Beijing News You Might Have Missed this Week, Nov 7
Beijing is a happening city! Don't miss a thing with our weekend roundup of the latest news.
Chaoyang Mall Makeover: After years of suffering from the much lovelier SKP mall to its north-east, a mall at Dajiao Tingqiao has gotten a whole new look. Known as IDMall, this shopping center on the Fourth Ring Road has largely attracted parents who bring their kids to play at the children’s facility while they get some shopping done at Hema grocery store, but with its new, done-up façade (pictured at top), the mall is hoping to attract the exciting shopping brands – not to mention excited shoppers – that it heretofore lacked.
Delivery to Daxing, please: Compared to Beijing Capital Airport, its counterpart in Daxing already has a wealth of decent dining options, but it recently gained another tasty advantage over its northern neighbor: Travelers can now order waimai delivery to their terminal as they wait for their flight using the Eleme app or the Daxing Airport app.
Rock-bottom rent: Housing rental prices continue to plummet in the city. Recent data suggests that October prices fell more than five percent from the previous month, following major drops in occupancy rates over the past year.
An Austerity of Aussie wine?: Australian wine may become harder to find if officials follow through on a threat to ban its import. The ban would follow an 80 percent tariff on Australian wine that was put into effect this May.
That’s no loyalty program: Netizens recently discovered that, while shopping online from Beijing, big spenders may be punished. A viral video proved that prices for the same products on the same platform were actually marked higher for accounts that are used regularly than for accounts that are rarely used.
The Ducks are sinking: After a three-game winning streak, the Beijing Ducks have suffered three consecutive losses this week as their feathery tails were thoroughly kicked by Zhejiang Golden Bulls, the Shaanxi Brave Dragons, and finally, the Sichuan Whales in a nail-biter that ended 81-80. The Ducks are currently 9th in the league with the final three games of the season coming up this week.
The driverless keep driving: As Baidu’s driverless taxis start hauling real passengers around northern Beijing, they can expect some company. Driverless car software company AutoX has already begun to roll out its services in Shanghai, and it recently announced that it will soon be doing the same in Beijing, carrying daring commuters in an unmanned Chrysler Pacifica minivan.
Best of the Blog:
- Things were looking up for foreigners hoping to return to China, but some countries hit a bump in the road as a number of nationalities are temporarily banned from returning, even with valid residence permits.
- Another bean is in the mix of Beijing's ever-growing coffee scene as the city's first Peet's Coffee opens in Guomao, and Sanlituners eagerly await another in Taikoo Li.
- Feeling nostalgic? Return to simpler times when Lego could create a whole world with this fascinating interview with the man who constructed a 1:650 scale model of the Forbidden City.
- If you're planning on doing any 11.11 shopping this year, you can't do without a brushup on the vocab of the deal.
READ: Digitized Labor Contracts Coming to a Workplace Near You
Images: Chaoyangtong, NDB (via Weibo), Shortform, AutoX
