5 Beijing Wanghongdians to Help You Live Out Your Most Narcissistic Selfie Fantasies
Tired of your Instagram feed looking so bland? Sick of your WeChat Moments underperforming? More than ready to indulge in some embrace an afternoon of unadulterated narcissism? We hear you loud and clear! That's why we've compiled five of the hottest wanghongdian (viral venues) right now so that you can selfie to your heart's delight. Just make sure to sharpen your elbows and perfect your pout before stepping inside as you'll likely need to battle for every inch of background.
Zhongshuge
Touted as a "3D Mystical Bookstore," you might think that Zhongshuge's promise more than a little lofty. But since opening at the beginning of summer, Beijing's vainest of book fans can't get enough of Zhongshuge's winding stairwells, colorful shelves and, most importantly, impeccable lighting, sending the city's selfie set into picture-taking overdrive. The highlight? A gravity-defying archway lined from top to bottom with books (just don't expect to spot your favorite titles on the shelves, or be able to read any of them for that matter).
Daily, 10am-10.30pm. B2, Bldg B, Rongke Zixun Centre, 2 South Kexueyuan Lu, Haidian District (6255 5002)
钟书阁：海淀区科学院南路号院融科咨讯中心B座B2层
Be Cute Coffee
A reasonably priced café with a cuteness-über-alles approach, Be Cute Coffee is a modern, Mediterranean cactus-studded oasis in the east of Beijing. With an eye-catching vintage Beetle guarding the storefront and various flora dotted throughout the store, this coffee shop is bound to satisfy all your selfie and caffeine needs. The true centerpiece, however, comes in the form of a giant polar bear nestled in an unassuming corner of the café, tastefully framed by large-paneled windows and even more greenery.
Daily, 10am-7pm. Across from Bldg A, Shangyiwen Yuan, West Baijialou Bridge, Chaoyang North Road, Chaoyang District (171 1009 9149)
朝阳区朝阳北路白家楼桥西尚屹文园A座对面
Met Petal
With a nifty and abundant use of flowers, Met Petal manages to take the typically chilly edge off of an otherwise elegant marble aesthetic. The restaurant’s white and gold decor is highlighted with pockets of foliage that sprout from various sections of the store and splash the dining room with color. It amounts to a chic, textured, and highly stylized backdrop for some great Insta-worthy photos.
Daily, 11am-10pm. Rm 10210, 2/F, Bldg A, Soho, East Second Ring Road, Dongcheng District (186 1221 7761)
遇见花瓣：东城区东二环SOHO A座2层室
A+ Café
As the embodiment of organized chaos, Caochangdi's A+ Café is a treasure trove of prime photo ops, providing just enough clutter to act as the house you wished you owned but are really just too poor, busy, or OCD to reproduce. In that regard, it reminds us more of a well-organized thrift store than a coffee shop and every corner has a focal point of its own; from mismatched furniture to fluorescent street signs, A+ Café's eccentric vintage design stands out amidst Beijing's increasingly competitive café market.
Daily, 9am-9pm. A+, East Cunweihui, Caochangdi (20 meters east of Cunweihui), Chaoyang District (6433 2569)
草场地村委会东A+号 (村委会向东20米）
Galaxy Community
The Holy Grail of camera-hungry wanghongdians, the Galaxy Community in Xidan is an aesthetical assault on the eyes but in the best way possible. Saturated with neon signs and props of all kinds, this temporary exhibition (it runs until Sep 30) rivals any respectable sci-fi set with thematically compartmentalized rooms that have been repurposed to represent a mock subway, a futuristic hair salon, and even a complete corridor dressed to look like a retro Chinatown back alley. Here, the selfie basically takes itself.
Daily, 1pm-2am, B1, Mishisenlin, Xidan Dasha, Xidan North Road, Xicheng District (132 6162 8098)
西城区西单国际大厦觅食森林B1
Museums more your thing? Get blitzed on baijiu history at Beijing's Maotai Museum instead.
Images: Weibo, Motianlun, Baidu, Dianping
