The Urban Edit
It’s not often a space opens that we find it hard to tear ourselves away from, but FNJI is just such a gem. Located half way down the city’s leafy Guozijian Street (by the Confucius Temple), this furniture and lifestyle boutique also houses one of Beijing’s best-kept secrets – an ultra stylish café with a fancy drip coffee machine and a serene courtyard.
So beautifully decked out is the space that if it weren’t problematic we’d attempt to move in tomorrow.
Yes you can stay in Beijing’s five star hotels for great views of the CBD, but let’s be honest, downtown cityscapes will never be anything radically new (and those hotels are always a yawn-fest anyway).
No, for real city views (and by that we mean a view of something uniquely Beijing), we’re excited to finally be able to recommend something special – the new Orchid Residence at No 46.
Sure, you’ve spent your weekends exploring the former French Concession and reckon you know your ‘Shanghai Deco’? That’s great, history buff, but what you are probably less familiar with is the fact that our nearby neighbor Nanjing boasts her own collection of fabulous 20s and 30s architecture awaiting your discovery. Even better, Bespoke and the folks at Historic Shanghai are offering you the chance to join us on a neat little weekender this coming July 4th and 5th.
Layers of Beijing has been selling faster than anyone could have imagined, but don’t worry we still have tickets available for the 14th,19th and 21st of June. Best sign up quickly to ensure you can take part in this wonderful talk and exhibition by Beijing Postcards and Bespoke Beijing.
While a recent run in with the authorities has caused us to host Layers of Beijing indoors, no content has been removed and you can still experience a captivating talk by Lars and the Beijing Postcards team.
We here at Bespoke like to think we’re pretty darn good at dealing with whatever life has to throw at us but that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t appreciate a little help once in a while. Step forward WeChat Secretary to offer help to us in a way that only Chinese social media knows how, by doing everything a normal secretary would do without the holiday expectations of a full-time employee.
If they want to make it easier for us to do our jobs when it comes to a demanding visitor, why the heck not? We decided to put them to the test with a couple of very real but unusual requests from the world of music. Up first, enter the lavatorial demands of everyone’s favourite diva, Beyonce Giselle Knowles.
Celebrity guest of the month Matt Damon used Bespoke to take his family to the Great Wall in May, choosing the ever-popular Mutianyu section to impress his wife and four children (yes, four!)
And while the Mutianyu section’s new policy of forcing visitors to walk along a 700m-long shopping street and board a public bus has made the section more touristy in recent months, thanks to Bespoke, the Damon Clan was able to avoid both. A special treat afforded to all of Bespoke’s customers – not just those with Oscars.
