required to either provide condoms or condom-dispensing machines, along with information on AIDS prevention.

Just yesterday, however, the news arrived that authorities have banned a conference to discuss the rights of AIDS patients, originally scheduled to take place in Guangzhou this month.

No big surprise, of course: AIDS prevention has become a kosher topic of late, but AIDS rights raises more thorny questions for the Chinese legal system.

In any case, we have a slight suspicion that the real reason for the progressive move of forcing hotels to place condoms in their rooms (although from our experience – finding a pack of condoms in a hotel bathroom is already as common as the late night “massage” phone call) is that a few upper-level cadres in the Ministry of Health attended the splendid Condom Fashion Show at this month’s Reproductive Health Expo. The show, presented by Guilin Latex (the biggest domestic condom manufacturer), featured bikinis, ball gowns, qipao, leggings and more, all made entirely with condoms. See photos here.

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Now that awards season has passed for that’s Beijing and you've made your voices heard on the Beijing scene, it's time to look south: our venerable sister mag that’s Shanghai has their food and drink awards ballot up for you to cast an opinion until the end of the month (and possibly win a pair of tickets to Thailand in the process).

Those of you Beijingers who have spent time down South may have recognized a few common names. Among those Beijing venues whose Shanghai locales are up for awards include Haiku by Hatsune in the Japanese category; South Beauty in Sichuan; Bellagio in late-night dining; Face in best lounge; Hazara and Tandoor for Indian; Lan Na Thai in Thai; Whampoa Club in Shanghainese; and Babyface for Best Club.

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“I can’t believe it!” yelled D-22 bar manager Charles Saliba. “Wait … did you guys rig this thing?”

There’s no denying that plenty of others were also surprised at the results of last week’s that’s Beijing Reader Bar and Club Awards ceremony, when D-22 accepted the award for Bar of the Year, narrowly beating out runners-up China Doll and Suzie Wong’s. “We’re like the anti-establishment club,” said Saliba, still flustered after the win – and indeed, the so-called “hard-core music dive,” as described by owner Michael Pettis, is certainly nothing like the rest of the nominees. Just over a year old, the club has quickly established itself as the headquarters of the bourgeoning indie-rock music scene.

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Because we’re watching you, says the government. Xinhua reported yesterday that the cameras covering public spaces in Beijing may possibly interpret intimate embraces as kidnap or robbery. Camera coverage across the city, already quite extensive in public places (parks, streets, banks, schools, etc.) will be unified into one municipal watch system, with the goal of increasing public safety.

The system will be trained to electronically detect suspicious acts (based upon “violations of safe distance”) and report them to a video command center, which from dusk on will be known as the “Den of Sin.”

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Beijing’s northeastern suburb of Shunyi has long held a reputation in the minds of expats as a sleepy suburb, good for families who want to shack up in its gated villa compounds and send their kids to expensive expat schools, but otherwise a bit of a recreational, commercial and culinary wasteland. However, that reputation has been undergoing a rapid change over the past two years as restaurants, shops and services have rushed in to fill the gaps.

The latest edition of the Immersion Guides’ Shunyi Area map included inside the August 2007 issue of that’s Beijing magazine (can’t find it? Contact Zoe at distribution@immersionguides.com) shows how far the area has come over the past few years towards being a true suburb, not just for parking the family but for dining and recreation as well.
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Spain has bull fighting, Virginia has pitbull fighting, the Philippines have cock fighting (that’s roosters, if you were wondering), and China has its own, homegrown form of let’s-watch- animals-fight-to-the-death sports: cricket fighting! Cricket fighting, which started as a form of gambling and enjoyed wide popularity during the Tang and Song dynasties, has more than 3,000 years of history in the Middle Kingdom (if you’re counting, that’s ten times the length of American history – take that, pitbulls).

Crickets are known in China for being both naturally aggressive and brave, qualities that have earned them the affectionate nickname the “#1 insect” (天下第一虫). The best part about these insects’ noble disposition, however, is that it means that when two of the little tough-guys are thrown in a box together, the result is a pint-sized brawl. If only we could match a giant genetically modified “#1 insect” with a “man’s best friend” raised in a urban basement, fed on hate…man, that would be a fight.

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Who can claim a childhood that wasn’t saturated by cartoons? Today, with varieties ranging from Ghost in the Shell to the Smurfs to Howl’s Moving Castle all vying for attention, kids and adults alike should be able to find their cartoon cup of tea. In this vein, BTV has been offering Beijngers a smorgasbord of animated amusement this week at the 2007 Beijing International Kaku Cartoon Festival that runs until July 27 (see 7 Days in Beijing Newsletter for more info). Outrageous Cosplayers, a theme song penned by pop-rock band Caffeine, a Gundam model competition and radio-controlled car races aside, the real highlight of the animation–lovers’ buffet is sure to be the premiere of the first installment of the Fuwas’ 100-episode (or more) cartoon series “The Fuwa Olympic Cruise."

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The Tim and Frank duo has comes to an end. Tim Hilbert (the visionary behind and owner of Tim’s Texas Roadhouse and now sole owner of Tim’s Texas BBQ), and Frank Siegel (namesake of Frank’s), will part ways after nine months of keeping ranch together at Tim’s Texas BBQ. According to Beijing Boyce’s breaking news blog, Tim’ s Texas BBQ will survive the split.

Tim and crew will relocate to Silk Street 2 on July 31 and re-open shop on August 11. In the meantime, you’ll have to mosey on over to Tim’s Texas Roadhouse for their oh-so-delicious margaritas. Tim will keep his menu Texas BBQ heavy while incorporating some new items. He also envisions a live country band in the future. Their new address is 14 Dongdaqiao Lu on the corner of Guanghua Lu.

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Come August the soon to be chai'd Nanjie – that sweaty den of half-price vice that attracts hordes of revelers to Gongti North on a Saturday night – is set to take over the space where the short-lived but tasty Mongolian restaurant Modern Nomads used to stand. For those who never got a chance to sample the meaty fare at Nomads, the venue is down the small alley just to the east of The Bookworm and Banana Leaf - just across from Salsa Caribe (one of hottest dance floors in Beijing, might just become a little more crowded). The opening date is still unknown but Huxley (who aside from Nanjie is also behind Huxley’s and Houhai Zoo) hopes to have a soft opening “some time in August.” Although Yugong Yishan is having its chai party this coming weekend before opening up in the former Rui Fu digs in August, Huxley hopes that Nanjie will be able hold the bulldozers off a little longer.

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Look hard enough (it’s often easier to see than the building next to you) and you’ll find a common catalyst behind the myriad changes sweeping Beijing. Everything from this month’s impending removal of one million cars from the city’s streets to the conspicuous absence of the five-kuai-DVD guy outside the subway station, from unnatural rainstorms to the capital’s promised unnaturally colorful August complexion – they all go back to Beijing’s hosting of the world’s largest sporting event. Now, thanks to a July 12 meeting of the Entry and Exit Ministry, a taste of Olympic fervor is also available at Chinese consulates worldwide.

To ensure security during the Games, the Entry and Exit Ministry has tightened its regulations pertaining to the issuance, renewal and alteration of visas.

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It seems that Great Helmsman can no longer be called on to promote a tasty bowl of his old favorite hongshaorou. A recent People’s Daily article reports that three restaurants in Huairou District have been ordered by the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce to take down photos of state leaders that they had hung in the restaurant in an attempt to attract more customers. The State Administration for Industry and Commerce issued a notice in June 2006 that banned the use of state leaders’ pictures and epigraphs for business promotions and warned restaurants that didn’t comply with the regulation that they would be fined.

Links and Sources
People’s Daily: Beijing investigates restaurants advertising with state leaders' pictures

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With Beijing up in arms about food safety issues, reports are now coming in that a health food company in the U.S. will label their products “China-Free” to ease customer concerns regarding tainted food products from China. Food for Health International based in Utah, makes whole food nutritional supplements for people and pets. Their plan is to label products with a “China-free” sticker and use “China-free” in their marketing.

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Southerners are xiaoqi, Sichuan likes it spicy, and those minorities just love to sing and dance … we’ve all heard the stereotypes. Over and over again. But they can be more specific as well. In the case of a car accident, Shanghai men, known for being “soft and sensitive” (and helping out in the kitchen), jump out of their cars and start a shouting match. In Guangzhou, drivers take it one step further, at times escalating a fight to the point of a physical altercation. Dongbeiren, on the other hand, skip all the pleasantries and get right down to the fist swinging. And of course, no matter the location, there’s guaranteed to be a crowd of bystanders, commenting on the scene and perhaps taking bets on the winner.

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D-22, Centro, Suzie Wong’s and newcomer China Doll were the big winners at the 4th Annual that’s Beijing Reader Bar and Club Awards held at The Bank Lounge and Club last night in front of an alcohol-fueled crowd of 500.

Host Chelsey Mark kept the proceedings lively, while fire dancers thrilled the audience not only with their performance but also with almost setting the stage on fire twice. The crowd was also treated to a risqué pole dance by Qiao Feng, one of the finalists from last weekend's pole dancing competition in Sanlitun that was either talented and sexy or low-class, depending on how many free glasses of Freixenet and Stella Artois you had quaffed.

Photos of the event are online at the thatsbj.com gallery

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The past few weeks have seen Beijing weather a bout of bad news; it seemed as if reports in the international and domestic press were as depressing as the humid and polluted weather that we’ve been subject to for the past few weeks. First there were reports of the yang rou chuan’r, made from chemically-laced pork, then there was the international scandal surrounding sub-standard toothpaste from China and a US ban on Chinese seafood products. But the one that hit home and caused the biggest waves was the report (complete with hard-to-refute video footage) that some of the baozi being sold on the streets of Chaoyang contained “chopped cardboard, softened in an industrial chemical and made tasty with pork flavoring.”

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In 2000, Starbucks, the undisputed king of American coffee, quietly opened for business inside the Forbidden City. The quiet, not surprisingly, lasted for only two months, with protesters decrying the presence of what they saw as a symbol of globalization and Western commercialization in Beijing’s most sacred spot. At the time, the management of the Forbidden City expressed their surprise at the outcry, and assured everyone that they the franchise’s one-year lease would not be renewed. But the coffee king remained more than six years within the Palace, with some concessions: the signage was minimal and far more discreet than the average Starbucks.

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The Boys and Girls bar (Nanhai Nühai) on the Sanlitun bar strip probably attracted more than the usual number of workers peering into their windows last weekend as they took a break from their regular line up of karaoke contests, Filipino bands and belly dancing and played host to China’s first national pole dancing competition. Organized by Beijing Bodybuilding Association and the Lolan Pole Dancing club, the event featured close to seventy competitors, including three foreigners from the United States, Australia and Spain and six male competitors.

Click here to view a video of some of the performances

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