2020 Year in Review: The Expats We Bade Farewell To

The 20th year of this millennium has been the longest yet, and boy are we ready to say goodbye. But hey, if we had to spend it anywhere, then Beijing ain't a half shabby place to do so. In 2020 Year in Review, we're taking a look back at all the happenings in this city that somehow managed to keep us sane while the world went crazy.

The hard truth about being an expat is that you quickly learn how to say goodbye – to friends, co-workers, romantic partners, and the rest. Save for a select few, Beijing is but a pitstop on the long road of life, and at some point, either we choose to pack up our bags and move onto the next adventure, or someone near and dear to us does. This year in particular saw a wave of departures – many of which came with little to no warning – as COVID-19 kept people abroad, shut down businesses, and generally wreaked havoc both here and at home. While every expat, in one way or another, leaves a mark on the city and their community within it, some play an outsized role in shaping the local flavor and future of the capital. So join us, as we say a final farewell to four expats whose Beijing tenure came to a close in 2020.

Richard Ammerman of Jing-A

After seven years as Jing-A’s madcap marketing guru, US-native Richard Ammerman finally called it quits last May. While some 2020 departures were a result of COVID-19, Ammerman chose to build on the skills he developed manning the helm of one of Beijing’s most beloved breweries by pursuing an MBA back in the States. Having joined the Jing-A family in 2013, he was largely responsible for crafting the brand’s voice and identity from the ground up and played a pivotal role in launching 8x8, the annual festival that solidified China’s place on the map of international craft beers. While no longer tooling around town and pouring pints out the back of his beloved Keg Egg, Ammerman left an indelible mark on the capital and cites “building up a community of regulars and partners for Jing-A, both in Beijing and beyond China’s borders” as one of his proudest achievements. Check out our full interview with Ammerman prior to his departure.

Ankit Nayal of BActive

If Beijing felt a little weaker during the second half of 2020, that’s because we lost one of the city’s swollest – not to mention, sweetest – bodybuilders, Ankit Nayal, who went from being a personal trainer to director and partner of BActive’s Sanlitun branch in short order. While that is doubtlessly an achievement to be proud of, perhaps Nayal’s greatest Beijing moment was winning our Hot Chili Pepper Eating Competition in 2017. Okay, we may be a bit biased, and to be honest, we’re much more impressed by the work he did raising both awareness and money for a number of charitable causes, including Shunyi’s Our Learning House, which provides education for physically disabled orphans and disadvantaged youth in Beijing. At any rate, it seems as though 2020 was the year that expats maxed out their potential in the capital because much like Ammerman, Nayal is also pursuing an MBA at Spain’s illustrious IESE Business School, with the hope of bringing corporate wellness to businesses in Asia. That said, seeing as how Beijing provided the very first fitness stage for Nayal to compete on in 2016, it’s clear that while you might be able to take the bodybuilder out of Beijing, you’ll never take Beijing out of the bodybuilder. To learn more about Nayal’s time in the city, check out our interview with him.

Matthew Byrne of Spittoon

Nobody gets into poetry – or literature for the matter – to make money. As one of the few art forms that can’t be enjoyed passively like music and most visual arts, it’s often overlooked, and aside from hardcore bibliophiles, gets very little respect. And yet, for those who do find themselves at the mercy of this, at times, unrequited love, there is nothing greater than finding a community of fellow slaves to the written word, with whom you can share your work and bounce ideas off of. To that end, if it wasn’t for UK-native Matthew Byrne and the collective he helped co-found Spittoon, Beijing would be an unforgiving and lonely place for authors and poets. Luckily, however, thanks to Byrne’s unwavering dedication to his craft and willingness to sacrifice so much of his own time and energy over the past four years, the city’s writers have found a home, an audience, and a wellspring of support. And this doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of Byrne’s influence on the music scene, nor the myriad bands he played in while living here. And so it was with a heavy heart that in August, we bid farewell to this modern renaissance man. Nevertheless, without Byrne, Beijing’s underground literary arts scene would look much different today, and his legacy lives on through Spittoon’s presence not only in China but across the globe. Find out more about Byrne’s literary legacy in our interview with him from August.

Badr Benjelloun of Caravan

Many people move to Beijing lured by opportunities otherwise unavailable in their home countries, whether it be a cost of living that is significantly less than where they come from or a labor market that isn’t nearly as saturated. While some use that opportunity to pay off exorbitant student loans in record time, others choose to try their hand at various different jobs in any number of industries. Such is the long and storied history of Badr Benjelloun, this list’s most seasoned expat, and the first to have departed this year. A chief technology officer turned bar owner turned restaurateur and prolific musician to boot, Benjelloun kicked around the city for 15 years before finally taking his leave in January, effectively becoming the expat community’s first victim (thankfully, not mortally) to be claimed by COVID-19. Over the years Benjellon owned two bars, Cuju and Gulu Bazz, before opening Caravan, which was not only the sole provider of food from his native Morocco but also served as a hub of community activity, hosting everything from live bands and early-morning game day parties, to capoeira classes and meetups. Despite having a robust and altogether verbose résumé here in Beijing, Benjelloun’s own ethos was quite simple and down-to-earth. When asked what advice he has for any expats struggling to find their place in the capital, he bluntly stated, “Get out there and try things out! It’s very simple. Beijing has all these amazing opportunities and a very supportive community to make things happen. So just go at it.” To find out more about how Beijing has changed since Benjelloun first arrived 15 years ago, check out our interview with him from January of this year.

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Images: courtesy of the interviewees