It is finally here: the first "Best of China" issue, ever. We sent out an army of reporters and editors to scour Beijing's streets, Shanghai's high rises and the rest of the land, leaving a trail from Xinjiang to Tibet and back again. On page 12, you'll find our collection of national bests, including intricate handmade knives found in the Taklamakan Desert, natural jade from the Yurungkash River, beautiful hand-stitched hemp by Xishuangbanna's Hani minority, amazing bian lian performances in Sichuan and so much more. Plus a soap opera star, a former Miss China, an owner of a luxury concierge service and a high powered publisher reveal their personal picks on everything from new getaways to movie theaters to limousines. Read on to get the best out of China.

As one of City Weekend's new Shanghai Entertainment Guide interns, Taryn Campbell was sent on her first mission: Find Shanghai's top spots for cool treats this summer. "How can I complain when my first assignment was running around the city and eating ice cream?" asks Campbell. Hailing from California,
Campbell knows a few things about summer heat and what it takes to make a quality ice cream cone. She was surprisingly pleased with the cold eats found on every corner in Shanghai: "When it's all said and done, I am now the foremost aficionado of Shanghai's ice cream scene."

"I've wanted to put out a 'Best of China' issue since I started at City Weekend almost three years ago,” says Deputy Managing Editor Lydia Holden. “Before starting at CW I got my feet wet at Chicago magazine where I was lucky enough to help put together their annual 'Best of Chicago' issue. It was great fun and readers loved it, so I knew I wanted to bring the ‘Best of’ concept to CW.” Finally, the "Best of China" is here (pg. 12), and in it Holden hopes you’ll find a few surprises (like alien sightings and hot pink dolphins) and a lot of useful information.

"It's an unfortunate artifact of modernity to call anything 'the best' anymore," says Beijing editor Lee Mack, who trawled Beijing's back alleys for this issue's cover story (Beijing Entertainment Guide, pg. E8). "What we're really talking about here is uniqueness, originality and in some cases (i.e. the pedicab dude), the just plain weird." From midget doormen and guitar gurus to the best makeout spot in Beijing, Mack feels a certain amount of enlightenment knowing that he is now "a walking encyclopedia of Beijing who is willing to be hired by the hour." He can be reached at leemack@ cityweekend.com. cn and, yes, he does parties.