The Citywide Renovations Changing Beijing As We Know It Follow us on WeChat Now Advertising Hotline 400 820 8428 城市漫步北京 英文版 6 月份 国内统一刊号: CN 11-5232/GO China Intercontinental Press ISSN 1672-8025 JUNE 2017 WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | JUNE 2017 | 1 主管单位 : 中华人民共和国国务院新闻办公室 Supervised by the State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China 主办单位 : 五洲传播出版社 地址 : 北京西城月坛北街 26 号恒华国际商务中心南楼 11 层文化交流中心 邮编 100045 Published by China Intercontinental Press Address: 11th Floor South Building, HengHua linternational Business Center, 26 Yuetan North Street, Xicheng District, Beijing 100045, PRC http://www.cicc.org.cn 总编辑 Editor in Chief 慈爱民 Ci Aimin 期刊部负责人 Supervisor of Magazine Department 邓锦辉 Deng Jinhui 编辑 Editor 李靥 Li Ye 发行 / 市场 Distribution / Marketing 黄静，李若琳 Huang Jing, Li Ruolin Editor-in-Chief Oscar Holland Food & Drink Editor Noelle Mateer Staff Reporter Dominique Wong National Arts Editor Erica Martin Digital Content Editor Justine Lopez Designers Iris Wang Contributors Victor Liu, Mia Li, Dominic Ngai, Jocelyn Richards, Kim Wall, Xia Zhi, Jens Bakker HK FOCUS MEDIA Shanghai (Head office) 上海和舟广告有限公司 上海市蒙自路 169 号智造局 2 号楼 305-306 室 邮政编码 : 200023 Room 305-306, Building 2, No.169 Mengzi Lu, Shanghai 200023 电话 : 021-8023 2199 传真 : 021-8023 2190 (From February 13) Beijing 广告代理 : 上海和舟广告有限公司 北京市东城区东直门外大街 48 号东方银座 C 座 9G 邮政编码 : 100027 48 Dongzhimenwai Dajie Oriental Kenzo (Ginza Mall), Building C, Room 9G, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100027 电话 : 010-8447 7002 传真 : 010-8447 6455 Guangzhou 上海和舟广告有限公司广州分公司 广州市越秀区麓苑路 42 号大院 2 号楼 610 房 邮政编码 : 510095 Room 610, No. 2 Building, Area 42, Lu Yuan Lu, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, PRC 510095 电话 : 020-8358 6125, 传真 : 020-8357 3859-800 Shenzhen 广告代理 : 上海和舟广告有限公司广州分公司 深圳市福田区彩田路星河世界大厦 C1-1303 C1-1303, Galaxy Century Building, Cai Tian Road, Futian District, Shenzhen 电话 : 0755-8623 3220, 传真 : 0755-8623 3219 Operations Manager Ning Zhu Sales Manager Henry Zeng Sales Emma Cao, Jessica Zhou, Anita Wang, Betty Wang Marketing Manager Justin Culkin Marketing Assistants Vivid Zhu, Polina Ozhylevska National Operation CEO Leo Zhou Sales Project Director Henry Zeng Head of Communication Ned Kelly Financial Manager Laura Lu HR/Admin Director Penny Li Head of Digital Vickie Guo Digital Content Manager Bridget O'Donnell Digital Peggy Zhu, Miller Yue, Amanda Bao, Stephen Geng, Orange Wang, Yu Sun General enquiries (010) 8447 7002 Editorial (010) 8447 6455 [email protected] Events (010) 8447 6455 [email protected] Distribution/Subscription (010) 8447 7002 [email protected] Marketing (010) 8447 7603 [email protected] Advertising (010) 8447 7073 [email protected] 广告经营许可证 : 京海工商广字第 8069 号 法律顾问 : 大成律师事务所 魏君贤律师 Legal Advisor: Wei Junxian, Dacheng Law Firm 国际标准刊号 ISSN 1672-8025 国内统一刊号 CN 11-5232/GO 定价 : 25.00 元 邮发代号 : 2-930 部分非卖品 , 仅限赠阅 www.thatsmags.com 2 | JUNE 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM Editor’s Note JUNE 2017 DEALS We're giving away A Farewell tickets to some of So, after 40 issues and more than three years at the magazine, it’s time for me to pack away the very best Beijing my editor’s pen and bid farewell to That’s Beijing. It has been a gratifying, fascinating and, at times, utterly surreal journey. parties, openings, In truth, my job has always been an easy one. China is bursting with stories waiting to be told. Pursuing them has taken me to bodybuilding competitions in Shanghai, ghost cit- ies outside Tianjin and a cruise ship on the Bohai Sea, but the most captivating tales have shows and talks all always unfolded here in Beijing. I hope that during my time at the magazine – as Editor-in- month, alongside This month’s cover story feels like an appropriate one to end my editorship on. Having dedicatedChief and beforemany column– we’ve inchesbeen able to the to producerestructuring a magazine of the regionbefitting – the of this creation great ofcity. a Seventh free meals, drinks, Ring Road (October 2014), the new CBD being built in Tongzhou district (October 2015) and the announcement of a Shenzhen-style economic zone in Hebei (last month) – it’s now time to see what changes are happening closer to home. discounts and prizes. Great Bricking of 2017), and I considered it our duty to explore the public renovations in All you have to do moreWe depth.are in theNot midst only is of this a huge, a local citywide issue that gentrification many of us drive feel passionately (or as it’s known about to – many, it's also the one that is profoundly important to the future of our city. Like so many things in Beijing, is scan the QR code report on page 42. theFinally, matter I’d is likemore to complex put on record than it how first privileged seems, and I feel you to can have read worked Noelle with Mateer’s so many excellent tal- below, follow us on ented writers, editors, designers and photographers in putting together this magazine each month. I leave you in their very capable hands. WeChat and keep an eye out for your chance to win. You'll get some other great stuff on your phone too. Oscar Holland Editor-in-Chief FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA ThatsBeijing Our design intern Polly offers an accurate depiction of life at Thats – I’m gonna miss this lot (L-R: Polly, Iris, Noelle, me drinking wine in the office, Justine, Dominique and Victor) twitter.com/ThatsBeijing facebook.com/ThatsBeijing WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | JUNE 2017 | 3 6 CITY 7 TALES OF THE CITY Meet the artist who walked around the Sixth Ring 10 MAD REN Understanding China’s booming advertising industry 15 SLANG OUT This month: A new word for China’s social hierarchy 7 16 LIFE & STYLE 21 LOOKING FLY The 80s called – they want their aviators back 26 INTERIORS Behind the design of Beijing’s freshest arts school 28 BOY OH BUOYANT 21 So, sensory deprivation is now called ‘floating therapy’ 30 ARTS 34 NUMBERS GAME Catching up with Chinese rock legends P.K.14 38 THE JURY’S IN China’s biggest new albums get the review treatment 39 SOULJA OF MISFORTUNE We get stood up by US rapper Soulja Boy 34 52 EAT & DRINK 56 CHINESE BURGERS Because who really comes to Beijing for Western ones? 59 HOME AND MALAY Nyonya Kitchen opens new Guomao branch 61 SILENCE IS GOLDEN 59 A new cafe for the deaf and hearing impaired 4 | JUNE 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM 22 THE WORLD, SEEN FROM CHINA The country’s best entries in this year’s Sony World Photography Awards 42 ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL What’s behind the urban renovations sweeping Beijing? P40 WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | JUNE 2017 | 5 CITY THE AGE OF ADS How effective is Chinese advertising? p10 Tai Chi vs MMA A Rad Hotel Chinese Urban Dictionary p8 p14 p15 TALES OF THE CITY TALES ARTIST WALKS SIXTH RING TO MAP BEIJING words by Dominique Wong images by Gareth Wood Above: A detail from Wood’s ‘London Town’ Left: The Sixth Ring Road How do you see Beijing? In shades of gray he passed each day. It was, he says, “more so I can’t guarantee a map of knowledge and concrete and red bricks, perhaps? Well, for about the journey.” expertise. There will be historical references British artist Gareth Wood, Beijing is all black And although it was a solo journey, the art- but I can’t have that level of understanding of and white. (Or will be, at least.) ist was never completely alone. He created the place – and I don’t claim to. I want people The London native, who goes by the pen a WeChat group called ‘Walk in Progress,’ to look at it and say ‘that is a contemporary name Fuller, spent a week walking Beijing’s whose members followed his expedition and picture of Beijing.’” entire Sixth Ring Road in April. He was con- shared tips. There were also others on the Wood is prepared for a task of this scale, ducting research for an upcoming artwork – a road, although they were “just walking to having already completed similar maps black and white map of Beijing. But this isn’t work using their feet – it was a popular mode of London and Bristol. The former, titled a map in the traditional sense. of transport.” ‘London Town,’ (detail pictured above) took Wood specializes in a form of map-drawing Beginning early in the morning and march- a whopping 10 years to complete, and was that relies more on experience – illustrated ing well into the night, Wood concedes the acquired by The British Library. During our through symbolic imagery – than topography. open road hike was “quite dangerous.” At one chat, Wood seems optimistic that his Beijing Although Wood doesn’t like the term, he de- point he fell into a deep drain and twisted his print will take considerably less time. scribes it to us as a form of ‘psycheography’ ankle. Often the paths, which he tracked on “I could be here for up to two years, or the – “Geography based on emotions, the mind Google Maps, would simply end, leaving him work could be completed before Christmas. and psychology, basically the way a place af- staring at bare riverbeds and unbuilt bridges. It just depends on how I feel, how the work fects you.” He walked through stretches of empty high- develops and how my experience of the city The maps’ monochromatic color schemes unfolds.” produce surprisingly vivid and detailed de- hearing a car-horn that wouldn’t stop beep- For now, Wood is enjoying painting at his ing,rises, it whichwasn’t “felt until like Wood a film-set.” came closer And afterthat base in Tongzhou district during the morning and somber references, inviting observers he realized a man had fallen asleep on the and exploring the city by day.