Adorning a copper plaque in Chengdu’s panda reserve is one of Gandhi’s most memorable quotes: “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” China still has a long way to go when it comes to animal cruelty but it is growing as a nation and education is progressing. Lead by example to help educate those around you on the importance of giving animals the respect, warmth, and love that they deserve. Below are just a few of the numerous animal care organizations operating in Beijing, as well as details as to how you can assist.

Girls4Paws
Girls4Paws is a community of private rescuers who foster animals in their homes while seeking suitable permanent residences. Started by Daphne Hutagalung, who is currently fostering five dogs and two cats, the organization was built to inspire individuals to take a proactive stance towards animal care, rather than posting a picture on WeChat and hoping someone else will do the rest. Hutagalung stresses that education is the key to responsible ownership, as it is often the case that when a puppy’s serious needs outgrow its cuteness, often landing them back in the same shelter that they were rescued from.

Help with: Monetary donations and adoption.
Contact: girlsforpaws@hotmail.com, WeChat: 138 1007 2919

A pooch gets a once-over before adoption at the Little Adoption Shop

The Little Adoption Shop
Founded in 2011, The Little Adoption Shop is a no-kill, non-profit rescue shelter with three locations that currently house over 700 dogs. The organization takes dogs in from the street as well as rescuing them from meat trucks. That often means that many of them are injured, sick, disabled, or pregnant, which requires systematic medical attention. No matter how terminally ill or disabled, Little Adoption Shop swears to never give up on their dogs.

Help with: Adoption, education programs, and informing the public about responsible breeding practices.
Contact: facebook.com/LittleAdoptionShop

A Voice for Animals
A Voice for Animals not only rescues abandoned animals but also works to prevent abandonment in the first place by educating current and prospective owners about the responsibilities that come with having a pet. Their talks and workshops are now extending to wildlife conservation and began when a group of volunteers traveled into rural China in October 2016 in order to salvage 25 dogs from a slaughter truck. The majority of those dogs have since been adopted while some still await a permanent home.

Help with: Donations, fostering, and adoption.
Contact: avoiceforanimals.wixsite.com/website, WeChat: AVoiceforAnimals1026

A furry hopeful at Furry Tales

Furry Tales
Running on the power and goodwill of volunteers, Furry Tales helps neglected cats, rabbits, and dogs to find new owners. Besides the traditional rescue and adoption process, the organization is also working on starting a “trap, neuter, and return” program in Beijing, thus helping to control the population of stray animals in the city. The founder of Furry Tales, Sarah Lovatt, ensures that animals first receive medical treatment so that they are safe to adopt. The organization covers all the costs for the foster families, from food and toys to medical bills.

Help with: Donations, volunteering, fostering, and adoption.
Contact: furrytalesrescue@hotmail.com

Be warned: Even if you go in just to look, you may leave with a new friend

Cat-Kind
Cat-Kind was founded by the organizers in the memory of a single stray kitten that they witnessed pass away after a period of homelessness. Unlike some of the other rescue organizations, Cat-Kind has a dedicated shelter space that they rent rather than fostering animals in their own apartments. They provide stays for stray and abandoned cats until they are healthy enough to move into their forever homes.

Help with: Donations (monetary or via the Cat-Kind wish list)
Contacts: WeChat: Cat-Kind_Connect

Towards a Compassionate Nation (TACN)
Towards a Compassionate Nation is a volunteer-based charity that combines data collection and local collaboration to maximize adoption efficiency. Their motto “Adopt, Don’t Shop!” has helped dozens of lovely strays find their forever homes as the organization connects potential adopters with various Beijing-based animal welfare groups. Alongside their grassroots work, TACN is dedicated to promoting a greener, more humane lifestyle and have hosted various campaigns to prevent animal cruelty, encourage eco-friendly diets and more.

Help with: Donations, volunteering, fostering, adoption
Contacts: Website: tacn.org; WeChat: logan_senshi; Email: info@tacn.org

Pang dun, or Chubby Ball, is ready for adoption!

Rose Yard Little Animal Rescue Group 
Founded in 2017, the Rose Yard Little Animal Rescue Group is a charity dedicated to the rational rescue and rehabilitation of strays. Inspired by the founder’s own experience of purchasing pets to putting them up for adoption, the group provides a temporary sanctuary for stray dogs without compromising their health, safety, and happiness. The organization has so far held several adoption events around the city and dedicates itself to helping its rescues find permanent homes.

Help with: Donations, volunteering, adoption
Contacts: Email: stephatbib@qq.com; WeChat: stephatbib

A kitten tests out its compatibility with a potential litter scooper

Beijing Adoption Day
A Beijing-based charity that created a national movement, Beijing Adoption Day rescues and rehomes all types of stray animals. In their offline, pop up-esque events, onlookers can browse furry candidates ready for adoption and interact with potential lifelong companions. The group has so far rehomed over 2,000 strays in Beijing alone, all while campaigning against animal cruelty and fostering healthy relationships between young children and animals.

Help with: Donation, adoption, volunteering
Contacts: Weibo: 北京领养日; WeChat: 北京领养日

READ: Tips for Leaving China With Your Furry Friends

Photos: Huang Chenkuang, courtesy of the organizations

It used to be that you could only get salads the bigger Western-style eateries in Beijing. Nowadays, however, our favorite leafy meal has gone mainstream, with more restaurants opening than pop-ups on a virus-riddled Chinese computer.

In fact, there is now so much salad around, the choice can be overwhelming, even for health nuts like us. And sadly, most of them are sub-par.

Nevertheless, there are some places that are doing it just right and aren’t intent on putting you out of more than RMB 60 for the pleasure. Below we look at some of the less-upscale spots that can satisfy your veggie needs with a delicious bowl at a fair price.

Shubo (蔬小盒)

Shubo is a committed basement-based stall, so if you are not into the subculture of underground eating, we’d recommend ordering via a food app instead. However, the in-store menu includes English while the app doesn’t.

Shubo offers salads from RMB 32 to RMB 44 (the bowl of roasted goodness pictured above would set you back a measly RMB 31.5). The best feature here is the DIY salad: instead of pointing to containers of various vegetables that you’re unlikely to know the names of in Chinese, you simply tick off what you want on the bilingual menu. Shubo also conveniently lists calorific values on their ready-made salads.

You can find Shubo on the lower ground floor of The Place, Topwin Mall in Sanlitun, Le Cheng center of Shuangjing, and four malls around town others.

Califorks

Califorks is another lower-ground floor eatery, but is slightly more welcoming for dine-in customers than Shubo. Otherwise, the experience is pretty much identical; the menu is both carnivore and vegetarian-friendly and has a wider selection of grains and lower prices on nuts and seeds. Our favorite perk is that you can add a generous scoop of hummus to your bowl of choice for RMB 5.

Califorks is located on the ground floor of The Place, and is also available via all waimai apps.

Rollbox

It’s not technically a salad spot, but Rollbox certainly earns its place on this list. One of the few Vietnamese food outlets around town, and perhaps the only one to mix up a Vietnamese salad, there is nothing lacking about Rollbox’s portions, which is proven by how long it takes just to get through them. A balance of pickled vegetables, noodles, a variety of greens, a dripping of sesame sauce, and a smattering of bird’s eye chilies mean that there’s no chance that your tastebuds will get salad fatigue.

The tofu and grilled mushroom (pictured above) or chicken bowls go for RMB 48 whereas the beef satay costs RMB 58. Rollbox is available for delivery on Sherpa’s or JSS delivery platforms.

Poke U (海鲜波奇饭)

Poke bowls have been a big hit around the world for some time now but other than a couple of lukewarm attempts over the past couple of years, have not yet truly broken into the Beijing F&B scene. Besides simply okay Poke Inn, we have found ourselves enjoying a non-pretentious alternative: Poke U.

The Hawaiian tofu dish above costs a mere RMB 32 and comes with a filling selection of ingredients, including rich tofu set on a bed of rice, steamed vegetables, a boiled egg, steamed egg, and a sprinkling of furikake seasoning, which helps impart the aroma of the ocean even if no actual fish is present. Other bowls include salmon, shrimp, tuna, and the less fishy, sirloin steak variety (RMB 43-58).

This article first appeared on our sister site, the Beijinger. See more by this author here.
Photos: Tautvile Daugelaite, courtesy of Rollbox 

Like most of us, your New Year’s resolutions are probably run-of-the-mill: be nicer to people, get in shape, and so on. Easier said than done. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Be it the health of body or soul, we’ll give you hints on where to start. Behold the guide to giving a serious try to your New Year resolutions in Beijing.

Health

Veganuary
China’s vegan population is growing, as can be seen from the vegan burgers, restaurants, and markets sprouting up around town. Thanks to that, going vegan seems less and less intense. And also, Veganuary is now here! Sign up here (English and Chinese) to get daily tips, emails, recipes, and whatever else the journey takes from the Veganuary team.

Guava Pass
Finding a place to work out that would not be boring torture or drain your wallet may prove hard, and the lack of bilingual options can also be a challenge for expats. That’s all the more reason to get a month-long membership with Guava Pass, which gives you full access to over a thousand classes in Beijing. Classes on offer include ballet, yoga, circuit training, HIIT (high-intensity interval training), Pilates, and Martial arts.

TRIBE Nutrition
Whether you need to slim down or want to try a vegetarian meal, TRIBE have it all, and bring it to your door every day. Everybody who signs up for a TRIBE Nutrition meal plan becomes a member of a very special club which means you’ll get invited to some events, activities, and giveaways organized by TRIBE and their partners, like fitness and wellness classes, TRIBE merchandise giveaways, and parties with a focus on organic fun.

Learning

Mandarin Courses
Don’t put it off any longer—2019 is the year to boost your Mandarin! The joy of finally being able to independently order food, buy tickets, or befriend your neighbors is the biggest payback for the hours bent over a book or rolling your tongue into new shapes. Purple Bamboo Chinese School has a special New Year’s gift which includes free classes whenever you purchase Chinese courses (add WeChat ID: PurpleBamboo-Laura for more information). Also, Culture Yard is offering discounted Mandarin courses this winter for a variety of learning levels. Starting January 7, the course will last four weeks, three hours per day. Meanwhile,

Read more
Finding the books you are looking for in Beijing is not always easy. Amazon and Taobao can be helpful, but even those sometimes fail. Then there are times when you simply want to read something you found while browsing the endless shelves of a nicely-decorated bookstore. Apart from The Bookworm, there are several popular bookstores around the city offering a good collection of English books. Our recommendation list: Page One, Sanlian Taofen Bookstore, Wangfujing Foreign Language Bookstore, and One Space.

Experiences

Animal Welfare
In need of some puppy love? Getting a pet is a bigger responsibility than expected, which leads to shelters filling up with abandoned dogs and cats. Beijing has quite a few animal aid organizations running. Get in touch with Little Adoption Shop and ask about volunteering possibilities there or at other rescue places if you want to donate your time rather than money.

Volunteering
After getting so much, a new year is a good time to give back. Check our blog for the volunteering opportunities around Beijing to donate your time and put a smile on a child’s face.

Minimize
The feeling of uneasiness at home is more common than we think. The place where we should feel safe and sound too often grows uncomfortable because of clutter. Donate what you don’t have room for through your WeChat second-hand groups, or join the Clothing Auction group (leave a comment if you’d like to join the group) which hosts clothing swaps regularly to get rid of clothes you haven’t worn for the last six months.

More by this author here.

Images: Fluentu, Veganuary, Acupuncture, Little Adoption Shop, courtesy of venues 

Listening to Christmas carols might still elicit warm fuzzy feelings of home and the urge to make mulled wine for a lot of us #LoudAndProudSuckersForChristmas, but not everybody looks forward to flying for 20 hours to get home just to mush around in tepid gray or non-existent snow. There are plenty for whom the winter holidays are simply a great excuse to go traveling, and it’s for these folks that we’ve rounded up a few destinations with reasonable ticket prices that are sure to make your holiday season jolly.

Tokyo, Japan

When? Dec 23/24/25-Jan 2/3
How much? RMB 2,400-3,400
With who? Japan Airlines, ANA

Tokyo might not be the first place you’d equate as the Christmas Town of Tim Burton’s fantasies, but the Japanese sure get into the holiday spirit. Proof: the unending holiday lights around Tokyo Station, Roppongi, or Odaiba. Whether you’re looking for a romantic getaway, wish to partake in Japan’s traditional KFC Christmas dinner, or go on a shopping spree for the country’s infamously quirky goods – ’tis your time to shine in Tokyo!

Read more ideas on where to go, eat, and do in the East Capital here.

Singapore

When? Dec 22-Jan 1/2
How much? RMB 2,100-3,500
With who? Air China, Singapore Airlines

Like a lot of other capital cities, Singapore is all about food, food, and food – perfect to satisfy the unbridled consumption that the holiday season beckons for. And what better way to get your fill than to saunter down to the balmy climes of Singapore, where Indian, Malaysian, and Chinese cuisines melt together for a truly delicious gustatory experience.

Check out our guide to the best eats in Singapore here.

Taipei, Taiwan 

When? Dec 24-Jan 3
How much? RMB 1,700-2,400 
With who? Eva Air, China Airlines, Cathay Pacific

Also a foodie haven in its own right, Taipei has rolled out some great flight deals this Christmas season. If it’s not food you’re after, the city also boasts some great hiking options. After all, it’s all about balance!

Scavenge for Taipei travel tips here.

Bangkok, Thailand

When? Dec 24-Jan 3
How much? Approx. RMB 2,500
With who? Thai Airways, China Eastern

As the hub of Southeast Asia, and the start or the end of many journeys, Bangkok is nothing less than overwhelming. A city buzzing with food and nightlife, as well as temples galore, and even beaches further afield, one of the great things about Bangkok is that you can pretty much just pitch up and wing it.

Read our guide to the vibrant sights of Bangkok here.

Vientiane, Laos

When? Dec 24/27-Jan 1/2
How much? RMB 2,300-2,450
With who? China Eastern Airlines

Did we hear “affordable spas”? The relaxed riverside capital of Vientiane in Laos is a place full of legends and history set among tree-lined alleys and a touch of French architecture. Best yet – and this is a big plus for Beijingers – Vientiane is a beautiful city to explore by foot.

Los Angeles, USA

When? Dec 24-Jan 2
How much? RMB 3,588-3,961 (direct)
With who? American Airlines, Air China

Fancy getting out of Asia entirely? Free up an extra thousand in Maos and head to LA instead, the home of bright lights, movies, picture-pretty passersby, and gigantic burgers. Be warned, however, that you might get talent-scouted while strolling down Hollywood Boulevard and leave your Beijing life behind forever.

Not what you’re looking for? Check out all our handy travel guides, right here.

More by this author here.
Email: tautviledaugelaite@thebeijinger.com

Images: Bustle, Truly Tokyo, Wikimedia Commons, Arcadis, World Wanderista, Asia Exchange

2017 will largely be remembered in the west as the year the #metoo campaign came to prominence and for the many women who broke their silence on prolonged and pervasive experiences of sexual assault. While the western world was closely following the movement’s trajectory, with outrageous stories surfacing almost weekly and tarnishing the careers of many previously admired men, the chatter of sexual misconduct on the Chinese internet was notably much quieter. But that’s not to say it wasn’t having its own moment.

Below we speak to the acclaimed sociologist, journalist, and writer Leta Hong Fincher about her take on how views on and openness about sexual assault are changing outside of the western sphere. This year, Fincher is gearing up to release her follow-up book Betraying Big Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China, the follow-up to her first and widely acclaimed book Leftover Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China in 2014.

TBJ: In your last book, you wrote about the concept of leftover women in China and gender inequality mostly through the lens of what it is like to be considered “unmarriageable”. Your upcoming book Betraying Big Brother seems to tackle feminism and activism in a broader sense and in that way, what would you say is the main message to be taken away from it?
Leta Hong Fincher: Well, I don’t want to give it all away but one of the things that I write about is the importance of the detention of the Feminist Five in 2015. I followed them a lot and interviewed them and other core members of China’s feminist movement. The government launched this crackdown on feminist activism back then and that crackdown has continued to this day. I kind of analyze what is it that led up to that turning point. I also write a little bit about the history of feminism and revolution in China and what does it mean for China’s future. The rise of this new kind of political resistance in a form of feminist activism but also a broader awakening among women in China, particularly educated young women who are beginning to really stand up for their rights. You can see that expressed in the new #metoo movement as it’s developed in China with all of these largely female university students signing petitions to their universities demanding that they address the widespread problem of sexual harassment on campus for example.

I think that this conflict between the rise of feminist activism and a new determination on the part of the Chinese government to stand out feminist activism and stand out feminist movement that conflict is going to, I think, play out and be very important in coming years in China.

Fincher’s new book ‘Betraying Big Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China’ is due September this year

Via your research, which involves eyewitness reports and in-depth interviews with key individuals telling their very personal stories, you also touch upon the #metoo hashtag coming to China. Have you seen any large changes in the four years since your last book came out regarding how women and greater society view sexism in China and how people now approach feminism?
Yes, there wasn’t a great deal of awareness about feminism at the time I finished writing in 2013. There were these feminist activists who were engaged in various kinds of imaginative performances and art protests about women’s rights, but they were not attracting a lot of attention at that point. So they were mainly kind of isolated individual actions. This is why I believe that the arrest and jailing of Feminist Five in 2015 an important turning point for women’s rights because before that, overall, I would say that up until then women who went to university and were beginning to carve out their careers were not really aware of a need to fight for their rights. I write about that a lot, particularly when these women are getting married and buying housing, that they make a lot of compromises and they don’t have a sense of solidarity with other women who are really fighting, or not really fighting, but there wasn’t really a collective sense of a need to fight or stand up for their rights. That has really changed in the last few years even though I would say there is still a problem, which isn’t unique to China either.

You know, a lot of women still don’t recognize their own oppression and that is a phenomenon you can see around the world, it’s not unique. There really has been a shift in consciousness overall among these young, educated women in particular. It’s pretty dramatic actually, that the number of women who are being very vocal on social media about sexism or misogyny. So I am not only talking about hardcore feminist activists who are political activists who get into trouble with the police. I think there is a broader awakening among a lot of women in China. That’s very different from just five years ago, which is when I was doing my research. Which is why you see something like what is expressed in #metoo movement. Even though you don’t see the hashtag going viral in China, of course, that is because the widespread internet censorship, but what is happening is already pretty astounding. The fact that there are all these students at dozens of universities who are using their real names to sign petitions, to speak out about sexual harassment. Those people who sign petitions are taking a real risk and a lot of them are being questioned by somebody about why they are signing the petition. You know, every single one of those people who has signed the petition on sexual harassment in China is taking a personal risk. It’s much riskier than for, let’s say, an American woman to just tweet #metoo about her personal experience.

The fact that that is happening in all these different universities in different parts of China really suggest that there has been a real shift in consciousness. That doesn’t necessarily mean that all these women who are taking action will then describe themselves as feminist because the term feminism itself has become kind of politically sensitive. If you look beyond that term, if you just look at the numbers of women who stand up for equal rights with men and they want equal treatment, they want justice, they don’t want to be discriminated against there is a real shift in consciousness.

Obviously, women activists and women in China are generally presented alongside different circumstances and, as you say, it’s not so easy for them to come out and express their experiences and their beliefs. With the Feminist Five arrest being a big turning point as well as the rise of the “rice bunny” #米兔 hashtag (China’s version of #metoo) and various petitions, do you think we are soon going to witness a breakthrough in feminism in China or do you think it is going to be a long and vicious cycle of activism and silencing and so on.
I think that what is already happening in China is extremely important. I certainly don’t expect masses of women to march in the streets, I mean that’s basically throwing away their entire futures. Although that being said, Reuters reported that there were students in Beijing who planned a street march about sexual harassment. They interviewed students who planned a march and then they canceled it because, of course, the universities warned them not to do that because it was too dangerous.

What is happening right now is extremely important and of course, the government is already trying to stamp it out but it’s very difficult. This is not the same as a handful of dissidents calling for democracy because it’s so broad and therefore much more difficult for the Chinese government. These kinds of problems – sexual harassment, sexual assault, that rampant gender discrimination at universities and the workplace – all of profoundly affect every woman and China. You can see that there are so many women who are upset about the current inequality, so it is tricky. It’s not something that the government can get rid of by jailing a handful of the feminist activists, which it already did in 2015, and which didn’t work. If anything, it may have provided more fuel and got more women interested in feminism by just enraging so many people.

In that sense, it’s going to be a long, protracted conflict I think. One of the reasons the Chinese government is cracking down on feminist movement is not just because they are organized political activist, but it is trying to push these educated women into getting married and having children. That aspect of the government goals is still the same, same dynamic that I wrote about in my book Leftover Women.

In my first book, I write about this propaganda campaign stigmatizing these women, calling them leftover, trying to scare them into marrying. The propaganda is somewhat different today, it’s taken a different form, which is abolishing the one-child policy. Now they have the official two-child policy, so it’s a pro-natalist policy now, it’s very explicit. The government is targeting urban, educated women, trying to get those women to marry and to have two children as soon as possible. So far, I don’t see any signs that it’s working, so this is going to be a major conflict between the government and between young, educated women in particular. With all of these major demographic problems that China is facing, where the population is aging, the birthrate is falling and the labor force is shrinking. This is why the government is pushing women very hard to have babies but that pressure is not working. I’m sure that this is going to be a conflict over the next few years into the future and how it is going to play out. It’s not something that the government can control very well.

As we can see, there are a lot of small details as to why feminism is so unwelcome. It’s very mobilizing and it’s very powerful in that sense, as you said, but also, it seems to be questioning the very fundamentals of Chinese society where men are in power and possibly even targeting very specific men. For instance, as with #meeto in the west, perhaps we’ll also see the targeting high-ranking men, for whom everything can tumble down if their respect is lost.
Of course. If you just look at what is happening globally with the #metoo movement. It has actually caused some very powerful men in a lot of different industries, from Hollywood to journalism to politics, it has caused them to lose their jobs. Now there is a very strong backlash in a lot of countries to the #metoo movement with people warning that it is going to get out of control. If that’s the discourse that’s happening in open, democratic societies, just imagine what a movement like that is to fundamentally one-party dictatorship in China. Just imagine how threatening that must be when communist party leaders look at what has happened with #metoo, the last thing they want is chaos.

The nexus between power and subordination and exploitation of women is a very tight link. So that movement, more broadly expressed, women’s movement, like any kind of collective action calling for more rights in a very close authoritarian society, like China, is going to be seen as a threat. This is also a very complicated threat, it’s not something easily controlled, where you just target a handful of people and throw them into jail. There is a real risk for some of the most prominent feminist activists but aside from that, you know, the government can’t control a broader kind of women’s rights movement. They have to use more subtle strategies, they can’t just use the iron fist and then just threaten all these women. That’s not going to work.

As you said before, your upcoming book Betraying Big Brother is very much based on interviews with the Feminist Five and other activists and women. You’ve talked a lot about how they are risking a lot of things simply by openly talking about their beliefs and activism. Did you find it was difficult to find women who willing to discuss their beliefs candidly?
Let me just say that it’s not that ordinary women can’t talk about their beliefs. It’s when you take a kind of political form of action. When you are in China and you sign your name to a petition calling on your university to address sexual harassment, that is a political act and that is a risky political act.

With regard to interviews that I did, I include some ordinary women who were not feminist but I do take a much more of a focus on the political activist side of feminism. No, it wasn’t at all difficult to talk to these activists and most of the activists that I interview in the book use either their real names or nicknames that they use in public. Not all of them, but almost all of them. These women are really fervently committed to the feminist movement and the government is not going to be able to shut them up. There may still be another very serious crackdown on these feminist activists in addition to the persecution that they are already experiencing day to day.

This is the underlying forces unleashed by the feminist movement. They indicate a much broader form of social change. So really what you are seeing is a shift of consciousness among a critical mass of urban educated women. They are going to pose a real challenge to the government going forward. Most of these women are not going to be content with just staying silent anymore and just putting up with widespread harassment and inequality. I think that in the future these women are going to pose a very complicated political challenge for the government.

Leta Hong Fincher’s new book Betraying Big Brother: The Feminist Awakening in China is due to be released on Sep 25, 2018. You can pre-order the book on Amazon and Barnes & Nobles.

More by this author here.

Images courtesy of Leta Hong Fincher

Adorning a copper plaque in Chengdu’s panda reserve is one of Gandhi’s most memorable quotes: “The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” China still has a long way to go when it comes to animal cruelty but it is growing as a nation and education is progressing. Lead by example to help educate those around you on the importance of giving animals the respect, warmth, and love that they deserve. Below are just a few of the numerous animal care organizations operating in Beijing, as well as details as to how you can assist.

Girls4Paws 
Girls4Paws is a community of private rescuers who foster animals in their homes while seeking suitable permanent residences. Started by Daphne Hutagalung, who is currently fostering five dogs and two cats, the organization was built to inspire individuals to take a proactive stance towards animal care, rather than posting a picture on WeChat and hoping someone else will do the rest. Hutagalung stresses that education is the key to responsible ownership, as it is often the case that when a puppy’s serious needs outgrow its cuteness, often landing them back in the same shelter that they were rescued from.

Help with: Monetary donations and adoption.
Contact: girlsforpaws@hotmail.com, WeChat: 138 1007 2919

A pooch gets a once-over before adoption at the Little Adoption Shop

The Little Adoption Shop 
Founded in 2011, The Little Adoption Shop is a no-kill, non-profit rescue shelter with three locations that currently house over 700 dogs. The organization takes dogs in from the street as well as rescuing them from meat trucks. That often means that many of them are injured, sick, disabled, or pregnant, which requires systematic medical attention. No matter how terminally ill or disabled, Little Adoption Shop swears to never give up on their dogs.

Help with: Adoption, education programs, and informing the public about responsible breeding practices.
Contact: www.facebook.com/LittleAdoptionShop

A Voice for Animals 
A Voice for Animals not only rescues abandoned animals but also works to prevent abandonment in the first place by educating current and prospective owners about the responsibilities that come with having a pet. Their talks and workshops are now extending to wildlife conservation and began when a group of volunteers traveled into rural China in October 2016 in order to salvage 25 dogs from a slaughter truck. The majority of those dogs have since been adopted while some still await a permanent home.

Help with: Donations, fostering, and adoption.
Contact: www.avoiceforanimals.wixsite.com/website, WeChat: AVoiceforAnimals1026

A furry hopeful at Furry Tales

Furry Tales 
Running on the power and goodwill of volunteers, Furry Tales helps neglected cats, rabbits, and dogs to find new owners. Besides the traditional rescue and adoption process, the organization is also working on starting a “trap, neuter, and return” program in Beijing, thus helping to control the population of stray animals in the city. The founder of Furry Tales, Sarah Lovatt, ensures that animals first receive medical treatment so that they are safe to adopt. The organization covers all the costs for the foster families, from food and toys to medical bills.

Help with: Donations, volunteering, fostering, and adoption.
Contact: furrytalesrescue@hotmail.com

Be warned: Even if you go in just to look, you may leave with a new friend

Cat-Kind 
Cat-Kind was founded by the organizers in the memory of a single stray kitten that they witnessed pass away after a period of homelessness. Unlike some of the other rescue organizations, Cat-Kind has a dedicated shelter space that they rent rather than fostering animals in their own apartments. They provide stays for stray and abandoned cats until they are healthy enough to move into their forever homes.

Help with: Donations (monetary or via the Cat-Kind wish list)
Contacts: WeChat: Cat-Kind_Connect

This article first appeared in the Jan/Feb 2018 issue of the Beijinger.
Read the issue via Issuu online here, or access it as a PDF here.

Photos courtesy of the organizations

The last few times I have asked Beijing visitors or newbies about their impression of The Forbidden City, the answers were pretty standard: the first two halls are mesmerizing and then you enter a torturous cycle of repetitive enclosures and dragging your feet along the ancient stones, hoping the next hall is the last one and you can bury your sweaty, sunburnt face in some heavenly RMB 2 Beijing ice cream.

To get the most out of your cultural, historical, and educational museum experiences in Beijing is efficiency. And, like many of the first-world problems we didn’t know needed solving – there’s an app for that. So open up that folder with your AQI and Beijing Subway apps and let in some fresh air. Whether you feel like soaking in the smells of the lush green gardens of the Old Summer Palace, or sweating on the moon bridges of the new one – there is almost always an app for that. The selection of apps in Chinese is much wider and the interface is much more up to current standards, but some of the apps are offered in English as well. However, don’t shy away from the Mandarin ones: the navigation is quite intuitive and interactive maps can help you out even without fully understanding it.

Forbidden City

Peek into the life of mysterious courtyard ladies on the Twelve Beauties app (iOS)

The Palace Museum of the Forbidden City was the first museum in Beijing to put their whole collection online. Having worked on their apps for three years already, the Palace Museum currently has nine running apps to guide you through the Forbidden City. Media have reportedly praised the apps for their high quality. Talk about putting quantity and quality together in one boat! All nine apps are available for iOS while only three are suitable for both iOS and Android systems. Some of them are dedicated to exploring specific collections within the Palace Museum, while others can guide by area. One dedicates each day of the year to a different object in the palace (if that tells you anything about the grand scope of the collections). Let the kids run wild trying to find the objects depicted on the screen in real life. Three of the apps available for iPad are offered in English.

Objects from the Forbidden City, one for every day of the year (iOS)

While the apps in English are far behind in the user experience and visual world, there is still some use to be squeezed out of them. When you’ve been to the Forbidden city three times this month because suddenly all of your friends got summer holidays, just hand them the Your Forbidden City (iOS and Android) app. It might not be the most personal, but your absence will make one less sweaty bum polishing the benches of the imperial palace.  The app offers general information about the museum, the details of 42 attractions and some mom-fun (yes, it’s the photo frames that I have in mind).

If the museum does happen to be too high-brow experience, royal photo frames might help liven things up

The Old Summer Palace

There are a few things to note about the Old Summer Palace: it is probably the greenest area in Beijing, ponds are big and plentiful, the area is insanely large and it is basically a city inside a city (which is what it was, with the original inhabitants never stepping out into the real world). Navigating the park can be confusing at times and its size does not make it any easier. Both of the apps are in Chinese, but they provide maps, GPS tracking and picture previews of some attractions which can be helpful even to the illiterate. Otherwise, if you are determined to see and experience it all, grab a tent for an overnight stay. The Old Summer Palace is no joke.

The Android app that also offers audio tours (in Chinese)

The iOS application with different categories for sights, indicated by thumbnails on the map

The Summer Palace

One of the more comprehensive and user-friendly (in every way) apps is about the Summer Palace. You can browse the sights according to distance or alphabetical order and read about them before you decide where to head out first. It might be smart to take a seat on the bench and plan your route beforehand to get the most out of it. However, the Summer Palace is smaller than the Old Summer Palace and you could possibly visit all the sights in one day while replenishing on some roadside baozi. If you end up not seeing it all, just dangle your feet from one of the benches by the pond and read about it on the app.

The description and history of each place can be found on this iOS app

With China putting all that has ever existed onto mobile platforms (I don’t recall the last time I had to actually go to the store for a beer, and not order it on Meituan), more apps could be expected to turn up soon. Meanwhile, enjoy the blue skies and clouds reflected in the ponds of one of the Palaces. 

Photos: The Palace Museum, iTunes, cnto

This post first appeared on our sister site, The Beijinger. More by the author here.