Back in November, the kids and I had just returned from Sunday Mass. I had changed out of my church clothes, which for Beijing in the colder months means heavy layers of thermal underwear and warm pants, and was sitting on my bed, reading.

Minutes before noon, something made the bed feel as though it had suddenly turned to jello. In fact, the whole apartment shook, or rather moved very quickly as though it were riding a sinusoidal curve. The whole thing happened in less than a second, and as we remembered it, noiselessly. I braced myself for more, thinking were were experiencing an earthquake. I gripped the side of the bed, but nothing else happened right then. I was relieved it didn’t appear to be an earthquake, but what was it?

Randy, drawing on his memories from growing up around strip mining, said it reminded him of the shock aves that can still be felt far away from a dynamite blast. Since we didn’t hear anything, we wondered how big of an explosion it had to be for us to feel it, and how far away it had to be for us not to hear anything.

I checked twitter, monitoring it off and on for the next half hour. Often, when something happens, like an earthquake, I can read about it on social media before it hits any official channel. But there was nothing there. This shock wave, or whatever it was, was something it looked like only we felt.

At around 3.20, another shock pulsed through our apartment. It was less intense than the earlier one, but it was still disconcerting. Brigid immediately announced that she didn’t do it. It still was clear to us that it wasn’t an earthquake, but we continued to be unsure the source.

 The next day, Myles, Brigid, and I caught a ride with our driver friend, and I saw down the street from us a demolition site that I didn’t realize was happening. For all the time we have lived in Changping an abandoned, gutted structure has stood across the road from our park and near our current apartment building. Such a constant contrast with the shiny newness in other parts of Beijing, even in the Changping area, that I wondered why it continued to stand this long.  It was now reduced to a pile of rubble.

 I asked our friend to stop so I could take a better look. 

"Did this happen, yesterday?" I asked him.

"Yes, didn’t you feel it?" he answered me.

"Oh yes, but I didn’t know what it was. Did they use dynamite? My husband thought it felt like dynamite?"

"No, they drilled many holes all around the bottom floor, and then just pushed it over!" He pantomimed drilling for my benefit.

 "They just pushed it over? That’s possible?"

 Our friend laughed, "Yes, yes it is."

To review, this is what the building looked like:

And this is what it looked like after they pushed it over.

I have to admit I will miss that old empty eyesore. It stood quite a long time, almost as an act of defiance against the shiny newness that gets all the attention around here.

This post first appeared on Jennifer Ambrose’s blog on February 5, 2015. 

Jennifer Ambrose hails from Western Pennsylvania and misses it terribly. She still maintains an intense devotion to the Pittsburgh Steelers. She has lived in China since 2006 and is currently an at-home mother. With her husband Randy and children Myles and Brigid, she resides outside the Sixth Ring Road in Changping, northwest of Beijing. 

Photos: Jennifer Ambrose

When I was assigned to take photos of the rubble around the Drum and Bell Towers, I had no idea what I was in for. Although I have been living around the Gulou area for three years, it had been some time since I had passed through the hutongs that snaked around the ancient structures. The last time I was there, it was lively. Queues of rickshaw drivers threatened to knock me off the path, badminton was everywhere, tourists flocked in and out of the countless cafes, bars, and shops.

This area was part of my favorite walking paths in Beijing just before sundown because, amazingly, it was the only place in the city I knew that could be buzzing, yet somehow, slow paced.

My fond memories don’t have much weight against those of the residents who have spent years in this area and now have had their fears realized, witnessing their homes and restaurants get tacked with demolition notices.

I asked Dustin Duan of Excuse Coffee, who has taken over Zajia Cafe (which will thankfully remain untouched) during daytime hours, whether or not the lots would be used for an underground shopping mall, like what has been previously assumed and protested. Duan’s shop has been torn down, unlike its neighbors, Au Goulot and Drum and Bell Bar, but he says it’s only a matter of time. He says it’s expected that the area will be transformed into a "courtyard" space, used primarily for offices, residences, and small restaurants and bars because that will ultimately be worth more money. It will be made to look "old", he says.

"They hope that 200 years from now, this area can look like an antique again," he says. "But they won’t reveal exactly what it’s going to be. They can’t. If they did, people would fight it."

Wrecking was in progress as I wandered around, snapping what remained of the rubble. I wasn’t the only one taking photos either. A few others had joined me, hoping to preserve what was left on their cameras. Residents who have been the last to leave stubbornly played mahjong outside their blocked off courtyard. Unknowing kids made the most of the unattended and overgrown lot.

Meanwhile, a lone rickshaw driver asked if people wanted tours of old Beijing.

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on July 30, 2014

Photos: Jessica Rapp

There’s no doubt that Moka Bros in Sanlitun is a hit. The cafe’s healthy fast-food and bright, upbeat ambiance draw in the crowds for breakfast starting at 8am all the way though to late night dinner or snacks till 10.30pm. Good news for those in the Liangmaqiao area – Moka Bros’ Solana branch is opening imminently (possibly even next week!)

The Solana location should prove especially popular with families – it’s far more convenient for peeps in Lido and Shunyi than schelpping the kids all the way into town.

Mindful of the neighborhood’s family vibe, the Solana branch will include kids’s menus (signature power bowls, mild sandwiches or creamy crepes matched with a small smoothie for RMB 48), art activities, and ample, comfy, kid’s seating options. Restaurant entrepreneurs Chef Daniel Urdaneta and Alex Molina believe in using fresh ingredients to make nutritious, flavorful food; perfect for health-conscious families.

With interior design by Coromoto – the same firm which outfitted the original Sanlitun venue – the 145 sqm Solana branch will feature a semi-open kitchen, multilevel interior, and terraced lounges in the trademark cozy-industrial Moka Bros style.

Opening hours will be from 10:30am to 10.30pm Monday to Sunday for lunch, afternoon tea, happy hour, dinner and late drinks.

Photos courtesy of Cat Nelson, Moka Bro’s, Sui.

Great news: Black Sesame Kitchen, the highly-acclaimed hutong eatery known for its private cooking classes and intimate dining environment, is back: this time holding events in the charming hutong-based boutique hotel The Orchid.

Founded by published author Jen Lin-Liu, the venue lost its lease on its hutong home abruptly after five years this past March, and has since been searching for a permanent home. However, they recently announced that in the meantime they are offering their private dinners at the Orchid for parties of ten or more.

With its classy yet authentic hutong decor and its address in the Dongcheng hutongs, the Orchid is a perfect match for the Black Sesame Kitchen, and the dining experience there rivals that of their hutong hideaway. But if hutong dining is not your thing, Black Sesame is also offering home catered dinners for parties of ten and home cooking classes for four or more.

So if you’ve got a hankering for what you’ve missed since March, give the Sesame folks a shout at 136 9147 4408 or reservations@blacksesamekitchen.com.

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on July 12, 2014.

Photos courtesy of thebeijinger.com

Strip a dish down to its basic elements and the quality of the ingredients has nowhere to hide. Take pho for example, a seemingly simple bowl of noodle soup. The broth, innocuous at first, must surprise you with its depth. The noodles must be gently yielding, the beef fresher than fresh. The finishing flourish of herbs and lime must bring the soup to life in the last moments before its conception.

The name Pho Laboratory seems apt, then, since the team has clearly spent a long time analyzing this dish. Order their pho dac biet (beef pho, small RMB 50, large RMB 60) and you will be rewarded with undulating, rare slices of imported sirloin that give way to reveal a beef knuckle broth simmered for 12 hours. Be sure to shell out the extra RMB 10 for a more satisfying portion of meat. Sriracha fans will be glad to see a familiar rooster-clad bottle gracing the tables.

If you can tear yourself away from the pho long enough to consider the rest of the short menu, a barbecue pork banh mi (RMB 40) suffers a little from a ratio of too little meat to too much pickled veg, but is redeemed by an irresistibly chewy baguette, baked in-house every morning. Homemade cookies and brownies (RMB 20) may tempt, but you would do better to linger over a Vietnamese coffee, pre-sweetened with condensed milk, and dream of a tropical breeze over Halong Bay.

The Pho Laboratory
Daily 11.30am-11pm. Opposite 12 Xinzhong Jie, Dongcheng District (151 1000 4814)
东城区新中街乙12号对面
700m northeast of Dongsishitiao station (Line 2)

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on July 11, 2014.

Photos courtesy of thebeijinger.com

The Beijing restaurant scene is incontrovertibly diverse. Whether one walks into the cozy confines of a feline filled café or the modern interior of an all-organic diner, the depth of variation in the flavors, feelings and atmospheres of Beijing restaurants always has more to offer. And now, from the heart of Wangjing, emerges another new café attempting to make a name for itself among the who’s who of dining experiences: Cup One.

Entering Cup One, the first thing a person may experience is the distinctive ambiance the café offers; aside from the building itself being literally shaped like a cup, the modern industrial furniture combined with strong wood accents contribute to the café’s somewhat organic, lounge-style atmosphere. The café’s playlist of alternative yet folk-symusic obviously aims to relax, while its relative obscurity among young Beijingers guarantees it’s never crowded; even with the exception of the occasional group of Korean hipsters, Cup One’s crowds never seem to swell during dinner hours.Yet, though the café offers a comfortable minimalistic ambiance, it still lacks a vital aspect shared among most Beijing restaurants: a no-smoking zone. Despite the comforts of the furniture, music, or quirky silverware in Cup One, the secondhand smoke from surrounding customers is sure to overwhelm your senses, making for an unpleasant dinner if you can’t even handle Beijing pollution on good days.

Hazy atmosphere aside, Cup One again falls short in perhaps the most important aspect: food selections. Though the café advertises itself as having an “extensive food menu”, the reality couldn’t be further off; after flipping through ten consecutive pages of alcohol selections, you’ll finally find the scarcity of actual food options in the very back of the menu. The café simply offers two pages of appetizers and entrées, excessively priced from RMB 38 to RMB 140.  A lacking portion of French fries or a bland strawberry milkshake will set you back RMB 38 , while a simple spaghetti bolognese costs RMB 58. For those of you looking to enjoy a warm drink while tackling some homework, Cup One will once again fail to deliver; though their tea selection features unique and interesting flavors (passion fruit honey, anyone?), the coffee offered is slightly watery and fails to impress amongst those of less-expensive chains like Starbucks or Costa Coffee.

Additionally, Cup One’s cuisine is often unremarkable and just barely hits the mark of mediocrity. Though some dishes can truly satisfy your palette, others definitely leave you with something to be desired. The sauces on the spaghetti dishes (which make up a good 2/3 of the food menu) are often plain and provided sparingly. The “chef’s recommendation”, a sausage and spinach spaghetti (RMB 5 ), creates an interesting balance of flavorful ingredients yet fails to provide value for the money; a common fault found in many of the dishes offered. And, despite few customers in the restaurant, food can take up to 40 minutes to arrive and the service is often inconsistent and sporadic; simply put, it’s one of those restaurants where you’ll have to yell “Fuwuyuan!” before anyone even attempts to notice you.

In sum, although Cup One attempts to provide young Beijingers with a modern and somewhat upscale café experience, it disappoints when balancing cost with quality. The food is similar to that you may order out from your local pizza restaurant, though it lacks value for money and fails to stand out from other restaurants in terms of flavor, quality, and simple originality. In fact, you’re better off getting a meal from the Burger King just downstairs; you’d probably get a nicer deal.

But then again, this is just the opinion of some of us here on the UNIT-E core team. Feel free to visit Cup One and try it out for yourself!

This article originally appeared in the May/June, 2014 issue of UNIT-E. It was written by Alex Gong, Kathleen Ma, Kathy Zhou, Kristy Cheung, Lauren You,  students at the International School of Beijing and  Sarah Lu, a student at Beijing World Youth Academy. 
 
About UNIT-E
UNIT-E was founded in the spring of 2010 with the aim of establishing a non-profit, student-run magazine for international students in Beijing. Staffed by current students from a range of international schools, the magazine provides an amalgam of cultural tidbits, fragments of Beijing student life, and a broad spectrum of unique perspectives from a diverse group of young adults.

Photo courtesy of thebeijinger.com

Grocery shopping is a tad more difficult lately if you live in the Wangjing area centered around the Microsoft, Caterpillar, and Daimler buildings (Daimler is the one with the giant rotating Mercedes hood ornament on top). In the span of about one month, two grocery stores have closed. The first to go was the Ito Yokado department store with its attached supermarket in the basement. Despite always being a busy grocery destination in the neighborhood, the other floors of the Japanese chain always felt quiet. The space is reportedly being transformed into corporate offices.

On the other side of the Microsoft building, just across the street from Wangjing SOHO, the Lotus shopping mall has lost its two-story namesake, the Lotus Supermarket. The exodus from this shopping mall is nearly complete as almost all the shops have closed or will be closed soon. Even Mitty Jump and Li Jia Baby are pulling out. With a host of new apartment buildings set to open just blocks away, along with the new SOHO towers, and the new Wangjing East subway station also opening, it does make one question just how bad things must have been to convince so many shops to vacate at once and if more closures in the neighborhood might be on the way as rents continue to increase and more and more consumers turn to online retail.

Photo courtesy of Christopher Lay

A number of fitness centers have opened up in the past year, giving people more or less the same options in terms of machinery and classes available. Usually the main concern is, “Does it have a swimming pool?” Prime Fitness sets itself apart by providing a primeval approach to high intensity training with quality instructors in a highly personalized setting.

The style of workout here is called primal because it is short (usually 30-minute bursts) and is an intense program based on the hunter-gatherer lifestyle of our ancestors. You can expect a lot of lunging, throwing, pushing and pulling. This may all sound a little antiquated, but if you desire that cage fighter physique, then it’s probably the best option in town.

There is limited use of machines because the trainers believe that style of training to be limiting and neglectful of essential muscle groups. One of the aims of this method is to leave you informed about a natural way to train your body and how to sustain it with a healthy diet.

A large percentage of the classes they do at Prime are one-on-one. There are also group classes that are capped at eight people so you never have to worry about overcrowding. There are no membership fees, but there is a minimum amount (RMB 1,500) that you must put down as credit to participate in either individual or group sessions. Each group class will set you back RMB 150 and each one-on-one class is RMB 450. If this is out of your price range, but you still want a more focused experience, there is a “couple” option where you and a friend can feel the burn together for RMB 350.

Also try: Kerry Sports, Pulse Fitness

Prime Fitness
Daily 7am-10pm. Suite 3009, 2/F, Bldg AB, Vantone Center, 6 Chaowai Jie, Chaoyang District (5907 3006)
朝阳区朝阳门外大街6号万通中心AB座2层3009室

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on May 23, 2014.

Photo by Sui

Madame Tussauds will open its 16th signature wax museum worldwide and fourth location in China in Qianmen on May 31, Chinese media reported Thursday.

Located at 8 Qianmen Jie, about 200-250 meters south of the Qianmen subway station, Madame Tussauds’ Beijing location will feature both Chinese and foreign figures, including historical figures, movie and music stars, including Beijing rocker Cui Jian, and sports celebrities.

Owner and operator Merlin Entertainments gave Beijingers a preview in January with statues of Leonardo Dicaprio and Johnny Depp standing in front of the future Madame Tussauds’ site. Based on promotional photos on the Beijing location’s website, visitors can also expect to see Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Jackie Chan, Albert Einstein, Fan Bingbing, Kate Winslet, and Yao Ming appearing as wickless candles.

The Beijing site is being built in partnership with property developer SOHO China. “Merlin is one of the world’s most successful and biggest visitor attraction operators and we are delighted to be working with them to bring one of their best known and loved global brands, Madame Tussauds, to Beijing. It will bring a new dimension and international flavor to the Qianmen and Beijing, and we look forward to working with Merlin on more projects in the future," said Pan Shiyi, chairman of SOHO China, and one of the Beijinger‘s 20 Most Interesting People in 2013. No word yet on whether Pan, also a popular blogger, will get waxed.

Based in the UK, Merlin Entertainments has announced its intention not only to expand the Madame Tussauds brand in China but also to bring or expand its other brands here, including Sea Life marine parks and Legoland Discovery Centers.

Tickets are RMB 170 for adults, RMB 120 for full-time students with ID, and RMB 110 for children (up to 1.3 meters) and seniors (65 and over). Advanced bookings can be made by phone.

This post first appeared in thebeijinger.com on May 22, 2014.

Photo courtesy of thebeijinger.com via China Daily