Beijing News You Might Have Missed This Week, Oct 31
Beijing is a happening city! Don't miss a thing with our weekend roundup of the latest news.
Pre-heat: Good news for those who subscribe to the less-is-more philosophy of costume-wearing, as Beijing will narrowly avoid the worst of the cold snap that’s due to hit Northern China this Halloween weekend. However, more winter to come, and Beijing is preparing to turn up the heat in your home. Though the official start of the city’s central heating is Nov 15, don’t be surprised if things get toasty next weekend, as the city recently announced that the heating system will have a test run on Saturday, Nov 7.
Cryogenic course-tracking: Aiming to ensure food safety and avoid another Xinfadi-like fallout, China has announced that all imported frozen foods will be equipped with tracking devices. This comes after a report that China’s CDC discovered some frozen food packaging may, in rare cases, contain live virus particles. In their study, only about .003 percent of tested packages contained the virus. Better safe than sorry, though!
Seoul Plane: Direct flights to Beijing from Seoul, South Korea resumed yesterday, Oct 30. Things are still off to a slow start, however – for now, only one flight per week will be following that route.
The kids are alright... cinematographers: On Monday, Chaoyang Culture Center began screening some of the best youth-made short films of the year for the fifth New Era Film Season, an event to celebrate the promising young filmmakers who hope to become the future of China's movie industry. The best short film award went to a Tibetan director Phakpa for their satire of life in a rural village, Eye in the Sky.
Fake brands in the right hands: Beijing custom officials managed to catch more than 60,000 counterfeit products on Monday, bolstering the faith of online shoppers in the legitimacy of their purchases just in time for 11.11. The products included fakes of 18 different brands, including biggies like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Adidas, and Ray-Ban.
Things are Shougang good for the Ducks: The Beijing Ducks are on a three-game winning streak after defeating the Fujian Sturgeons on Thursday, following victories against the Bayi Rockets of Jianxi and the Flying Leopards of Liaoning. The latest game got off to a rocky start for the Ducks, despite the stellar performance of returning center Justin Hamilton, with Fujian leading by the end of the first quarter, 24-13, but they stole the score back with a 22-2 final quarter comeback, rounding out an 80-71 win.
Best of the blog
- Feeling flirtatious? Brush up on your lovey lexicon with a lesson in must-know mandarin for singles ready to mingle.
- Progress: "The Talk" is no longer a no-no topic in Chinese schools. Learn how sex education is changing in China.
- Looking for last-minute Halloween plans? Boy, oh boy have we got you covered with not one, but two Halloween roundups.
- No, you're not imagining it. The air really is better in Beijing than it used to be – a lot better.
READ: Shush! Beijing-Shanghai Railway Routes to Launch "Quiet Carriages"
Images: Daily Economic News, Quora, Fare Hawker, Global Times, PP Tiyi Basketball
