Mourning Loss of a Beijing Bookstore

The Bookworm was a wonderful place to learn more about China in English

Today came sad news from Beijing -- The Bookworm is closing next Monday, November 11. For many expats in the Chinese capital go there to not only find books, but also meet people, have a drink, have lunch, hang out, and write their memoirs (I know at least one journalist did!).

For me it was a great place to listen to all kinds of speakers talk about China, and they were all pretty frank about the politics, the economy, social and environmental issues. But they were also very excited about what they were discovering.

Paleontologist Xu Xing talked about his field work

I remember paleontologist Xu Xing talking about discovering dinosaurs in Liaoning province and how there are so many dinosaurs yet to be unearthed and what they can tell us about prehistoric life in what is geographically China now.

One year I interviewed Howard Goldblatt, who through his winding career that started off in the US Army led to him studying Chinese in Taiwan and had a knack for learning the language so much so that he became a translator.

And listening to him talk about what it's like to translate a novel, and in particular Chinese -- you have to really understand what the author meant to say in the passage to be able to convey that in a similar writing style but in English.

He translated Wolf Totem, a semi-autobiographical novel by Jiang Rong, that talks about young people being sent down to remote Inner Mongolia and learning the ways of the nomadic people there and how wolves are critical to the ecosystem.

Academic Howard Goldblatt on the intricacies of translation

The Bookworm held the Literary Festival every year and there were always interesting authors coming through, or people who live in Beijing but I didn't know about. I always tried to catch as many of these as I could to get different perspectives on things.

Sadly the bookstore and unofficial community centre is closing down because it is an "illegal structure".

General manager David Cantaloupo explained The Bookworm was originally started on Sanlitun Beilu in 2002 and then moved to Courtyard 4 in Sanlitun, diagonally opposite Sanlitun Village.

"[When] they started to privatize state-run enterprises 20 years ago, regulations were looser then," he says. "[The bookshop was built] on a pump room. It doesn't have an address. It's [built on] a structure that was never [transformed] into things that they can rent out. [It is an illegal structure]. We've been paying rent here for a long time.

Many authors came to the Literary Festival every year

"[The government] are trying to clean up Beijing. City planners are trying to get things in order. Whether there's anything else behind it, it is unclear to us," Cantalupo said.

In a statement that was disseminated this afternoon, the bookstore thanked everyone for their support and hoped to keep The Bookworm going.

"While we attempt to reorganize and find a new location, we wish to say what an honor and a pleasure it has been to have played a small part in fostering cultural exchange, promoting literature and an appreciation of the arts during an incredibly exciting era in Beijing, and indeed for China as a whole."

I hope the owners do find a new location and keep The Bookworm going. It's doing a massive public service to bridge the gap between East and West, creating greater understanding of China, and at the same time making us expats feel like we're not alone in Beijing.

Luxury Impervious to Boycotts?

Even Alibaba's Jack Ma wears a Canada Goose jacket at Davos

Previously it was very easy for the Chinese government to direct its citizens' anger at countries that it felt had angered them, through boycotts.

For example, many of a certain age refuse to consume any kind of Japanese products due to what happened during the Sino-Japanese war. I had one colleague who followed this boycott, refusing to buy a Japanese car or eat sushi because of how her grandparents were treated during the war.

When the Chinese boycotted Lotte because of THAAD

More recently there have been boycotts of South Korean products after the installment of THAAD, a controversial US anti-missile system on a golf course owned by conglomerate Lotte.

Chinese companies dropped their associations with Lotte, which has candy factories, entertainment, beverages and supermarkets in China. While these domestic firms garnered patriotic admiration from consumers, how long did it take for them to go back to purchasing their favourite Lotte items again?

Canada Goose were justifiably worried when it was about to open its store in Sanlitun in Beijing when the arrest of Huawei CFO Sabrina Meng Wanzhou was made in Vancouver on December 1. The store that sells premium down jackets delayed its opening by two weeks, due to "ongoing construction", perhaps in the hopes consumers wouldn't associate its brand with the legal incident.

But it seems Canada Goose has nothing to worry about.

Long lines at Canada Goose in Sanlitun Village in Beijing

Despite social media messages instructing people to boycott the Canada Goose boutique, the store opened on December 28 and it was so busy that staff were forced to restrict entry, forcing customers to wait outside for over 30 minutes in minus 12 degrees Celsius weather.

Even three days after opening, customers had to wait an hour to get into the store.

The reasons why people ignored the calls for boycotts?

One person said, "Why would I boycott Canada Goose? If Meng Wanzhou can buy houses and a Canadian residence permit, why can't I buy some Canadian clothes?"

Another questioned why a Canadian company should be responsible for its government's actions. "Why would I boycott an enterprise that didn't do anything wrong?"

The call for the boycott that never happened also gave the Canadian brand more exposure to the Chinese who had never heard of the company before, and even motivated those who could afford it to even go to the store to buy one of those prized jackets to keep warm in.

Perhaps this shows that China's biggest consumers, young people, are "driven by fashion tastes, not politics", according to some pundits. Maybe in this case the jackets that retail on average for CAD$800-$1,000 is a luxury product that is immune to boycotts or these millennials need more patriotic education from the Party...

“why would I boycott Canada Goose? If Meng Wanzhou can buy houses and a Canadian residence permit, why can’t I buy some Canadian clothes?”) while others questioned the validity of making a Canadian company responsible for the Canadian government’s action. (“Why would I boycott an enterprise that didn’t do anything wrong?”).

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“why would I boycott Canada Goose? If Meng Wanzhou can buy houses and a Canadian residence permit, why can’t I buy some Canadian clothes?”) while others questioned the validity of making a Canadian company responsible for the Canadian government’s action. (“Why would I boycott an enterprise that didn’t do anything wrong?”).

This is original content by What's on Weibo that requires investment. You are free to link to this article. Please identify this website or author when you base content on this source or quote from it. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com to buy additional rights. Copyright (C) https://www.whatsonweibo.com. Read more at: https://www.whatsonweibo.com/chinese-consumers-indifferent-to-diplomatic-spat-between-china-and-canada-as-canada-goose-boycott-backlashes/?utm_source=SupChina+Free+Newsletter&utm_campaign=3e4c604352-20180920+newsletter_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_96063830a5-3e4c604352-165094247

“why would I boycott Canada Goose? If Meng Wanzhou can buy houses and a Canadian residence permit, why can’t I buy some Canadian clothes?”)

This is original content by What's on Weibo that requires investment. You are free to link to this article. Please identify this website or author when you base content on this source or quote from it. Do not reproduce our content without permission – you can contact us at info@whatsonweibo.com to buy additional rights. Copyright (C) https://www.whatsonweibo.com. Read more at: https://www.whatsonweibo.com/chinese-consumers-indifferent-to-diplomatic-spat-between-china-and-canada-as-canada-goose-boycott-backlashes/?utm_source=SupChina+Free+Newsletter&utm_campaign=3e4c604352-20180920+newsletter_COPY_02&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_96063830a5-3e4c604352-165094247

Beijing Not Completely Cashless

It's so easy to buy things with your phone -- if you have WeChat Pay or AliPay

Last year I had a heck of a time buying things in cash when I visited Beijing because I didn't have WeChat Pay or AliPay. I remember going to JNBY, a domestic fashion brand and buying a dress there at their outlet in Sanlitun Village, and having to give exact change because they didn't have any cash whatsoever.

You can even take the subway by using your smartphone

But this time paying in cash was not a problem. It turns out in July, China's central bank issued a directive that the yuan was the country's legal currency and no units or individuals should refuse payment in cash.

During this trip some places would ask if we would pay by Weixin (WeChat) or cash, and we'd reply the latter; otherwise they would just accept cash no problem.

In subway stations you had to add money into the card using a machine instead of asking the person in the ticket booth to do it for you. However, at Beijing Capital International Airport (T3), the person there will help you add money to your card with cash.

Some people don't even use the Beijing subway card to ride the metro -- they use an app on their phone that they scan at the turnstile. 

There were only two instances where we had a slight problem -- two restaurants I went to expected us to order our food using WeChat. In one case my friend who lives in Beijing did the ordering (and paying) on WeChat at Beijing WTown -- in Miyun district, way outside of Beijing!

But getting a McFlurry required cold, hard cash

But in the other instance at a dumpling shop in a shopping mall in Wudaokou, we told them we didn't have WeChat so they took our order using a little handheld device and we paid in cash.

And then late one night my friend had a craving for a McFlurry -- even though we had just eaten a full-on dinner -- and made a pit stop at McDonald's near our hotel.

The thing is, their electronic payment system wasn't working so people had to pay in cash! They had to turn away several customers who only had money in their smartphones...
 

Picture of the Day: Mid-Autumn Moon

The moon is clearly visible from Sanlitun Village in Beijing

I have arrived in Beijing for a few days and during the day it seemed like the city wasn't too busy as it's Mid-Autumn Festival. Perhaps they would rather stay home to avoid the crowds or just celebrate the day off at home.

The weather here is perfect, mid 20s and a bit cooler in the evenings where wearing a light jacket is enough to keep warm.

This evening the sky was so clear that the moon was clearly visible. It wasn't huge, but very bright!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! 

The Effects of Pushing out "Low-End Population"

Migrant workers gathering their things and getting ready to leave Beijing

Last night I met up with a friend from Beijing who's visiting Hong Kong and we caught up since we last met up.

I asked him about the evictions of the migrant workers and he shook his head, sad at the turn of events.

Following a fire in Beijing's Daxing district that killed 19 people, the local government has used the tragedy as an excuse to get rid of the "low-end population", though this campaign has been happening for the past year.

Parts of Sanlitun have been completely demolished

When I was in Beijing in April, the back streets of Sanlitun, where many expats hung out and used to buy cheap DVDs, or have manicures and pedicures, massages and buy cheap clothing and food, were being torn down.

"Beijingers are happy the streets are cleaned up and feel that the city is now becoming more international like London and New York," my friend said, adding he didn't like Beijing anymore because these colourful aspects of the city were now fast disappearing.

In other words, Beijing is gentrifying.

He told me about a small restaurant across the street from where he lived. It wasn't really a restaurant -- a kind of shack -- where they sold all kinds of food, from jianbing or a savoury pancake, to fried chicken wings, noodles and char-grilled lamb skewers called chuar.

It was run by a bunch of young guys from Henan. While my friend described them as a bit on the tough side, perhaps dealing in things other than food, they were nice people, who he got to know as acquaintances. He'd stop by after work for a beer, or pick up a snack for his wife to bring back home, and have a quick friendly chat. They were also open until 5am.

But now they were gone and he didn't know where they went. More importantly he didn't know where to get his snacks and drinks now.

Some people are hardly given much notice to leave

The small cigarette and liquor shops that supposedly sold items that were collected by senior government officials as "gifts" and sold for cheap are also gone. The last time I was there, the closet-sized sex shops had also disappeared.

Not all expats have the same view as my friend who is from the UK and has lived in Beijing for many years. These foreigners like seeing migrant workers gone and the streets are now cleaner, or getting rid of businesses that didn't fit in the neighbourhood, like the aforementioned shack selling food and perhaps were noisy late into the night.

Nevertheless these were businesses that were convenient, cheap and useful for many residents, and what are left behind are empty stalls, or areas that have been completely demolished, leaving no trace of their previous existence.

However my friend has the last laugh -- expats are complaining it's hard to find an ayi (a maid) these days. Gee, I wonder why?

He says his ayi may leave next year if she too is pressured, but doesn't know where to go. She doesn't want to go back to Anhui province, and do what? She has lived in Beijing for over a decade and makes good money cleaning people's flats.

The Beijing government may think it's doing a good thing getting rid of the "low-end population", but really it's shooting itself in the foot. These migrant workers keep the city going. They were the ones who built all the new buildings and infrastructure, but you deny their children education because they don't have hukou or a residence permit, and now you force them to leave because you consider them an eyesore?

How is that equality in the so-called socialist People's Republic of China?

Picture of the Day: Jianbing Breakfast

Delicious local breakfast option in Beijing -- Jianbing!

In Beijing I stayed in a hotel in Dongsishitiao, a very convenient location to get to Sanlitun, and to Dongzhimen one subway stop away (or a 20 minute walk).

The woman who helped me checking into the hotel asked if I wanted breakfast in the hotel -- which would cost over 100 kuai. I said no, because I knew there were other cheaper options nearby.

Last time I stayed at this hotel I bought food next door at Starbucks, but this time I decided to go local.

Behind Poly Theater there is a small street with lots of small shops. One of them sells jianbing.

There are carbs for sure, but protein and vegetables too!

For the uninitiated, jianbing is a large savoury pancake that is folded like a square sandwich.

Every morning I would watch the woman make it. She put some batter on a large black round hotplate and then use a wooden tool to smooth it out. Then she cracked an egg on it, and then used the tool again to break the yolk and spread it over the crepe. After that was done she would sprinkle black sesame on top.

By this time the crepe is done on one side, and she deftly uses a scraper around the bottom to loosen it and then flips it over by holding onto it with her thumbs and the scrapers.

Then she adds a dark brown sauce I believe is similar to the ones used for Peking duck and spreads it all over the cooked side of the crepe. She asks if I want chilli sauce and I decline, and she continues by adding pickled and slightly spicy vegetables, raw chopped onions and coriander.

To finish she adds a rectangular piece of puffed cracker in the middle and then folds the crepe on two sides, then makes a crease with the scraper on each of the long ends of the cracker so that it can now fold into a square, and folds the rest of the crepe.

It's put into a waxy paper envelope and then into a plastic bag.

The flavour is definitely umami, with a touch of spiciness and crunch from the vegetables and the cracker. So good.

And only for 6 kuai!

I told my expat friend how much I paid for it and she said that it was about average, though she added some places charge as much as 15 kuai, which she thought was a rip-off.

I remember them being about 3 kuai a few years ago, but that's inflation for you.

Nevertheless it's still a bargain and I was able to eat a late lunch without feeling hungry in between!

Well Appointed Beijing Bar

An impressive and cozy bar near the Sanlitun area that feels so English

On my last night in Beijing, a good friend of mine took me to have a pre-dinner drink at a quaint bar in the diplomatic residence compound, or DRC. It's across from the New Zealand consulate and it's called Night & Nice.

Once you walk in, you're transported into a traditional English library or pub, with an impressive long bar, exposed brick walls, and comfortable nooks with leather couches to have quiet conversations.

You can even sit outside (weather permitting) and enjoy a drink as the sun goes down.

Bottles of whiskey line the wall along the leather couches

According to my friend, the owner Vincent Guo didn't live or study abroad, but the decor is so English, complete with mini deer heads cast in metal as coat or bag hooks under the bar table. The details are what makes this place so cool.

The drinks menu has an extensive list of whiskies to choose from, though there are also wines and classic cocktails like vesper martinis. We had a fruity drink that reminded my friend of a whipped up sangria in that it was easy to drink.

We sat back, admired the sunset and then went inside and soaked up the cozy atmosphere, where the wait staff are dressed smartly in shirts and vests and are very polite.

How refreshing to find something like this in Beijing!

Night & Nice

4 Sanlitun Dong San Jie

(+86) 5773 5949

Roast Duck Empire

Talk about a flashy entrance for one of Beijing's top restaurants!

What's a trip to Beijing without eating Peking duck? And the best place in the Chinese capital to eat it?

Da Dong Roast Duck or Da Dong Kao Ya.

My friends suggested we dine at one of the nine locations I've never been too -- Gongren Tiyuchang Dong Lu, or Workers' Stadium East Road, a block from Sanlitun.

The half portion of roast duck neatly displayed on the plate

I arrived early to find that diners walk a long catwalk into this field with sculpted life-size horses, and in the middle is a "pond" filled with "reeds" that are blue LED lights with a wooden walkway in the middle.

It's very... gawdy which surprised me, as the Dongsishitiao location I used to frequent is in what was formerly the imperial granary, quite a classy place.

But here inside it gets even better. There's a massive screen, almost floor to ceiling (and it's a high ceiling) that shows off many of the gorgeous-looking dishes from his menu, and footage of him giving cooking demonstrations in Europe, hunting for white truffles, and being lauded by laowai, or foreigners.

As a diner facing the screen, it's really distracting to say the least... and there's more horses inside too...

Rapeseed flowers that didn't have much taste

Nevertheless, the food thankfully is still pretty consistent. The menu is a massive tome, a large rectangular book where each page is filled with beautifully-photographed dishes. You kind of need bookmarks to record possible dishes to order, otherwise you'll never find them again.

We ordered the half duck, and as before, it's juicy, tender and the skin isn't too fatty or oily. The pancakes are warm and thin, and we wrap the duck slices with the sauce, spring onions, radish, cucumber, a dab of mashed garlic, and preserved vegetables. They're so addictive that you have to have another one...

A new dish we tried was a massive vegetarian dumpling shaped like a bun, but it's not doughy. Inside was choc full of vegetables and cubed bamboo shoots. This was delicious and the crunchy texture was refreshing.

Braised eggplant with garlic and garnished with flowers

The braised eggplant dish was also a treat, decorated with flowers it was almost too pretty to eat. The slices of eggplant were well seasoned with soy and hoisin, and texture-wise were quite meaty.

However a disappointing dish was one of rapeseed flowers. While they looked pretty on the plate, they didn't have much taste to them, but now we know... it wasn't an expensive dish, but an interesting experiment to try.

Finally we had some mochi filled with durian paste that was fun to eat and the taste of the usually pungent fruit wasn't too intense. The restaurant also served some fresh strawberries that were surprisingly sweet.

Green-coloured mochi filled with durian paste

The chef-owner Dong Zhengxiang is not only a solid chef, but also a smart businessman. So much so that he's ambitious enough to open a Da Dong branch in New York! It will be located in 3 Bryant Park in Manhattan, New York and the rent isn't cheap -- 13,000 square feet there was asking for US$2.3 million per year...

I also heard he is using top quality chinaware with plates that cost 3,000 yuan (US$435) per piece...

Sounds like for Dong, it's go big or go home in the Big Apple...

Da Dong

Beijing Workers' Stadium East Road

Chaoyang District
(010) 6551 1806