Welcome back to Roundabout! Everyone’s favorite charity store is as busy as ever, with book fairs and jewelry sales happening this month. A recent visit to their store has found their shelves fully loaded with books, clothing and childrens’ sporting goods, so if you’re in the market for great quality gently used goods, now’s the time to pick up a bargain.

Roundabout events this June:

Jewelry Sale: Tuesday, Jun 13 to Sunday, Jun 18

Book Fair at Keystone Academy: Saturday 24^th, 10 AM to 3 PM.

If you’re looking for affordable English books, just pop by or place an order on Roundabout’s handy WeChat mini-program. The selection in the store and on the mini-program is vast — the mini-app alone has over 1,000 children’s books listed. The inventory is cross-checked regularly, so the titles listed are always available.

To access the mini program, can scan this QR code:

Roundabout’s books are high quality and there is a great range of genres. You can find children’s books (organized by age), cookbooks, travel books, educational books, and of course, fiction novels. Larger hard-cover books range from around ¥60 to ¥70, while smaller and soft-cover books are generally around ¥30, with some going as low as ¥15. As the end of the school year nears, be watchful for a new wave of books that people choose to leave behind.

New and expecting parents might also be interested to know that Roundabout has a large range of English-language parenting books!

Beyond the books, there are high-quality clothes that can be the key ingredient to brightening up your wardrobe. There’s even a rack filled with clothes that are priced at a rock-bottom ¥10 each.

If your child has started to pick up hobbies such as skating or biking, there are a ton of gently used knee pads and helmets, all at great prices.

If you haven’t been to Roundabout, it’s time to visit again — their collection changes every day, and there’s almost nothing they don’t have. With their friendly staff and passionate volunteers, you are destined to find something you’ll love.

Have anything to donate? Feel free to drop it in the containers in front of the store. Or, if you’ve got a lot, and you live nearby (Shunyi, northeastern Chaoyang), you can message them via WeChat and organize a driver to come pick up your donations.

Roundabout 
Address: Cathay View Plaza, No. 2 Xiangjiang Beilu, Chaoyang District
Hours: Monday through Sunday, 9am to 5pm
To inquire about pick-ups: 137 1805 3814 or WeChatID: roundabout_donation
To inquire about volunteering: 185 1044 9951(WeChat)

Images: Kristina K, Roundabout

Hanna W, a 15-year-old student at the Western Academy of Beijing has lived in the Chinese capital of Beijing for most of her life, only having a one-year term in California, during which she went to two different schools. There, she says she discovered more about the world and about her family. After returning to Beijing, she says she became more in tune with Chinese culture and her own Chinese identity.

A life-long companion of hers has been art. Specifically visual arts, though she has a great appreciation for all genres of music.

She began her journey at age three when she was signed up for weekly art classes. These continued until her middle school years, at which point she began drawing outside of class. She taught herself to follow tutorials, which helped her progress into the artist she is today. Hanna does not limit herself when it comes to art, and her skills range from basics such as painting and drawing, to film photography, printing, and digital art. However, she holds more love for the more traditional types of art, painting, and drawing. She believes they are more visual and direct, with fewer limits than other kinds, such as photography. Art has always been with her, and she finds it a unique space of personal expression, where she can share herself with the world.

Though Hanna is not quite sure what she wishes to do in the future (as is the case with most high school students), social studies and economics hold a certain allure. She also has a passion for psychology, as she recognizes that mental health concerns have become prevalent in both the wider world and in a Chinese context, and that many people suffer silently due to stigma and ignorance. She sees this as an issue of great concern, and feels inspired to spread awareness of it.

What brought her to this internship was a desire to explore and improve her skills in journalism, as well as develop her ability to work under time pressure. Hanna believes the skills she develops are sure to help her in whatever field she chooses in her future.

Images: Hanna W

Have you noticed something different today? Maybe there’s more traffic, maybe your calls keep failing, maybe it’s quieter in Beijing than ever before. Well, it’s gaokao season!

Gaokao, the national Chinese college entrance exam, is regarded as one of the most rigorous tests in the world. It occurs annually in early June, this year beginning on Wednesday June 7 and ending on Saturday June 10.

Gaokao results determine the caliber of universities students are admitted to, with top colleges being exceptionally difficult to get into. Extreme measures are taken to prevent distractions for the 12.91 million grade 12 students (980,000 more than 2022) taking the exams.

Of those 12.91 million people, 65,000 are here in Beijing. This means that 65,000 people will be moving around the city on similar schedules. Most jobs also function on similar timetables, which contributes to the widely unpopular concept known as the morning rush hour. The exams will only amplify that problem.

As the gaokao begins and ends each day, traffic will be immense. Many candidates live in the suburbs, so fair warning for commuters from Shunyi!

The tests follow regular school time and end around late afternoon, so 9-5 workers in the city will need to be prepared for longer stretches on the road.

This Thursday afternoon, there will be traffic management on roads around the exam areas, so be prepared with some set detours that can help you avoid delays.

Here are some specific addresses with testing centers:

If you live, work, or simply pass by these areas, consult your maps each morning and plan your days accordingly!

In addition to controlling traffic, anti-cheating measures designed for students can have an impact on you too.

Telecom companies will be reducing the strength of phone signals close to exam sites to prevent students from searching up or colluding with others to get answers. So, if your calls or data is spotty, double-check your location before assuming the worst.

As the students begin their exams, download some playlists for your commutes, and explore the back roads of Beijing!

Images by Mikechie Esparagoza, Pixabay, Aauyush Srivistava, Joey Guo