Beijing News You Might Have Missed This Week, Mar 27

Beijing is a happening city! Don't miss a thing with our weekend roundup of the latest news.

Mr. Sandman, give me a break: Following a nasty onslaught of sandstorms recently, some Chinese officials in the country’s foreign ministry want to redouble efforts to block sands blown in from Mongolia. A big part of that is to finally apply an idea that has been kicked around for more than a decade: creating a remote sensing system to aid in monitoring the desertification of Mongolia. According to scientists at the Chinese Academy of Forestry, such a system could be used to implement more effective governance in the face of desertification and could have major environmental impacts beyond reducing sand and dust storms.

Universal set for May 11 soft opening?: Beijingers will be snapping selfies with minions soon enough. We’ve known for a while now that Universal Studios Resort Beijing was aiming for a May opening, but we may now have concrete dates. A tweet by @scoop_unviersal – which is apparently a “trusted Universal theme park reporter” according to theme park news site Inside the Magic – suggests that a rehearsal opening for the park was confirmed for May 11-14, 17, 19, 21, 24, and 25. However, there may be some reason to be skeptical of this reporting, as Twitter has since suspended the account.

Welcoming the works of a secret photographer: During her lifetime, Vivian Maier never showed off her self-portraits, opting instead to quietly work as a nanny in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. But her hidden genius was posthumously discovered when a collection of her negatives were sold at a local auction. Now through Jun 30, her talent is being shown off in Beijing at the Today Art Museum. While you're there, check out the 100 Classic Japanese Woodblock Prints that have also made a splash recently, on display through May 6.

Best of the blog

• At long last, it's vaccine time for foreigners in Beijing! Here's what you need to know.
• Beijing's stein overfloweth with beer news this week, including the unfortunate news that the brand Beijing Beer, owned by Asahi, has ceased production.
• The city said a couple of goodbyes this week with the departure of Prodigy Brewpub and Aurora, both of whom plan to find new locations in the capital. However, we also said a brand new hello to Baby Boom, who found their latest spot on Fangjia Hutong in the space once occupied by Hot Cat Club.

READ: Once Again, None of Asia's Best Restaurants are in Beijing (Apparently)

Images: China Times, Howard Greenberg Gallery, NY