Best of the Blog: July/August 2018 Edition

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 grabbed your attention over the past couple of months.

1. The Opening of the 2018 Beijing Burger Cup
Yes, July was predominantly dedicated to the seventh Burger Cup at TBJ HQ with 120 venues battling it out for the 2018 Best Burger Crown. In the end, it was Slow Boat that sailed to victory, trumping Q Mex’s admirable fight with their crowd-pleasing Fryburger. Additionally, you can read about the Best Beijing Burgers of 2018 here.

2. Lama Temple Neighborhood Soon to Be One With the Bricks?
The Great Brickening, which had already laid to waste vast stretches of hutongs and streets from Chaoyang to Haidian, raised its ugly head again to take the stretch of religious curio and souvenir shops surrounding the Lama Temple on Yonghegong Dajie. 

3. Summer Rains Again Bring Floods, Landslides to Beijing
Mid-July rains turned Beijing into a disaster zone as numerous floods and landslides appeared throughout the capital, causing citywide traffic chaos, canceled flights, and infrastructure damage. The rain caused a number of landslides in Beijing’s northern suburbs, shutting down multiple roads and highways as well as cutting off electrical power to 2,000 residents in Miyun.

4. International Student Sues Ofo, Baidu After He Unexpectedly Shows Up in Their Advertisement
An international student from Saudi Arabia sued Chinese share-bike company Ofo and parent company Baidu for damages of RMB 300,000 after he discovered his image was being used without his knowledge to promote its “overseas strategy.” 

5. Here’s a Sneak Peek at Beijing New Airport’s Interior
Honeycomb windows, swooping arches, and a sprawling floorspace are some of the most striking features in photos released online of the new, yet-to-be-named Beijing Airport in Daxing District. The Zaha Hadid-designed airport will hold its first test run in October 2019 and looks to accommodate 620,000 flights per year.

6. Jing-A Confirms Permanent Closure of Their Sanlitun 1949 Venue
Only a month after news that Great Leap Brewing was forced to close their #12 brewpub, Jing-A, another behemoth in Beijing’s beer scene, announced that their Sanlitun 1949 “The Hidden City” taproom had also met its permanent demise after being closed for a number of weeks.

7. Global Times Takes Aim at Baozza and De Refter for “Ridiculing” Chinese Culture With Fusion Food
The topic may have been steamed buns, but the result was straight-up beef. Global Times apparently has a bone to pick with Western spins on time-honored Chinese comfort food, lambasting brands like Baozza and De Refter for “ridiculing” both cultures gastronomic traditions “for the sake of a marketing gag for expats with little or no culinary background.”

8. How a Beijing Expat Overcame Her Health Scare to Start an Activewear Business Burdensome Depression
A tumor-like cyst. Anaphylaxis. That’s only a few of the litany of health scares Stella Jiang was facing down last year before the Sweden-hailing Beijing expat turned her newfound vim and vigor into, Bella Brawn, which curates activewear for female patrons.

You can read more stories like these and all of our Blog content simply by clicking here.

Photos: the Beijinger, Jeremiah Jenne, China Daily, Sina Tech, Peter Jolicoeur, courtesy of Jing-A, courtesy of Baozza, courtesy of Bella Brown