5 Things to Taste, Smell, Touch, Hear, and See, May 24-26
Beijing can be an overstimulating place to live, to say the least. Let’s be real: sometimes even our sixth sense (the one that tells you when that stick of chuan'r will make you sick for the next two days) gets a decent workout. With such a wide variety of events, restaurants, and gigs to attend, we suggest bathing each of your five senses in one, if not all, of the nourishing goings-on below.
Taste
May 26: Sausage Block Party at Side Street
Get your shades on and gather around the grill for a block party devoted to the might Italian sausage this weekend courtesy of Side Street partners and craft sausage maker Salsicceria Italiana. Ride out the heatwave in style with cold cocktails and beer – just don't forget the sunscreen. Free. 12.15-6pm. Side Street
Smell
May 25: Movie Screening: Cane Toads (an Unnatural History)
Have you ever smelled the rotting carcass of a dead cane toad? No? Well, the 1988 Australian film Cane Toads: An Unnatural History is likely to be the next best thing. This Saturday night, Camera Stylo screens the cult documentary, which explores the Australian ecological disaster that is the mighty cane toad. Learn all about all the weird problems that the invasive species has caused, and how true-blue, golf-club-wielding Aussies were dealing with it back in the '80s. RMB 20. 7-9pm. Camera Stylo
Touch
May 24: Scavenger Hunt Day Party
Who doesn't love a good scavenger hunt? Beijing Foodies are throwing together a party tonight to commemorate the annual Scavenger Hunt day which falls on May 24. Participate alone or with a team, and do your best to win the mysterious grand prize, while enjoying 10 percent off on all drinks. 8-11pm. Free. Shangye Courtyard
Hear
May 24: Boiler Room DJ set
Boiler Room parties are like no other, and anyone who claims otherwise probably hasn't been to one. Tonight, Beijing's latest in the series takes to Dada and invites you to dance deep into the night to the experimental stylings of mysterious Dutch DJ Air Max ‘97. Price TBA. 10pm doors. Dada
See
Ongoing: Society Guidance at UCCA
This exhibition focuses on the creative trajectories of Chinese artists in the 1990s, notably Chen Shaoxiong (whose work "Street - 2" is pictured at top), Ren Jian (whose "Up to the Streets and Down to the Factories" is pictured above), Wang Jin, and their New History collective. The '90s were a transformative time for China as people slowly adapted to the new economic policies of the country's opening up. The need for adaptation and the embracing of good ol' American capitalist values are explored in this exhibition via the mediums of photography, archival materials, and installations. RMB 60. 10.30-5pm. UCCA
READ: Noise Pollution: Silent Speech, Sainkho Namtchylak, Dong Zi, Boys Age, Joyce Jonathan
Image courtesy of the organizers and venues
