Admit it: Luxury has a certain pull, whether it’s a designer bag, a pair of super fancy shoes, pricy Dyson home appliances, or a Canon camera to capture those special family moments. But the high price tags, or rather, the brand premium, can often make us hesitate. We’re always searching for that sweet spot: guaranteed authenticity without breaking the bank. I recently discovered that on the third floor of Beijing’s Friendship Store on Jianguomenwai, the “Super Zhuanzhuan（超级转转)” pre-owned marketplace might just be the elegant solution we’ve been looking for.

Nestled in the heart of the embassy district at Friendship Store (17 Jianguomenwai Dajie), this historic shopping complex, with over 60 years of heritage, naturally carries an international flair. It’s a relic of the old days, before Taikoo Li and the Joy City malls were built, where foreign visitors to Beijing were very limited to where they could shop for souvenirs.

But now, take subway Line 1 or 2 to Jianguomen station, Exit B, and it’s just a five-minute walk. Look for “zhuanzhuan” on the third floor – you’ll see clear signage inside the elevators too.

At the entrance, you’ll need to place your personal bags and any drinks in designated areas. The place is huge, and they don’t want you accidentally spilling your coffee on their designer stuff. There are free lockers and dedicated drink shelves provided.

Before you start shopping, the staff will give you complimentary disposable gloves (mandatory for handling luxury items). It’s worth noting that all signage here is bilingual, making it very user-friendly.

What sets this place apart from other Beijing second-hand markets is its strict, standardized management. All items undergo UV disinfection, and every single piece is authenticated by Zhuanzhuan’s official quality inspectors. High-value items like watches receive a second round of authentication from CIC (China Inspection Company), so you can shop knowing that none of the pieces in the store are knockoffs.

Within this 3,000sqm warehouse-style space, you’ll find far more than just the countless handbags that first catch your eye. The selection includes designer sunglasses, accessories, clothing, watches and electronics like phones, cameras and PlayStations. Luxury brands range from the accessible Coach and Michael Kors to Louis Vuitton, Celine, Prada, Chanel and even Hermès and Rolex. You might even uncover some hard-to-find vintage pieces.

You can inspect each item yourself to judge its condition. Naturally, items with fewer signs of use command slightly higher prices. Most goods are in excellent condition, ranging from 90 percent new to near-mint. For instance, a large LV Neverfull bag in near-mint condition might cost nearly RMB 2,000 more than one that has a bit more wear. Crucially, compared to official retail prices, you’re generally looking at spending just 30-50 percent of the original cost.

This isn’t just a haven for the ladies who want designer bags! There’s plenty of great stuff for everyone. There’s a wide array of cameras, speakers, headphones and gaming consoles like Switch and PS, along with accessories such as game cartridges, controllers, mechanical keyboards and gaming mice. You can get a complete gaming setup on a budget.​Most importantly, if you’re socially anxious and dislike the hard sell often encountered in boutique stores, you can relax completely here. The fully self-service shopping experience is wonderfully low-pressure. Spot something you like? Simply scan the QR code on the product tag using WeChat. Instantly, you’ll see all the details: condition, brand, model, color, material and more. Honestly, you could easily spend an entire day browsing.

So, next time you want an experience different from the likes of SKP, China World Mall, or Yintai Center, give this air-conditioned, well-organized pre-loved space a few hours. Try an experience that’s reassuring, relaxed, and offers incredible value for money.

Find it:
Super Zhuanzhuan 超级转转
3/F, 17 Jianguomenwai Daijie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区建国门外大街17号3楼

Images: Siyu He

When my husband secretly booked a weekend stay at ZhiResort Hotel (北京在之禾酒店), I admit my expectations were low. It’s a local hotel that many have never heard of, but this hidden gem nestled within Ziyu Park – sandwiched between Beijing’s Fourth and Fifth Ring Roads – completely rewrote our definition of urban family retreats.

The hotel shares its grounds with views of the Olympic Tower and direct access to Ziyu Park’s sprawling greenery. Three things to note:

1. Day visitors are allowed from 10am to 4pm (with clearance starting at 3.30pm). We arrived at 2pm and shared the park with outside guests for an hour.
2. Upon reaching the gate, you need to provide the reservation name for entry.
3. Hotel guests enjoy exclusive free parking – a rare perk in Beijing!

​Animal Encounters Beyond Zoos​

The park transforms into a private wonderland after 4 pm when day visitors depart:

• ​Free-roaming friends: Alpacas graze freely (though we missed the sika deer’s appearance).
• ​Feathered performers: Peacocks compete in impromptu feather displays.
• ​Curious residents: Capybaras, monkeys, foxes, and ostriches observe guests from their enclosures.

Feeding guidelines

You can purchase feed from vending machines if you want to feed the animals. There’s no outside food available, so you need to buy it there. They’ve got different selections for different animals, like seed mixes for the birds, carrots for the alpacas and deer, and jerky for the dogs and foxes. However, there’s a strict no feeding rule when it comes to the capybara.

Hotel Highlights for Families​

The property balances functionality with subtle luxury:

• ​Bike adventures: Parent-child bicycles feature clever child seats mounted on adult frames.
• ​Water play: The outdoor pool connects to hot springs. We recommend changing in your room first (no changing room in pool area).
• ​Thoughtful touches: Child-sized toiletries, simple but nice afternoon tea, free mini-bar with soft drinks and beer, and fresh mulberries so sweet they might’ve been picked from the hotel’s own trees.

Pro Tips:​

• ​Bug defense: Arm yourself with plenty of mosquito repellent. There’s plenty of greenery there, which means you’ll need to fight off those pesky bloodsuckers.
• ​Mealtime hacks:
  • Breakfast (served until 11am) offers congee, noodles, Cantonese dim sum, salad, baked food, and coffee.
  • Order delivery to the gate. Staff will happily drive you there via golf cart to pick up your food.
  • Explore off-property dining options for better value.
• ​Golden hour magic: Stroll the forest boardwalks after 4pm for some peace and quiet.

The Price of Exclusivity

​While standard rooms start around RMB 1,500/night (private hot spring rooms may double this), the cost buys what money rarely can in Beijing, which is an unforgettable child-friendly playtime with animals without zoo crowds, space to breathe (literally – the air smells like proper countryside), and the luxury of watching your kids chase alpacas instead of iPad screens.

​In a city of cookie-cutter luxury hotels, ZhiResort delivers something different. Relish serene and pleasant leisure time. Parents rediscover quiet moments, and children learn nature’s rhythms from creatures who’ve never known cage bars. I’m not saying it’s a perfect hotel. Their rooms lack the five-star polish you can come to expect from international luxury chains, but when golden light filters through the park’s mist at dusk, you’ll forget you’re still inside the Fifth Ring Road.

Find it:
1 Ziyu East Road, Chaoyang District
北京市朝阳区紫玉东路1号
Tel: 6491 7488

Images: Siyu He

Traveling with kids and grandparents isn’t about the destination anymore – it’s about surviving the journey in style. How do I know this? Well, I’ve got twin boys so when we travel with the whole family, it takes a lot of planning to make the trip fun for three generations of people – 8 people. Here’s how we upgraded our last big family holiday expedition to Yanqing’s World Garden Park area which was about a two-hour drive from our home!

The Space Solution:

When regular vans failed and two cars meant double the chaos, my husband struck gold on Xiaohongshu when he found an RMB 3,000 round-trip charter (peak season pricing) that gave us VIP mobility for under RMB 400/person for a rolling lounge experience. The Toyota Coaster is essentially a mini bus that comfortably seats up to 13 passengers (excluding the driver).

This wasn’t just hiring a personal driver who had a big car. The entire trip was an unforgettable experience in its own. The whole group had a great time singing karaoke with their built-in system and the ample leg room made what would have been a dreaded long drive into so much fun for the whole family.

Pro Tips:
Confirm mileage limits upfront (we kept single trips under 100km).
Coordinate pick-up/drop-off routes with drivers in advance so you don’t have any unforeseen miscommunications on the day of your trip.

Why We Loved Our Toyota Coaster:

• Airport-grade VIP shuttle comfort
• Zero-gravity seats + strollers-friendly aisle space
• Built-in karaoke system (toddler rockstars activated!)
• Climate control + motion-sickness-friendly suspension

Our “boring 2-hour drive” became a multigenerational concert! From Chinese ballads to nursery rhymes and juice boxes in hand. On the return trip, even our most carsick-prone grandma marveled: ‘These seats are incredibly comfortable to sit in – I didn’t feel nauseous at all throughout the journey!’

We really appreciated our driver taking the extra initiative to arrive 20 minutes early and assist us with all six luggage with the skills of a ninja as well as assist our elderly passengers with boarding and getting comfortably settled in. He took the time to confirm the navigation and provided technical support for the entertainment system along the way.

It’s worth pointing out that families with special needs or requests need to inform the rental company in advance. Things like child seats or wheelchair accessibility will require them to prepare 72-hours in advance.

With all the logistics out of the way, it’s just a matter of making your family’s favorite playlist and packing ample drinks and (non-messy) snacks. Unlike airline services, charter vehicles don’t provide catering – we brought insulated bags with juice boxes and banana bread.

So was it worth the splurge? For our Brady Bunch crew, this meant:

• Parents actually relaxing (no white-knuckle driving!)
• Kids entertained ≠ digital devices used
• Motion-sick grandparents traveling with their dignity intact

For our larger family with three generations traveling together, this chartered service perfectly solved our seating capacity issues while delivering unexpected comfort and entertainment perks – even allowing my perpetually ‘driver-doomed’ husband to finally relax on the road. Though pricier than DIY road trips, the premium paid for this stress-free experience proved a worthwhile investment in family harmony.

If you’d like to book them for your next road trip, get in touch at the WeChat below.

Images: Siyu He

I was commuting to work one morning last week as usual when I opened my phone and found short-video platforms flooded with posts about an AI product called Manus. From ChatGPT to DeepSeek and now Manus, AI has evolved in just one year from a “consultant” that answers questions to an “intelligent colleague” capable of replacing humans in executing complex tasks. As a mother of two 6-year-olds, I felt, for the first time, that the world my children will face may lie entirely beyond my comprehension.

Last year, my programmer husband and I debated whether “learning to code” would still be useful for our child. Back then, AI was limited to “answering questions.” But today, Manus can decompress resume files, analyze stock data, plan travel itineraries, and even generate comprehensive analytical reports – tasks once reserved for entry-level white-collar workers, data analysts, and administrative assistants. Now, AI accomplishes in minutes what humans once took hours or days to complete.

On Xianyu, China’s secondhand retail platform that’s owned by Taobao, Manus invitation codes are being resold for up to RMB 90,000. Behind this frenzy lies a widespread panic over “AI replacing human labor.” A tech blogger remarked: “Manus is like an all-purpose intern. It not only understands instructions but also independently uses tools to complete tasks.” This made me realize that if my child starts learning “standardized skills” like data entry or basic document processing now, those jobs may vanish by the time they enter the workforce.

My anxiety stems from the redefinition of educational goals. I flipped through my child’s kindergarten curriculum: phonics, math, literacy, classical poetry… These were once considered “fundamentals” during my school days, but their relevance is being upended in the AI era. What stunned me most about Manus was its capacity for “autonomous learning” and “cross-domain collaboration.” For example, it can scrape real estate data, analyze neighborhood safety metrics, and even build interactive websites to present results – tasks that no longer require isolated skills but rather the ability to deconstruct problems, leverage tools, and execute creatively.

Even I, a coding novice, began wondering: Could I someday use Manus to build a CRM system perfectly tailored to my company’s needs? When DeepSeek first emerged, my husband dismissed this idea, but now he says, “Maybe it’s actually possible!”

This forced me to reflect on how, if AI can automate procedural work, are we preparing children for the 21st century using 20th-century educational models?

Let’s look at what’s worth learning and what’s no longer worth the “grind” today.

Drawing from Manus’ case studies and expert analyses, I believe many parents can identify key trends:

1. Skills Rendered Obsolete by AI:

Repetitive mechanical tasks like data entry and file organization. Manus can unzip resumes and generate Excel sheets autonomously, making such skills nearly obsolete. Teachers should reconsider assignments like “copy this ten times.”

Surface-level knowledge in narrow domains like memorizing historical dates or geographic facts. In middle school, my greatest challenge was rote memorization of events from ancient times to the millennium. Today, AI’s real-time retrieval and analysis surpass human capabilities, signaling that some memorization may no longer belong in education.

2. Skills That Demand Reinforcement:

Creative thinking. Although Manus can generate reports, it cannot pose novel questions. For instance, in its real estate analysis case, humans must first define the criteria for a “safe community” – a skill rooted in critical definition.

Complex communication and empathy. AI can screen resumes but cannot gauge a candidate’s potential or team fit. Emotional intelligence in human interaction remains irreplaceable, slightly easing my own career anxieties.

Interdisciplinary integration. Manus relies on multi-agent collaboration. Future humans will need to innovate at the intersection of technology, humanities, and business, aligning with China’s push for “cross-disciplinary” education.

For my family, I plan to gradually shift my kids’ learning focus from knowledge absorption to skill cultivation. As they grow older, I’ll reduce time spent on rote problem-solving and introduce project-based learning, like planning a family trip, calculating budgets, and making decisions independently.

I’ll also be emphasizing “Failure Education.” While AI executes flawlessly, humans learn through mistakes. I’ll encourage my children to test “unreliable” ideas – like building an unstable block tower – and analyze why it failed. As I always tell them, “Mistakes aren’t scary; understanding them is what matters.”

At home, we play “debate games,” discussing topics like “Who drives better: humans or AI?” Because even flawless AI-generated reports require humans to assess their logic and biases. I believe these activities help children strengthen their expression and critical thinking skills instead of relying on information that’s fed to them.

Despite my worries, I see hope. Manus’ developers credit open-source communities, echoing a recurring theme: Future competitiveness lies in “harnessing AI to augment human capabilities,” not fighting it. My game-designer husband and sons someday using AI to create a game they all love is a future worth embracing.

As someone once said, “AI eliminates jobs, not humans.” So I keep reminding myself: My children must become “AI commanders,” not mere “skill operators.” Only then can they carve out a place in this upheaval.

Today, I visited Manus’ website, naively hoping to apply for an invitation code. A Latin motto caught my eye: “Mens et Manus” (Mind and Hand). Originally, it signified Manus’ ability to translate intelligence into tangible outcomes. But now, I reinterpret it as a mantra: When AI becomes the “hand,” we must sharpen the “mind.”

As a mother, I still don’t have all the answers. But I know this: Rather than fearing AI’s rise, we must teach our children to coexist with it – to nurture curiosity, adaptability, and resilience in an uncertain world.

For the first time, I’ll introduce my 6-year-old to this “new friend” called AI.

Images: Siyu He, Manus

If you’re pregnant and working in China, don’t ever just assume that you’re subject to the same rights as back in your own country, regardless of whether you work for a local Chinese company or an international one. For most of us when we start a new job and HR hands over a copy of the company policy handbook, we just sign it without giving it a second thought. But recently, my HR Director gave me the whole run-down on pre- and postnatal rights in China, and to my surprise, there were quite a few terms and rules that I’ve never even heard of, but am definitely glad she brought them to my attention.

China has pretty strict regulations for employers when it comes to the health and benefits of pregnant employees. Women – both foreign and local – are protected under Order No. 619 of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, known as the “Special Provision on Labor Protection for Female Employee”. These are a set of regulations adopted at the 200th executive meeting of the State Council back in 2012.

This set of regulations help ensure that expecting mothers receive adequate care and support from their companies, both before and after the birth of their new baby. But first things first, before you start planning your maternity leave and mentally designing your nursery, you need to provide your HR department with a medical report from your initial checkup that proves you’re indeed pregnant.

Maternity Leave:

One of the first things that my HR and I discussed when I informed the company of my pregnancy was my maternity leave. In China, female employees are entitled to 98 days of paid maternity leave for the moms with one bun in the oven. For those pregnant with twins or more, each baby gets mom an additional 15 days of maternity leave. And for the moms working in Beijing, you get an additional 30 days of maternity leave. Just to be clear, these maternity days include weekends and public holidays but they’re completely different from your annual leave days and it’s absoutely illegal for HR to try to tell you that you can’t take annual leave because you’ve already taken your maternity leave.

In the case of a miscarriage, the company is also obligated to provide paid leave. If the miscarriage took place within the first four months of the pregnancy, you’re entitled to 15 days of paid leave. If it took place after four months you’ll be entitled 42 days of paid leave.

Working Hours and Breastfeeding Leave:

To protect the physical and mental health of mom and baby, scheduling night shifts and extending working hours for women seven months pregnant and above is strictly prohibited in China. It is also illegal for a company to deny requests by expectant mothers needing to schedule prenatal visits during working hours.  If your work includes tasks that are deemed unsuitable for pregnant women, your company will be responsible for reducing the amount of labor or arranging other suitable tasks for you. Don’t ever assume that you don’t have a choice because China takes the health and safety of babies very seriously.

Even after your new bundle of joy is born, your employer will not be allowed to request overtime or arrange night shifts for you before your baby turns one year old.

I’d never heard of breastfeeding leave until very recently. After your baby is born (and you’ve returned to work) your employer needs to allocate one hour of your workday for breastfeeding time before your baby turns a year old. For moms with multiple babies, your employer will need to arrange an additional hour for each baby. Despite the name, this doesn’t mean you need to have someone bring your baby to the workplace or run home to breastfeed. It simply means that you get an hour out of your workday to pump. And if you’re working in an environment where there’s a large number of female employees, it’s the employer’s duty to arrange for a safe, clean environment for moms to pump in peace.

This is also where a second look at your employee handbook might come in handy. Although the official government regulation is to require that the employer gives new moms an hour out of their workday to pump, many companies offer new moms the option to either arrive an hour later or leave an hour early to breastfeed at home.

Salary:

Let’s cut to the chase. It’s illegal for an employer to fire you due to pregnancy. It’s illegal for them to lower your wage, lay off, or terminate employment contracts due to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding. It’s also illegal for your employer to deny you pay or suggest that you work while you’re on your maternity leave.

Reimbursements:

Having a baby isn’t cheap and if you’re planning on doing your prenatal check-ups and delivery at a public hospital, your medical expenses will be reimbursed if your company has purchased social insurance for you. The medical fees covered include costs you will have spent for mandatory prenatal checkups, delivery, and abortions. If you’re choosing to do your check-ups and delivery at a private hospital, then you’re on your own for medical expenses.

KEEP READING: What You Should Know About Your Legal Rights Before Your Maternity Leave

Photos: Unsplash

Parents that both work and have children under 18 will be allowed to have mom or dad stay home to take care of the kids without fear of termination or having their pay docked, Beijing’s Social Security bureau clarified last week.

Earlier this month, the Beijing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau and the Beijing Municipal Education Commission jointly issued a notice stipulating that one spouse from every dual-working household shall be permitted to stay home and look after children under the age of 18. Likewise, the one parent staying home is entitled to full pay regardless of the amount of work they can get done, Lu clarified.

In an article in Beijing News last week, Beijing Municipal Human Resource and Social Security Bureau press secretary Lu Xiaobo reiterated the rules on the eve of what was supposed to be the first day back to school for most Beijing students.

Currently all public and private schools in the city are restricted from restarting off-line classes due to the Covid-19 outbreak, with no new announced restart date in sight.

Lu also said that employers will not be permitted to terminate the labor contract with those staying home for child care, and for those with labor contracts about to expire, employers should extend them until the completion of the quarantine period or the emergency measures imposed by the government.

Parents of minors should follow their company’s leave application procedure and negotiate a work from home arrangement with their employer, or adjust hours as necessary, such as working weekends to compensate for lost time once business operations return to normal. In the meantime, employers and employees are encouraged to be flexible with working hours to ensure that their company gets back on track.

It should also be noted that the policy does not strictly address single parent households.

Moreover, according to the regulation, this policy only applies to parents who have children in kindergarten through grade 12, and cannot attend school due to the delay in onsite classes. The policy does not apply to children under the age of 3, who, according to Chinese law, are not required to attend school.

As with most things during the Covid-19 outbreak, this policy is largely predicated on an honor system, and puts faith in the employee to honestly self-report their family’s unique situation. So although two parents could, conceivably, both tell their employers that they are unable to work, and thus take untold days off, it is up to each and every one of us to do what we can to get China’s economy back on track.

Lu said companies and employees should keep their communication positive, negotiate in kind, and reach a mutually agreeable consensus.

“Each family member should take some responsibility for looking after children,” Lu said. “We recommend sharing the responsibility in order to allow the working parents to return to work, which will benefit the whole country’s economic recovery.”

Photos: Alyssa Stevenson on Unsplash, Pixabay