Because Beijing is a relatively safe place to live when compared to many foreign cities, expats tend to settle into a comfort zone. However, a recent escalation of violence in Sanlitun has brought expat safety concerns to light.
This past Wednesday night around 3am, City Weekend staffer Sarah Ting-Ting Hou ... Read More
When we think of balloon animals, we think of children’s birthday parties, church festivals and clowns. But John Watkins, and his company Beijing-based Balloon Art International, have changed our minds in a big way, by elevating balloon creations into a truly astounding art form, constructing everything from haute couture ... Read More
To rent a vehicle in Beijing, you’ll need a Chinese driver’s license, a passport, a valid visa and a major credit card and copies of all. Assemble all of this, and your life on the open road begins.
For a deposit of ¥10,000, payable by credit card ... Read More
Every photograph you see anywhere, in any genre, and from any point in history was made using a combination of what I call the photographic trinity: Shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.
Before we get into what they do, you need to understand how they work together. They all effect how ... Read More
In a city where it takes forever to get anywhere, many women struggle to get a regular haircut, much less to sit still for a facial or a round of depilation. That need not be the case—there are several salons around town that offer both hair and spa-style services ... Read More
This week our local love doctors, Joe Schaefer (right) and Ginger Rong Chen (left), are dishing out advice for expat ladies who want to date local guys.
"I am a foreign girl who is open to dating local guys, but every time I give one my phone number he turns ... Read More
By now, you've probably heard of the "100-Day Campaign," announced yesterday across China by the PSB. Essentially, it's a quest to root out "illegal foreigners," meaning people who have either overstayed their visas or are working without a work permit.
Expats are talking about it in hushed whispers ... Read More
Unlike the subway, which may have large gaps between stations, taking the bus in Beijing will often drop you off exactly where you want to be. Despite this convenience, the thought of riding the bus can be intimidating if you’re unsure how to navigate the system. We’ll be ... Read More
“It's like a whole new way of seeing!” In reference to a shot I took that had a completely different look than what they saw at 798 last weekend during my night/low-light workshop at The Hutong.
Night photography is a little mentioned and explored area in photography; this ... Read More
You’re getting married. Congratulations! Now you have to plan it. There are a number of decent wedding services in the capital that will guide you through every step of your perfect day from conception to execution.
The Ritz-Carlton Beijing Central Place offers a classic wedding service, with Beijing’s ... Read More
Chinese kids get only one shot at success—the gaokao. It’s the relentlessly brutal university examination that sorts kids into winners or losers, so naturally students (and their tiger moms and wolf dads) take it deadly serious.
We caught these disturbing photos of students collectively hooked up to IV ... Read More
Want a chance to rub elbows with elite grads from top world universities? Or perhaps make connections with fellow movers and shakers? We hear that there are still a few spots available at the Alumni Ball of Beijing happening May 12, but probably not for very much longer.
Although alumni ... Read More
All the cool kids have iPhones these days, and now that the 4S fever has died down, you can get your hands on one, too. Here’s how.
Step 1: Where to Buy?
The first step is to decide what channel you want to go through to get your phone ... Read More
“No matter how you look at it, where you look at it from, or how the light looks on it, it’s still a dog.”
Although one of the basics of photography, composition can be one of the more difficult concepts for beginners to understand, and one of the easiest ... Read More
Beijing has plenty of opportunities for you to brush up on your musical skills on anything from guitar and piano to more exotic instruments such as the guzheng or pipa.
Song of Songs employs teachers proficient in a wide variety of instruments, including piano, flute and drums. Lessons start at ... Read More
A famous photographer is out having dinner with some friends. During the meal the chef comes out and says, "Your pictures are great, you must have a good camera." The photographer nods and continues eating.
At the end of dinner, the photographer says to the chef, "This meal was great ... Read More
Food allergies are a scary thing. The idea that one tiny wayward nut could cause an otherwise happy human to go into anaphylaxis is enough to alarm anyone. That’s why those with food allergies have to take the utmost caution to ensure they get through all their meals unscathed ... Read More
There are A TON of extremely competitive categories this year and a lot of upsets in the making. This is shaping up to be a very interesting year for the City Weekend Restaurant and Bar Readers' Choice Awards 2012.
Take Best Tex-Mex, for example. With Casa Latina down and out ... Read More
We're guilty of using our dusty balcony as a storeroom, but we've always wanted to turn it into a mini garden. Sure, we could just plonk some leafy fronds out back for the summer, but we also wanted to try out the latest urban rage—the edible container ... Read More
Beijing draws people in unusual lines of work. From yak wool collectors to agricultural anthropologists, we’d thought we’d seen it all, until we met wolf trainer Andrew Simpson. Simpson is in Beijing working on the set of the film adaptation of Jiang Rong’s smash hit novel Wolf ... Read More
"Wouldn’t you consider this process manipulating the image?"
“Yes,” was my reply to a student, “but it’s no more manipulating the image than everyone else has done since the beginning of photography.”
Thus the controversy behind High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging, which is one of the hottest, and ... Read More
Spring is the perfect season for exploring Beijing on two wheels. If you’re like us, you’ve suffered through the bitter winter in taxis, so you ought to give your bike a quick tune-up before you take it out for your first spin. There are bike repairmen on every ... Read More
Hack through the two or three hotels which have flooded the votes and the picture at the halfway point in the voting looks: murky! Lots of tight races forming up with some old school favorites being seriously challenged by newcomers. Here's how things were looking last week. Here's ... Read More
At Lanson Place it’s more than just a home; it’s a complete lifestyle. Their new mantra “My Life, My Style” encourages guests to immerse themselves in Beijing’s culture. With nothing to worry about at home, guests have the freedom to experience China and become involved in the ... Read More
Ahoy there City Weekenders! Behind the scenes, we're constantly improving the website to make things run a little more smoothly for you. We just implemented a couple of small changes to our events and blog pages, so we thought we would share them with you right here. Check it ... Read More
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Middle 8th: The New Sanlitun Village Location Has Creative Zest
By JPDM
I tried the new Middle 8 location last night. We tried to make a reservation... >>