How One Company Follow us on WeChat Now is Selling Dreams Advertising Hotline 400 820 8428 and Dish Soap 城市漫步北京 英文版 11 月份 国内统一刊号: CN 11-5232/GO in China China Intercontinental Press ISSN 1672-8025 NOVEMBER 2017 WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | NOVEMBER 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 社长 President of China Intercontinental Press 陈陆军 Chen Lujun 期刊部负责人 Supervisor of Magazine Department 邓锦辉 Deng Jinhui 编辑 Editor 朱莉莉 Zhu Lili 发行 Circulation 李若琳 Li Ruolin Editor-in-Chief Noelle Mateer Deputy Editor Dominique Wong National Arts Editor Erica Martin Digital Content Editor Justine Lopez Designer Iris Wang Contributors Dominic Ngai, Jocelyn Richards, Mia Li, Sky Thomas Gidge, Yuka Hayashi, Vivian Liu, Zaruf Ezhan, Qinxin Lu, Holly Baer, Gabriel Clermont, Tan Siok Siok, Marco Costantini 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, Location: 08-10 Podium Floor W3 Building Oriental Plaza, Wangfujing TEL : 010-56076596 Dongcheng District, Beijing 100027 Behind the Elevator at W3 Lobby 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 Happy Hour18:00--20:00 Everyday Craft Beer Buy 1 Get 1 Free Office Manager Vivid Zhu Sales Manager Emma Cao Sales Jessica Zhou, Anita Wang, Betty Wang National Operation CEO Leo Zhou Sales Project Director Henry Zeng Head of Communication Ned Kelly Financial Manager Laura Lu Location: 11-15 Podium Floor W3 Building Oriental Plaza, Wangfujing TEL :010-56075290 HR/Admin Director Penny Li Head of Digital Vickie Guo Digital Content Manager Bridget O'Donnell Digital Miller Yue, Amanda Bao, Orange Wang, Yu Sun, Elsa Yang, Jimmy Mi 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 | NOVEMBER 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM Editor’s Note NOVEMBER 2017 DEALS We're giving away tickets to some of I stumbled upon this month’s cover story because I wanted a donut. I was at the newest branch of Dunkin Donuts, you know, “checking it out for the maga- the very best Beijing zine,” when I noticed something strange: I was the only one there. And yet Rich & Jay, the cafe next door, was packed. I’d heard of neither Rich nor Jay, but their parties, openings, faces were everywhere – on the cafe’s walls, to-go cups and merch. It was… creepy. The more I explored this wing of Sanlitun’s new Pacific Century Plaza, the shows and talks all more I found to be creeped out by. Rich DeVos and Jay Van Andel are the found- ers of Amway, the massive American direct-selling company, that’s frequently month, alongside been accused of being a pyramid scheme. The Rich & Jay cafe is inside Beijing’s first Amway Experience Center, where on-site tour guides lead visitors through free meals, drinks, museum-like displays about the company with an almost cult-like fervor. Again, creepy. Amway, which stands for American Way, has a rocky history in China – discounts and prizes. the government banned it, along with other companies it deemed pyramid schemes, in 1998, but allowed it back in 2005, under strict regulations. With All you have to do the Chinese government threatening a new pyramid scheme crackdown this year, I wondered – how will Amway get around this? Do these massive Experience Centers have anything to do with it? And what is the ‘American is scan the QR code Way,’ anyway? Read about all of this in this month’s cover story (p. 42). Elsewhere in the magazine, Dominic Ngai details the surprising history be- below, follow us on hind China’s pretty-boy pop stars (p. 10); Erica Martin talks to ‘desert blues’ legends Tinariwen (p. 34); and Dominique Wong takes us both to Singapore (p. WeChat and keep an 24) and a creepy-as-hell teddy bear restaurant (p. 59). Until next month, eye out for your chance to win. You'll get some other great stuff on your phone too. Noelle Mateer Editor-in-Chief FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA ThatsBeijing twitter.com/ThatsBeijing facebook.com/ThatsBeijing WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | NOVEMBER 2017 | 3 6 CITY 7 A BIKER’S HIGH(WAY) Beijing’s highway for bicycles gets the go-ahead 8 PLEBS VS CELEBS Young and old Beijingers on whether they follow celebrities 10 THE FRAGILE STARS The link between Confucius and xiaoxianrou 7 18 LIFE & STYLE 21 SCENE & HEARD This month’s new openings are in Sanlitun, obviously 20 ONE FOR ALL A guide to the Formula One x Asia 28 KEEP IT UNDER WRAPS 21 Cool scarfs to keep you warm this winter 30 ARTS 34 THE BLUES CREW Introducing Mali desert blues rockers Tinariwen 36 HIS DARK MATERIALS DJ Josh Cheon on catharsis and The Cure 37 SOUNDS GOOD A closer look at new China album releases 34 52 EAT & DRINK 57 THE BARBECUE KING Jing-A’s new brewpub is a game changer 58 NO FILTER The man behind Beijing cafe guide Black White Filter 59 CHARLIE CHAPLIN 59 …strikes again with Chaplin Bar & Kitchen 4 | NOVEMBER 2017 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM 42 THE AMERICAN DREAM The dramatic past – and future – of direct-selling schemes in China 14 HUTONG CALLING Beijing’s alleyways, before the bricks P40 WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | NOVEMBER 2017 | 5 CITY ANOTHER TIME A photo book captures the city's hutongs before the bricks, p14 Generation Gap Robocops Chinese Urban Dictionary p8 p8 p17 TALES OF THE CITY TALES BEIJING’S “BICYCLE HIGHWAY” GETS THE GREEN LIGHT by Justine Lopez Beijing may soon be home to its first-ever whereas the capital’s bicycle expressway is Beijing officials also hopes this will promote “bicycle highway” – a two-lane roadway that being built specifically for commuters. green modes of transportation in a smog- will be completely dedicated to cyclists. The Traffic between the areas of Huilongguan, riddled city. With the bicycle highway, Beijing proposed expressway will stretch 9km and Shangdi and Zhongguancun has become is capitalizing on the current shared-bike connect the northwest areas of Huilongguan notorious in recent years, and it’s trend that has swept the capital in the past and Shangdi with tech hub Zhongguancun. estimated that one-fifth of residents living year. There are currently 2.4 million shared Although the project is still in its research in Huilongguan work in Zhongguancun bikes in Beijing – so many that the local phases, construction is expected to begin and 16 percent work in Shangdi. The new government banned new shared bikes from next year, China Daily reports. expressway would help ease traffic and entering the city in September. The announcement was made by Beijing reduce commute times. The bicycle expressway is just one of many city center deputy director Gan Feng early So far, the bicycle highway is welcome bike-oriented projects currently underway last month, but plans have been in the works news to locals. in the capital. Beijing also plans to construct since last year. Although the specifics of the “Of course I will use it,” Hu Xia, a resident 600km of pedestrian walkways and bicycle project are yet to be released, initial plans of Huilongguan who works in Zhongguancun, lanes by the end of this year and 3,200km of show that the road will have two lanes, be 5 tells That’s Beijing. “I found out about this pedestrian and bicycle paths by 2020. to 7 meters wide and consist of both elevated news last year. [I think it's a good idea] and ground-level tracks. because it will shorten my time to work, and The issue with existing ‘bicycle-only’ I liked traveling by bike in my spare time paths and lanes in the capital is that they before I had a baby. So when I heard the are often overrun with cars and motorbikes. news, I was excited.” The proposed bicycle highway will avoid It will only take 20 to 30 minutes to cycle this by being built away from other streets from Huilongguan to Zhongguancun via the and highways. In addition, e-bikes and expressway, whereas the commute currently motorbikes will be strictly prohibited from takes roughly one hour by car. The new road using the road. will also ease traffic on public transportation Beijing isn’t the first Chinese city to devise – such as buses and subways – much to the such an idea. A 7.6km elevated bike path relief of commuters.