Beijing Digest
To help you keep track of all the changes going on around town, we present you with the first, in what will hopefully become a regular series, Beijing Digest. We aim to offer interesting, funny and useful snippets about what's going on around town.
Olympic Tickets
People started queuing for Olympic tickets more than 40 hours before they go on sale at 9am this coming Friday. The Beijing News reports that a 25-year-old guy from Dongbei was at the head of the line, arriving at the ticketing booth at about noon yesterday. By 11pm last night, more than 400 people were camped out at the main ticketing booth. Those who fear that they now have no hope of getting their hands on a ticket, can breathe a sigh of relief as the official ticketing agency will not release all the tickets on the first day and each customer is limited to a purchase of two tickets. For more details of how to get tickets, who is eligible and what's available, see this earlier post.
The New Subway Lines
Congratulations to Claro Cortes IV of Reuters for getting the headline right, unlike most others he noted that only two of the three new subway lines really opened last Saturday afternoon, with Line 8 (the Olympic Line) not carrying regular fare-paying passengers until August 8. Reuters also did well in reporting on what Xinhua describes as the “little chaos” that took place on line 2 on Monday morning as the subway system struggled to cope with the influx of all those drivers of cars with even-numbered plates. Over at Tree Hugger, Urbane editor Alex Pasternack makes some comparisons between Beijing's new subway lines with those in America. You can read about all the stats over at Xinhua. For a detailed map of the new line check out this new site or visit David Feng's Beijingology or CN Reviews. The latter site features a handy how-to guide for anyone still confused by the new swipe card system, a similar guide can also be found on the official Beijing government website.
The New Xidan
Shoppers will no longer have to brave the chaotic tangle of buses, bikes, impatient drivers and pedestrians as they rush across Xidan Beidajie to stroll air-conditioned malls such as the recently opened Joy City. As of last Sunday, the busy shopping area now boasts four pedestrian bridges that are likely to transform shopper's experience of the commercial street. The largest of the new bridges has 8 escalators that will operate in both directions on all four-entry points to the bridge. The other newly constructed bridge has four escalators. The two refurbished bridges also have escalators installed. Aside from the new bridges, a new corridor also links Grand Pacific Mall and Joy City. The new look Xidan Cultural Square was also unveiled yesterday, complete with a reconstructed pailou that used to stand in the area until it was knocked down 85 years ago. The new look square will be one of the 26 Olympic live sites or cultural squares that will host performances and serve as a gathering place for the public during the Olympics.
Protest Zones
Speaking of live sites, three very live protest sites were announced at a BOCOG press conference yesterday, the New York Times and China Journal have the details.
Price of Vegetables and Beer
One side effect of the new security restrictions imposed on vehicles entering the city from other provinces, has been that beer and vegetable prices shot up in early July. A case of regular Yanjing Beer used to go for 36 kuai but now sets residents back RMB 40. After a campaign to convince drivers carrying fresh food that they would in fact be allowed to enter the capital, the price of various vegetable has finally started to decline this week. In other food-related news, China Journal reports on restrictions on the sale of dishes made from dog meat in the capital.
In other news, late night revelers might have noticed some guys in a truck installing a new Sanlitun sign late on Saturday night. It's not quite the same as the legendary beer mug, you can find the new Sanlitun tassel on both the eastern corner of Gongti Beilu and the Sanlitun Bar Street and at the other end of the bar strip by Cappuccino. City authorities have announced noise restrictions on the bars that line the Nanluogu Xiang strip (nothing over 60 decibels at night) and according to the city’s Administration for Industry and Commerce (Gongshang Ju), you no longer need a good reason to return an item that you’ve bought, as long as it’s still in good condition, a "wo bu xihuan" is enough.
Links and Sources
The Beijing News: 排队抢购奥运门票
China News: 世界上最大高强度全铝合金过街天桥在北京启用
Tree Hugger: Beijing's Olympic Subways Outpace US Subways
Qianlong: 西单文化广场亮相 “金字塔”变身中心喷泉(组图)
Sohu: 组图：北京西单文化广场新装亮相
New York Times: China Sets Zones for Olympics Protests (image)