2021 Year in Review: the Hottest Stories of the Year
The year 2021 has been filled with twists and turns, making us all the more ready to bid it farewell. But Beijing wasn’t a too bad of a place to spend the year, so in 2021 Year in Review, we’re taking a look back at the best and worst of times in the capital from this year that was.
With just one day to go before the year wraps up for good, it’s time to take a look at the hottest, most viral Beijinger blogs of 2021. Although Beijing managed to escape the virus-related tumult that characterized 2020 (those who have cancelled winter holiday plans due to Beijing's current tight entry restrictions may disagree with this...) many of our most-viewed blogs were ones that related to COVID-19. With the exception of vaccine-related content, we've decided to skip the Covid reminiscing and stick to the other hottest stories of the year.
Vaccines officially rolled out for foreigners
On Mar 26, Beijing's Foreign Affairs Office finally announced plans to make Chinese-made vaccines available for foreigners. While the timeline for the rollout wasn't specifically announced at the time, since then, foreigners across Beijing have been once, twice, three times vaccinated. And this is really no surprise. On Mar 26 we conducted a small poll to find out how foreigners felt about getting the Chinese vaccine, and of 676 respondents, 64 percent said they planned to take the Chinese vaccine immediately.
How to apply for a Covid vaccine passport in Beijing
Once double jabbed, many people started to wonder what kind of internationally recognised paperwork (if any) would be available. It turned out that here in Beijing it’s easy to get an International Vaccine Passport, even if you're a foreigner! Nicola Licata visited Beijing International Travel Health Center in Hepingli (the same place you go to do visa application health checks) who laid out the process step-by-step, so you can get one too.
12 Beijing-centric WeChat groups you need in your life
Look, whether you like it or not, WeChat is an unavoidable part of living in Beijing, so why not use it to make life easier? Joining niche WeChat groups can do just that by giving you tips and tricks, recommendations, and more for the things you're interested in. We here at the Beijinger can vouch for the 12 groups in this popular blog post – they’re all moderated and we personally do our best to keep them spam- and clutter-free.
Why the bathroom in your Chinese apartment smells so awful (and how to fix it)
It really is the eternal China apartment-related question: Why does my bathroom always smell so bad? This year, not only did we find out why, we also gave you some handy-dandy, Taobao-accessible solutions to fix it.
What's in a Beijing sandstorm?
Sandstorms are an unfortunate part of Beijing life, and while you may know how to spot one (yellow air, anyone?), do you know what's actually in one? When a particularly gnarly sandstorm gripped the capital earlier this year, we decided to look into what causes sandstorms, whether they are really just sand, and what they mean for our health as Beijing residents.
When the Kris Wu scandal became a civil case
This year saw an unusual amount of celebrity scandals in China, involving everything from tax evasion to soliciting, but no scandal created more column inches than the sexual assault and date rape allegations made against pop star Kris Wu. In July, a Beijing police investigation found that Wu had had sexual relations with an accuser surnamed Du, despite his previous denial. Wu was later formally arrested on suspicion of rape in August.
READ: 2021 Year in Review: New Restaurant Openings
Images: Nicola Licata, CDC (via Unsplash), Adem Ay (via Unsplash), Anna Pellerin-Hartley
