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The Urban Edit

4 Reasons Why Being Old in Beijing is Awesome

Beijing old people
It’s always party time in Jingshan Park

Never mind Beijing’s dolled-up youth having it large at Sanlitun’s superclubs or Gulou’s indie dives. Their parents grandparents are the true party cats in this town. They are literally dancing until dawn. Well, from dawn in any case. Here are 4 reasons why Beijing is bouncing for the blue rinse brigade.

1. Beijing’s parks are like social centres

Beijing old people
The Beach Boys on their long awaited China Unplugged tour

Mosey on down to Beijing’s green spaces (like Jingshan Park) from about 7am and it will be heaving with partying seniors, mashing up the genres by jamming live under pavilions, line dancing, performing tai-chi, ballroom dancing or group singing sessions. This truly is a Beijing spectacle not to be missed – set the alarm clock!

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New Beijing Eats: Opera Bombana

Opera Bombana Beijing
Chef Umberto Bombana has three Michelin stars. So there.

It seems like ages since Beijing has had a glitzy international celeb chef opening, but now Umberto Bombana, of triple Michelin star 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana in Hong Kong, has planted his breadstick in China’s capital.

Opera Bombana Beijing
Chef Marino knows a thing or two about Italian food.

Like Daniel Boulud, Claudio Sadler, Nobu Matsuhisa and a forkful of lesser culinary brands, Umberto has franchised out his name and fame in Beijing (and Shanghai). Naturally, the great man won’t be found behind the stove on a regular basis, but your meal is in the capable hands of former Sureño (Opposite House) chef Marino D’Antonio.

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Bespoke Discovery: Our Signature Beijing Hutong Tour

Beijing Hutong Tour
Who lives in a place like this?

Meet Frank, your Bespoke Beijing Hutong Tour guide

Did you know that the word ‘hutong’ comes from those swarthy horse masters, the Mongolians? Frank does. He also knows that to ‘eat someone’s tofu’ is not going to endear you to your hutong neighbours. Or your wife. And that, behind an innocuous hutong door like this one, vast sums of money might rest on the fortunes of chirping insects. That’s the sort of stuff you know when you’ve spent half a century as a denizen of Beijing’s grey-brick alleyways.

Beijing Hutong Tour
Frank is most definitely a good egg.

On Frank’s tour you get to share his hutong world, observing the customs and culture of Beijing’s unique residential treasure. You’ll eat auspicious snacks, climb ancient towers, discover tiny private museums, encounter a grouchy, 40-year old tortoise, and truly get inside the beating heart of Beijing. And if you choose to combine our Beijing Hutong Tour with our Meet a Cricket Trainer Tour, you’ll get to hang out with Frank’s pal and one of the most colourful hutong characters of all, ‘Cricket’ Liu (and his remarkable menagerie of animals.) Trust us, you don’t want to miss this one.

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Hidden City: Beijing’s Best Museum You’ve Never Heard Of

Beijing has its fair share of celebrity cribs-turned-museums. There’s the Forbidden City for starters, the humble abode of 24 emperors. Cixi’s Summer Palace – more of a holiday home, to be fair. Other notables include Prince Gong (Qing Dynasty statesman), Mei Lanfang (Peking opera star) and Lu Xun (author).

Madame Soong Ching Ling

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Easy European Eating at MODO Urban Deli

The NEW Modo Urban Deli

After two and a half months of redevelopment, Sanlitun’s MODO (one of our old faves) has reemerged as MODO Urban Deli, a sleek new concept which caters to “time constrained & style-seeking active people” in Beijing. Inside they’ve managed to maintain their hip, industrial look while also adding playful drawings by Swedish artist designer Elin Wedi to represent their new modern European deli style approach to cooking.

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Beijingers Behaving Bizarrely (at 40,000 feet)

Chinese air passengers have hit severe turbulence in recent months over their cabin manners. Air rage by Communist party officials captured on video; the beating of flight attendants reported on Weibo; a pair of sozzled businessmen bagging mini bottles of booze from the Air France trolley as they disembarked – “they’re free, innit (hic)!”

IMG_4169
Chinese flyers involved in ‘incident’ on this BA jumbo from Beijing to London (read on)

But is it really such a big deal? Anecdotally, this flyer has witnessed the use of mobile phones seconds before takeoff, the scramble for luggage seconds after landing, or the watching of movies on laptops without headphones. It’s hardly Con-Air; more ‘Disgusted at 40,000 Feet’, with, one suspects, a dab of snobbery toward  the Chinese by those more seasoned flying nations. New money, eh?

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