Follow us on WeChat Now Advertising Hotline 400 820 8428 城市漫步北京 英文版 5 月份 国内统一刊号: CN 11-5232/GO China Intercontinental Press ISSN 1672-8025 EYE ON THE SKY China's Massive Telescope and the Global Quest to Find Extraterrestrial Life MAY 2019 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 付平 Fu Ping 编辑 Editor 朱莉莉 Zhu Lili 发行 Circulation 李若琳 Li Ruolin Editor-in-Chief Valerie Osipov Deputy Editor Edoardo Donati Fogliazza National Arts Editor Sarah Forman Designers Ivy Zhang 张怡然 , Joan Dai 戴吉莹 , Nuo Shen 沈丽丽 Contributors Andrew Braun, Cristina Ng, Curtis Dunn, Dominic Ngai, Ellie Dunnigan, Flynn Murphy, Grigor Grigorian, Gwen Kim, Guo Xun, Karen Toast, Matthew Bossons, Mia Li, Mollie Gower, Naomi Lounsbury, Ryan Gandolfo, Wang Kaiqi, Xue Juetao HK FOCUS MEDIA Shanghai (Head office) 上海和舟广告有限公司 上海市静安区江宁路 631 号 6 号楼 407-408 室 邮政编码 : 200041 Room 407-408, Building 6, No. 631 Jiangning Lu, Jing'an District, Shanghai 200041 电话 : 021-6077 0760 传真 : 021-6077 0761 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 电话 : 0755-8623 3220, 传真 : 0755-8623 3219 Beijing 广告代理 电话 : 010-8447 7002 传真 : 010-8447 6455 Office Manager Vivid Zhu 朱景宜 Sales Betty Wang 王斌然，Vince Jiao 焦东东 NATIONAL OPERATION CEO Leo Zhou 周立浩 Financial Manager Laura Lu 陆晓岚 Director of National sales project Henry Zeng 曾庆庆 Director of National communications Ned Kelly Director of National digital BD Doris Dong 董雯 National BD Manager, Hospitality Tina Zhou 周杨 Director of National digital products Vickie Guo 郭韵 Digital Content Manager Bridget O'Donnell, Digital Miller Yue 岳雷 , Orange Wang 王爽 , Yu Sun 孙宇 , Elsa Yang 杨融 , Kane Zhu 朱晓俊 , Taylor Luo 罗素梅 , Ruyi Jin 金如意 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 2019 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM Editor’s Note MAY 2019 DEALS We're giving away tickets to some of - the very best Beijing Have you ever laid in an open field at night, gazing up at the starry sky as you’re en gulfed by total darkness and wondered if we’re all alone in the universe? It seems parties, openings, Chinese astronomers certainly have – and they’re making big moves to find out. Which is why we’re taking off and diving deep into something beyond our planet this month. Yes, we’re talking galaxies far, far away – more specifically, China’s contribution to shows and talks all the ambitious search for extraterrestrial intelligence. That’s PRD Having made news over recent years, it’s no secret that the country has been moving - month, alongside at full throttle when it comes to the galactic race. In this month’s cover story, editor-in-chief Matthew Bossons looks into China’s transforming space exploration technol ogy, most notably the creation of the world’s largest radio telescope (nicknamed FAST), and free meals, drinks, its overall role in finally launching the supermassive hunt for other life. Land on p. 42 to read on. discounts and prizes. Elsewhere in the magazine, Sarah Forman explores a crossover art exhibition in Shanghai and Hong Kong (p. 36); I catch up with instrumental post-rockers Explosions in All you have to do the Sky before their gig in Beijing (p. 38); and Edoardo Donati Fogliazza tries out a new Japanese concept by the Bottega team (p. 58). is scan the QR code Until next month, below, follow us on WeChat and keep an eye out for your chance to win. You'll get some other great stuff on your phone too. Valerie Osipov Editor-in-Chief FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA ThatsBeijing twitter.com/ThatsBeijing facebook.com/ThatsBeijing WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | MAY 2019 | 3 6 CITY 7 CYCLING COST Beijing’s bike-sharing services get pricier 8 GENERATION GAP Beijingers discuss the tech world’s ‘996’ phenomenon 12 URBAN DICTIONARY This term means good work (and 7 has nothing to do with the devil) 16 LIFE & STYLE 19 LEGO LAND A massive Lego flagship store lands in the capital 20 ON TRACK Run in style with these comfortable kicks 24 RAIN OR SHINE Designer Luke Cardew on his sturdy and hip raincoats 24 28 ARTS 32 REBEL RISING We speak with Austrian rap rarity Mavi Phoenix 38 INTO THE WILD Explosions in the Sky on their serene soundscapes 40 ON REPEAT New China albums we’re 32 listening to 52 EAT & DRINK 55 MIFAN OR MAFAN New no-frills beer joint, Queenie’s upgraded digs, a hidden bar 57 TURNT TABLES Southeast Asian eats meet nightclub vibes 59 IT’S LIT Really, it’s a new lounge bar 59 called Lit 4 | MAY 2019 | WWW.THATSMAGS.COM 42 OUT OF THIS WORLD China’s role in the search for extraterrestrial life 10 ALL NATURAL In conversation with the creator of feminine care brand Luuna Naturals 34 HOLY ROLLERS The Jesus and Mary Chain grace stages across China this month WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | MAY 2019 | 5 CITY BREAK THE CYCLE Period care brand sets out to change the menstruation conversation, p10 Generation Gap The Big Picture Urban Dictionary p8 p9 p12 TALES OF THE CITY TALES BEIJING BIKE-SHARING SERVICES GET PRICIER by Grigor Grigorian t all started, well, out of the blue. The change in prices is not necessarily a But that was way before Chinese streets In early April, one of Beijing’s remaining deal braker, since the bikes are often used to Ishared-bike champions Bluegogo, now solve the “last-mile” problem for commuters bicycles of numerous brands (at one point partially owned by Didi Chuxing, announced evenwere theflooded Bianlifeng by infinite convenience numbers stores of unused had that the days of dirt-cheap 1-kuai-per-hour subway. And how much time does an rides were over. averagewhose home person or needoffice to is ridetoo fara mile from on the a bike? The company introduced a new pricing Around six lazy minutes, according to our thetheir enthusiasm. own bikes) Not and to before mention bike that dumps merely the calculations. payingsize of severaloff manufacturing football fields costs adampened is not oversaturated market. A ride on a slick blue Yet the introduced measures are indicative bicyclestrategy through meant tothe keep hutongs business of old afloat Beijing in an of the state of the industry as a whole. companies be able to get by on the extra cash Bike sharing, which was booming and thatenough comes to make with aincreased company ride profitable. tariffs? WillHard accumulating capital just two years ago has to say, and just as hard as to fathom whether (or anywhere else you can find one) will now reached a stalemate. The market is the number of bikes in Beijing will diminish minutes.now cost you 1 kuai for the first 15 minutes, oversaturated, investors are withdrawing or whether some of the players will leave the followedMobike by followed 0.5 kuai suit, for everyannouncing additional identical 15 funds, and some companies, like Ofo, that race altogether. changes, though only in Beijing. In good True, too many bikes might not be a news though, the pricing for monthly passes with their iconic yellow two-wheelers, blessing, but it feels like we couldn't do seems to have remained unaltered even arestarted now the rumored bike-sharing to be on craze the vergeback in of 2015 without them at this point. How else are we bankruptcy – remember the angry crowds supposed to get to 798 from Wangjing South lining up outside their headquarters looking after all? Walk there? in the capital, the first two hours of use for refunds? remainingThe youngest free, with but no 0.50 less kuai powerful charged Hello for Back in 2017, the average bike on the Bikeany additional didn’t wait 15 for minutes. long to make their new streets of Beijing was making roughly seven pricing strategy public, around a week later: rides a day and thus earning RMB7, which a copy-paste of how the other industry covered its manufacturing costs in just 30 heavyweights adjusted prices in Beijing. days, according to a piece published by the Wharton School of Finance. WWW.THATSMAGS.COM | MAY 2019 | 7 THE BUZZ GENERATION GAP Recently a growing number of tech workers have been complaining about the “996” work schedule that forces them to be in the office from 9am to 9pm six days a week. What is your take on the issue? WANG, 40 “People’s energy is limited – don’t they think with such a workload the workers’ pro- ductivity will quickly reach its limit, and then inevitably diminish? Plus, this kind of life is quite miserable. I my- self have to work overtime, and I certainly don’t like it. AWESOME BLOSSOMS For me, though, it’s not a requirement – depends on whether a project needs to to admire some of the city's most beauti- be completed.