Beijing News You Might Have Missed This Week, Aug 20
Beijing is a happening city! Don't miss a thing with our weekend roundup of the latest news.
SOHO Reports More Vacant Offices in Beijing, Shanghai: China’s leading office building developer, SOHO Properties China, reported an increased vacancy rate in most of its Beijing and Shanghai properties in the first half of 2022, according to Caixin Global. SOHO said the average occupancy rate for their offices in Beijing was 75.8 percent during the first six months of this year, down 3.75 percentage points from 2021. The only exception was one newly opened office building in the city’s southwest.
Bell and Drum Towers to Remain Open Later This Weekend: Beijing's Drum Tower and Bell Tower will remain open from 9.30am to 7pm daily through this weekend (Aug 20-21), with last tickets to be sold a half hour before closing time, according to an announcement from the historic site's official WeChat account. During the longer opening periods, drumming demonstrations in the Drum Tower will take place at 10am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm and 6pm. Opening hours will return to 9.30am-5.30pm on Monday, Aug 22.
City Asks Families To Provide Feedback for School Bus Routes: Beijing is asking schools and families with school-aged children to help with devising school bus routes, according to 最爱大北京. Parents and schools can submit their needs via WeChat mini program or by calling a service hotline (400-903-9960). The city will then devise routes for a new customized bus program that will take children to and from school based on demand.
Water Cube to Host First Swimming Competition After Beijing 2022: Beijing’s Water Cube, aka the National Aquatics Center, seems to have ditched the Ice Cube moniker given to it ahead of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and is going back to its liquid roots, reports China.org.cn. In other words, there’s going to be a swimming tournament hosted in the center today (Aug 20). The 2022 Beijing-Tianjin-Hubei Swimming Open and Beijing All-People Swimming Competition will be hosted for two days at the center. It will feature 1,300 competitors and 75 local clubs vying for swimming glory in what is currently the largest indoor swimming event in China.
Yongning Pavilian, Other Beijing World Park Sites Closed for Renovations: Yongning Pavilion and a number of other sections in Beijing World Park, including Tiantian Mountain, will be temporarily closed from Aug 21 for renovations. The areas are scheduled to reopen on Aug 22.
READ: Beijing News You Might Have Missed This Week, Aug 13
Images: Unsplash, Caixin Global, 最爱大北京, Beijing Bell & Drum Tower, China National Aquatics Center
