Beijing Modern Milestone
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| 4/30/2005 13:21:24 Beijing CBD |
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More love for the innovative over the traditional, bars over arts, books over cuisines, cars over planes, chatting over games, the globalization modern lifestyle, in conjunction with the modern artistic taste and the traditional "accumulation", is forging the diversified modern life of Beijing residents. Sina "Beijing top 10 entertainment places" marks 40 new milestones, representing the circle very enjoyable despite the scrambling.
The Internet fans recommend 40 new places for online poll. 1 month later, something dramatic occurs. The first is Houhai instead of the famous Great Wall and Ti'anmen Square, a uniqueness bridging up the classic and the modern. Houhai soars into a "city in the city" after Sanlitun.
Plazas Everywhere
the HK-financed Oriental Plaza is as celebrated as Tian'anmen Square. As the trade centers, China World Hotel ranks the same with Liulichang (Antique Street). New Oriental School for English exams and Gongren Gym accommodating large-size concerts rank equally. Both connected globally, Sina Forum ranks the same with the Capital Airport, one for online flying, the other for air flying. Both for memory, Laomo Restaurant and Century Altar share the same votes. The life of Beijing professionals is reflected in the above interesting pool of Sina.
The living style mostly originated from other nations, regardless eating, living or traffic. The 40 new places in the pool consist of 5 international brands, i.e. IKEA, Starbucks, McDonalds, Carrefour and KFC, almost covering and transforming Beijing average concept of leisure and living style. The geographical distribution of the places also reflects the economic flourishing degree. In another word, the economic circle, not the culture circle, commands the fashion of Beijing.
Meanwhile, the private-car era marked by Beijing-Tongzhou Expressway also greatly surmounts the orientation to the subway or even the airport. The privacy of "traffic" is being strengthened. However, the capital supports all these fashionable trends.
Beijing-Tongzhou Expressway
the traffic representing the living space, the living circle and diameter.
There are 30.5 motor vehicles, including 19 cars in every 100 families in Beijing, and one driver in every 4 person. Beijing has been classified into the auto society in international standard of 10 cars in every 100 households.
Beijing-Tongzhou Expressway runs from Dawang Road to Tongzhou across Gaobeidian. It is the artery to CBD and the living of many car owners. Despite the traffic jams, the car drivers are still favor Beijing-Tongzhou Expressway.
Sanlitun: Western Face of Oriental China
Chinese-style garments, bars and foreigners-Sanlitun scenery is Western-Eastern mixed.
Sanlitun finds most favor with foreigners. Many foreigners drive or take taxi to Sanlitun each day, particularly at night. Sanlitun Bar Street, to the east of Changhong Bridge of Xisanhuan Road of Beijing, is on the visit list of most foreign tourists in Beijing.
Party World: Singing Party Center of Beijing
In 1990s, when Karaoke was in a vogue in Beijing, Wang Xiaobo wrote a song "Karaoke and the donkey town". Living in a building with bad sound insulation, where many residents sang day and night at home, Wang Xiaobo ironically called the prideful singers as "donkeys". The "raging" Cui Jian cried out "Young men, shun from Karaoke!".
Kara in Japanese means idleness and nothingness. OK means the band without accompaniment. UP to now, the Karaoke centers have moved to more professional and luxurious places from home. You will be amazed when getting into Party World Karaoke Bar at the peak hours. The old and young, the businessmen, classmates, colleagues, friends, all rush here to queue for the singing. It is a universal party! In Party World, Beijingers find their new organization. Somewhat, "mammonish" name creates some collective warmth.
Panjiayuan: Ancient Antique Love
Foreign tourists have three must-go places in Beijing, Great Wall, Peking duck restaurant and Panjiayuan market.
Early 1992, there emerged a "flea market" in Jinsongnan Road of Chaoyang District, dubbed as "ghost market". By 1995, it was renovated to the used product market of shops and stalls. The products of Panjiayuan can arm up an ancient army, many bands, a Beijing opera troupe or Tibet opera troupe, or build up an Imperial Academy, a Rongguo Palace, an ancient private bank or a library. In general, there are richer antiques than any museum.
798 Plant: Beijing Art CBD
In 2003, Beijing was ranked into the top 12 global cities of News Weekly for the first time, because the 798 Art Zone proves the ability and potential of Beijing to develop into a global megapolis.
In the traditional electronic workshops of the state-owned 798 Plant, since 2002, a team of artists and culture organizations resided here by renting/renovating the idle workshops, it soon grows into a modern art base of art centers, galleries, artist studio, design companies, restaurants and bars representing the art frontier of Beijing, China and even Asia.
Songzhuang Painter Village
The earliest "painter village" of China emerged in early 1990s in Yuanmingyuan Garden accommodating the artists around China. The unprecedented concentration brought about opportunities to the artists, and also triggered many sensitive "culture events". In 1995, the artists in Yuanmingyuan Park moved to Songzhuang 80 kilometers from Beijing center. Many artists rent or buy houses in Songzhuang to set up their own studios. The modern Songzhuang is no longer the "Shangrila", instead it is a production base of modern arts of China. Many critics called Yuanmingyuan Park as the "proclaim" and "Songzhuang" as "experiment".
Nearly 200 artists now live in Songzhuang, mostly surviving on selling paintings, living a unique living style here. The selection of Songzhuang means a calm and risky survival model.
Starbucks: Globalization Choice
"Starbucks is coming!" Parisians are whispering, with the mouth corners down and brows up, disapprovingly and haughtily. I cannot help listening in my rush through my work at the adjacent desk. It is a scene in "Paris Smell". However, the scene has been transplanted to Beijing already. In 1999, the first Starbucks of China opened in Beijing. By 2004, there are countless Starbucks, in the office buildings of World Trade Hotel, Beijing Modern Plaza, Wangfujing, Full-link Plaza, Houhai and Shengfu, even the mall in Ganjiakou. The delicious coffee is prevailing in the customers of different colors and languages.
Actually, the Starbucks goers maybe do not really want to taste the coffee. Like the isolated taste of Chinese tea, Starbucks culture rapidly melts into the ancient, robust and lonely city. Relaxing the hasty Beijingers is the bottom line of Starbucks.
Houhai: Classics in Modern
What we called "Houhai" is actually the Shishahai covering Qianhai, Houhai and Xihai. It is another bar zone after Sanlitun, an ancient "Shangrila" grew into a "city in the city" overnight, and a most fashionable symbol. The ancient street, the aristocrats, the ever noble palaces are merged into the luxurious or simple bars like Zuo'an and Starbucks. <BR>In the willow shade, the classic and modern share the distinct emotion and scenery!
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