For years, city center-dwelling Beijingers largely only went to Wukesong for two reasons: for sport west-end neighborhood’s Wukesong Arena or for photography equipment at the vast Wukesong Camera Market. How times have changed.

The Wukesong Arena has been renamed several times, settling most recently on the Cadillac Center, and music lovers now have a Mao Livehouse (more on that here), arguably one of the best places to catch a gig in town, while a rich crop of restaurants, coffee shops, breweries, and more have moved in to cater to the new visitors and nearby residents.

Here we round up our favorite gems both in and around the massive and trendy Live Hi-Up complex that make this once sleepy neighborhood well worth a visit.

Su Thai
Like the Wukesong neighborhood that houses it, it’s easy to underestimate Su Thai but to do so would be a mistake. The restaurant (which at time of writing has five stars on Dianping) may be housed in a dingy Holiday Inn Express but its Thai offerings far outdo its surroundings. The decor, for example, features Buddhist figures etched into the brick walls, dark wood lattice dividing private tables, and intimate lighting from the glowing lamp-like fixtures overhead. As for the food, the crunchy, shrimp spring rolls (RMB 58 for eight) and satay chicken or beef skewers (RMB 68 for six) are especially delicious while we also recommend the hunk of juicy broiled pork with lime sauce or large bowl of chicken green curry (both RMB 78) for a main. They also offer Singha for a rock-bottom price of RMB 25 per bottle. All that and more make Su Thai a satisfying slice of the Land of Smiles.

Basic Element
Plenty of Beijing establishments strive for an easy breezy vibe. But one of the few to literally attain that quality is Basic Element. This café, located only a few short blocks north of Wukesong’s Live Hi-Up complex, has a sprawling floor space and picture windows that let in plenty of light. The employees are friendly and diligent, acting as guides to the florist with whom they share a space (an arrangement that also gives it plenty of background color). The menu features fancy imports like Costa Rican Geisha for a bargain RMB 39 (a price you’d never find at a more central Beijing café). They also bottle their own cold coffees for RMB 30, serving up the first Yirgacheffe we’ve ever had that wasn’t piping hot.

No. 9 Coffee
This café’s ambiance, while not groundbreaking, is nevertheless charming. The decor is notedly basic but benefits from a combination of spacious tables for laptop warriors and cushier laid-back chairs for idle friends meeting for java and a chat. Aside from lattes, Americanos, and other standard coffees for RMB 25-30, they also have a handful of desserts like fluffy coconut mousse (RMB 20) and mango layer cake (RMB 25).

Lift Bar
Wukesong’s cocktail scene is as parched as Sanlitun’s is saturated. In fact, Lift pretty much goes it alone in that west-end haunt. It also stands out from the gaudy lighting of most other Live Hi-Up bars with a design sleek enough to rival Sanlitun’s most hyped lounges. Lift occupies a very narrow space, but that only adds to the intimacy, and the drinks are even more appealing than the ambiance, including a refreshing and bitter-sweet Lady Basil cocktail made with vodka, watermelon syrup, vanilla liqueur, and basil. The Lolita’s Secret, meanwhile, had a sweet and creamy yogurt liqueur. Our only gripe: the prices are steep for Haidian; hovering around RMB 90 for a cocktail. Lift otherwise raises us up with its creative drinks and charming ambiance.

NBeer Pub
These craft brewers have certainly come a long way since opening their first Beijing west-end brewpub at Huguosi in 2013. After trying their hand in Sanlitun with a now-defunct second location, NBeer rebounded with a bigger and better spot in Wukesong’s Hi-Up complex in 2017. And there’s little wonder why NBeer Wukesong’s patio and interior are now often jam-packed with beer lovers. After all, this pub boasts 42 taps and an equally impressive 7,000 empty beer bottles placed around the bar. The latter were collected by co-owner Xiao Bian’r over the past dozen-odd years, prompting us to call it a “veritable beer bottle museum” after our first visit.

Pyro Pizza
The original Pyro Pizza is a real stalwart of Haidian’s restaurant scene, and also famous because after he conquering studentville with his pizzas, owner Jade Grey then went on to have great success with pizza behemoth Gung Ho! Pyro is the lower-key sibling restaurant in this family (that has also birthed popular spots like Haidian student hangout Lush) but holds its own with creative pizzas like their chicken satay (RMB 65-180) or the Mediterranean lamb (RMB 80-210). Just like Hi-Up neighbor NBeer, their dozen-odd outdoor tables attract big crowds during the warm weather.

Mao Live
Owned by a Shanghai corporation that split bitterly from the now-defunct Gulou original (the former of whom went on to open a chain of live houses across China), this Mao Livehouse at Wukesong is a fun venue that has been gaining a lot of steam of late. Punk legends Descendents tore up Mao’s stage this past spring, while esteemed indie vets Timber Timbre played a passionately bluesy set there not long after. When it opened in late 2017 we praised this latest Mao as a successful cross between its Gulou predecessor and the slicker Tango 3F livehouse, and we can’t wait to see what exciting acts they attract next.

Wukesong Cadillac Center
Beijing’s prime venue for major musical acts, this 19,000 capacity arena played host to Fall Out Boy last year, not to mention other household names like Metallica, Bruno Mars (back when it was called the Mastercard Center in 2014), and even bigger draws like The Eagles in 2011. More importantly for sports fans: the venue was completed so that it could host basketball preliminaries and finals at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and since then it has continued to host top b-ball matches for the Chinese Basketball Association, including an all-star game in 2017 which attracted some 18,000 spectators.

HeyTea Bakery
Not content to dominate the sweet tea market, or clog up malls around town with their notorious queues, HeyTea has also broken into the bakery scene, with one such store recently opening in Wukesong’s Hi-Up complex. The pastries at Hey Tea Bakery aren’t as noteworthy as their tea – think Wedome’s higher-end bakery that opened last year, rather than the more delectable textures and nuanced flavors found at artisanal dessert joints.

Wukesong Camera Market
Finally, Beijing’s biggest camera market is still standing, and still as popular as ever. About a 10-minute walk north of the Wukesong subway station, this multi-level mecca is the go-to spot for professional and amateur photographers and videographers looking for a wide range of kit and good bargains. All major brands and makes of cameras are represented here, as well as an enormous range of photography accessories and kit including tripods, lighting setups, camera bags, battery packs, memory cards, and much, much more. This is a one-stop shop for camera shopping, but the wide range of choice can be overwhelming, and almost no English is spoken here so do your research in advance and be prepared to haggle.

READ: Our Favorite Haunts in the Rising Northeast Neighborhood of Wangjing

Photos: asia.uli.org, Tracy Wang, cranberriesworld.com, Dianping, courtesy of Pyro, Will Griffith, gallagher-photo.com

Disorganized, messy, and downright filthy individuals from all over the world have over the past few years looked to the Japanese cleaning powerhouse Marie Kondo to, as she puts it, “spark joy in their lives” through her ethos of organization and turfing unneeded belongings (detailed in bestselling books, not to mention her hit Netflix series). But Beijing-based superfan Pioda Wang took that affinity for neatness to a whole new level, becoming mainland China’s first, and currently only, certified organizing consultant through that Japanese tidying guru’s training course (Wang is pictured above right with Kondo).

Below, Wang tells us more about the virtues of cleaning up clutter, both for your home and for your soul.

Pioda Wang went from Marie Kondo fandom to joining the tidying guru’s army of official organizers

I spent most of my life living in a disorderly environment. Eventually, I began feeling all kinds of unhappy. Then I came across Marie’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. I was surprised someone could make a living writing about this!

I tried her method with 100 percent belief, organizing my apartment throughout a winter night. And in the end, I wept silently.

I realized I didn’t have any clothes that “sparked joy” for me, as Marie says after I decluttered and threw many unwanted items away. And that’s when I knew I was not being true to myself. That minute was the turning point, where I really wanted to live a life with things that sparked joy.

I wanted to attend Marie’s seminar in China, but my parents prevented me from going. They considered it the work of a dustman, or a nanny. It was a long struggle, but eventually, I convinced them.

One year later I made plans to take her [Kondo’s] seminar in the US or London. But I knew the language barrier would be a huge problem. I researched American English and found it to be too fast to hear clearly. So I booked a spot at her London conference.

Before reading Kondo’s book, Wang felt like she was “living in a disorderly environment”

I studied British English for two months after that and did my very best. When I began my trip it was my first time going abroad. But I didn’t feel I would have trouble. I felt there could be no trouble in pursuing my dream.

After I became a Marie Kondo consultant, I realized I was one of the few. That’s because other Kondo consultants in China learned the job sometimes required going abroad and speaking in English at seminars. So all of them quit, and now I remain.

Quitting is easy. But pursuing your dream is what brings you happiness.

Wang thinks China in particular can benefit from Kondo’s method

Marie’s method has great potential to help Chinese people. That’s because the main problem for Chinese is their purchasing power has increased rapidly but their living spaces remain very small. Also, many of us Chinese don’t have enough education about how to properly tidy up. These three points – purchasing power, small living spaces, and a lack of education – make a strange triangle for Chinese people, until they feel firmly trapped.

So I want to educate Chinese people about how to tidy up – what they should keep and what they should let go, and how to classify what they own.

Through this process, I became a healer! No one is truly trapped by tons of things, they are trapped by the complex interpersonal relationships they have with those things.

I’ve actually helped many women solve marital problems, and helped parents and children mend their relationships, by addressing their ties to their clutter. By making better use of their space, they were able to get along better. To be honest, that surprised me.

Wang says the organizing classes she teaches around China don’t just offer tidiness, but also inner peace

I ask people at my seminars a key question: what life do you want to live? If you want to be a CEO, dress like a CEO. If you want to be a nanny, dress like a nanny. And then get rid of the things in your home that don’t match this self-image.

To respect your image is to get rid of the biggest obstacles. If you can respect your image, you will know how to deal with other things in your home seriously.

I loved meeting Marie Kondo. She is a little lady with a pinkish glow. She has a small voice that is almost silent, but she speaks with huge power.

Marie treats life seriously. She has her beliefs, and she believes in what she says. She says that her dream is to organize the world. What a big dream!

Chinese speakers can follow Wang’s cleaning escapades on Weibo here.

READ: 24 Things I Stopped Buying to Go Zero Waste

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
Instagram: mullin.kyle

Photos courtesy of Pioda Wang

When it comes to living the good life, it looks like Beijing still has a long way to go.

A new survey by Deutsche Bank Research, the eighth that the bank has undertaken, has ranked the Chinese capital in 55th place in terms of quality of life on a list of 56 cities from around the world. The only city deemed worse than Beijing in terms of living standards was the Nigerian capital of Lagos. Meanwhile, Manila, Philippines; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Jakarta Indonesia; and Mumbai, India were major cities to slightly outperform Beijing. Zurich, Switzerland topped the list.

Deciding factors used to determine the rankings were purchasing power, safety, healthcare, cost of living, property price to income ratio, commute time, pollution, and climate. Surprisingly enough (at least for those of us who gripe about Beijing’s gridlocked streets and increasing priciness) our city scored well on the traffic (38th on the list), and purchasing power (39th). As an indication of how much more you’d need to cough up if to live in Zurich, Beijing’s cost of living placed 18th whereas the Swiss capital placed dead last. Beijing’s safety (37th) and healthcare (43rd) numbers leave something to be desired.

Lagos was the only city on the list to rank worse than Beijing overall

It should come as no surprise to Beijingers that our city’s climate and notorious pollution levels dragged down our ranking. That is all the more discouraging when we consider the recent promising news about Beijing no longer being among the world’s top 100 polluted cities.

More alarming still, but unlikely a huge shock to anyone who has moved house recently: Beijing ranks last on the property price to income ratio, behind even famously pricey Hong Kong (which came 55th) and Shanghai (third worst at 54).

To add insult to injury, our Pearl City rival placed ahead of us on the overall ranking, in 48th place. Capital dwellers can only hope that our recent gains against pollution continue and that officials address housing and property prices so that Beijing’s standing improves on such lists going forward.

Yet, perhaps we shouldn’t take the report to heart just yet. On page four of the introduction, the report authors state that “most of our price data is collected from Expatistan,” and “there may be issues with data quality and consistency over time.” Expatistan is an online price-comparison tool, which uses crowd-sourced, unverified data submitted by users, and averaged out over time. While this tool is certainly useful for working out how many packets of salmiakki you can afford during a holiday in Helsinki on your Beijing wages, it may not be quite robust enough to prove the report’s claims.

READ: Monthly Rent in Beijing Soars to Skyscraper Heights

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
Instagram: mullin.kyle

Photos: talkmarkets.com, worldradiomap.com

Coffee addicts were awarded a pleasant surprise last week with the arrival of star Japanese java brand %Arabica in Taikoo Li North.

While we dodged the morning rush, there was still quite a crowd on the afternoon we stopped by

The food-truck style stand immediately attracted – and has been unable to shake –  a line of patrons, thanks to the brand’s homegrown popularity, leading it to be recently dubbed as Kyoto’s most popular coffee shop by beloved American blog Travel Caffeine.

%Arabica founder Kenneth Shoji has also become a local celebrity for his singular dedication to serving great coffee: as Travel Caffeine reported, he borrowed a small fortune to buy a coffee farm in Hawaii and became the sole exporter of top-notch Japanese roasting and espresso machines. Shoji’s reputation, along with some savvy marketing and branding, has led the % logo emblazoned cups to become a fixture of Kyoto’s dining scene, and the %Arabica cafés to draw throngs of locals and tourists alike.

Expect to wait at least 20 minutes for your morning brew

On the downside, this success means that %Arabica is as renowned for its queues as it is for its coffee. Their new Beijing pop-up is no different, and you should factor in a wait of at least 20 minutes between placing your order to sweet, sweet caffeination. On a recent visit, the queue was full of chicly dressed Chinese, snapping pics of their beautifully poured RMB 30 espresso macchiatos, rich café lattes (RMB 30 for short or RMB 40 for tall), and pricier RMB 50 Spanish lattes, which is so thoroughly creamy you’ll want to savor every sip.

The pours are as masterful as you’d expect from this celebrated café chain

We immediately appreciated how focused %Arabica’s menu is, and the offbeat option to add shots of soy or oat milk (for RMB 3 or 5, respectively) will be a welcome to those who prefer their coffee non-dairy. The bright emerald matcha lattes and sparkling or still lemonade (RMB 35-55) are other highlights.

You’ll savor every sip of the (pricey) Spanish latte

%Arabica’s food truck setup is also charming, especially as summer looms and our hankering for ice coffee on the go grows. We also don’t have to worry about it disappearing on us anyone time soon, with management telling the Beijinger that they are here to stay, not only at this location but also at a brick-and-mortar café a few blocks to the south that is due to open in October.

Hopefully, that second location will ease demand and shorten the cumbersome queue, but judging by their delicious coffees and deft branding, we expect that %Arabica’s popularity won’t die down for a good while to come.

%Arabica
Daily 10am-9pm. 11 Sanlitun North Road, Taikoo Li North Plaza, Chaoyang District
朝阳区朝阳区 三里屯北路11号北区广场

READ: Eggee Hatches Sanlitun’s Hottest New Brunch Dishes

More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
Instagram: mullin.kyle

Photos: Kyle Mullin, Citihorn

Having won over Sanlitun patrons with their wholesome baked goods and perky coffee, There Will Be Bread is hoping to find similar success in a far less central location.

While their second branch in the northeastern suburb of Shunyi may seem very far afield compared to the location of their buzzing Xingfucun hub, this suburban venture makes sense from the moment you arrive. With its comparatively abundant seating (good luck trying to pull up a chair in their chock a block Sanlitun digs by the way), and the downright gargantuan ovens and other hardware clearly visible from the picture windows of their open kitchen, the new There Will Be Bread feels like a major upgrade.

This new location is quieter and airier than their chock-a-block Sanlitun location

Owner Ling Ling explained that she and her team sought out a bigger location which would allow larger ovens so they could work on new bread and expand their inventory, they want to start offering challah buns. We especially recommend the RMB 22 cinnamon croissant (pictured at top), complete with a crispy and buttery exterior, and encases a cushy warm cinnamon roll swirl within, melding French and American traditions with aplomb.

The cafe has won over many patrons with their wholesome baked goods and perky coffee

The Shunyi set will surely be happy to have a quality bakery like There Will Be Bread nearby, whose quality items far outpace the dull chains that otherwise dominate the area, and even central Beijingers should be rooting for the baker to thrive so that even more branches of this top-notch brand open up around Beijing.

READ: Farina is a Sweet Treat for Bakery Fiends at The Crib

There Will Be Bread (Shunyi)
Daily 10am-8pm. Rm 102, 18 Yufeng Road, Shunyi District
顺义区与裕丰路18号交叉口东北200米

This article first appeared on our sister site, the Beijinger. See more stories by this author here.
Photos: Kyle Mullin

As the winter wind rattles your bones, and the frigid air leaves your skin feeling parched, it can be difficult to find comfort or relief. Thankfully Beijing and its surrounding areas play host to a number of cozy hot springs that can soothe your winter blues and melt away your icy aches. Below we list a few of our favorites. (We’d recommend checking on Meituan, Dazhong Dianping, Amap, and other apps for big discounts before you go.)

Chun Hui Yuan Resort

Rose, milk, and red wine remedies are all available to augment the invitingly hot water at this Shunyi resort. Shops, restaurants, hotel rooms, and meeting rooms also feature in addition to its 13,000sqm of hot springs. Take bus 942 from Dongzhimen to Yuzhuang. It’s then a 10-minute walk from the bus stop.

Daily 24-hours. RMB 268 (weekends), RMB 168 (weekdays). 37 Yuzhuanduan, Gaosi Road, Shunyi District (6945 4443) 
春晖园温泉度假酒店：顺义区高泗路于庄段37号

Huaqing Hot Springs

Situated in the northeastern part of Chaoyang, this popular hot spring resort is more conveniently located than some of its further-flung counterparts. It has 12 types of indoor and outdoor pools, along with nine private Japanese and Thai spa rooms, a sauna, hot stone kangs, and TCM massages. Nearest subway stop: Lishuiqiao on Line 5.

Daily 9am-midnight. RMB 188. 2 Lishui Qiao, Changping District (8482 6665) 
华清温泉宾馆：昌平区立水桥甲2号

Jinyu Fengshan Hot Springs Resort

This new hot springs resort sprawls over 12,000 square meters and features more than 70 kinds of hot springs. Some pools are surrounded by lush forest backdrops, while others are nestled between mountain trees or housed indoors. The resort also has four-star facilities comprised of 310 guest rooms, a villa club, and restaurants. To get here on public transport, take bus 886 to the stop labeled Fengshan Hot Springs. A Didi ride from downtown to the resort will cost about RMB 170.

Daily 24-hours. RMB 268 (weekends) RMB 238 (weekdays). 10 Mangshan Road, Changping District (5129 6943) 
金隅凤山温泉度假村：昌平区蟒山路10号

Jiuhua Resort and Convention Center

Billed as one of China’s four major ancient hot springs, Jinhua’s staff also like to tout the skin rejuvenating minerals in its water. Ten restaurants, 60 meeting rooms, and 1,200 guest rooms are also on hand. Get here by taking a cab (approximately RMB 25) from Tiantongyuan Bei on Line 5 or take bus 984 to its terminus.

Daily 8am-10pm. RMB 180. 1/F, Bldg A, Jiuhua Heights, 75 Shunsha Road, Xiaotangshan, Changping District (6178 2288/5945 9990)
九华山庄温泉度假村：昌平区小汤山顺沙路75号九华山庄1区1层

Longxi Hotspring Resort

If spending hours soaking in hot water isn’t an indulgent enough experience for you, then you might want to opt for this luxurious resort. It’s rounded out by a golf course, as well as a glitzy recreation center. Get there by getting a cab (about RMB 20) or bus X108 from Tiangongyuan at line 4.

Daily 9am-2am. RMB 249. 8 Shunjing Lu, Panggezhuang, Daxing District (8814 5556; service@huabintimes.com) 
龙熙温泉度假酒店：大兴区庞各庄顺景路8号

Need something of the food variety to warm you up?
These are our favorite hot winter dishes to dispel Beijing’s sub-zero temperatures

Photos courtesy of Jinyu Fengshan Hot Springs Resort

Lido restaurant Ramo — one of Beijing’s most popular spots for pizza, pasta, brunch, and other comfort food — suddenly announced its closure today (Friday, Dec 28) via a WeChat post. The news will be all the more disappointing for fans because its recent relocation to the relatively stable Lido seemed like a surefire bet to stave off such a shock shuttering.

The Lido restaurant boasted a flashy, boldly fun ambiance

Owner Paca Lee opened Ramo’s first incarnation in 2014 at Fangjia Hutong, a former magnet for foodies and party goers in Dongcheng, at least until 2017. After that, the alley became notorious as ground zero for Beijing’s Great Brickening renovation campaign, which left many small businesses decimated.

Read: Fate of Fangjia Hangouts Unclear at the Height of the Great Brickening

Lee opened Ramo 2.0 in Lido within a few months of Fangjia’s gentrification, much to the surprise of foodies and the capital’s F&B industry. After all, Lido is a comparatively sleepy neighborhood, where many upwardly mobile Chinese and well-to-do expats with families dwell. It was certainly a far cry from the lively drinking and dining hotspot that Fangjia was in its heyday.

The new Lido location was more family friendly than its predecessor

Nevertheless, many felt that Lee pulled off the change with aplomb, opening a far bigger restaurant painted in bold bright colors that not only appealed to Lido families with its ball pit replete play area but also lived up to its predecessor’s party rep with a stylish upstairs bar.

Lee and her team admitted in the closing announcement that the past year “has been a tough one for us” but stressed that they nevertheless “have shared tons… of joy and laughter, and we wish that Ramo would always exist in your memories as an oasis of good food.”

The restaurant’s team ended that statement with an admission that is sure to dismay Ramo diehards all the more: “At this moment, we are not certain of our next move yet [but]we are surely looking forward to seeing you soon again!”

Read their statement in full here.

Photos: Courtesy of Ramo