5 Things to Taste, Smell, Touch, Hear, and See This Weekend
Beijing can be overstimulating, to say the least. Let’s be real: Sometimes even our sixth sense gets a decent workout, the one where you know that stick of chuan'r will get you sick for the next two days (but you gobble it up anyway). With such a wide variety of events, restaurants, and gigs to attend, we suggest bathing each of your five senses in one, if not all, of the nourishing goings-on below.
Taste
Dec 16: Halo Hummus Launch Party
While I would never endorse excessive alcohol consumption, when wine is coupled with hummus? Yes please. Halo Hummus have been making the Beijing market rounds for a while now and you may have come across them in WeChat groups or conversations with fellow hummus addicts. Now Halo touches down in Hatchery for their official launch party and will be joined be a Le Sommelier so that they can guide you through which hummus goes best with your wine. With the wide variety of hummuses on offer, everyone is sure to find their favorite. Free. 2-6pm. Hatchery
Smell
Dec 17: Taste of China: Cooking Class
Whether you are going home for the holidays or throwing a feast at your house, there is no better way to impress the guests than with homemade Chinese cooking. A surprisingly rare skill amongst foreigners in Beijing, some wok skills are always guaranteed to make you the star of the party. For some, the holidays also mark the time for finishing contracts, changing schools, and leaving Beijing. Bringing home a life-long skill and a recipe is surely much more valuable than a bag of tea and jade bracelet. Instead, treat yourself with fragrances of China with a two-and-a-half-hour cooking class designed to teach you how to make three dishes from three regions in China: Yunnan pineapple rice, shredded pork with tofu, and the beloved gongbao jiding. 10.30am. RMB 300, RMB 260 (members). The Hutong
Touch
Dec 16: Jing-A's Ugly Christmas Sweater Party
Love them or hate them, Christmas sweaters are here to stay. Forever and ever. This year, Jing-A invites you to revel in the world of ugliness by donning the vilest specimen in your possession before proudly parading it over to their Xingfucun pub and drinking discounted brews. It will be a feast for the senses with an endless variety of colors, feels, and downright poor-taste vibes. If your closet is filled with humanly acceptable clothes only, Tiger Vintage will be there to sling their ugly sweater wares for between RMB 100-200 – what a steal! See all of this week's boozy events here. 11am-late. Free. Jing-A (Xingfucun Brewpub)
Hear
Dec 17: Samaga
Sundays are for markets, dinners, and activities for the soul. Beijing's music scene spoils us with melodies from all over the world: gypsy jazz, Mongolian singing, Serbian techno. This Sunday afternoon, cross your legs and listen to the Indian jazz-infused sounds of Samaga at DDC. The afternoon show might leave you slightly hypnotized and definitely relaxed and ready to start the work week. Best part? There'll still be time to cook a delicious Sunday dinner after the gig. Alternatively, see all of this weekend's noise here. 3pm. RMB 60, RMB 50 (advance). DDC
See
Dec 16-17: Huang Rui's Cloud House
Renowned Beijing artist Huang Rui opens his house to the public every weekend until March in a bid to provide Beijing some insight into his work and his personal collection of art. The move also comes as a means to dissuade the government not to demolish the building in order to make space for anti-pollution trees. Head over to go give Huang some good luck in his attempt to preserve his beautiful 1,200sqm home. Free. 10am-5pm. Huang Rui's Cloud House
Images: courtesy of the organizers
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