Best of the Blog: January/February 2018

Tom Arnstein | Jan 30, 2018 1:00 pm | Add a comment | 699 reads

Every issue we tally the hits from theBeijinger.com and bring you the most viewed blogs from our website. Read on to see which blogs were the most popular.

1. Migas Sanlitun Shuts Down After Final NYE Party
This past New Year’s Eve was a bittersweet moment for Beijing as it also marked the last hurrah for Sanlitun’s beloved rooftop restaurant and lounge Migas. Staff announced the closure just before Christmas, though the reasons behind the sudden closure were left vague. Luckily, Migas Mercado will continue to cater to the snappily dressed set that regularly hit up the original Nali Patio branch over the past seven years.

2. Believe It or Not: Beijing’s Air Quality Improved Drastically in 2017
Contrary to everything we know as grizzled veterans outfitted with face masks and a wary disposition, 2018 began with reports that Beijing’s air quality improved so much over the course of 2017 that it was now the best it’s been in five years. If things continue this way, Beijing may soon lose its infamous reputation for having the worst air in the world.

3. Beijing Now Offers 6-Day Visa-Free Stays to International Tourists
Just after New Year, Beijing announced an extension of its visa-free entry for people transiting through the city to a full six days, twice the length of the previous policy. To be eligible for entry, applicants are required to have valid international travel documents as well as reserved tickets with a fixed date to a third destination (aside from China and their point of origin).

4. Jackie Chan on Hand for Official Unveiling of 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics Logos
In mid-December, athletes, government representatives, the Beijing 2022 Organising Committee, and Jackie Chan came together at Beijing’s Water Cube for the official unveiling of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games emblems. Said to have taken inspiration from the character 冬, winter, the colorful and lively ribbon-like emblems were designed by Li Cunzhen and were chosen from 4,506 submissions from around the world.

5. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Rolls Into Beijing, Pumps Iron in CBD
Guomao got a whiff of what The Rock was cooking when none other than Dwayne Johnson, former wrestler and extremely well-paid Hollywood star, posted various videos of himself pumping iron in the CBD. Johnson’s short Beijing stay was part of a press junket for his latest action adventure flick, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and is unlikely to be the last we see of him in 2018 given that he’s poised to shoot Skyscraper here this summer (being touted as “Die Hard in China”).

6. Three New Subway Lines Open on Beijing’s West Side
Beijing’s ever-expanding subway system welcomed three more lines on the city’s west side at the end of December, including the Line S1, the Yanfang Line, and the Xijiao Line, bringing the number of Beijing Subway lines to 22, with a total line length of 608 kilometers. The Line S1, which originates from the western end of Line 1’s Pingguoyuan station, is notable for being the city’s first Maglev line and has a top speed of 100kph, completing an eight-stop journey in less than 20 minutes.

7. “Foreigner” Jailed 15 Days for Failing Beijing Airport Security Check
In late January, a self-proclaimed “foreigner” refused to submit for a body search at Beijing International Airport, crossing her arms in front of her chest and eventually missing her flight and being committed to 15 days of administrative detention for disturbing public order. As police later found out, the woman was in fact a Chinese national who had lived abroad for several years but had retained her Mandarin fluency.

8. Chaoyang West on the Chopping Block as Great Brickening Continues Though
Beijingers spent much of 2017 lamenting the “Great Brickening,” those unrelenting waves of redevelopment aren’t letting up now that 2018 is here. In fact, one of the city’s most well-established strip of restaurants, situated at the west gate of Chaoyang Park, is next on the chopping block with the likes of Annie’s, Jenny Lou’s, Comptoirs de France, and La Rucola being forced out before Chinese New Year.