Beijing News You Might Have Missed This Week, Feb 14

Joey Knotts, Contributing Editor | Feb 14, 2021 11:30 am | 1 comment | 596 reads

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

Risk levels dropped: On Wednesday, Beijing officially shook off its last medium-risk zone, leaving a total of zero medium- and high-risk areas in the city. It’s now been more than a dozen days without a new locally transmitted infection in the capital.

See ya, plastics: After months of talk, the city will be starting out the Year of the Ox with real action to reduce plastic use. A regulation restricting the use of plastics by industries took effect nationwide in January, and Beijing is among the first cities in the country to begin rolling out enforcement. In response, many businesses have debuted biodegradable straws made from polylactic acid, which are more durable than paper straws, while many deliveries are now using cardboard boxes.

Digital Hongbao: Continuing the process of rolling out China’s Digital RMB, Beijingers have already begun throwing their hat in the ring for a chance to win one of 50,000 hongbao, each containing RMB 200 of the currency that can be spent on JD or at select stores. Unfortunately for foreigners, the application process does not accept passport numbers, but foreigners are expected to be able to use the currency by the 2022 Olympics.

Exhibiting excellence in design: Zaha Hadid Architects has won a bid to complete the expansion of Beijing’s International Exhibition Centre. The expanded Centre, located near Capital Airport, will feature many crossing lines and plenty of natural light, just as the design company offered with Daxing International Airport.

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