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Advertising Hotline 400 820 8428 城市漫步北京 How Hebei Province 英文版 5 月份 国内统一刊号: CN 11-5232/GO Is Building a Megacity China Intercontinental Press ISSN 1672-8025 Next Door MAY 2017 WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | MAY 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, Victor Liu, Polly Gao Contributors Mia Li, Dominic Ngai, Karoline Kan, Jonathan Chatwin, Flynn Murphy, Andrew Chin, 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 | MAY 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM Editor’s Note MAY 2017 DEALS We're giving away tickets to some of If you’d told me a decade ago that my third and fourth homes would be Tianjin and Hebei the very best Beijing (after London and Beijing), I would have questioned your sanity. Then I would have asked: Where are Tianjin and Hebei? But whether we realize it or not, both play a growing role in our lives. Their integration parties, openings, with the capital – forming the fabled 110-million-person megalopolis, Jing-Jin-Ji – is fully underway, meaning big changes at China’s usual (breakneck) speed. shows and talks all My experience is probably atypical for a Beijinger. After all, at That’s we publish a bi- monthly Tianjin supplement and report regularly on happenings in Hebei (you could say that we’re the magazine of choice for the modern Jing-Jin-Ji urbanite). Nonetheless, I’ve month, alongside seen an increasing amount of crossover in the three years I’ve been working in the region. Integration sounds great on paper: more connectivity, better infrastructure and less free meals, drinks, pressure on public services. But the process isn’t without its causalities. The seemingly indiscriminate bricking-up of your favorite hutongs in recent months can’t be viewed in iso- discounts and prizes. lation. The relocation of small businesses and markets – away from the city center and into surrounding areas – is a central pillar of the strategy. Bad news for your hutong neighbors, perhaps. But there’s hope for small business else- All you have to do where in the region. In this month’s cover story, we travel to the three rural counties set to be transformed into a Shenzhen-style Special Economic Zone, and learn that there’s a great is scan the QR code - patch from the site of the Xiongan New Area (page 46), nestled alongside an introduction to below, follow us on Hebei,deal of youroptimism most inimportant places set neighbor. to benefit from change in the region. You can read our dis Elsewhere in the magazine: Karoline Kan delves into Beijing’s booming industry for live-in maternity nurses (page 10); Dr. Jonathan Chatwin explores China’s 16th-century WeChat and keep an from a micro-hutong (in our recently revived interiors section, page 24); I chat 90s synthe- eye out for your chance sizersflirtations with with the posterglobalization boy of progressive(page 14); Dominique techno, Nathan Wong Fake finds (page out how 32); to and make Noelle a hostel Mateer eats her way through the city’s best new brunches (page 58) while bringing you her charac- teristically perspicacious roundup of the latest food and drink openings (from page 52). to win. You'll get some other great stuff on your phone too. Oscar Holland Editor-in-Chief FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA ThatsBeijing twitter.com/ThatsBeijing facebook.com/ThatsBeijing WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | MAY 2017 | 3 6 CITY 7 TALES OF THE CITY Green cards are improving – not that you have one 13 OLYMPIC PROPORTIONS Beijing’s iconic, and bizarre, Olympic Observation Tower 14 PROTO-GLOBAL China’s surprising role in 16th century trade networks 14 18 LIFE & STYLE 21 FLOAT ON BY The latest openings include a studio for ‘floating therapy’ 22 YEEZUS WALKS This season’s hottest Kanye West-inspired kicks 24 SPACE JAM 21 Building a Beijing hostel from a micro-hutong 28 ARTS 32 NO FAKING THIS Progressive techno’s poster boy Nathan Fake 34 WET YOUR WHISTLE We guide you through Wetware Festival’s killer lineup 36 GATECRASHERS Maybe Mars’ latest signings, Gate to Otherside 36 52 EAT & DRINK 56 IMMITATION, FLATTERY New joint Peri-Peri looks suspiciously familiar 58 BRUNCH IN THE FACE Put on your Sunday best, it’s brunchin’ time 60 BEAUTY AND THE BISTRO The best new French restaurant 57 in town is… affordable? 4 | MAY 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM Meet Beijing’s live-in 40 OH, BABY maternity nurses 42 HEBEI OR THE HIGHWAY Beijing’s neighbor is about to change your world P39 WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | MAY 2017 | 5 CITY PODIUM FINISH Architects and Beijing residents take on Beijing’s belated Olympic Park Observation Tower, p13 Ask a Laobeijing Maternity Matrons Chinese Urban Dictionary p8 p10 p17 TALES OF THE CITY TALES PREMIERING SUMMER 2017: NEW GREEN CARDS FOR EXPATS by Bridget O’Donnell Expats in Beijing take note: China will soon up from the current ones, which are often of many new initiatives being undertaken begin replacing green cards for foreigners incompatible with ID-reading machines. But to help attract more foreign talent to the with ‘smart cards.’ Starting in July as part the number of digits on the current green country. Last month, China said that it would of a new initiative by the Ministry of Public cards differs from that of Chinese IDs. And Security, the new cards aim to make daily life holders will likely need to carry their pass- foreigners. In January, it was announced that easier for expats working in China. ports anyway, given that many locals have foreignersbe launching with a five-year postgraduate work degreespermit for could Foreigners with permanent residence never seen a green card. obtain Z visas without prior work experience. permits will be able to exchange them for a Foreigners will be able to apply for the And last year, foreigners over the age of 60 new card, which has been snappily named new cards this summer, once training and were allowed to obtain work permits (pro- ‘Foreigner’s Permanent Residence Identity technical work takes place in June. In the vided they were senior executives in large Card.’ meantime, current green card holders can corporations). Once they request to renew their current still use their existing cards until the expira- China has also recently altered the work permits, applicants will receive a smart card tion date. Around 7,000 foreigners — includ- permit application process, switching to a embedded with a machine-readable chip ing former NBA star and soon-to-be-released containing identity information. The data can Beijing Ducks player Stephon Marbury — workers into three categories: ‘A’ for top- be shared with railways, airlines, insurance were granted permanent residence in China tieredpoint-based talent, grading ‘B’ for professional system which talent classifies and agencies, hotels and banks. in the 10 years after the green card program ‘C’ for unskilled workers or those working in The new cards will be similar to Chinese launched in 2004. This number is just a frac- the service industry. That also coincides with citizens’ ID cards, and can be used at different tion of the 600,000-plus foreigners who are a new ‘work permit card,’ which is said to government agencies and institutions. This estimated to have lived in the country during replace the standard employment permit and will make it easier for expats to do things this time.