Life here in Beijing can be a joy or an ordeal for any expat. And the so-called “China days,” or the moments when everything seems impossible and frustration overwhelms us, are potent enough that they could suck the life out of the most optimistic of us.

But as they say: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

And such has been the mantra of the professional chef and former beijingkids mommy reporter Pauline van Hasselt. Coming to Beijing with her gift of the gab (and her impeccable cooking skills), Pauline has brought verve and humor to the pages of beijingkids. She also set beijingkids‘ social platforms on fire, with her hilarious, personal viral narratives, including her Big in Beijing journey. She even turned that proverbial lemon into her successful brand: Pauline’s Cuisine, where she conducts bespoke cooking classes.

While Pauline ventured out into new adventures, including forming the Beijing Mother’s Guild in 2017, running her cooking classes since the autumn of 2018, and hosting clothing auctions for women, she also documented for her network how she overcame several health issues like depression and obesity.

More than three years since she arrived in Beijing, Pauline says her “expat life has come full circle” and she’s ready to take on new adventures in London, together with her family and her dog Charlie. But before their big move, we caught up with this intrepid chef-turned-writer-turned-community builder.

bjk: What will you miss the most in Beijing?
Pauline van Hasselt (PvH): Besides DiDi, WeChat, Taobao, and speedy food delivery, I will miss my friends and the community that I have built around myself and my family in Beijing.

bjk: What’s next for Pauline’s Cuisine and Beijing Mothers’ Guild?
PvH: Pauline’s Cuisine might set up shop in the UK where we are moving to. The Beijing Mothers’ Guild WeChat group will be taken over by one of the core members, and beijingmothers.com will see new faces of mother bloggers, and hopefully flourish while I am not in Beijing anymore.

bjk: What’s your advice for people who want to build a brand or a venture in Beijing?
PvH: First and foremost, check if there is somebody with the same idea. Other than that, marketing and promotion are key on WeChat. Anything is possible in Beijing and if you have a great idea, go for it!

And speaking of “go for it”, catch up with Pauline and listen to her stories while learning cooking skills and new recipes in her last few classes in the city. See the schedule below.

Pauline’s Cuisine: Protein Power, Mar 29
Want to bulk up or just looking to add a little more protein to your diet? Pauline’s Cuisine has the class for you. Learn to make fresh ricotta, chickpea salad, a frittata with spinach, honey sesame tofu, and sweet cashew dip, and then sit down to lunch on the delicious food you’ve made. Adults. RMB 420. 10am-1pm. Pauline’s Cuisine, Lido. (WeChat ID: paulus155)

Pauline’s Cuisine: Tea for Two at EAST Beijing, Apr 6
Join Pauline for a fun Saturday at EAST Beijing, and learn how to create the ultimate afternoon tea: scones with clotted cream, homemade jam, chocolate mousse, and finger sandwiches. Adults. RMB 420. 10am-1pm. East Hotel. 

Pauline’s Cuisine: Pop-Up Lunch in Lido, Apr 10
A special lunch with Pauline is waiting for you! Come and join her last pop-up lunch in Beijing before she rides the rainbow-tailed unicorn to London! Adults. RMB 350. Starts noon. Pauline’s Cuisine Lido. 

Pauline’s Cuisine: Chop Chop Knife Skills, Apr 14
Are you a budding chef? Is cooking your passion? One of the main cooking skills that you need to master is the art of handling and using the knife. Pauline will teach you how, in her last class before she goes on to another adventure! Adults. RMB 420. 10am-1pm. East Hotel.

Photos: Dave’s Studio and courtesy of Pauline van Hasselt

When TCM achieves a “new and scientific” breakthrough, pizza bonanza arrives at Beijing’s tech hub, where to get bespoke cooking classes, and more!

What’s New in BS: Quantum Acupuncture

All moms and dads know they share a very special bond with their offspring. But a report in a Chinese scientific journal has raised eyebrows, to say the least, with a claim that children were successfully cured of illnesses by giving acupuncture to their parents. The writers of the report said that this worked because of quantum entanglement (where sub-atomic particles can interact even at a distance from each other), and it’s hard to say whether the physicians or the physicists who were more outraged by this nonsense. However one netizen saw a practical application, according to whatsonweibo.com: if treating your father doesn’t make you better, maybe they should try giving acupuncture to the neighbor, and see whether that works…

Have a Roman Holiday at the Beijing Pizza Festival (Oct 13-14)

Take a break from the pace and noise of contemporary Beijing life, and indulge yourself in la dolce vita at this year’s Beijing Pizza Festival. The theme is “Roman Holiday”, alluding to the classic movie starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, and celebrating the amazing contributions to human culture of Italy and its capital – including, of course, pizza. All Beijing’s best pie-slingers will be there, along with live bands, DJs, and other entertainment, at the festival’s new location in hi-tech Zhongguancun. Early bird tickets cost a fantastico RMB 20 for early birds, and are available from www.thebeijinger.com.

Didi Responds to Tragic Death with New Safety Measures

Ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing has become an essential part of life in China’s cities, but the company faced a backlash in August when a second woman was murdered by her driver. Customers were particularly angry when it was revealed that a different female passenger had flagged up concerns about the driver the day before, but no action was taken. In response, Didi has implemented new safety features, and nighttime services were halted for a week last month while they were rolled out. Your Didi screen now has a button which connects you directly to the police, and the company is improving safety checks on drivers. In addition, audio from all Express and Premier rides will be recorded, so be sure you don’t say anything controversial to your driver!

Eat, Drink, and Raise Money for Good Causes

Good deeds don’t have to be dreary, with two upcoming opportunities to combine your charity work with delicious food and drink. On October 19, Roundabout will be celebrating ten years of fundraising with a Charity Gala Ball at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, featuring drinks, dinner, and dancing, as well as raffles and auctions. Tickets cost RMB 1100. Also marking a decade of good works, Chi Fan For Charity will take place this year on November 10, at top restaurants all across Beijing. For more information on how to take part in either or both events, visit our Events page.

Goodbye Pauline!

We’re all sad to be saying “so long” to writer, chef, and mom Pauline van Hasselt, whom we know is as popular with our readers as she is with her colleagues. She may no longer be “Big in Beijing”, but she’s still a huge personality, with a fabulous sense of humor. We wish her all the very best with her new venture, Pauline’s Cuisine, and we’re sure her cooking classes will be as much fun as the beijingkids office was when she was around!

This article appeared on the beijingkids October 2018 Mental Health issue.
Photos: The Beijinger/Uni You, courtesy of Chi Fan For Charity, iphonedigital and via Flickr

I left the last blog on a bit of a cliffhanger. When I had my WLS (weight loss surgery), I was 116 kilograms and had a BMI of 42; at the time of writing I weigh 81 kilograms and have a BMI of 28. This is still considered overweight, but I have lost a whopping 35 kilograms. That is twice the weight of my daughter, and she is heavy when I lift her up.

So the surgery worked, but it was not easy. It was, and is, horribly hard. I went from eating anything I could get my hands on, to a full liquid diet after surgery. The stay in the hospital was difficult, and nothing like I expected. When I got home my food issues came to the surface. I was using food to fill a void and had to find a different coping method.

Have I found a secret coping method? No, I have not, but slowly and with perseverance, I have changed my relationship with food. I think about what I eat, and eat to fuel my body, not because I am bored or sad. This has been the biggest change.

Physically I can’t eat a lot of food now, and my body feels it when it’s unhealthy. I have not eaten sugar, and hardly eat carbs. Eating protein and vitamins is the most important to keep my body healthy. At home, this is easy, as I know how much I can eat and usually don’t put more on my plate. In a restaurant, it’s different, and I have to watch that I don’t eat too much. A few weeks after surgery I urged myself to go out to restaurants again. Food is a huge part of my life, and as a family we like to go out. Luckily this is not as hard as I thought it would be. I enjoy going to new places, even if I can’t finish my food.

Mentally I have had many ups and downs these last few months. Nothing can prepare you for the roller-coaster that is about to hit you after surgery. Many days I was too tired to work, as no person can think after eating only 400 calories a day. Many days I was too tired to play with my child, and weekends without my husband were the hardest. It’s hard to explain to a five-year-old that things will get better, and it’s all for the best. I was not even sure about this myself.

However it did get better, and I am now able to sit on the floor and play with her. I am able to walk around without sweating my face off. I am able to jump on trampolines without feeling like I will break it. And I am able to fit in almost regular clothes. The journey is not over yet, but for now, I don’t regret having this surgery. I honestly believe it changed my life. Big in Beijing No More.

Photos: Pauline van Hasselt and Dave’s Studio

Around four months ago I wrote the tenth installment of Big in Beijing, in which I explained that I was going to have weight loss surgery. My stomach would be reduced by 70 percent. I had the surgery in March, but it has taken me some time to write this last Big in Beijing, as I was recovering from major surgery and adjusting to a new lifestyle.

One day Before Surgery 115 Kilo

Having this procedure was not an easy decision, but it has paid off. On the day of my surgery, I weighed a whopping 116 kilos and had a BMI of 42. I was morbidly obese. The day of the surgery was quite exciting; I was not allowed to eat from the day before, and was getting very grumpy. My husband and daughter brought me to the hospital and settled me in, then I asked them to leave me alone for the rest of the day. I did not want my daughter to get bored in the hospital, so they went off to a fun indoor playground.

A week before the surgery I donated blood for myself, as I have the very rare “panda blood” (rhesus negative), and I wanted to make sure that no emergency supplies would be used for me. I also had many pre-surgery examinations, to check my stomach would be OK to cut into.

Waiting for the surgery was boring, but luckily I had a family friend to keep me company and document the day for me. The surgeons came to visit and talked me through the surgery and how the next few days would be. Of course, pictures were taken; this is quite unheard of in western countries, but I was adamant I would have the day documented. I had my drip already in my arm for glucose water, as I was not allowed to drink or eat before the surgery. At four o’clock in the afternoon, I walked myself to the surgery room, of course wearing the amazing hospital dress with open back. I was strapped on a surgery bed, and my arms and legs were strapped down; I was not too fond of this, but while the surgery is going on they’d rather not have arms and legs flopping around. I was injected with special sleepy stuff, and I was down in a few seconds.

During surgery

The procedure is quite fast, and the surgeons blow up your belly area to get close to the stomach more easily. I had four very small incisions. While the surgeon was working he found a hernia in my belly button, so he took care of this while he was at it. After the surgery, I was woken up and monitored. I was not doing well as my breathing was very hard. I asked them to get my CPAP machine and they hooked me up to some oxygen. I actually feel very emotional while writing this; waking up from such invasive surgery was hard for me. I was completely out of breath and felt like something was very wrong. Never in my life that I felt more regret: why had I wanted this? Why had I pushed so hard to be in so much pain?

After surgery

They kept me in the surgery room longer than normal as I was struggling, they then lifted me to a hospital bed. Needing four adults to do this was horribly embarrassing. My friend was waiting for me and it had turned dark outside. The joking times I usually love were nowhere to be found. I was in pieces, my body was in so much pain. After I was back in my room I called my mother and was wailing like a child: “Mama, what did I do now?” I had never heard myself wail like that; I sounded like a wounded animal. Soon after another family friend came to spend time with me and make sure I was fine. I felt anything but fine.

The stay in the hospital was nothing like I expected. I thought I would be reading, and watching movies, and maybe even doing some work on the computer. I was very wrong. Most of the time was spent trying to pass gas as some of the gas they pump in you for surgery is stuck in your body. This is the most painful part; I learned a newfound compassion for colicky babies. After four days in the hospital, I was released to go home on my birthday. I only had drunk very small sips of water and clear broth. I was hungry and in pain.

One day after surgery

When I got home I was thrown into reality: my family had to eat and I could not. The first two weeks after surgery you are only allowed to sip on liquids. Watching my family eat was very hard; many times I would cry alone in the bedroom. From stuffing my face with any kind of food possible to not being to able to eat anything. Little did I know that the journey to a healthy body and new relationship had only just started. Find out next week if it was worth it.

Photos: Pauline van Hasselt, Oasis International Hospital

I have been waiting a long time to write this blog, I am big and I am still in Beijing. I started this very public journey to lose weight last May (read more here). My expectation was to drop at least 20 kilos and have “magical” before and after pictures; people would be wowed by me wherever I went. Less is true, I gained weight; instead of losing it. I now have more weight-related medical issues than before. When I started this journey I was 102 kilos, now I weigh 115 kilos and my body mass index (BMI) is over 40. I feel I have exhausted all my resources to lose weight.

My decision to have weight loss surgery has not been a very public one; some people knew I was trying to have this surgery but I did not write about it. I wanted to be 100 percent sure, and have my insurance cover the surgery before even committing to this step. After a long and very frustrating time, I have final approval from the insurance company and will be having a bariatric sleeve gastrectomy surgery this month.

I have come to learn that weight loss surgery is a very controversial topic. People have their opinions ready, even if they are skinny and have never lived in an obese body. I have lived in both, and now I am here to tell my side of the story. Weight loss surgery is my last resort to finally get healthy. I have been fighting with my weight for the last four years, rapidly gaining 40 kilos. After my daughter’s birth, I suffered from severe postnatal depression and gained weight. The weight gain triggered sleep apnea. Due to poor sleep, I gained even more weight. This triggered more depression. The spiral was never-ending. After extensive therapy and many many tears, I finally felt cured after three years of this severe postnatal depression. Now, almost five years out, I still take anti-depression medication, and I don’t know if I will ever stop. I feel fine and am super content with my current mental health now, and I don’t want to rock the boat. Or sink it.

I have come to a place where I am actually happy. This, coming from a person who has been severely unhappy in the past. My life in Beijing has been a rollercoaster of amazing experiences and meeting even more amazing people. Expat life has been such a blessing for me. Beijing has been such a blessing for me. I have arrived at a point where I need my body to match my happy nature.

Weighing 115 kilos does not come easy. I am used to living in a body that is half this size. I have severe sleep apnea; I stop breathing while sleeping so I have to wear a special machine when I sleep. At this point, I am even unable to lie down in bed and read a book without choking. That’s how fat my neck is. The last month I have had high blood pressure on several occasions. I can’t put on my shoes without huffing and puffing. I can’t get up from the floor when playing with my child. I can’t run without feeling terrible. When somebody asks me to walk from the office to Sanlitun I curse them; I feel out of breath thinking about it.

People tell me all the time, “Pauline you don’t look overweight.” And I am glad my big personality masks my big body. However, the scale does not lie; 115 kilos in weight and 169cm tall is real. And, this combination is considered morbidly obese in medical terminology. And you know what? That’s how it feels every time I choke in my sleep. This procedure is considered a life-saving surgery; for me, it means that my life will be much healthier. It means that, hopefully, my weight-related health issues will disappear over time and I’ll have a better outlook on life. Being obese is not healthy; it comes with concerning health problems. I am scared to think what would happen to me if I continue to gain weight as rapidly as I have in the last four years.

I know that many people have opinions about this surgery; thinking it’s the easy way out. I can tell you it is not. This surgery requires major life changes, and it will be a difficult path to recovery. But, you know what?  I am ready to make this change for me and my family. I want to put on my shoes without feeling out of breath. I want to play with my child on the floor without thinking to myself, “How the hell will I get up?”

I can imagine that after reading this you might have many questions and concerns. And, you know what? I had many questions too, so I went and got answers. I have added some websites below if you would like to do some of your own research too.

The medical team at OASIS International Hospital has been supporting me on this journey towards a healthier life. The doctors, most of all, have been beacons of hope in some dark and challenging times. The doctors listened to me; they have advised me, and taken care of me. I feel blessed that I have the opportunity to be a patient of Professor Chih-kun Huang, who has great influence on this type of surgery all over the world. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will grab with both hands.

Beijing has been filled with love and support since my family has moved here. I have confidence that with my family and lovely Beijing friends, I will have the strength to battle through this period of my life. And, per usual, I’ll update you with honesty and most likely the ugly truth.

Find more information here. Or simply GTS!

Photo: Pauline van Hasselt

Funnily enough I was contemplating what to write about next for this blog, but I needed not despair as a great topic came along in one of the health WeChat groups I am part of. Before last week I had never been “fat shamed”, and I am positive this was not personally aimed at me. But I felt the need to respond. I will call this guy “Mister X” and I will quote verbatim how the conversation unfolded:

“And if you are fat as f*** and want to loose weight you will be stuck with flying squirrel skin”

Now I should have not put my two cents in but frankly, you can’t be calling people “fat as f***.” So I said:

“Mister X I am fat as f*** as you describe it, a bit harsh way to put it.”

Things escalated from there and some very uneducated, discriminatory things were said. These were the best quotes of this Mister X:

“Now that you know you are fat as…its time to change”

“Being fat is ridiculously selfish, to yourself and to society. Yes and their body being different needs to eat different things. But what’s the excuse to being fat as f***.. oh their body reacts differently to refined sugar and carbs? Or is it reacting differently to salads?”

“the point is the information is out there and one is responsible for themselves and should seek help and knowledge. Fat people use more water to shower and they over eat to full their larger stomach and they are a burden on tax payers in socialist countries that provide healthcare”

“They are not stuck in anything. They created that body. They made their bed and now they have to sleep in it. “

I could not believe my eyes. I have a very thick skin (no pun intended.) I have worked in kitchens for 15 years, I am used to any kind of verbal abuse. But I have never received any kind of “fat shaming” before, since my weight and health have spiraled out of control. I don’t know why I responded that morning but I did, and I regretted it. I was by myself in the office, when my boss and colleagues came in I was crying bitter tears. I was shocked and so saddened that people like this exist; it was an awakening. I knew about fat shaming and internet trolls, but I never have been on the receiving end. Maybe I was having a bad day, but I cried like a child. I cried for the meanness in the world, I cried for other overweight people, and I cried because there are people out there that see me, and think these things.

I need to add that the rest of the group had some amazing comments regarding this Mister X and he was removed from the group. But harm was done already. My colleagues were amazing, and I had never seen my boss and the IT guy at work so feisty. This made me smile through my tears.

I feel like I should not have to explain this but here it goes anyway: Yes I am fat, I can call myself “fat as f***.” But you can not. Never can you say things like this about overweight people. We don’t know people’s stories, we don’t know why they are overweight. We don’t know what fight they are fighting. We can’t make assumptions because of how people look. It’s discriminatory, and it’s very dangerous.

I give myself some great advice, but I seldom follow it. I have promised myself to work out twice a week, and then I have promised myself to not gorge on food. Summer holiday came, and I have not worked out twice a week or have kept to my new healthy life style 100 percent. I blame the “all you can eat” morning buffet in the hotel. I find it hard to stop eating. “What is better than an egg and bacon sandwich? Two egg and bacon sandwiches!”

I don’t eat much with people other than with my husband and daughter, purely because I feel judged. And my point was proven when I had an ice cream on a hot day. Somebody commented “I thought you were on a diet?” I’ve never felt so hot eating an ice cream. I want to change my lifestyle, not be a slave of a diet and be unhappy doing it.

Food aside, I have started using my CPAP machine every night. Since I have gotten overweight I struggle with sleep apnea, and frequently stopped breathing in my sleep. The machine has been gathering dust for the last four years as I was reluctant to use it. I have been using it for two months now and I would not sleep any other way. A week ago our power ran out in the middle of the night, and the machine turned off. I woke feeling like I was suffocating. The next day I was tired and ate so much sugar it gave me a migraine. Food choices are a daily battle; some days I win, and some days food wins.

I have another secret hunger: shopping. This is always been a love of mine, and China has not changed that. It is hard enough though to get clothes that fit as a regular size person, but plus-size people have a real hoot finding stuff to wear.

I have tried online shopping and 75% of the time the XXXXXXXXL is too small. So I have a secret stash of plus size clothing which I can wear when I am skinny. Then sometimes clothes do fit, but you have to enter strange words in the search engine like “Big Fat Sister Clothes” – one of my personal favorites.

I have my secret shopping sprees where I “forget” I am plus-size, and still try to wear an XL top from Zara. In the harsh light of the dressing room, I struggle to get into the stretchy tops that looked too big hanging in the store. I’m happy that I shop by myself, and nobody is there to witness my embarrassment and pain.

There is also the happiness when H&M is newly restocked, and I find a shirt in a size 46!I don’t care how it looks, I am buying it. Sometimes I get a bit lucky and find XXL stretchy men’s pants at Uniqlo. Feeling joy about this is also sad and embarrassing. Beijing is not ready for cute-looking plus-size women.

My only extreme joy in shopping are clothing auctions where international woman gather with their clothes they don’t want, and have a great night filled with laughter and wine. I buy everything that fits me even if it’s not my style, gaining many new friendships along the way.

Photos: Pauline van Hasselt

I am still big, and I am still in Beijing. Some people have commented how positive I am, but honestly I am not, not really. I have gotten together with some colleagues to have a little weight loss challenge; we keep each other on point in a WeChat group. Honestly, I am a bit delusional creating a weight loss group with people who are 30 kilos lighter than me. They all are the weight I wish to be. But I remember what my mom used to tell me, “Your own pain is the worse pain.”

I have struggled since I got my membership to the gym. I can work out 24/7, but frankly it sucks because there is no Hailie (my personal trainer) waiting for me to keep me on track for one hour. If you ever wonder if a personal trainer is worth the money, let me tell you it is. Working out without her is so much harder; she has helped me with a good kick-start. Last week I worked out twice in the gym and went swimming once, but not with the full 100 percent as I did when I had with a trainer right there.

Dumplings and a weekend away have been my main pitfalls last week. The cravings for these pouches of love had me calling Mister Shi two different days last week, and I bought a pack of frozen dumplings at Jingkelong. Why? Because I went to the supermarket very, very hungry. I told my husband that I would cook healthily, but I returned from the grocery store with frozen dumplings and a cucumber. Mission failed.

Other than spending the night at a nice hotel I spent a night at Oasis International Hospital, getting a sleep test. With results I already knew: I suffer from sleep apnea, and have done so for the last four years. I have a special breathing machine that has been collecting dust for the last few years while I gained weight. I can’t stand the feeling of this mask bound to my face; it gives me claustrophobia. But if you don’t breathe properly while you sleep, your metabolism slows down and you gain more weight. It’s simple really, but a vicious cycle I can’t seem to break. After spending a restless night in a hospital room by myself with no life threatening disease (a mothers’ dream), the doctor gave me the advice I have heard many, many, many times: “It might go away, if you lose weight.”

And I feel sad and heartbroken because losing weight is the only thing I want. That and some dumplings…

Photos: Pauline van Hasselt

Two months ago I started this crazy journey in Beijing, documenting how I want to get back to a more healthy lifestyle. I’ve had so much support from many people and organizations, but I am far from done, I have only lost two kilos over the last two months. Honestly I wished for at least 20 kilos to drop off my body, but the good news is that Halie (my personal trainer at B Active) made pictures of me before we started my 12 session workout regime, and last Wednesday we made the after pictures.

The difference is so real! This was the next push that I needed, because what I felt in my body is evident in these pictures. No worries, I will at some point reveal these almost naked pictures of myself, but not today. My belly is smaller, my butt is smaller, and my arms look strong instead of fat.

And thats what I feel, stong. I won’t lie, I had many hiccups during the past couple months. I just love nice food, enjoy going to restaurants, and having one or two frozen margaritas. I am a chef at heart, and will always have a fondness for eating. But that does not mean I have to eat it all. Now, I make selections, and limit my wild eating habits to the weekend. I have actually made some “rules” for myself.

• I eat healthy during the week, and on the weekend I have two or three cheat meals. I order in, or go to a restaurant and have a drink. I indulge myself.
• I work out three times a week and plan my life around this. Work and being a mother come after my time in the gym.
• I make pictures of the food that tempts me, but I don’t need, or is very unhealthy. The picture above is from a rainbow cake I chose not to eat!
• I remember everything I craved to eat during the week, and if its still on my mind on Saturday night I’ll have it. Somebody gave me this tip and its working pretty well so far.

I have also seen a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doctor, Shelley. I was so sick a month ago and she recommended a couple rounds of acupuncture to help me regain my energy. Funny enough I thought  moving to China would make me do Chinese medicine every week and I would be able to find them on every corner of the street. Like a pedicure but better. Turns out Chinese medicine is not like a pedicure and finding the right doctor might take some time. It was important to me that I could understand my doctor, so I asked around and found one lady that came highly recommended by many expats and made an appointment with her.

I assumed that this doctor would be Chinese and speak English but she is from the US and has been residing in China for a long time. Shelly is very kind and welcoming and we spent the first 30 minutes speaking about everything that was wrong in my body and mind. She patiently wrote it all down and prioritized my flu like feelings and the wish to loose weight and have extra energy. I have no fright of needles as I have been poked around in hospitals a lot. I laid down on a massage table and she gently started putting needles in various parts of my body. For me it felt like a mosquito bite. She then left the needles in my body and left me alone in the room to relax with some spa music. This was all an incredible painless experience and costed only RMB 300 per session. Also, some insurance providers will cover this if you get the fapiao.

I am very certain that these two sessions put me in a good way with my energy and I am going to keep seeing Shelly throughout the rest of my time in China. I can highly recommend taking advantage of living in Beijing by trying some things foreign to you. Because, guess what? Warm water is really so much better for your body!

This is the location of my Chinese doctor

Pauline is a passionate international mother who wants to show that Beijing is not a unhealthy city, proving that it’s possible to become a healthy mother and woman, with the right support and resources. Mommy friends, colleagues, family, Tribe Nutrition, B Active Fitness, and now the rest of Beijing will be her support, proving that every mother deserves to have a healthy body and mind; tackling her own food issues along the way and showing the rough, the ugly and honest way she does this.

Picture Credit; Pauline van Hasselt www.cravebits.com