Out this week: beijingkids: Beijing for Beginners

Attention all new expats! Lost in Shunyi? Worried you’re paying too much? Check out our “Beijing 101” feature for 19 mini-guides on living in the city, including how to nab a bespoke qipao a la Maggie Cheung, start a band, quit offending your Chinese friends with your small-talk, order a Chinese banquet like a pro, and beat the expat spouse blues. Before long, you’ll be feeling like a lao Beijingren.

Lost in transition? Donna Scaramastra Gorman tells you how to bridge the expat gap. Jessica Pan dives into the world of third culture kids and finds out how they cope with the regular globetrotting.

Halloween’s just around the corner, which means it’s time to stitch together some costumes. Consult our DIY guide for turning your little ones into mummies, chickens, evil lords, and half-asleep creatures. If it’s a pirate’s life for your tots, head to the beijingkids annual treasure hunt on Saturday, October 25. Save your scariest (or cutest) costume, however, for the beijingkids Halloween party on Saturday, Nov 1.

If you thought you had a hard time getting into college, just take a look at the Chinese SAT (also known as the gaokao); Cecily Huang illuminates the mystery behind this annual three-day-long exam. Take a break from the books (or the laptop) and head to Solana for restaurants, baby stores, a giant skating rink, and a shop where little girls become princesses. If you really need a vacation, go to India; our Family Travels column tells you where to go, what to eat, and what you can’t miss on your trip.

Elsewhere, teens at Harrow debate the finer points of friending on Facebook, Yew Chung student Helen Leung writes about teen wanderlust, and our Beijing baba columnist Martin Adams ruminates on the love between baby Dan and Dan’s great-grandfather.

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or call 5820 7700/7101. You can also browse the contents and comment on the beijingkids website which is back up an running.