Posted Nov 30th 2009 11:17a.m.  |

by Laura Fitch

CW's intrepid columnist visits The Embassy, a weekly meeting for young Christians run by the Beijing International Christian Fellowship

Some religious services advertise spirituality over religion, but The Embassy, Beijing International Christian Fellowship’s Thursday night youth service, makes no such claim. It is a Christian service, not watered ... Read More

Posted Nov 16th 2009 2:36p.m.  |

by Laura Fitch

Of all the complaints launched against Beijing by my female friends, the only thing that comes up as often as the lack of acceptable men is the lack of good chocolate. So noble a confection, more than mere nectar or ambrosia, the true food of the gods has somehow been ... Read More

Posted Oct 19th 2009 5:01p.m.  |

by Laura Fitch

The future makes for an interesting topic of conversation. The Beijing Futurists Society has organized a night dedicated exclusively to discussing things in the future tense. CW's columnist drops in to see what's going on.

When the discussion turns to a Japanese plan to spend US$21 billion ... Read More

Posted Sep 28th 2009 1:54p.m.  |

by Laura Fitch

It’s tough to come in during the middle of a Bazi, or traditional Chinese fortune telling, class. This course was already in the fourth of its eight weeks, and its teacher, Alvin Ang, had done away with generalizations. “This is not a class where I am just going to ... Read More

Posted Sep 14th 2009 12:32p.m.  |

by Laura Fitch

“Pay attention,” demands instructor John McLeod, “We are going to go through these quickly. There are a lot of ways to hit someone with a stick.”

Plenty of martial arts classes begin with discussions of spirituality and concentrate heavily on “forms”—that is to say they are far more arts ... Read More

Posted Aug 31st 2009 12:17p.m.  |

by Laura Fitch

I arrived at the first annual biker party at Meches Mexican Restaurant in Shunyi just in time to see Greg Mech ride his Harley Davidson under a swinging hot dog as his wife, Bernice, attempted to catch it in her teeth.

Children were responsible for helping hang the hot dog ... Read More

Posted Aug 17th 2009 4:22p.m.  |

by Laura Fitch

Speed dating has appeared (and been ridiculed) in enough movies and television shows that I thought, in the spirit of the ironic hipster, I should give it a try. I got my chance last week at an event, reassuringly called Speed Networking, hosted by the Speed Dating Specialists at Solaire ... Read More

Posted Aug 3rd 2009 5:23p.m.  |

by Laura Fitch

One can spend a lot of time in Beijing without any sort of cultural adventure. I’ve managed to live in the city for three years, to write four guidebooks and still avoid any immersion into the culture. However, after passing by near infinite games of xiangqi without knowing what ... Read More

Posted Jul 20th 2009 4:04p.m.  |

by Laura Fitch

During the Olympics, everyone wanted a piece of Lu-Chin Mischke. The founder of The Pride Institute, a non-profit dedicated to improving manners across Beijing, Lu-Chin was seen by journalists as the embodiment of the dynamism of the pre-Olympic period. ABC, NBC and, most notably, City Weekend all ran stories on ... Read More

Posted Jun 23rd 2009 11:29a.m.  |

by Laura Fitch

Every Beijinger worth their MSG knows the best restaurants, clubs and iconic China sites for entertaining guests during the summer tourist season. Visits are not just a time to show friends and family a good time, they are a time for showing off. With recent jaunts to China by both ... Read More

Posted May 27th 2009 1:20p.m.  |

by Lily Kuo

Expats in Beijing are an “indoorsy” crowd. Take a moment to think about your friends in the city. Pat yourself on the back if you have seen more than three-quarters of them in natural light. It’s not our fault. Beijing is hardly built for outdoor adventure. Much of the ... Read More

Posted May 11th 2009 10:51a.m.  |

by Lily Kuo

Spend so much as a weekend in Beijing, and you will meet someone who has been in a movie, commercial or magazine spread. Stay a little longer, and you will discover three classic responses to these gigs: bemusement (“China is such an odd and wondrous place—I got to be ... Read More

Posted Apr 27th 2009 3:15p.m.  |

by Lily Kuo

Last week, after months of hard work, my company finally signed a long overdue cooperation agreement with our Chinese partner. After the requisite baijiu toasts, we received another token of gratitude: tickets to the Chinese University Magician Competition Extravaganza. The extravaganza featured 32 of the best college magicians from the ... Read More

Posted Apr 13th 2009 10:40a.m.  |

by Lily Kuo

No doubt there are things you can do in Beijing that don’t require alcohol, but it doesn’t mean those activities aren’t better without a little jiujin. Bowling is better. Gallery hopping is better. Trivia night is much better. Even running, as the Hash House Harriers prove, is ... Read More

Posted Mar 30th 2009 3:37p.m.  |

by Lily Kuo

Without fail, Beijing’s proverbial groundhog sees his shadow every year and winter drags on until nearly all of us forget there is more to this city than indoor displays of alcoholism manifested in events like weekly trivia nights at The Bookworm or Paddy O’ Sheas. Spring has arrived and ... Read More

Posted Mar 16th 2009 3:54p.m.  |

by Lily Kuo

Last month, I attended a “Mad Men” party at a friend’s penthouse in the CBD. He served Gordon’s Gin and Cutty Sark Whiskey, discouraged dancing and encouraged chain-smoking. Everything about the evening suggested a testosterone-dominated affair, and yet, miraculously, women showed up en masse.

With over 110 men ... Read More

Posted Mar 2nd 2009 11:44a.m.  |

by Lily Kuo

Some community events are planned, but many just happen. On the last day of Chinese New Year, the Mandarin Oriental hosted one of the latter. No event since the Olympics has so thoroughly brought together people living in Beijing. For the days that followed, news of the inferno dominated blogs ... Read More

Posted Feb 16th 2009 11:17a.m.  |

by Lily Kuo

Recently, I received a Facebook message from a stranger who wanted my advice on how to make friends in Beijing. Most would agree that making friends in Beijing is easy once you have an established a social group. In fact, if anything, most of us need to trim the fat ... Read More

Posted Feb 2nd 2009 11:55a.m.  |

by Lily Kuo

Some things are certain about Valentine’s Day in Beijing: set menus with the word “love” attached to every dish, beflowered Chinese girls wearing sweaters that match those of their dates and copious gazing.

Valentine’s is a stilted exercise. For those in relationships, it’s the best time of ... Read More

Posted Jan 12th 2009 4:22p.m.  |

by Lily Kuo

Around St. Paddy’s Day, the Irish Network of China hosts the annual Irish Ball. “The Ball is a full-on Irish event: ticket price covers free-flow Guinness and Jameson bars, there’s Kerrygold cheese and lots of Irish beef stew served all night!” promises community relations officer Mark Godfrey. The ... Read More

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