People have loved horses for thousands of years; this ageless bond manifests itself across the world even today. Horse lovers in Beijing long for the musty smells of a freshly brushed coat or the sounds of snarling breath and high-pitched whinnies. Children and adults who question their stint in this urban corral might find comfort in watching mares and stallions gallop against the backdrop of ethereal shining lights.

Kicking off this Thursday April 28 at Chaoyang Park, the world famous equine-human show, Cavalia, will center striking productions around the beautiful bond between rider and steed. The show will be running for the next two weeks, from April 28 to May  8, and features 40 horses and performers with majestic acrobatic skills.

If your child or loved one is not currently in tune with your own appreciation of this grace and power, do not miss this show!

In addition, Cavalia does not avoid the uncomfortable cloud of uncertainty about the care given to animals used for entertainment purposes. According to Cavalia productions, they treat their animals with respect both on and off stage. From their website:

The Cavalia approach is based on training methods designed to ensure the horses enjoy training with us and performing on stage. Trainers pay close attention to the horses to ensure that every request is adapted and respectful of what they are ready to offer. Our philosophy is rooted in patience, trust and deep-seated respect.

As of writing this, tickets were still available for the opening show. On piao.com, tickets range from RMB 120-1,880, with group discounts available.

The other options of buying tickets is to contact Diana at wechat: dianayi2009 or scan the QR code below. To keep up with more information about tickets, scan the QR code for bookingticket below.

 Booking agent:

Booking ticket:

Photos: Courtesy of bookingticket

In a city with millions of inhabitants, it’s easy to get lost in the vast numbers and forget that those numbers relate to people. Beijing’s a melting pot of cultures influenced by people from far and near. The Beijing Kaleidoscope series gives you a snippet into the lives of both expats and locals to show their diverse perspective on the city they call home.

Cuiping Jiang is an ayi, who spends her entire day cleaning houses, but never loses her laughs. She is the fifth resident to be featured in this series. Having lived in Beijing for almost twenty years with the same job, she offers her thoughts about Beijing.

Why did you decide to come to Beijing?
When I decided to come to Beijing, my family were farmers living next to mountains in the South of China; I guess I wanted to step outside and look for more opportunities. I thought if I came to Beijing, I would have more opportunities for a better income, and things would be better.

How long have you lived in Beijing, and how long are you planning to stay here?
I came here when I was thirty or so old. If my child grows up and wants to go somewhere else, I’ll probably follow. But until my child grows up and becomes an adult, I’ll probably stay in Beijing for a few more years.

How would you describe life in Beijing and Beijingers?
Life itself in Beijing is very busy every day, where things speed by without you even noticing them. But I’ve gotten used to it, having lived in Beijing for so many years. I’m trying to stay strong and get myself together every day. I also feel like I have changed a lot since I came here. Before, I wasn’t very satisfied, considering my family’s financial status and everything. But I feel like life here at Beijing is getting better and better, and I’m more satisfied with my life right now.

Beijingers are very kind and caring; at my apartment, every time I’m out for work my neighbors would help me bring the laundry in, or do other housework chores for me. People like me live very simple lives, going out early in the morning and coming back late at night, so we can’t get most of our housework done. I’m very thankful that I live among them and I feel that I am very privileged to have such kind neighbors from whom I receive so much help from.

Was Beijing any different from what you expected?
It’s certainly much better than I had imagined. I tried to make a living in the South for a while, but I couldn’t find a suitable job and I couldn’t settle down properly. After I came to Beijing, I found a stable job, and settled down here. I’m very satisfied with my work and my life in Beijing. I’m also very proud of myself, and I think this kind of job suits me well. I say this not only because I can help people maintain clean houses, but also because the people I help are very nice to me.

If you could paint Beijing, what would you paint?
Rather than a painting, I would draw a huge smile with the words, ‘Beijing, I love you’ in big letters.

Beijing is a city of gratitude

The stereotypical lives of Beijing’s residents aren’t as many assume, negative, frenzied, or pressured. Jiang finds the city a place full of things to be thankful for. Sometimes, instead of looking at the big picture and considering everything, it might be best just to look around you and find small details that you can smile over.

Judy Jeon, was our July intern, attends the Western Academy of Beijing and decided to brave the murky waters of magazine writing. She is a writer in her school’s Roots & Shoots organization, and also leads an orchestra. With less than a year left to stay in Beijing, Judy is setting out to gather different views about the place. She likes to read, hang out with friends, and can be found exploring  Chinese culture around the hutongs. 

Photos: Judy Jeon

In a city with millions of inhabitants, it’s easy to get lost in the vast numbers and forget that those numbers relate to people. Beijing’s a melting pot of cultures influenced by people from far and near. The Beijing Kaleidoscope series gives you a snippet in to the lives of both expats and locals to show their diverse perspective on the city they call home. 

Ji Won An came to Beijing four years ago and works as the general manager of Gates Academy, a private education institution that caters to students age 12-18. The 27-year-old decided to come to the capital alone after being offered a good job. An teaches diverse subjects, and likes to play the violin, and visit eateries in her spare time. Kicking off this series, An has an interesting outlook on the place she’s called home for some time.

What other cities/countries have you been to/lived in before you came here?
I’ve been to Malaysia and lived there for one year. Spent some time in Canada and US as well. I have also been to Canada and the States.

How would you describe life in Beijing compared to other places?
I’ve been to Shanghai a while ago, and I find that Beijing and Shanghai are very contradicting. I never thought of it before I went to Shanghai, but thinking about it now, I feel that Beijing is a very lonely city. Unlike in Shanghai, when you ask for something in English here, most of the time people don’t understand. I feel that Beijing is much more traditional. Also, everybody’s so busy, and I think Shanghai is more open to foreigners than Beijing.

What changes in Beijing are the most significant, or clear?
The weather, definitely. It wasn’t this humid before. Five years ago, it used to be very dry, and I couldn’t live without applying a lot of lotion, but it is much more humid now and I’m not using that much lotion anymore. I guess Beijing’s changing weather patterns changed my habits.

Also, Beijing is modernizing at a scarily fast pace now – it’s becoming more and more advanced. At times I’m surprised at the technology here, for example, when payments through WeChat became available.

I eat out a lot; another change that I see is the increase in restaurants in Beijing. But, most of the traditional marketplaces are disappearing, which is a regrettable thing.

If you were to paint a picture of Beijing, what would you paint and why?
I would like to paint lao (old)Beijing. I think that’s the most representative thing about Beijing. I would paint old people on the streets, either practicing taichi or playing small board games. Also lao Beijing food.

If you had only 24 hours to live in Beijing, what would you do?
First of all, I would go have a lao Beijing brunch. After that, tour palaces, such as the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City. I love palaces, especially the Forbidden City – it’s beautiful. Then I would go to a rooftop bar and enjoy the city’s night lights, which are also very pretty. But I would mostly focus on the palace tours and food.

Please complete the following: Beijing is a lonely city.

An plans on staying here for three more years. For her, the city is a blend of traditional and modern where the old and new coexist. Amidst the palaces and the night lights, with its contradicting but unique aspects, Beijing is a lonely city.

Judy Jeon, our July intern, attends the Western Academy of Beijing and decided to brave the murky waters of magazine writing. She is a writer in her school’s Roots & Shoots organization, and also leads an orchestra. With less than a year left to stay in Beijing, Judy is setting out to gather different views about the place. She likes to read, hang out with friends, and can be found exploring  Chinese culture around the hutongs. 

Photos: Ji Won An

Parenting and being a chef are similar in certain ways. You might feel pressured to cook something fresh every day when your kids are “starving and need to eat now”, but chefs deal with that situation all the time. What if a chef happens to be a parent? We wonder what super powers it takes to deal with both picky kids and picky customers. Our blog series Chef Papa and Chef Mama finds out.

Hong Kong Chef Ku Chi Fai arrived in Beijing five years ago with his family. The 51-year-old dad now works as the Executive Chinese Chef with the Ritz-Carlton Beijing. Ku started his career as a chef at the tender age of 16, about the same age as his son, Langyan (15), a student at Beijing No.80 Middle School. Langyan’s mom Qin Liying is a full-time housewife and his sister Xueying (21) studies in Canada.

We recently met up Chef Ku at Ritz-Carlton Beijing to discover Ku’s double role as beloved parent and respected chef.

What types of cuisine do you specialize in?
Cantonese, the one and only cuisine I am good at.

Have your cooking habits changed since you become a parent?
Yes. As a parent, I respect my job more because I need it to support my family.

How has your family influenced your cooking?
I learned to listen to other people’s opinions, including young people and children.

What is your first food memory when you were a kid?
When I was young, all the Cantonese families would make lawei (preserved meat) in winter. Although available year round now, preserved meat used to be a winter treat. Simply seasoned with salt and liquor, the duck naturally became perfect in the north wind and cold dry air. I have had preserved meat all over the world, but none compares with the old taste.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of working as a chef?
Chefs work long hours, including weekends and holidays, so we have less time to spend with our families. One good thing is that we can bring home quality ingredients and healthy ways to cook.

What’s in your fridge at home now?
Almost nothing. We buy fresh ingredients from the market before we cook.

Do you have some sort of pantry essentials at home to whip up handy, healthy and tasty meals when the kids are hungry?
I used to make quick meal with oatmeal, corn flakes, egg and milk when my children were young. 

Do you have a guilty-secret ingredient at home — something you’d rather not be spotted using?
Instant noodles, but my son loves them!

What home-cooked meal has wowed your family recently?
Every time I make Cantonese-style preserved meat.

How do you deal with picky kids and picky customers?
Most kids don’t like vegetables and soups when they are young. It’s normal, but if you take chance to educate them often, they will understand the benefits as they grow older. For picky customers, we make the dish exactly the way they expect.

Where do you shop for fresh products in Beijing?
Xinyuanli Market and BHG

When you have the opportunity to spend a day with your children, what do you do?
We watch a movie, eat buffet at a hotel and take the dog to Chaoyang Park’s dog pool. My son loves buffets because they have everything.

Interviewed and translated by Clemence Jiang.

Photos: courtesy of Emily Wu (Ritz-Carlton Beijing)

Living in China is an interesting experience … no, looking back on the ten years of my life split between Beijing and Shanghai, I can safely say that “interesting” is an understatement. That’s because being an expatriate in China essentially grants you the right to live like a king. Where else would common people be able to afford ayis, drivers, and large houses in private compounds? Combined with the relatively inconsistent enforcement of the law, an expat is basically allowed to do whatever they want. And that, is wonderful.

However, as we all know, with great power comes great responsibility. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed about living in China, it’s how a large majority of foreigners and expats tend to (unintentionally or not) belittle the locals. Whether it’s talking in a demeaning manor, cutting in front of them in line, or pushing them in a crowd, it’s not acceptable. Just because we have the opportunity to live like kings does mean that we have the right to act like them.

So how does a 16-year-old raise awareness about a problem he sees in the world? Have a bake sale and hand out fliers? It’s an overdone practice – far too mainstream. Instead, to understand what it’s like to be a local, I woke up early on the last day of my summer vacation to spend a day working at a local villager’s car wash.

What I Learnt:

• Begin washing the car with a rinse, followed by soap, rinse, and general drying;
• Use the “nice” cloth to wick away the excess water on polished body panels as well as windows;
• Begin washing the car from the top down;
• ALWAYS wash the wheels last to avoid getting dirt on the body;
• Don’t wear a shirt to avoid unsightly tan lines.

After a day, my job was done; I claimed a life-changing experience and looked good to colleges (excluding tan lines). But there’s more to this story, I also learnt:

• The “shower” is a raised pipe
  
• The refrigerator is broken and used for storage
  
• The “air conditioning” is a hole in the wall
  
• Holding a high pressure water hose gets quite tiring
  
• An insane amount of water collects under the number plate

I cannot describe to you the feeling of walking back into my house after spending the day working at a car wash. If I were to attempt to describe it, the emotion would be a mix of elation, guilt, and relief. I had lived their life, eaten their food, and worked their job for less than one day, and was glad to be home. Call me spoiled, but the feeling of not knowing whether you’ll make enough money that day is not a pleasant pit to have in your stomach.

However, even in the face of this great adversity, generosity and kind-heartedness allow the locals I spent time with to genuinely be happy with their lives. And that is truly amazing.

Since that day, I’ve consciously tried to treat the locals I encounter with the level of respect they deserve. However, just changing my life alone isn’t going to solve the bigger issue we face as a whole.

So where does this leave you, the reader, and me? Well, it leaves us with a challenge. Not a challenge to just be “nice” to all the locals you meet—that will get us nowhere. Instead, we face the challenge to shadow a low-income local to truly understand the hardships they face every day. Through this, we as a community can show locals the kindness and understanding that is often taken for granted in our interactions amongst one another. So the next time you pass by the small village restaurant you frequent, see your usual black cab driver, or pass by a security guard, strike up a conversation and find a day in your oh-so-busy schedule to trade in your life of privilege and spend a day in theirs.

Author’s note: If you need any help organizing a day to spend with a local, or just want to discuss this idea further, please don’t hesitate to contact me, Gavin Tan, at 136 8319 3071. If there’s enough interest, I may start a program for this!

This article originally appeared in the October 2012 issue of UNIT-E. It was written by Gavin Tan, a student at The International School of Beijing.

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.