Happy Sheep: What You Missed During the Holiday

Whether you're just emerging from a jiaozi coma or fewer than 24 hours off the plane from Thailand, perhaps you weren't paying much attention to what's been happening during your absence or attention deficit. 

the Beijinger March Issue Now Online
Thanks in part to being a basketball dynamo who has led the Beijing Ducks to two China Basketball Association (CBA) championships (and now in the CBA semi-finals), and in part to being an all-around nice guy who genuinely loves Beijing, Stephon Marbury may well be our city’s most famous foreigner. Our sports guy Patrick Li visited him at his home in Wangfujing to talk about life in Beijing, basketball, and what it’s like to be Stephon Marbury for a day.

25 Great Things to Eat in Beijing
We choked on this article's original title and as such shortened it. Originally appearing in 2014 on beijingkids and inspired by The Huffington Post's “25 Foods You Have To Eat Before You Die,” this list was created to inspire you to get out and try some of the many foods Beijing has to offer. Some you may have tried and liked, others you may have sworn off forever, and many probably received a contorted WTF face before making anywhere near your mouth, but as they say, you won't know until you try it. Onward!

Great Leap, Janes, Jing-A, and BBC Among 150 Best Bars Worldwide (Outside the US)
We here at the Beijinger love ourselves a listicle, particularly when said listicle involves Beijing. This time its the Daily Meal and their just-released list of 150 Best Bars Outside the United States, which features Janes and Hooch (#124), Bottle Boot & Cigar (#96), Jing-A Taproom (#73) and Great Leap Brewing (at #65) in the their expert-picked rankings.

Steaks and Wings Make The Local a Solid Spot for Casual American Fare
Wang Xu slapped a ribeye on the grill and waited for it to sizzle. As The Local's chef readied the steak’s seasoning and sauce, owner Kenn Bermel popped into the kitchen and began a bit of his own good-natured ribbing.

Putting Haidilao's Service to the Test
This is Haidilao, the esteemed hot pot chain with 36 locations in Beijing, famed for its impeccable service which consistently tops our annual Reader Restaurant Awards for Best Service. And it's much the same again this year, with nominations for Service, Impressing Visitors, Delivery (yes, they can deliver you a hot pot!) and Restaurant of the Year in our 2015 awards – vote here through March 8.

Bad Air Ushers in the Year of the Sheep
Blame the fireworks: with as much as one-third of the city's population out of town for Spring Festival, factories on holiday and light traffic on Beijing's streets, the Air Quality Index (AQI) this morning is nevertheless hovering in the upper 300s.

Six Flags to Open in Tianjin by 2018?
Is Six Flags planning an amusement park in Tianjin? We're not sure anymore. Yesterday we were alerted to a news article from the LA Times that referenced Six Flags's plans for a park in Tianjin, slated to open in 2018.

Beijing's Best New Foreign Eats: 10 Great Choices
With voting for our 2015 Reader Restaurant Awards well underway (vote here), we wanted to take a moment to highlight the 10 restaurants named to the ballot in the category of Best New (Non-Chinese) Restaurants. Each is awesome in its own right, so if you're growing tired of cycling through your old favorites, give one of these 10 a try ... and then come back and cast your opinion on the best in our awards poll here!

Job Sectors Seeking Out Foreign Employees
Although foreigners are leaving China at a quicker rate than coming in, and sometimes it feels like the only sector hiring is the education sector, there are still sectors where foreigners are actively sought after. China does need foreign employees, and Hired China summed up the six sectors in which foreign workers are still highly desired.

Shanghai Gets Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz; We Get Pitbull
Oh the shame ... once again it appears that a fine mix of international acts will tour China and skip Beijing in the process. Katy Perry will play in Shanghai and Guangzhou this April but not in Beijing; her Super Bowl companion Lenny Kravitz will also do Shanghai in March and skip Beijing.

Premier Li Keqiang: We Need More Foreigners
Fresh on the heels of another story about expats leaving China in droves, Premier Li Keqiang Tuesday met with foreign experts in Beijing to wish them happy new year and beg them to stay promise them that it will be easier for them in the future.

Welcome back.

Photo: Ken