Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: 2019's Most Viral Blogs on theBeiijinger.com

Getting to the end of a year in Beijing tends to leave you with more questions than answers, and when you're not searching in vain for that long-gone jianbing seller, you're dealing with quiet closures, noisy neighbors, and if you're really lucky, surprise laduzi. One thing's for sure: there's never a dull day in China's capital, and we hope for nothing less from 2020. For now, however, let's take a look back at the year that was 2019.

What a year 2019 was: The Bookworm closed, traffic sucked, the air got better and we now have two of the largest airports in the world. Along the way, our holidays were also switched, our time was freed up when WeChat crashed, and our fair city was showered with stars (of the Michelin variety).

With the final year of this century's awkward teenage years now in the book, it's a good time to take stock of how far Beijing came in 2019, with a look at the year's most viral blogs. Rather than looking at strictly total page views, we've also factored in time spent reading – meaning this is not a list of Beijing's Most Salacious Clickbait.

Opening of Daxing Airport Means Relocation of Airline Carriers, a New Subway Line, and Closure of Beijing Nanyuan
We started the year with one of the largest airports in the world. Now we have two. However, fans of awkward and niche Beijing travel were no doubt dismayed to hear that the opening Beijing Daxing International Airport also meant the closure of the country's oldest airport: Beijing Nanyuan, soon to be transformed into an aviation museum. 

One Photographer's Mission to Find the Last Women in China With Bound Feet
For the past five years, British photographer Cameron Hack has set out to document ordinary people in China. The Beijinger has been lucky enough to republish some of Hack's incredible Humans of China biographies along the way.

Beijing Not Even in Top 100 Most Polluted Cities in the World
A report released by Greenpeace in March, brought some welcome news to Beijing, ranking it 122nd in the list of the world's most polluted cities. Although the news was a nice surprise, given that 'Beijing' is often used as shorthand for 'pollution,' it no doubt left some to wondering what they'd now whine about to their friends back home.

The Best Pollution Masks of 2019
And while pollution may be gradually improving in Beijing, we still have our fair share of low-visibility days, making it a good idea to have a trusty mask on you at all times. Where better to start hunting for protection than with our list of best pollution masks of 2019?

Has Your WeChat Pay Stopped Working? Here’s What To Do
In March, Beijing-based expats also reported that a new level of verification on WeChat was blocking transactions, requesting that users input valid ID information if they wanted to transfer money using the app, pay Didi fares, or use near field communications (NFC) transactions that total over RMB 50. In this handy guide, we laid out how they could get spending again.

Government Switches May Day Holiday Dates, Adds Holiday Day, Laughs Maniacally
The government threw us a curveball in late March, switching the original holiday dates of Apr 29-May 1 to May 1-4. We couldn't complain too much though as the change gave us an extra holiday day in the process. If you have yet to read up on 2020's holiday calendar (and its seven miserable makeup days), you can do so here.

Beijing to Relocate Middle Class to Leave More Room for Filthy Rich
On Apr 1, we reported on Beijing's plan to remove the middle class from within its Fourth Ring Road by 2025 in order to make Beijing more convenient for its dense population of millionaires, leaving readers to wonder whether this was harmless satire or a little too close to the bone?

How Emotional Intelligence Can Help You Adapt to a Different Culture
When contemplating an overseas relocation, many of us plan for an exhilarating journey, expectant of every emotion from elation, surprise, and suspense to joy; but perhaps what we do not prepare for are the challenges that living abroad that can create and compound for our physical and emotional well-being. Here we laid out some tips on how you can better integrate into life abroad.

How to Use China's Food Delivery Apps for (Hungry) Dummies
We're not proud to admit it but sometimes nothing is more satisfying than sitting on the sofa in your pajamas and watching the cogs of China's rapid development spin into action in the form of hot food delivered straight to your door. For the uninitiated, this guide should help you conquer China's most popular waimai apps in no time.

Beijing's Best Outdoor Bars and Restaurants: 2019 Edition
Simply put, these were the best places in Beijing to eat and drink outdoors in 2019.

How to Transfer Money Out of China the Legal Way
As most of us are aware, China is not a fan of money leaving the country, so we wrote up this quick reference to everything you need to know before trying to get your hard-earned money out the legal way.

Prepare for (Even) More Road Closures This Weekend, Sep 21-22
Road closings went berserk in September as parade drills warmed up in preparation for the 70th Anniversary of the CCP.

Five of Beijing's Best Peking Duck Restaurants
The OG of Beijing dishes, Peking duck, is the one culinary highlight you definitely shouldn't skip. If you're in the mood for duck, look no further than these top-five-rated restaurants.

The Bookworm Bookstore to Close
After almost two decades in the business, beloved Sanlitun institution The Bookworm closed its doors in mid-November, marking the end of a long and rich chapter in Beijing's literary history.

23 Restaurants Receive Michelin Stars in First-Ever Beijing Guide
The results of the first-ever Michelin Guide to Beijing were released at the end of November, highlighting some of the best restaurants in the city but concurrently left many perplexed with a number of seemingly glaring oversights.

READ: The Decade in Viral Blogs on theBeijinger.com

Images: refer to the individual blogs