Beijing

2017 Year in Review: Beijing's Changing Urban Landscape and a Few Predictions for the Coming Year

2017 Year in Review: Beijing's Changing Urban Landscape and a Few Predictions for the Coming Year

2017 was a year of change for Beijing, but then again what year since 1421 hasn’t been a year of change for the city?

Dangerous Benevolence

Dangerous Benevolence

The Beijing municipal government threatening organizations that assist displaced migrants is bad policy, but official ambivalence toward private charity dates back at least to the imperial era

Imperial-Era Tombs Discovered on Site of New Beijing Mega-Airport

Imperial-Era Tombs Discovered on Site of New Beijing Mega-Airport

Workers building Beijing’s mega-airport of the future have stumbled over a bit of the city’s past.

Postcards From Dashilan: Retracing the Development of Beijing’s Former Commercial Hub

Postcards From Dashilan: Retracing the Development of Beijing’s Former Commercial Hub

Beijing has seen a lot of changes this year, but is this something new? Beijing has always been in a state of flux.

The Beijing Migrants Crackdown: A ChinaFile Conversation

The Beijing Migrants Crackdown: A ChinaFile Conversation

Since mid-November, police and security officials have evicted tens of thousands of migrants from their apartments, and pictures of the newly homeless from all across China sitting outside in the Beijing winter have spread widely on social media. Why did the city government take this step? And what does this mean for the rights of China’s so-called “low-end population”? 

Voices from the Past: Child Abuse and Suppressed Rumors, Then and Now

Voices from the Past: Child Abuse and Suppressed Rumors, Then and Now

The case of the RYB Kindergarten scandal is not the first time rumors have overwhelmed official denials in a case involving child abuse in China

How to Avoid Getting Evicted in the Latest Round of Housing Demolitions

How to Avoid Getting Evicted in the Latest Round of Housing Demolitions

The forced eviction of some of Beijing’s most vulnerable residents has sparked a backlash with even Chinese state media offering (albeit tepid) criticism of the city’s handling of this latest round of “urban renewal.”

But it’s not just Beijing’s poor and migrant communities which are being affected. Many international residents are feeling the pinch as well. 

A Tale of Two Tragedies

A Tale of Two Tragedies

A devastating fire which killed 18 migrant workers in Daxing and a child abuse scandal at a kindergarten in an upscale neighborhood expose the fault lines of economic class in China’s capital

Will Beijing Enforce the New Restrictions on Traffic and Parking in the Hutongs?

Will Beijing Enforce the New Restrictions on Traffic and Parking in the Hutongs?

After a year of steadily taking away all our nice things, the Municipal government has decided to throw us a bone.

Making the Forbidden City Fun for Kids: New Spaces, Exhibits, and Dragons Galore

Making the Forbidden City Fun for Kids: New Spaces, Exhibits, and Dragons Galore

The Forbidden City can be a test of endurance for most people, not just those young folks with shorter legs and even shorter attention spans. Making a three-hour walk through an old palace appealing to younger visitors is all about how you approach your Forbidden City trip.

Rants and Jottings: October in Beijing, Heaven and/or Hell, Where's the Sauce?

Rants and Jottings: October in Beijing, Heaven and/or Hell, Where's the Sauce?

 A few thoughts as summer crash lands into fall …

Urban Hiking: Celebrate National Day With Historical Rambles Through Beijing’s Concrete Jungle

Urban Hiking: Celebrate National Day With Historical Rambles Through Beijing’s Concrete Jungle

Beijing is not known for being especially pedestrian-friendly, but that doesn’t mean there is a shortage of historical strolls on which to stretch your legs and broaden your knowledge of our fair city.

Still Want to See the Sights? Five Tips to Beat the Crowds in Beijing During Next Week's October Holiday

Still Want to See the Sights? Five Tips to Beat the Crowds in Beijing During Next Week's October Holiday

Over 700 million tourists are going to be on the move starting Sunday, and Beijing will be one of the most popular destinations, Caixin reported this week. So how can one enjoy the sites and avoid the crowds?

An Ode to Beijing's Urban Renewal, With Apologies to Bruce Springsteen

An Ode to Beijing's Urban Renewal, With Apologies to Bruce Springsteen

Everything gets chai’d that’s a fact
But maybe somethings get
chai’d which won’t come back
Brick up your hutong right, make your street look pretty
And meet me tonight, in China’s capital city

Famous Scroll Painting Among Treasures to Be Displayed at the Forbidden City This Month

Famous Scroll Painting Among Treasures to Be Displayed at the Forbidden City This Month

One of China’s most famous and seldom seen works of art will go on display at the Forbidden City today (September 15) until December 14.

Historic Courtyards and Residences That Could (or Should) Be Opened to the Public

Historic Courtyards and Residences That Could (or Should) Be Opened to the Public

Have you ever walked down a hutong past a grand gate and stopped to wonder just what was hidden behind those high brick walls?

Historic Courtyards and Residences That Could (or Should) Be Opened to the Public

Historic Courtyards and Residences That Could (or Should) Be Opened to the Public

Have you ever walked down a hutong past a grand gate and stopped to wonder just what was hidden behind those high brick walls?