Beijing News You Might Have Missed This Week, Jan 23

Beijing is a happening city! Don't miss a thing with our weekend roundup of the latest news.

Construction completed on core areas of Universal Studios: On Jan 18, BTV and other local media outlets reported that core construction projects for the upcoming Universal Beijing Resort had been completed and the resort had now entered a stage of "operational preparation." The resort is slated to open in May this year and we're very much hoping they'll reach that target, especially after seeing the video they released last October, showing all the fantastical rides and attractions we'll get to indulge in.

Shichahai skating scuppered: Hang up your skates, because the ice skating rink at Shichahai became a casualty of the latest outbreak of COVID-19 cases in the capital on Jan 21, closing for the foreseeable future "in order to strengthen epidemic prevention and control." According to the Shichahai official WeChat account, people who have already purchased tickets should seek a refund through the online portal they purchased them from or call 8322 2233/8322 3344 if they have any questions. 

Beijing-Harbin high-speed railway now in operation: The final section of the Beijing-Harbin high-speed railway line – 192km of track running from Beijing to Chengde – was put into operation on Jan 22. This new section joins up with previously-completed sections linking Chengde and Shenyang and Shenyang and Harbin for a combined length of 1,198km. The Beijing terminal of this line is the recently-opened Chaoyang Station, located about a kilometer east of Chaoyang Park just outside the East Fourth Ring Road. The new line cuts train times between Beijing and Harbin to around five hours, which would have made it a great option for visiting the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival, but rising cases in the city will have (and should have) put a stop to travel plans for many. 

Whither the price of pork?: Reuters reports that lockdowns in neighboring Hebei province are putting a strain on deliveries to Beijing, causing food prices to rise. Many people have taken to Weibo or WeChat to complain that the prices of eggs, pork, and vegetables have all risen recently, with Netease reporting that the weighted average price of vegetables sold at Beijing Xinfadi Wholesale Market is RMB 4.22/kg, an increase of 59.85 percent on the same time last year. Nevertheless, local officials have said that measures are in place to ensure that the price of staple vegetables like cabbage and potatoes remains stable. That being said, and not to get all "doomsday prepper," but it is never a bad idea to keep your freezer and cupboards stocked with frozen and canned veg. 

Best of the Blog

• Chinese actress Zheng Shuang became embroiled in a controversy about surrogacy and abandonment after being accused by her ex-boyfriend of callously demanding in 2019 that a US-based surrogate mom they had hired abort the fetus. Read more in our celebrity gossip column Beijing Pops.
• After nine years as one of Beijing's most popular live music venues, Gulou's Temple Bar shut its doors for good.
• Author Paul French is starting 2021 with two new Northern Capital offerings: Destination Peking, a look at the lives of 18 Beijingers of note from the first half of the 20th century, and Peking Noir, a BBC Radio 3 docudrama, also available as a podcast.

READ: Trending in Beijing: A Snowy Start to 2021, WeChat Bugs Out, and is Your Didi Driver Vaccinated?

Images: Pixabay, Wikimedia commons, Flickr