With less than 24 hours to go before the final four is announced, it’s time to take a look at the national origins of our Elite Eight. National pride is at stake, with eight competitors from five nations all hoping for a slot in the Final Four.
Lazing on the silver Hainan sand, you stare up at the blue sky, your shadow hiding from the midday sun. A couple of local mutts run pawprint circles in the pristine sand, lines of distant kites intersect with vapor trails of planes jetting off to remote climes. A dog paws at the sand beside you. As you sit up, you hear Michael Bolton on the sound system and with a bump you’re back in Beijing. Specifically, you're surrounded by the Beijing Olympic Beach Volleyball Court.
Walking among the high walls of Beijing’s hutongs often sparks curiosity about the courtyards and stories hidden away on the other side of them. Symmetrical courtyards, flower-lined walls, and ornamented doorways are just a few elements of the classic courtyard residence. Nestled in the hutongs near Zhangzizhong Lu, lavish courtyard hotel Cours et Pavillons boasts all of these elements and more.
Even though officials are boasting about their post-Games plans for Beijing stadiums, the capital's track record is very much checkered in that regard.
One of Beijing’s underground talents, LOW BOW, have been lurking around the city’s underbelly for a number of years with their trainwreck blues, garage rock sets, and freeform banter. For a number years now, Irish-born musician and lyricist, Risteard O. Deorian has been an active member of Beijing’s underground music scene, entertaining crowds at now-defunct venues like XP and What Bar to more recent strongholds like School Bar and DDC.
Besides the hurdles of language and cultural barriers, dealing with throngs of blaring speakers, bright lights, gray skies, and horrible traffic are a daily struggle for expats. In aid of maintaining your sanity, here is a roundup of some of the best wellness and self-care options our sometimes stress-inducing city has to offer.
The team behind the Olympics’ opening ceremony have put out the call for proposals about what types of eye-popping spectacle should be used to dazzle viewers as the Games kick off
State of the Arts is our regular arts column whereby we take a look at the newest moves in Beijing's creative scene. In this edition, we highlight three exhibitions you should seek out before they conclude.
McEwan is arguably England's most famous author, having won the Man Booker Prize for his 1998 novel Amsterdam, and following that up with the acclaimed, Atonement (2001), which was adapted into an Academy award-winning movie starring Keira Knightley, along with many, many other high profile milestones.
Every week we round up the biggest nightlife events with our Beijing Beats column.
