Visit the popular Tai Tai store at its new location (same shopping strip, just down the road) — inside Stella’s Shop with Woodcarver. Already up and running, you’ll still find all your favorite gifts there, so do stop by!

Roundabout will hold its biggest downtown book fair ever this weekend at the Beijing City International School (BCIS), from 10am-3pm on Saturday. If you’d like to drop off books at the Shunyi Roundabout location, they will then turn them around to restock at the book fair, running until April 9.

If you’re interested in checking out the Montessori teaching method, you won’t want to miss The International Montessori School of Beijing (MSB) open house. Founder Principal Caroline Chen will introduce you to the benefits of enrolling your nursery through grade 6 children, and you’ll have a chance to tour the school and meet the teachers. RSVP to tinaliwalton@msb.edu.cn for this event, which is held on Saturday, March 23 from 10am-noon.

Do you have a child that you fear is becoming addicted to the internet — or at least internet games? If so, you’re not alone. Dr. Rob Blinn (Clinical Psychologist and Department Chair) of Beijing United Family Hospitals gave a parent seminar on "Internet Addiction: Preventing and Intervening,” held at the International School of Beijing on Tuesday morning. Some applications of the internet and gaming trigger an orienting response in kids (and adults!) — it’s fast and constant, and it allows no time for relaxing. We get used to this stimulation and ultimately dislike down times and slower transitions. Dr. Blinn suggested taking breaks to reset the nervous system. For our kids, model behavior by limiting your own screen time. And take deliberate time out to interact with your kids, filling what may be a void in their lives that is currently replaced with gaming. Realize that self-regulation has to be learned, and share with your child that you understand the addiction (who among us does not spend too much time doing one thing or another?). Internet Addiction Disorder is a very real condition that can lead to depression or stunt creativity — things we don’t want to see in our kids. Stay connected with your kids and be aware of their screen time.
 

From celebrations and bazaars to auditions and special offers, here’s what’s going on in Shunyi this week:

Many of you have already visited Roundabout’s fantastic new location – big and hopefully permanent for us all to utilize! Now Leslie is ready to celebrate their wonderful site with a grand opening event, this Saturday, September 15 from 1-5pm. Over 20 local charities will be there, selling their goods and visiting with you if you’re looking for causes to support. Enjoy music, face painting and more at this family event. Bring some food and drinks to share, and come celebrate! Call 1371 877 7761 for directions.

Come to the INN meeting in Shunyi on Thursday, September 20 from 10am-noon for the monthly Neighborhood Coffee Morning. Meet people in our area at Starbucks and find out what’s new and what’s coming. Open to all!

Enjoy a “Farewell Summer, Hello Fall” bazaar at Chen Hao furniture and Tai Tai on Thursday, September 20 from 10am-5pm. Enjoy great discounts on furniture, gift items and even more with visiting vendors. Table fees support Roundabout, so please come out show your support as well!

Beijing Playhouse’s auditions for the upcoming Christmas musical comedy Snow White are Sunday, September 23 and Monday, September 24 at 6:30pm at the British School of Beijing Sanlitun campus. Experienced and novice actors are encouraged to audition; 20 adult and 10 child actors and singers are needed for this volunteer production. Performances are Tuesday through Saturday nights and Sunday matinees, from December 7-23. The Drama Club will also host a workshop to chat with the director and assistant directors, and to get a better feel for if you want to be involved. This workshop is on Tuesday, September 18 at 7pm at Nearby the Tree. For more information, contact Beijing Playhouse at www.beijingplayhouse.com, or performance@beijingplayhouse.com.

The British Beavers, Cubs and Scouts are about to re-start in the Shunyi area. Fully registered and accredited by the British Scout Association, things to know are: both girls and boys are welcome; you do not have to be British to participate; all schools welcome. For more information on enrollment and meeting times, e-mail firstbeijingscounts@hotmail.com.

West Hair Salon is offering a special promotion to all members of Beijing Café – until the end of September, when you mention Beijing Café, you can receive RMB 200 off of hair color, highlights or perms. Make an appointment by calling 8048 4377 or 1861 142 6117; or on site on the 5th floor of Euro Plaza.

Those of you familiar with the fabulous quality of Torana Handmade Rugs (Tibetan) will be sad to hear that they are closing their doors by the end of the year. Due to restrictions and lack of qualified weavers, the store will cease operations and spend the next couple of months selling off the remaining rugs. Located on the first floor in Euro Plaza, Torana will have a 25% off sale on remaining Tibetan rugs (30% off for cash sales). Other antique rugs in stock are 60% off during the month of September.

The “leather lady” by WAB is moving!  Locals know how to find her, tucked away in an alley near the school. She is often at bazaars and is well known for making custom order coats, jackets, purses and more. She will be moving to a new location but the exact site has not been determined yet. She asks that you call her before coming to visit to make sure you can find her easily. Contact Wei Shu Ying at 1369 117 5637.

Photo by sparkieblues of flickr.

There is a LOT going on in the Shunyi area these days, so mark your calendars and don’t miss a single event! Listed by date order:

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 and FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

• Gallery Katart, the wonderful brick artwork created by Kata Ruohtula, will have a final art exhibition and sale (her family moves back to Finland in about a month). Her work was featured in an earlier blog posting here. Come see her fabulous “Everyday China” photography on canvas and bricks from 10am-6pm on Thursday and 10am-10pm on Friday at her home, Yosemite Villas, C section, 2038. Contact her directly at 186 1842 6003 or 8041 7230.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 and SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

• Roundabout Charity Book Fair: With school back is session, it’s the perfect time to start up the book fair season once again. Held at The British School of Beijing in Shunyi, the book fair will run from 10am-3pm. Through October 8 you can come to the school during school hours (Mon-Fri, 9:30am-3:30pm) as the sale will continue. Paperbacks begin at RMB 10, hardbacks from RMB 20, and children’s books from RMB 1!!! Book donations are accepted ALL the time as the book fair is restocked daily. This book fair will benefit three specific children from the NGO Children’s Hope, but to do so will require raising RMB 165,000 (the most any book fair has raised to date is RMB 150,000). From an 11-month old baby boy with a congenital heart disease, to a two-year-old girl with retinoblastoma, to three-year-old girl who has suffered from severe skin burns on her body – funding from the book fairs can HELP these children get the treatment they desperately need.
• Radiance will host its FINAL fall bazaar at the current location, as they will move at the end of the month. So! Come out both Saturday AND Sunday (September 9) from 11am-4pm, check out the great sales within the store and visit the many fantastic vendors (40 of them!) who will have their goods for sale. For directions, please call 8049 6400. If you are interested in having space for that day, e-mail radiancebazaar@yahoo.com.cn. No word on a new location for Radiance yet, but it will be missed in our neighborhood.
• Beijing United Family Hospitals is proud to sponsor the NFL Experience (NFLX) in Beijing, a festival bringing together fans of the NFL and the sport of football (read more about this exciting event later today on the blog posts).  As a part of this great day at WAB, Dr. Randy Jernejcic (BJU Chief Medical Officer) will give a health talk about keeping your family safe and healthy in Beijing. Also an Emergency Physician, Dr. Jernejcic will also discuss the importance of an emergency plan as well as other health tips (3-4pm). Come out and enjoy a great NFL day!

COMING SOON…

• Roundabout is gearing up for the official opening of its new store with a community party! Don’t miss it on Saturday, September 15 from 1-5pm (call 137 1877 7761 for directions). Meet over 20 local charities, find out about volunteering, get a tour of the new facility, and enjoy music, face painting, a bouncy castle and more – fun for the whole family! Entry to the event? Just bring some food and drinks to share, and come to have a great time!
• Chen Hao and Tai Tai will host a “Farewell Summer, Hello Fall” Bazaar on Thursday, September 20 from 10am-5pm. Come for great discounts on all of Chen Hao’s furniture, and enjoy discounts on Tai Tai merchandise as well. Vendors will be in attendance as well, with all table fees supporting Roundabout.

Dulwich College Beijing will host piano star Helen Lin, voted one of the top eight musicians in the world by the Web Concert Hall International Competition in 2003, on May 12 at 7pm at the Legend Garden Campus. Tickets are on sale at the Legend Garden Campus reception – seats are limited. Visit http://helenlinpiano.weebly.com for more details about Helen Lin.

Due to the chaos of the auto show, the springtime cashmere sweater sale at Clicia’s Designs and Shayne’s Treasures was postponed from last week to this week. Be sure to stop by to see what the infamous “cashmere guy” has in season for you, items ranging from RMB 300-600, Thursday, May 3 from 1-4:30pm.

Also at this sale location will be Tai Tai’s Desert Diamonds, now set in silver – just in time for Mother’s Day (don’t forget, it’s May 13!). Enjoy 20% off of the website’s listed prices (www.desertdiamondsco.com).

It’s impossible to ignore the rattling we all experienced of Saturday morning at 6:15 a.m. – we were awakened with a loud boom followed by no more than five seconds of tremors. An earthquake? Explosion? Sonic boom? No pictures on the walls were tilted, and nothing on tabletops fell over and broke. People from the Pinnacle Plaza area, to Beijing Riviera, even to Wangjing heard or felt it, but nobody seemed to know for sure what it was. Some online reports indicate that it was, indeed, a low level earthquake (I’d prefer to believe that, actually). Others worried about nuclear testing or other devastating possibilities, but without anything being “officially” reported, there was plenty of speculation and no real answers.

Let me end this update by saying YEA!!! Today’s the last day of the auto show!! Tomorrow’s driving should be a relative breeze (unless there is tear-down construction to remind us of the inconvenience). It was a short amount of time, actually, and you city dwellers are probably thinking we just whine out here in Shunyi with our little bit of extra traffic. However, the absence of traffic issues was likely one big draw of living out in the suburbs in the first place, and the lack of civil engineering prepared to deal with such traffic and parking needs of a huge exposition center is just beyond our understanding. I feel sorry for the businesses that suffered from the show – the congestion kept regular customers away, while expo attendees didn’t come to patronize their eateries and stores. Anyway, school activities are back to normal soon and we can all rest easy for the next two years before it descends upon us again. Yea!

Photo by mararie of flickr.