Best of the Blog: March-May 2019 Edition

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.

Beijing Not Even in Top 100 Most Polluted Cities in the World

Wait, what? The city of airpocalypse, used as a shorthand for 'air pollution' is no longer even in the top 100 of the world's worst polluted cities? Our reporting on this truly surprising news went nuts online, with many readers either reposting it as a way of reassuring their moms that they are not dying of lung cancer, or to humble-brag about how much worse it was back in their day when men were men and the air wasn't bad until you could chew it.

Beijing to Relocate Middle Class to Leave More Room for Filthy Rich

Gotcha! While some of you spotted the date and the author name on this April Fool's piece, many didn't, and the scarily-believable headline made big waves among the Beijing community and further afield. 

Government Switches May Day Holiday Dates, Adds Holiday Day, Laughs Maniacally

Oh, they're a funny bunch, those Chinese government officials! While most of the Western world have their annual holiday dates figured out years in advance, China seems to actively enjoy announcing them at the last possible moment, and resultant logistical problems be damned! Even then, they aren't set in concrete, as evidenced this Mar 22 when we woke up to the news that we'd have some extra time off at the beginning of May. Were we thrilled? Yes. Were we also frustrated because it was too short notice to score better plane tickets? Also yes. 

Everything You Need to Know About How to Get the Elusive Chinese Green Card

The near-mythic Chinese permanent resident (“green”) card remains a source of fascination. Do they really exist? Who gets one? How does one obtain this elusive document? We look at this issue squarely in the face and can confidently answer your question "am I likely to get on in the future" with a confident "Nope."

How Emotional Intelligence Can Help You Adapt to a Different Culture

Whether you just saw 'Intelligence' in the headline of this blog, originally posted on our sister site beijingkids, and thought "yep, that's me," or were just curious about how to harness your cultural intelligence, or cultural quotient (CQ) to make life easier for yourself abroad, this blog struck a nerve. 

No Encore: Yugong Yishan Officially Closes After 11 Years of Groundbreaking Gigs

After more than a decade of hosting some of Beijing's best, wildest, and most innovative live music, beloved livehouse Yugong Yishan officially closed its doors in late February. In fact, the last show in the venerable space had occurred a full six months earlier, so the sad news did not come as a huge surprise. As far as we know, owner Lu Zhigang is still on the lookout for a new space in which to re-open the venue, so if you've got a lead, give him a shout.

Get Your Tastebuds Ready... the Beijinger 2019 Hot & Spicy Festival Is Coming

Aw, stop it, you're making us blush. We were really excited to announce the dates of our second annual Hot & Spicy Festival, and you guys were just as excited to hear it. We are always striving to find fun, new exciting things for you to read, do, and experience so knowing how much our second annual Hot & Spicy Festival meant to you was a real honor. Given the gigantic success of this weekend's Burger Festival, it looks like our foodie events are thoroughly here to stay. Thanks for all of your support, you beautiful, hungry people! 

Ten Dishes You Must Eat Before Leaving Beijing

"Forget the Forbidden City, food is our favorite Beijing attraction." And yours too, if the success of this blog is anything to go by. From Peking Duck to zhajiang noodles and everything in between, this list of 10 un-missable Beijing foods is a handy guide whether you're new to Beijing yourself and want to get a good overview of the culinary scene, or are preparing to host some visitors. 

The Best Pollution Masks of 2019

One day, we won't have to write articles like this. One day, we'll all be breathing fresh, clean, healthy air that smells sweeter than unicorn farts. Until that day comes, we'll continue keeping you informed on how best to protect yourself against air pollution in Beijing. We got your back, dudes.

Wanna keep procrastinating? Here's the latest on why China's C-Listers are fighting with airport security

Images: thebeijinger.com