A number of Sanlitun area bars and restaurants have been told to close this weekend, at least in Taikoo Li South and south Sanlitun’s Courtyard Four, the area just to the south of Gongti Beilu, multiple business owners confirmed to the Beijinger.

Restaurants in Taikoo Li South were instructed to temporarily cease operations from 3pm Saturday, August 22, until 2pm Sunday, August 23, multiple restaurant representatives in that complex told the Beijinger, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“In line with the work of commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and in accordance with arrangements and notices from related Beijing Municipal Governmnt departments, on August 22 and August 23, Sanlitun Taikoo Li South will come under martial law measures.

"According to the requirements of related Beijing Municipal Government departments, during that period, all stores must temporarily cease operations. The time period is: August 22, 2015 3pm to August 23, 2015 2pm," according to a letter from Swire Properties to tenants obtained by the Beijinger.

At least two Courtyard Four business owners have also confirmed they will close August 22-23, with one operator saying that establishment would close for the full weekend. Courtyard 4 is located diagonally across the street from Taikoo Li and contains businesses such as The Bookworm and The Rug.

More closures in the area are likely; venues located in 1949: The Hidden City have reported closing for Saturday.

Residents of the Jianguomenwai and Guanghua Lu areas will be required to keep their windows shut, and three major streets in eastern Beijing will be shut for most of the two days, orders to area residents obtained by the Beijinger show.

All street-facing Jianguo Lu, Xi Dawang Lu, and Guanghua Lu businesses have been ordered to close from the early afternoon of August 22 until the same time on August 23, and only on-duty parade-related personnel are permitted in the area, the order said. All street-facing windows must be closed and are forbidden to be opened, the order said. 

Along with these and the Sanlitun closures, the Forbidden City will stop receiving visitors from Saturday, August 22, through Thursday, September 3. Wangfujing will also be closed August 22-23, due to the parade rehearsal.

Best advice: if you plan on going anywhere on Saturday, call ahead.

Beijing municipal officials had previously announced that Tiananmen Square and the Wangfujing area will be closed to the public due to a rehearsal for the September 3 military parade. However, what this has to do with the purchase of Apple products and Nike shoes in Sanlitun, we’re not entirely sure. Stay with the Beijinger for updates.

Margaux Schreurs contributed the original report.

This post has been slightly modified from the original post that appeared on thebeijinger.com on August 19, 2015.

A melodramatic Wall Street Journal article about a young Beijing expatriate’s month-long stint in a Beijing jail serves as a reminder to all of us to never forget that just because you are a foreigner doesn’t mean the local justice system can’t ensnare you.

In the article, Noak Jonsson, an 18-year-old Swedish student who was studying Mandarin at Peking University, appears to have been trying to stop a bar fight.

The incident outside an unnamed Haidian District club allegedly occurred a year ago last November after another expat Jonsson was partying with accused the club’s coat check crew of stealing her purse. According to the WSJ, the purse was returned the next morning.

"Outside the club, the argument continued. It came briefly to blows; a bystander who had jumped into the fray was bleeding and complained his nose was broken.

"Noak, who says he didn’t hit anyone, found himself in a police car," WSJ reported, which noted earlier in the story that all involved (except perhaps the coat check staff) had been drinking prior to the incident.

Jonsson spent a month in a jail, and then almost a year without his passport in Beijing before the charges were finally dismissed and he was allowed to return to Sweden, having already missed the enrollment deadline to study at prestigious Uppsala University.

Make no mistake, this particular expat was not singled out for poor treatment in the Chinese justice system – it’s more like par for the course, with the kid being treated much in the same way as a Chinese citizen would have been.

We don’t presume innocence or guilt in this case, but we can recommend the following common-sense guidelines for those who party in Beijing bars and clubs:

1. Drink in moderation when visiting local bars. Being sober is a great way to stay out of trouble.

2. Being a foreigner is not a "get out of jail free" card. A lot of expats tend to act as if the police will find it inconvenient to deal with a foreigner and just send them on their way if they are involved in something like a fight. This is not the case.

3. Don’t be a vigilante. Getting involved to mediate a fight is not in your personal best interest, as oftentimes all parties are rounded up regardless of who is at fault. We like to point out how sad it is that people here tend to look the other way and not lend a hand when public disturbances occur, but there seems to be a reason why this is the local custom.

4. Guanxi is a real thing in China, and as a foreigner, you are a lot less likely to have it than someone born and raised here.

5. Use caution when checking coats or other personal items, and don’t check purses, phones, or other expensive items. It’s too easy for things to disappear in there, be it by intention or by accident.

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on March 7, 2015

Photo: Universia