Meet Capri, a 17-year-old from sunny Florida who brings a wealth of talent and passion to this year’s summer teen takeover team. Capri’s diverse interests include film, music, business, and literature. Her Mom is Chinese and her Dad is American making her a child of two very unique cultures. She enjoys listening to music artists from the 70s like Fleetwood Mac and also loves playing the piano, ukulele, and guitar. Further, she loves watching movies and adores the film industry her top pick would be the Marvel great, “Infinity War”. Additionally, she has taken classes on film production at school which have fuelled her love for movies even further.

We asked Capri how she feels about her return to Beijing and she said, “I find myself feeling a sense of familiarity as I return to Beijing, and it’s great to be back in the bustling city atmosphere once again. After living in Florida which is mostly suburban, I am excited about exploring all the restaurants, stores, and activities that this vibrant city has to offer. One of my favorite restaurants here used to be Annies, so it will be fun to dine there again. Although it can be challenging at times being back in a Chinese-speaking environment after getting used to English for some time now.”

Capri recently traveled to Europe in June where she visited London and fell in love with its old mansions as well as the countryside. As an AP student taking rigorous courses such as Biology and Environmental Science; she excels in AP English class (she’s predicting a 5) but struggles with Chemistry. She’s also a SAT icon and scored 1570 which is exceptional. We are thrilled to welcome Capri to our team here at Jingkids Magazine!

Image: Capri Wayne

Have you ever picked up a copy of Jingkids and wondered, “hmm. Who are these families and how do I get my family featured in the magazine?” Jingkids first launched back in 2006 under the name Kids in Beijing, part of our now-discontinued Immersion Guides book series. In the past 14 years we’ve gone through three name changes from Kids in Beijing to tbjkids to beijingkids, and now to Jingkids. But there’s one thing that’s never changed over the years.

The magazine was created for families to get the most out of the city that they now call home. We’ve covered education, parenting, health, dining, family fun activities, and in this past year, we’ve been your most extensive English news outlet for all your school-related information during the Covid-19 outbreak.

If you’ve ever wanted your family featured in an issue of Jingkids, here’s your chance. Send an email to editor@beijing-kids.com and tell us how many people are in your family, where you’re from, some of your family’s interests, and what’s the best way to get in touch with you.

We’re always looking for fresh new faces to include in our magazine and we can’t wait to hear from you!

KEEP READING: The 2021-2022 School Choice Guide is Out!

You may have noticed a slight change this week: our name has been shortened from beijingkids to simply Jingkids International.

What is this sorcery, you may ask? Is this a knockoff product produced by pirates? Have we been taken over by some external force? Are we leaving Beijing?

Nope, it’s still us, the same beijingkids you’ve come to know and (hopefully) love for a decade and a half.

The name change is something we’ve anticipated for over a decade, and believe it or not, marks the fourth (!) name we’ve used for this magazine in the 14 years since we published our first product in the spring of 2006.

Back then, we launched as a small quarterly handbook called Kids in Beijing, which was part of our now-discontinued Immersion Guides book series:

We produced four of these to great fanfare. Reader demand moved us to a full-on monthly magazine the next year, which we named tbjkids (using the “tbj” from thebeijinger, from which we sprung).

This lasted for 17 months until we expanded the name to deepen the connection to Beijing, by rebranding as beijingkids at the same time Beijing was hosting the 2008 Olympics:

We soldiered on with that name until we decided to launch our Chinese edition in 2012, which we named Jing – not the “jing” from the word Beijing (京), but the homonym Jing (菁), which is a component of words such as essence, luxuriant and elite.

Since that time, our Chinese brand Jing has grown by leaps and bounds, expanded to Shanghai, and become more and more of a central brand. Though the contents of each magazine are entirely independent, much of what we do – such as our school choice expos and our school choice guides – are joint efforts, and thus it only made sense for us to unify our efforts into one brand.

Our commitment to you as Beijing’s Essential International Family Resource remains the same. You can still find us at our URL at www.beijing-kids.com and on WeChat at bjkids, and you can reach us at our same email addresses.

Thanks for your continued support!

Michael Wester
CEO and Co-Founder,
True Run Media

Images: Pexels

We are looking for new talent to join the beijingkids team!

We offer flexible working hours and arrangements perfect for busy parents that need to juggle career and family. Whether you’re looking for a full-time or part-time gig we may have the perfect opportunity for you.

In addition to part-time positions, we’re also recruiting for a Full-Time Editor. This role contributes regularly to the magazine and digital sites and stays in close contact with schools and other community organizations to ensure that beijingkids is always the first to let our readers know what’s going on.

All of our positions require fostering deep connections with the local international community.

Job Responsibilities:
□ Write, proofread, and format content for the magazine and online platforms.
□ Work with the Managing Editor to delegate other content to writers and interns.
□ Keep in close contact with the international community.
□ Represent beijingkids at client and community events.
□ Attend company meetings as required.

Job Requirements:
□ Bachelor’s degree (preferably in journalism, English, communications, social media management, etc.);
□ Excellent English skills;
□ At least two years of demonstrated professional experience in a related field;
□ Commitment to and passion for the city of Beijing;
□ Able to meet deadlines consistently.

Bonus points if you:
□ Have previous work experience with children, the education industry, or in media
□ Are a parent

Interested applicants are requested to send your updated resume and 3 writing samples to employment@beijing-kids.com. Due to the volume of applications that we receive, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

Founded in 2001, True Run Media (TRM) is a top provider of information about living, working, and having fun in the internationally-minded community centered in China’s major metropolitan cities. True Run currently publishes three magazines in print and online – the Beijinger, beijingkids, and JingKids (Beijing and Shanghai) – and also hosts events for the community.

TRM is a proud equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or disability.

Christmas is here and it’s time to reflect on 2020.

This year hasn’t been easy or routine for anyone, but it’s finally December 25; we’ve made it to the end and there’s finally light at the end of the tunnel. However, looking back during the Christmas season, we’ve realized that this year has gifted us strength in many different ways.

Many of us learned what it is that we truly value in life. It’s not money, social status, or all the glitz and glam of material things — it’s health, family, and friends. We learned to appreciate and cherish the time we have with the ones we love.

Professionally, many of us realized that we’re more independent and capable than we thought we were after COVID-19 forced us to work remotely. Teachers at Beijing’s international schools went above and beyond their job requirements this year, providing their students with quality education remotely from every part of the world.

This holiday season, we’re celebrating the end of 2020 and taking time to appreciate all that we have. In the coming year, we look forward to sharing more of the best things this city has to offer. We love Beijing and we’re so happy to call this place home. We’re all in this wonderful Beijing melting pot together and we’re looking forward to our lives returning to the good old (pre-COVID) days in the coming new year.

So, this Christmas, we encourage you to take some time to reflect and remind yourself of all the wonderful things that have made this year special.

From all of us here on the beijingkids team, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

KEEP READING: Get Out of the Cold: Holiday Staycation Offers For the Entire Family

Images: Pexels, Uni You

We’re so thrilled to share the news that beijingkids now have close to 12,000 followers on Wechat, 6,000 followers on Weibo (beijingkids), and 4,000 followers between Facebook (@beijngkids), Twitter (@beijingkids), and Instagram (@beijingkids)! 

Our audience is growing every single day, so it’s never been a better time to target your ideal customers via our social channels.

Here’s how to advertise your business via our social media platforms

Let’s face it: WeChat is life. With over 1.15 billion users and counting, there is no better or more powerful communication tool in China. Smart companies are already taking advantage of these unique tools to get their message directly to their audiences.

We are very excited to present our new range of display ads for WeChat: an awesome opportunity for you to get your product, service, or event out to the largest audience possible.

With close to 12,000 subscribers and 4,000+ weekly reads, beijingkids’ WeChat account reaches a premium slice of the city’s international community. We’ve also capped the number of advertising spaces available to guarantee high, clutter-free visibility for your advertisements, as well as minimize disruption to our readers.

But WeChat isn’t the only feed that matters, and it is important to remain connected with the extended network of expats who rely on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to remain up to speed on the happenings in China.

With daily updates on our Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Weibo feeds, beijingkids accounts create over 1,000 engagements daily. Our typical readers include international families who have made Beijing home and well-to-do Chinese who live an international lifestyle. Now you can reach them too, in real-time, and literally in their hands.

With sponsored content, you are liable to reach even more readers for longer periods on our other social media platforms. The high-quality, community-oriented content that you’ve come to trust for almost two decades is, and will always remain our number 1 priority.

Scan the QR code below and tell us what you need or email admin@truerun.com, and we will get you up and running ASAP. Ask us as well about our sister accounts – the Beijinger (English), the Beijinger中文版 (Chinese), and JingKids (Chinese) – and their respective Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Weibo platforms,  where you can reach the cream of the crop of the international family community.

Photos: Unsplash, beijingkids

This past month has given us a glimpse of hope at a normal life in Beijing. Compounds are allowing delivery guys to enter again, restaurants are starting to see a regular flow of customers, and some students in Beijing are finally back in school. If there’s one thing that’s on everyone’s mind lately, it’s the matter of health: whether it’s COVID-19 related, seasonal allergies exasperated by Beijing’s dreaded catkins, or cultivating a healthier lifestyle in general.

In this Health issue of beijingkids we take a look at the difference between Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine philosophies, both of which play an important role in health in China. Whether one is better than the other is for you to decide. But one thing that they can both agree on is that prevention is key. It’s important to start with a healthy foundation at an early age. One Beijing yoga-guru-mom shares her secrets to teaching yoga to her sons as she shares its physical and mental benefits with us.

For expecting parents, Dr. Vanessa Rosado shares a few key points to look for when seeking out the right pediatrician for your child, and take a few moments to smile and say “aww” as you meet some of Beijing’s newest bundles of joy. And health isn’t just about physical wellbeing, it’s about mental wellbeing too. Our student correspondent Sharanya Trivedi shares her thoughts on body image and the modern teenager.

Finally, we’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the healthcare workers who are still fighting COVID-19, and take a moment to remember those who have lost their lives so that we can be one day closer to a vaccine. Thank you for risking your lives to fight for ours.

KEEP READING:  Cute Recycling App Helps Kids (And Adults) Learn How to Sort Trash

Photo: Uni You

My dad reading me an amazing story

When I was little my dad was Superman. He was the tallest man in the world, he wore the coolest clothes, he could fix any toy, and I knew I could always sweet-talk him into buying me snacks and candy whenever I wanted. I was daddy’s little girl and I had him wrapped around my pinky. Then I started middle school. My parents got divorced, and suddenly I saw my dad less and less. It took years before I was even willing to attempt to mend our relationship. Our father-daughter relationship didn’t sour overnight and it’s not going to be rebuilt in a day. We’re still working on it with every visit, video chat, and silly meme sent over WeChat. It took years but my dad’s starting to get his red cape back.

In this Beijing Baba issue, we give Beijing’s dads some much-deserved love and attention, and get a bit of insight into some unconventional lives of dads in the city. Jack Smith is a loving husband and father of twins by day, but by night he’s Elizabeth Stride, beautiful, fierce drag queen. Smith shares his story (p. 49) and tells us about the challenges of being a parent and a drag performer. We also touch on the family dynamic of a newly single dad and his relationship with his now ‘roommate’ son (p. 54).

We give one Beijing dad a total makeover (p.14), transforming his early morning bedhead into a runway-ready look for winter that rocks. Chef Nick shares the holiday dessert recipes that he makes for his little girl (p. 26). And a few of Beijing’s musicians prove that they can still rock on after having kids (p. 16).

When it comes to education, male teachers from Canadian International School Beijing, British School of Beijing, Sanlitun, and Beijing City International School share their views on how men are now defining their place in early childhood education (p. 34) as positive role models. Those valuable life lessons we learned as children stick with us our entire lives. Beijing’s dads share some valuable advice that their dads passed on to them (p. 44).

These are just a few of the topics we tackle in this issue. Flip through for more advice on life and parenting in Beijing, school news, and fun things to do with the family.

Scan the QR code below to check out our November issue.

This article appeared in the beijingkids November 2019 Beijing Baba issue

Western Academy of Beijing’s (WAB) Community Picnic returned last Saturday, celebrating their 25th Anniversary with copious amounts of wet and wild fun, food, sports, and even student films.

Hundreds of new and returning members from the WAB community came for the wet activities and soccer on the sports field, but stayed for the music and range of delicious food onsite from a variety of restaurants in the area, including Hulu, Pie Squared, and Fellas, to name a few.

On the field, they set up a variety of games and water slides, creating the perfect excuse for kids and even parents to get wet, which was the ideal condition to be in on this perfect day of sunshine and clear blue skies. For those wishing to work up a sweat before participating in the water war (pictured below), there was also a small, friendly soccer tourney on the pitch.

For those wanting to know more about WAB’s new facilities that were installed throughout the summer, tours occurred throughout the day for their recently opened High School Library & Interdisciplinary Space, Middle School Learning Lab, Early Years Outdoor Space, WAB’s “Little Village”, and the Blu Theatre.

High School Library & Interdisciplinary Space

Middle School Learning Lab

Early Years Outdoor Space, WAB’s “Little Village”

Blu Theatre

Finally, the afternoon concluded with some choice tunes from the school band. Our favorite being their classic rendition of the song “Fame,” from the high school-themed musical of the same name.

Fame! I wanna live forever!

All in all, a great day was had by everyone in attendance. We wish the WAB community the best of luck in their 25th school year. Also, we would like to thank everyone who came by the beijingkids booth to say hello, and there will also be plenty more events in the near future to meet up and get to know the team that’s providing you with the most current content to help Beijing’s English speaking community to make the most of their time here in the capital.

Photos: Kipp Whittaker