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JULY 2017

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Contributors Lachlan Cairns, Connor Frankhouser, Lena Gidwani, Mia Li, Noelle Mateer, Dominic Ngai, Betty Richardson, Angel Song, Dominique Wong, Allyn Zamora

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JULY 2017Editor's Note

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Hourly updates on news, current affairs and general weirdness from around the

PRD and China.

Summer’s here, the air is sweet, and we’re bringing you relaxing beach reads about, er, pain… We’ve tackled some pretty heavy topics in the first half of this year, from the controversial Chinese hukou system and cetacean captivity on the mainland to the fall of urban villages. Our goal is always to draw attention to crucial issues that are unfolding right now in Chinese society. Or, in the case of this month’s cover story, that are right on the verge of becoming big.

Pain killers, particularly OxyContin, have for years been abused by no small number of US citizens (1.7 million in 2015), but what does that have to do with China? As recently as February of this year, China expanded its list of Western medicines reimbursable by public health insurance schemes from 133 to 1,297, signaling a new era of more affordable Western medication and liberal prescription.

OxyContin, heralded as a “global bestseller” with few side effects in various medical training sessions on the mainland, already enjoys a 60 percent market share of cancer-related pain relief in China. And though China has long remained cautious about painkillers following its history with opium abuse, attitudes appear to be shifting in the country that stands to be one of the most lucrative markets for drug companies like Purdue Pharma, OxyContin’s manufacturer.

It’s not all gloom and doom, however, as we also introduce a myriad of alternative methods used to treat pain in the second half of the cover story, sharing words from experts in physical therapy, osteopathy, chiropractic and traditional Chinese medicine. Turn to p40 to read the whole story.

If you prefer a lighter read, our photo essay on p16 featuring an entertaining narrative about sneaking into an abandoned amusement park in Guangzhou might be more your style. Or, everyone’s favorite Dear Jamie column on p52, where your sincere (though often comical) questions about life – especially life in China – are answered.

We all know Watsons and Evian are the priciest bottled water brands at 7-11, but just how much would the most luxurious water in the world set you back? Find out on p24, where our Shanghai-based editor-in-chief Dominic Ngai explores the work of a water sommelier (yes, that’s a thing).

In Arts, we’ve got the story behind Higher Brothers – a rising rap foursome from Chengdu who are all the rage overseas (and on YouTube), but not so much in China, so it’s okay if you haven’t heard of them yet (p36).

Finally, as always, our Eat and Drink section is packed with cool new eateries to check out this month, from La Medina and 13 Factories in Guangzhou to Minikor and Luxury bar in Shenzhen.

Here’s to enjoying a long, lazy, sizzling summer!

Cheers,

Jocelyn RichardsEditor-in-Chief


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40 COVER STORYPAIN KILLERSHow OxyContin could trigger a second opioid epidemic in China.

70 EVENTS

50 COMMUNITY

THE W

RAP

8 CITY9 SOLE MANCurbside cobbler.

12 AD NAUSEUMAre consumers buying Chinese advertising?

20 LIFE & STYLE21 GRACE CHENDesigner and founder, Grace Chen.

22 TAP THAT APPAirmule.

32 ARTS33 TRANCE ENCOUNTEROur sober interview with Dutch DJ Jochen Miller.

36 HIGHER BROTHERSOn the brink of international stardom, Chengdu's rap foursome launches their debut album tour.

60 EAT & DRINK67 BRASSTONLet it shine.

69 13 FACTORIESPapa Americano.

JUL 26-AUG 6Sister Act

ONGOINGMonkey King

JUL 15-16LKF Beer and Music Fest

MO

HK

GZ


CITYOn Dangerous Grounds Inside Guangzhou’s deserted amusement park, p16

Instagram of the MonthP10

Chinese SlangP11


MAN ON THE STREET

the same business in the same location with (mostly) the same prices for the past eight years. Well that and the free rent. And his bro-like relationship with local chengguan.

Originally from Hunan, Hu admits he taught himself everything he knows (“there are no real techniques required in shoe re-pair”) and enjoys the job to the extent that it challenges him more than his previous work as a bao’an.

Fixing the tips on a pair of heels costs the same today (RMB8) as it did when he first began his business in 2009. Hu says cobblers down the street charge RMB15-20 for the same service, but they have rent to pay.

His daily income fluctuates between “less than RMB100” and “hundreds of renminbi,” due primarily to the randomness of shoe repair demand among his sizable pool of re-turning customers.

The work day begins when Hu sets up a massive beach umbrella on the pavement at 9am to block the elements until he departs at sundown – 7pm in the summertime. His seat is a concrete block that’s been shoved under a metal pipe. He keeps a pink plastic chair for his customers.

Though Hu’s service fees haven’t changed

much in eight years, he says the quality of shoes has: “you used to be able to wear shoes from your childhood. Now a pair only lasts one to two years.” It hasn’t noticeably af-fected his business, however, as the greater frequency of worn-out shoes compensates for the fact that half of Hu’s potential customers today prefer to just buy a new pair.

Shrugging off the particulars, Hu divulges what he likes most about his work. “I have more freedom with this job. I can do what I want. Not like other manual labor for mi-grants.”

“So you can take days off,” we observe.“Oh no!” Hu erupts. “Then I wouldn’t

make any money!”

You can find Hu halfway up the public stairway between 47 Taojin Bei Lu (淘金北路47号) and 11 Taojin Jie (淘金街11号) in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou

“Your shoes don’t need mending,” a cobbler surnamed Hu says as he extends a stained cloth bag

towards a woman who looks to be in her 70s. “That strap here, see…” He pulls a plastic san-dal from her bag. “It’s secure, don’t worry. I’m not going to charge you.” At those words, the woman’s pursed lips soften into a grin.

She chats with Hu for a few minutes until a young man arrives, demanding to see heels he dropped off the day before. “In that bag there,” Hu signals.

The young man lifts two nude stilettos and peers intently at the rubber tip on each heel. “Can you tell if they’re even?” He asks. “I have no idea what I’m looking at. My girl-friend told me to make sure they are even. But you think they are, right?”

In just 15 minutes, Hu has consoled four customers (they all seem to come with bag-gage other than shoes), fixed one pair of heels and entertained all of our questions.

His repair shop – a patch of concrete lo-cated halfway up a four-story public stairway in Taojin – feels more like a psychiatrist’s office, and it's not hard to see why. Hu’s pres-ence is calming – even for us. It’s clearly one of the reasons he’s been able to maintain

SOLE MANCurbside Cobbler Text and photo by Jocelyn Richards

THE DIRTY DETAILSMonthly salary: RMB5,000

Days per week: 7

Hours per day: 10

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RANDOM NUMBER

1260… is the number of meters per minute a new elevator in the 530-meter-tall Chow Tai Fook (CTF) Finance Center in down-town Guangzhou will be able to travel, winning it acclaim as the world’s fastest.

It joins five other elevators in Greater China on the world's top 10 list. The number two spot belongs to the Shanghai Tower, while third place is held by the Taipei 101 tower in Taiwan.

、

67… is the age of one Shenzhen man trying to get lucky in Lianhuashan Park’s mar-riage market. Zhou Dehua, a divorcee with two children, says he hopes to find com-panionship in old age, someone special with whom he can start a business with and travel the world. Though marriage markets – or areas of public parks where singles post ads hoping to find a match – are popular in China, it’s uncommon to see listings for bachelors over the age of 50. Still, with a house, car, shop of his own and plans to study English, Zhou seems to be quite the catch. Interested singles may find him lounging around Lianhuashan at this very moment.

CITY SNAPSHOT

Electric SkyOur Instagram photo of the month comes from Ana João, a freelance graphic designer who has lived in Guangzhou for over three years. She says: “I've recently got into astrophotography so I am familiar with night settings. When the I saw the intense storm outside, I decided to try my luck to see if I could get some lightning in the picture. This photo was taken in Panyu, across

from Dashi bridge. I stood by my win-dow for a long time and took over 100 photos before I got this one right.”

Have photos of Guangdong? Tag #thatsprd on Instagram for a chance to be featured on our feed and in the magazine.

THE BUZZ

BEHIND THE CONCRETE

China National GeneBankSituated on the foot of Guanyin Mountain in Dapeng New District, Shenzhen, the China National GeneBank (CNGB) is the largest gene bank of its kind in the world. The center is primarily used for preserving and managing genome data and biological samples, as well as carrying out research for hundreds of millions of genetic samples. It's also home to a cancer database with more than 3,000 samples.

Resembling a cruise ship and holding a massive library of animal, plant, microorganism and human body cell samples, the CNGB is often nicknamed ‘China’s Noah’s Ark’ by mainland media.

Prior to its opening in September 2016, the world’s largest gene banks were located in the US, Japan and Britain.

“We hope to make the gene bank China’s – and even the world’s – largest biological infor-mation data center, like Google but in the field of life and health data,” Director Mei Yonghong is quoted as saying.

Though you’d be hard-pressed to score an inside tour, the exterior architecture (view-able from Jinsha Lu) is just as stunning.

Jinsha Lu, Dapeng New District, Shenzhen 深圳市大鹏新区金沙路

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E D I T O R . P R D @ U R B A N A T O M Y . C O M

The world is an unequal place filled with injustices. Kids get bullied in schools and abused at home; workers get exploited in factories and office buildings. We all want to help, but the cost of helping is high, especially in China. The bullies might turn on you when you try to stop them; corporations might fire you or sue you if you speak out. Or maybe there are no consequences, but you simply don’t want to exert any effort. Is there an option where even the laziest, the most selfish, timid and cowardly people can feel like they are getting justice served?

Yes and that is being a jianpanxia, or a keyboard hero, who types furiously on a laptop and posts comments on social media like: “Shame on fast fashion brands that exploit underage workers!” and “More must be done to make education more afford-able!” and “Sharing is caring!”

They do so till their fingers hurt from all the noble and righteous typing and clicking before they go to bed knowing that justice was served for another day, only to realize the next day that little has changed, thus prompting more furious com-menting and sharing the following night. Such is the perpetual cycle of a jianpanxia’s life.

They do so much online with their fingers that they never have time to lift one of them to help the neighbor’s kids with their homework, or dial the phone to call the local police to fix a traffic light. Yet they consider themselves heroes for their height-ened sense of justice.

The most remarkable thing about jianpanxia is that they seem to have two per-sonalities, depending on whether they are with or without a keyboard. With a key-board, they are capable of crusading with strong language and an impressive amount of bravado. Take their keyboard away, and they immediately become quiet and obe-dient. This leads to only one logical conclusion: that the source of their superpowers must be the keyboard, hence the name.

They work tirelessly to fill your Facebook and WeChat every day. They are quick to point out others’ mistakes in comments, although they don’t support any causes in real life. They can bully someone online mercilessly while hiding behind anonymity. They may never be the center of attention in real life, but once behind a keyboard, they can become all-powerful, almighty jianpanxia. Mia Li

Jianpanxia / jìanpánxiá / 键盘侠 n. those who think they are getting justice served by commenting on social media

Yeah but they are all jianpanxia and will never do anything in real life to help the school.

That school of migrant workers’ children is closing down due to lack of funding.

But my timeline is flooded with hundreds of people calling it a grave injustice.

All that indignation for nothing.

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C I T Y | F E A T U R E

Chinese brands are spending unprecedented amounts of money on advertising. But, asks Dominique Wong, are consumers buying it?


“MISTER BROW: BEST EYEBROW SHAPING! COME INSIDE NOW!!” The sound of an eyebrow salon aurally assaulting passersby is heard daily in Sanlitun.

One of the more basic – and pervasive – forms of adver-tising in China, the speaker-shout is unrelenting. And if it’s not disembodied voices, it’s voices screaming from televi-sions inside and outside elevators, or images flickering on screens inside taxis and buses. Or posters plastered across bus stops and subway stations, and inside subway cars themselves. And don’t forget the mobile phone pop-ups.

Put simply, advertising is everywhere in China and it’s unlikely to let up anytime soon. While spending on advertis-ing is set to fall globally, forecasts predict that total media expenditures in China will grow 7.8 percent to RMB581 bil-lion this year, according to a recent report by media invest-ment company GroupM. In the US meanwhile, the growth rate for ad sales in 2017 was predicted to slow to 1.8 per-cent, reported CNBC last year.

People in China are thirsty for information, says corpo-rate marketing consultant Roohi Hamlani. Having worked in the Middle East, Africa, North America and, most recently, China, Hamlani sees the market here as “highly advanced, in some respects. Marketing and advertising appears fast-paced; content is abundant.”

The way such content is presented can overwhelm, Hamlani admits. “[The] aesthetic can feel relatively ‘busy’ and basic,” she says. “However, I interpret it as reflecting the pace [of] the country’s development and need for having the latest information in a rapidly changing environment.”

But, ubiquity aside, is the advertising effective?Two advertisements went viral in China last year for

very different reasons. One, an ad for Chinese detergent brand Qiaobi, depicted a black man who transformed into a pale-skinned Chinese man after being ‘washed.’ The other, an ad by Japanese skincare brand SK-II, tackled the social issue and stigma of being a ‘left-over woman’ (a derogatory term that generally refers to an unmarried woman over the age of 27).

Commenters on Weibo expressed their horror at the racist Qiaobi ad and accused the Chinese company of pla-giarizing an earlier Italian ad, which also used the ‘black-turns-white’ trope. Meanwhile, the ‘left-over women’ ad was praised for its sensitivity and watched over 10 million times within ten days of its premiere, according to Chinese news blog What’s On Weibo.

The contrast couldn’t be clearer: The latter, a conversa-tion-starter, the former a brand-killer. (Qiaobi took down the commercial and apologized via its official Weibo account for causing offence.)

SK-II’s video, part of its worldwide ‘Change Destiny’ campaign, was an exceptional hit, unique in its astute use of social messaging. But more often than not, brands in China rely on a few tried-and-tested strategies, such as celebrity endorsements, patriotism and cultural traditions.

For example, racism crosses a clear line for most ob-servers, yet Qiaobi was, in its own (racist) way, simply re-iterating a commonly accepted beauty ideal in China. That is: pale skin is best. Cultural differences must be navigated carefully, says Hamlani: “We need to respect what works here and limit comparisons to what works in the West. My impression is that China’s history and heritage will continue to play a strong role in communication.”

Not everyone in the industry is content with the state of advertising in China. Over tea one evening, former ad

“We need to respect what works here and limit comparisons to what

works in the West. China’s history and heritage play a strong role in

communication”

F E A T U R E | C I T Y


PHOT

O BY

VIC

TOR

LIU

“Marketing departments, PR agencies and advertising companies are sensitive to price and time. It’s very, very rare that you find a client who cares about art and aesthetic”

producer Zhu Xing* and ad design studio owner Ma Yun* express their frustration with China’s advertising scene.

The creativity problem is an institutional one, Zhu says. “I’m often told by [PR] agencies: ‘This is what the client wants and what the client agrees on, just follow what they want.’

“Marketing departments, PR agencies and advertising companies are sensitive to price and time. It’s like: ‘Give me this tomorrow, don’t be creative,’" Zhu laments. “It’s very, very rare that you find a client who cares about art and aes-thetic.”

But aren’t price and time sensitivities industry concerns everywhere?

“I think it’s a China issue, because if you look at the consumer market, it’s the same,” Zhu counters. “The thing people care most about is price and availability. If they want it, they have to get it right away.”

Studio owner Ma agrees, highlighting the differences between the industry in China and other Asian markets. “Japan, Korea and even Thailand are doing a better job be-cause they have interesting ideas, at least,” she says. “[My studio] serves some big companies but it’s always through a famous agency – we can’t get the job directly. Some Japanese studios work with famous international companies [direct-ly] but here it’s difficult.”

Thai ads are often narrative-heavy and have garnered their own following in China (Weibo accounts are dedi-cated to sharing them online). The same cannot be said for Chinese ads. Many brands rely on the formula: celebrity + product = ad. Customers face an overwhelming amount of information, and celebrity endorsement is supposed to make it easier for consumers to make choices. Yet the recipe is rather stale.

Celebrity endorsement in China is a free-for-all. Seemingly every second ad, whether it’s for a smartphone or instant noodles, uses the gimmick – though feedback varies. Male singer Jiro Wang’s promotion of Freemore sanitary pads drew particular ridicule. And actors Gong Li and Fan Bingbing were left red-faced after a diet pill they endorsed, Qumei, was found to contain a chemical that can increase the risk of heart disease.

In light of these embarrassments, China’s Advertising Law was amended in 2015 to include tighter regulations on celebrity endorsement. Now, an advertising spokesperson can only recommend a product or service if they have per-sonally used it. Those flaunting the regulations risk having their endorsement fees confiscated and penalties imposed.

A quick look at the countless celebrity endorsed adver-tisements splashed around the city suggests the amend-ment hasn’t had much effect. Does Angelababy really use Crest toothpaste? Is Chinese singer Xue ‘Joker’ Zhiqian a hardcore KFC-lover?

And, despite the change in regulations, men are still fronting for cosmetic brands. Pop idol – and prolific celeb-rity endorser – Lu Han endorses make-up brand L’Oreal, while teenage boyband TFBoys are spokesmen for the Chinese cosmetics brand Chando (whose current campaign sees the boys promoting a face ‘brightening’ cream).

Celebrity endorsements are used to establish trust between the brand and consumer, Zhu says. “Chando is a Chinese brand. People question China-made brands, but if you have the resources and money to have TFBoys endorse you, it makes the audience feel like you’re a well-known [brand].”

C I T Y | F E A T U R E

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PHOTO BY VICTOR LIU

Negative opinion towards domestic brands forces com-panies to reevaluate their image – something that even the government and state media support. In April, China’s State Council named May 10 ‘Chinese Brands Day.’ (According to industry commentators, this was due to a speech made by Xi Jinping in 2014, where he called for Chinese ‘products’ to advance to ‘brands.’) And on World Consumer Rights Day, March 15, CCTV hosts a special annual show, criticizing brands for their ‘misleading’ advertisements. Past ‘name and shames’ have included Muji, Nike and Apple.

According to Hamlani: “Consumers are getting harder on brands and companies, especially when it comes to doing the right thing.” Yet, cynical viewers are quick to point out that the gala appears to mainly target international brands – coincidence or conspiracy?

After all, there’s money to be made – and Chinese brands want a piece of it. A report by the Boston Consulting Group states that China’s consumer economy is expected to increase by around half, to USD6 trillion by 2020.

The ad battle is increasingly being fought in digital arenas. China’s online advertising market reached almost RMB300 billion in 2016, making up 68 percent of the coun-try’s five key advertising media revenues (digital, TV, out-of-home, print and radio). For comparison, only a quarter of advertising expenditure went towards TV spots, according to China Internet Watch.

This bodes well for advertisers in China, as Hamlani notes: “Technology in China is highly progressive and makes what’s available and the speed of it feel light-years ahead in comparison [to the West]. WeChat, Taobao and Weibo are far more advanced. And this means marketing and advertis-ing here have to keep up too.”

“Keeping up” includes shifting expenditure from purely advertising to marketing and PR, according to Shanghai PR agency Reuter Communications’ director Chloe Reuter. “[Brands] must transform themselves to stay connected to their socially savvy audiences,” the Shanghai-based mar-keter says.

The key, Reuter says, is having an integrated marketing strategy. “You need to be working with media and social influencers, and creating compelling content to amplify your message – with the end game to be driving commerce.”

Essential as marketing and PR may be, advertising remains a necessary part of business. Just ask smartphone maker Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun who once infamously declared, “we don’t waste our money on advertising” – before spend-ing millions on advertising the Xiaomi 6 phone following a 36 percent decrease in sales last year.

Posters line the city declaring that the Xiaomi 6’s cam-era zoom “takes the most beautiful photos.” The company spent RMB1.4 million sponsoring the popular TV show U Can U Bibi. Multiple celebrities now endorse the brand.

The company’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. Even video producer Zhu is effusive: “A few days ago I saw a new ad for the next gen Xiaomi phone and thought it was nice. It’s a video commercial, so there’s a lot of sound. The screen is blank and then you hear the [sound of the] ocean.

“...And then you see the phone.”

* Names have been changed

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F E A T U R E | C I T Y


C I T Y | P H O T O E S S A Y

INTO THE

WILDWe Snuck Inside Guangzhou’s Abandoned Amusement Park

By Tristin Zhang


P H O T O E S S A Y | C I T Y

C I T Y | P H O T O E S S A Y

The moment the guard laid his vicious eyes on us, we knew the jig was up and a hefty fine was about to be demanded.

It was a sizzling afternoon in late May, and there we were in remote Huangcun, a Guangzhou suburb, sitting on road-side chairs outside a shabby convenience store sipping jinjiu and coke.

We had just undertaken the one-hour commute to the Huangcun Metro Station and a half-hour of walking and fence-jumping through the enormous Guangdong Olympic Stadium to make it to the gate of what was once Guangzhou’s biggest amusement park: Grand World Scenic Park.

A week earlier, it was just an abandoned amusement park we’d read about in an old news report. On that sunny afternoon, however, after a bit of Gollum-esque sneaking, we found ourselves inside.

Guangdong saw a boom in amusement parks in the early 1990s. In the wake of the roaring success of Shenzhen’s Window of the World, Grand World Scenic Park, occupying an area of about 48 square kilometers and costing some-where in the neighborhood of RMB600 million to construct, opened its gates in 1995. Hundreds of thousands of visitors came every month.

Billing itself as a ‘world-themed’ amusement park, its grounds are dotted with landmarks from around the world – some of them reportedly the same size as the originals.

A Guangzhou Daily article published in August 2009 reported monthly ticketing contributed to an approximate income of RMB30 million for the amusement park in 1996. But just a year later, it saw a significant decline in profits and the company behind Grand World Scenic Park sunk into a morass of debt.

Confrontation began in 2005 when its creditor asked for an auction of the land, only to be refused by the amusement park. In 2009, part of the amusement park was set ablaze as a mob of 40 men rioted, armed with broadswords, harpoons and guns, according to a Guangzhou Daily report.

Despite the storied history, when we arrived at the park’s main gate, there were no signs marking the entrance, only a metal replica of the ram statue in Guangzhou’s Yuexiu Park sitting on a rusty globe.

The now-defunct park no longer allows visitors but is rented out to a private wedding photography studio.

So, there we were, a party of three, being stopped at the entrance by a sturdy man who refused to ‘sell tickets.’ So we improvised.

Following the long fence around the outside of the park,


we found a place where other miscreants had appar-ently cut a hole (because, you know, we aren’t that shady).

Inside, we were greeted by a rotted wooden house with a floor covered in broken glass, while across the road a couple in full wedding regalia posed for photos.

Avoiding eye contact and attempting to look like we had just as much right to be there as them, we strolled by, coming on the bleak sight of unkempt Buddha statues and a rotting Thai-style structure. Twigs have grown into the glassless windows, and a moss-like layer of vegetation now covers most statues.

For 20 minutes, we stealthily photographed and videotaped ramshackle Thai houses, a weathered Buddhist temple and wrecked Arabic theaters.

Security staff use electric carts to patrol a paved

path that leads to an imitation Greek theater, the Palais Garnier, an aerospace theme park and a quirky selection of other architectural knockoffs.

It was precisely one of these guards who eventu-ally pulled over and ‘invited’ us to take a ride out of the park in a golf cart. Busted.

According to various online sources, previous interlopers have faced fines up to RMB500 – but we were more concerned with facing the burly guard we’d attempted to buy entry from earlier.

Fortunately, when we exited the park, he was too occupied with his phone to see us.

Scan the QR code here to watch a video recap of our adventure.


P H O T O E S S A Y | C I T Y


C I T Y | P H O T O E S S A Y P H O T O E S S A Y | C I T YLIFE&

STYLE

Street StyleP28

Precious SipsDrinking with China's master water sommelier, p24

Weekend Getaway P23


GRACE CHENDesigner and Founder, Grace ChenInterview by Dominic Ngai

Oprah Winfrey, Sarah Jessica Parker and Helen Mirren are just some of the famous Hollywood stars that Beijing-born couturier Grace Chen created red carpet looks for while she was working in the US. Chen, who was the first mainland Chinese graduate of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, returned to Shanghai in 2009 to start her own eponymous label of couture dresses. Sitting down with us in her gorgeous villa-showroom, Chen tells us about the philosophy behind her brand, the differences between her Chinese and American customers, and why she’d like to create a dress for the new First Lady of France, Brigitte Macron.

You worked as a fashion designer in the US before returning to Shanghai to start your own couture label, Grace Chen. Why did you decide to do that?

Just like many others, I’d always wanted to have my own label ever since I became a de-signer. The reason why I started it in Shanghai is because I wanted to build a brand that’s from China – it’s more meaningful for me.

What does your brand stand for?

There are two important purposes that I’d like to achieve with my brand and design. One is to make the world understand more about Chinese culture, arts and our sense of style and fashion. Secondly, I think Chinese women are very beautiful and intelligent, but due to many reasons, many people don’t think we’re very fashionable. Sometimes what these women are wearing doesn’t bring out their character. I want my dresses to show how great they really are.

How would you describe your style of dresses?

My style is timeless; I don’t follow any trends. It’s fundamentally artistic, and very universal. My inspirations come from anything that moves me: a book, a movie, things like that. The concepts of my collections all stem from an abstract idea. I don’t usually start off with a color, a texture or a fabric in mind.

What’s the most difficult part about estab-lishing your own brand in China?

The most difficult part is how to build up a healthy business and customer base. You

must have a sustainable, steady [revenue stream] to survive. I’ve been in the busi-ness in the US for a long time, not just as a designer, but I was also the general manager of the brand I used to work for. Oftentimes, the media and other players in the industry just focus on how many awards a brand has won, how many times they’ve been featured or whatever, but they don’t really care about how healthy the business is.

How different is the process for design-ing ready-to-wear evening gowns versus couture?

Very different. For couture, you know who the customer is and you work with them directly to create the dress. You know how it looks on her and what she thinks about it. In a way, it’s actually easier because of this, but of course, it requires much higher precision and is more technically demanding. Ready-to-wear dresses are displayed and sold at a store. When you’re designing, you’re imagining who your customers are, but you don’t really know them.

Are there differences in what Chinese and American women prefer in terms of style?

You’d think they’re very different, but it’s actually not. Besides physical traits like body types and skin color, their concerns are the same. They all want their bodies to look bet-ter – smaller waist, longer legs, etc. Most importantly, all of my customers are going for

an understated style. It’s all about the subtlety and elegance; they all want to be beautiful, at-tractive and respected.

Is it easier to work with Chinese or American customers?

I think women in general are difficult custom-ers [to win over], especially for fashion items. Clothing is so personal; it’s like an extension of the person and it’s attached to your spirit. But once you you’re able to win their hearts, it gets easier and easier.

Is there someone that you haven’t worked with but would love to?

There are so many… I’d love to make some-thing for Brigitte Macron, the new First Lady of France. I like her a lot. In general, I’m more drawn to women with a sense of elegance and their own style, instead of the conventional pretty face.

How high is the level of appreciation for couture dresses in China?

Chinese people are very used to having very fine, nicely made objects in our lives. We have a long history of craftsmanship and it’s the best in the world. In our blood, we appreci-ate these types of luxury… I think China is the true market for luxury and couture.

Learn more about Grace Chen at www.gracechenstyle.com

“China is the true market for luxury and couture”


SPOTLIGHT

INSPECT-A-GADGET

i-Lit Color-Changing Lamp and SpeakerIt doesn’t pack the ‘space-trans-forming’ wattage of the color-shifting Phillips Hue and it also doesn't bear the RMB450 price tag for a single bulb. Yet the i-Lit avoids being the ‘poor man’s’ version by sporting a respect-able Bluetooth speaker, sturdy design and a ‘whoa’-moment feature.

You don’t need to use i-Lit’s app to adjust its color, but we would recommend it. At the swipe of a finger on your phone screen, the palm-sized bulb shifts across the RGB spectrum. Flickering a warm or-ange, the ‘candle mode’ allows you to turn it off by physically blowing on the lamp.

The speaker packs a surprising amount of bass and a micro SD card slot allows the i-Lit a music library of its own, with volume and brightness adjusted by twisting the light at the top, which has a solid feel as it gives off a clicking sound.

For everything the i-Lit gets right, it gets one thing wrong: a ‘party mode’ that

TAP THAT APP

Airmule Flying to and from China just got signifi-cantly cheaper. We’re talking USD199-400 for roundtrip airfare between China and the US on major commercial airlines. And yes, it’s legal.

Thanks to Airmule, a new web app built in Los Angeles that launched this past March, travelers can now sell their luggage space to certified shipping companies for cash.

It works like this: list your flight info on airmule.com (or opt to book a flight directly through the site) and if there’s a demand for a courier on those flights, you may choose to sell one or both of your allocated spaces for checked bags, earning USD150 per bag. Sell both of your luggage spaces flying to and from your destination and you will earn up to USD600 total.

Cofounded by Rory Felton and Sean Yang in late 2015, Airmule is currently available for anyone flying out of Beijing or Shanghai to the US or vice versa. In the near future, the service will expand to include Guangzhou and Shenzhen, as well as more cities worldwide.

“Our mission as a company is to be glob-al, so within a short period of time we hope to be servicing many countries all over the world,” Felton told us over a WeChat call.

Airmule lets travelers act as couriers on behalf of TSA certified shippers, which have actually been transporting goods on com-mercial airlines for years – this is nothing new.

The experience for travelers is a breeze: prepackaged, inspected luggage is handed to you at the airport and is 100-percent guar-anteed safe for travel. When you arrive at your destination, a shipping representative will meet you at the airport to receive the luggage. And that’s it! You’ll find a chunk of money deposited into your bank account within 24-48 hours of completing the trip.

Sound pretty awesome? Try it out at airmule.com.

STYLE RADAR

sees the light shift colors and flash with music playing. Let’s be honest, this gadget will never keep a party bumping.

After reviewing so many products with clunky apps, we expected an equally bloat-ed piece of software from i-Lit. Instead, the app downloads in seconds and skips the nonsense features to focus on what counts: straightforward controls for music, color and alarm.

The i-Lit only has an Apple app, leaving Android users in the dark – for now.

RMB299 on ideadot.taobao.com

COVET

RAINS x DOEFor China residents, summertime usually means saying hello to weirdly named tropical storm sys-tems and this collaboration between Shanghai streetwear brand DOE and Danish rainwear label RAINS couldn’t have come at a better time. Consisting of a parka (RMB799), boonie hat (RMB249) and gymsack (RMB299), this three-piece collection uses dark gray as its color theme, and is made with an ultra-light and waterproof material, which is perfect for defying humidity and the gloomy and rainy days ahead. Available on DOE’s website and in stores.

www.doeshanghai.com


Meilin, meaning ‘plum forest,’ is full of activities for the outdoorsy. Even better,

it’s within Shenzhen’s city limits, meaning residents can skip the hours-long bus ride to hike a mountain in a remote locale.

Arriving in Meilin, visitors from the city center can instantly detect a difference in their surroundings. Buildings are shorter, with more space in between them. Sidewalks seem more spacious, traffic less hectic.

The area isn’t lacking in shared bikes, though, which makes it simple to grab a set of wheels and ride or walk up to the 4.6-kilome-ter-long Meilin greenway.

The cyclist and pedestrian path passes by the Meilin reservoir, offering particularly picturesque views. Although we’re told it’s just a 10-minute ride to the reservoir from the greenway’s eastern end, it feels longer because of an uphill incline.

Once we turn off towards the dam, though, gravity begins working in our favor. We’re speeding along by the time we spot the walkway that spans one end of the reservoir.

How to get there:High-speed trains between Guangzhou South and Futian Station take less than an hour. To reach the eastern end of Meilin greenway, take the subway to Meicun Station, Line 9, and head West on Meilin Lu. Turn right on Meibei Lu, then right on Meibei San Lu. Head left on Erxian Gong Lu.To enter Meilin Mountain Park from the East, take the subway to Meijing Station, Line 9. Take Xiameilin Yi Jie, then turn right onto Xiameilin Er Jie. Take the first left after passing Songde Guoji building, and follow the walkway up to the entrance. To enter from the West, take the subway to Qiaoxiang Station, Line 2, then head Northwest up Antuoshan Qi Lu. Make a right and take the first pedestrian bridge, which will bring you to the entrance.


Here, the view over the smooth expanse of water is bordered by a long, imitation-granite slab featuring what seem to be inspirational quotes from past centuries.

It’s possible to go back up the slope and continue on the greenway, but instead we opt to take the exhilarating ride downhill and to the west, where there are two entrances to Meilin Mountain Park.

The mountain presents us with a moder-ate challenge, though not for the reasons you might expect.

From the eastern side to the highest point, Meiyu Pavilion, it’s a leisurely two-hour trek. So leisurely, in fact, we spot men napping in hammocks along the way.

Then it’s a sometimes steep, hour-long descent to the Qiaoxiang entrance.

But compared to the slope, the path proves to be a bigger problem. A couple areas were apparently hit by minor landslides, and we’re forced to search for our own footholds. At other points, ongoing construction pro-jects – such as a blocked-off section where a

DAYTRIPPER

Meilin Greenway and Mountain

Meilin Mountain Park (East entrance), behind Meilin Yi Village, Futian District, Shenzhen 深圳市福田区梅林一村后山

Meilin Greenway (East end), Western side of Mei’ao Ba Lu, Futian District, Shenzhen 深圳市福田区梅坳八路西侧

transmission tower was built directly onto the path – necessitate detours.

But the views more than make up for it. Throughout the hike, skyscrapers peek tantaliz-ingly through gaps in the trees. At the top of the Meiyu Pavilion, we finally find a full panorama of unobstructed views. On one side, a series of rolling green slopes; on the other, the sprawling mass of Shenzhen’s central districts, with more mountains receding into the distance.

The sight stays with us long after we’ve climbed down and made our way back home, a reminder that, despite the aches and mos-quito bites, it was well worth the trip. BH


L I F E & S T Y L E | F E A T U R EL I F E & S T Y L E | F E A T U R E

PRECIOUSSIPSA Tasting Session with a Water Sommelier BY DOMINIC NGAI

My conversation with John Zhu is peppered with terms that I abandoned back in high school chemistry class: cal-cium, magnesium and sodium, total dissolved solids, miner-

ality and pH levels. Test tubes, beakers and Bunsen burners,

however, are nowhere to be found. Instead, Zhu and I are sitting at a dining table with a white tablecloth, expensive silverware and place settings, as lush jazz music plays in the background at the Park Hyatt Shanghai’s Dining Room restaurant, 87 floors above ground. And, Zhu isn’t a science teacher. He’s one of China’s few certified master water sommeliers, and tasting water from around the world is his full-time job.

The Australian-Chinese sommelier, who has been involved in luxury water for almost a decade, is also the founder and CEO of Purelogica, an importer and distribu-tor for luxury water brands in the Greater China region. Besides Park Hyatt Shanghai, several other luxury hotels such as the Aman Summer Palace Beijing, Ritz-Carlton Beijing, St Regis Tianjin and Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund are also using its luxury water collection with bottles from Norway, Greenland, Slovenia, Canada, Chile and the UK.

Water sommelier is a relatively rare pro-fession; there are just a few countries around the world that offer professional training programs to learn the trade. Zhu, who re-ceived his certification from the Korean International Sommelier Association (KISA), established the Purelogica Academy in 2016. Designed in conjunction with KISA, this pro-gram provides water knowledge and practi-cal training for frontline staff in some of the country’s most luxurious hotel restaurants. In the last year alone, 69 students in China have received the entry-level water sommelier certificate.

Zhu explains, “[Being a] water sommelier isn’t just about water; it’s about how well you can use water, and your fundamental knowl-edge about water, and applying it to making tea and coffee, as well as wine and food pair-ing. This is the job of a water sommelier.”

WATER ECONOMICSIn front of us are five bottles of luxury wa-ter that Zhu supplies to the hotel, and the prices range from RMB118-385 per bottle. “The most expensive bottle in our portfolio is actually the Iluliaq ‘iceberg water’ from Greenland; it’s RMB1,500 a bottle,” Zhu ex-plains.

“The water is hand-harvested by locals who travel by fishing boats to glaciers where they would collect small chunks of ice that have fallen into the ocean. Upon return, they’d shave off the surface, allow the ice to melt in room temperature and collect the water. These icebergs have been around since the Ice Age and have never melted until now, so you’re actually tasting water from 100,000 years ago.”

According to Zhu, while mass-market high-end water brands such as Fiji, San Pellegrino and Evian extract their water from natural sources, they also have facili-ties equipped with packaging and filtration systems to ensure the chemical, mineral, and bacteria level stay consistent in each bot-tle. Though this filtration process makes the water much safer to drink, it also affects the


F E A T U R E | L I F E & S T Y L EF E A T U R E | L I F E & S T Y L E

natural taste of the water to a certain extent, whereas many bottles in the Purelogica col-lection are bottled at the source. This sheds light on one of the most common questions that water sommeliers around the world get asked: “What makes luxury water so expensive?”

The answer is simple, according to Zhu. “It’s because of the production vol-ume. Every year, these producers only bottle a small quantity to minimize dam-age to the source’s natural habitat. As a re-sult, we cannot achieve economies of scale like mass-market commercial brands. Also, these places are isolated from human activity, and that leads to expensive logistical costs.” Adding to the equation, the water brands in Zhu’s collection are packaged in bottles cre-ated by award-winning design firms and are specially produced by an Austrian manufac-turer.

A recent report by EMKT.com.cn (a Shenzhen-based market research firm affili-ated with McKinsey) states that the sales for premium bottled water (including domes-tic and imported brands) in China hovers at around RMB10 billion per year as of early 2017, and this, according to Zhu, is only a small fraction of the global market.

If you look at the general bottled water market, China has for the past few years sur-passed the US as the world’s largest consum-er by volume, increasing from 19 billion liters to 37 billion liters between 2010 and 2015, according to consultancy firm Zenith.

Zhu is optimistic about growth potential within the luxury segment of the market, cit-ing Nongfu Spring’s newly launched high-end product line to illustrate his point. He notes, “It shows that there’s a demand for higher quality water among Chinese consumers.”

Days after our meeting with Zhu, Coca-Cola introduced Valser, a premium Swiss sparkling water label, on e-commerce plat-form Tmall. At the time of writing, two 750ml bottles cost a whopping RMB98. It looks like commercial giants share Zhu’s confidence in the market, but can consumers taste the dif-ference?

H2O TASTING 101Water sommeliers meet skepticism about their line of profession all the time, and some even say the job is a marketing gimmick. “People always ask me, ‘Doesn’t all water taste the same?’” A short version of his an-swer to this question is ‘no,’ and Zhu says he usually conducts a water tasting session to prove his point. “It’s pure geology,” he adds.

Much like wine and coffee, the taste of the water is affected by the origin of its source and the surrounding geological for-mation. This is an integral part of a water

sommelier’s basic knowledge. Water from Western and Central Europe is high in miner-als, while those extracted from Latin America, South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand have relatively low minerality as the rock formations are much more solid and the chemical elements don’t dissolve easily into the water.

“Basically, if the level of total dissolved solids (TDS, a measurement of minerality in water) is low, the water is very crisp and pure. As the TDS level rises, minerals add taste and character to the water,” Zhu ex-plains, while opening a bottle labeled ROI. It’s a rare naturally carbonated water from Slovenia, a country known for its thermal spas with water containing high levels of magnesium and calcium – an all-natural mus-cle relaxer.

Surprisingly, the water comes with a sharp, almost citrusy flavor that resembles an unsweetened version of a classic pre-served lemon and 7-Up drink popular in Hong Kong diners. What I’m tasting, accord-ing to Zhu, is magnesium. “If the water con-tains high levels of magnesium, it has a me-tallic taste,” Zhu tells me as I try to decipher that oddly familiar flavor. “It actually goes quite well with freshly shucked oysters.”

With its pH level of 6.7, when you mix this Slovenian magnesium-rich water with the seawater in the oysters (where the pH level is as high as 11 or 12), it actually neu-tralizes the saltiness and bitterness and makes the oyster sweeter. “In fine dining, the aim is to achieve a balance in flavor. Water can be used as a ‘counterbalance agent,’ ac-cording to their TDS levels and chemical compounds.”

When water is rich in calcium – such as those produced under the Elsenham label from a confined chalk aquifer in the UK – it has a slightly sweet taste and a thicker ‘tex-ture’ that is best paired with savory items like cured meat and roast pork. “It’s almost like milk that has been filtered multiple times,” Zhu explains while I take a sip. I can’t detect the sweetness, though the creamy mouth-feel

is immediately noticeable.For desserts made with dark chocolate, a

pairing with high-sodium water such as the Canadian gold-filtered mineral water, Gize,

can bring hidden sweetness to the surface. When compared with Elsenham, Gize is much lighter in texture and a touch saltier too.

The level of carbonation also has to be taken into consideration when you

pair water with wine. “We don’t want to have bubbles that are ‘too big’ or ‘too loud’

because they can numb your palate. Smaller bubbles can stimulate your taste buds and make them more sensitive for the next wine or dish.”

While every sommelier around the world has his or her own way to conduct a tasting, he tells me that the compare and contrast method he uses is usually the standard ap-proach. “What’s your favorite?” he asks. I’m surprised at how quickly I’m able to choose one – the Slovenian bottle, mainly because of its distinct flavor. Perhaps the gimmicky fa-çade is a way for water sommeliers like Zhu to show people how interesting water is.

DRINK RESPONSIBLYRaising awareness about the importance of protecting water sources is something that Zhu also hopes to achieve with his Purelogica Academy. He sees his collection of luxury water as an important tool to educate not just the folks within the F&B industry, but also the general public, about the issue.

“I want people to have the fundamental understanding that waters from differ-ent places DO taste differently… Water is a precious commodity and we shouldn’t waste it. One day, clean drinking water will become very expensive as sources dwindle down.”

“The most expensive bottle is the ‘iceberg

water’ from Greenland; it’s RMB1,500 a bottle...you’re actually tasting

water from 100,000 years ago”


H&M, RMB249

hm.com

For Him

For Her

H&M, RMB199

hm.com

45rpm, RMB2,300

45rpm.jp

Beams, RMB1,000

beams.co.jp

Under Armour, RMB749

underarmour.cn

45rpm, RMB2,500

45rpm.jp

Beams, RMB520

beams.co.jpNike, RMB499

nike.com

SHORTS FOR ALLTime to Show Off Dem LegsCompiled by Dominic Ngai

Shorts are an essential part of your summer look. Whether it’s a fancy Sunday brunch, a workout class at the gym or just some good old-fashioned day drinking with friends, there’s a pair for every occasion. Dress up with a button-down shirt with leather loafers, or go casual with a simple tee and white sneakers. The possibilities are endless. Here are our picks from some of our favorite brands.

L I F E & S T Y L E | F A S H I O N


L I F E & S T Y L E | S T R E E T S T Y L E

PRD WearaboutsPhotos by Angel Song and Tristin ZhangEach month, we scour the streets of Shenzhen and Guangzhou to find

some of the most stylish people in town and see what they’re wearing.

Yuzuki

Top: DavidCD Watch: Rolex Shorts: Nike RT Shoes: Nike x Supreme

Xun

Bag: FjallravenShirt and pants: ZaraShoes: TeenmixWatch: Kate Spade

Ashanti Top: R3D Shorts: H&M Headphones: LG Glasses: Random store on Beijing LuShoes: the market outside of Guangzhou Railway Station

GUANGZHOUGUANGZHOU


S T R E E T S T Y L E | L I F E & S T Y L E

Damon Waistcoat: InitialT-shirt and shorts: JieorShoes: Nike Air FootscapeWatch: SeikoBracelet: 1016

Cash Shirt and pants: JieorShoes: Stan Smith, Adidas OriginalsNecklace: 1016

SHENZHEN SHENZHEN SHENZHEN


L I F E & S T Y L E | C O O L S H O P

ISABELLA LIFESTYLEThe Brand with a Mission to Better ChinaBy Jocelyn Richards

ISABELLA LIFESTYLEThe Brand with a Mission to Better ChinaBy Jocelyn Richards

“In the last 30 years, China has gained a lot. But I believe it has lost even more… and now it’s time to collect the pieces.”

In a society grappling with problems of super-ficiality and fake goods, Isabella Zhai – founder of Isabella Lifestyle brand based in Foshan – says she is determined to give consumers another option: quality.

“If we can’t do something with care, we might as well not do it,” she explains. That approach weaves throughout her entire three-part experience shop in Foshan, which functions as a designer clothing boutique, hair salon and cafe.

Starting as an upscale international buyer store four years ago, Isabella Lifestyle expand-ed its 'lifestyle' concept in 2015 to include the latter two components, which now comprise BELLA'S PLACE.

As for its fashion apparel, the brand man-ages to feel down-to-earth despite housing costly collections from some of the world’s most prestigious designers. Japanese brands Hanae Mori Manuscrit and TAE ASHIDA sought out Isabella Lifestyle as a trusted partner through which to sell their pieces in China – the only shop to receive such a privilege on the mainland.

“You have to understand these brands and the idea behind them before you can sell them,” explains Zhai, who has been working in fashion-related industries for the past 20 years. She’s opted to represent primarily Japanese designers, who she says adhere to the highest standard of quality and whose pieces tend to suit the body types of local clientele.

From the clothing boutique, one can ac-cess the cafe and salon directly by walking through an adjoining hallway, where custom-made pearl and precious stone jewelry is on display.

Decked out in warm wooden tones, the sa-lon is compact but resourceful: smart leather chairs imported from Japan swivel and recline towards stand-alone sinks, allowing custom-ers to get a wash and cut in one spot without ever having to leave their seat. Manicures and pedicures are available as well, and given that it’s an ‘experience shop,’ services can be mixed and matched. Anyone who stops in for a cup of coffee or lunch at BELLA'S PLACE, in other words, can come back for a manicure, while guests at the boutique are free to hop over to the cafe for dessert.

Even on a weekday afternoon, almost every table is occupied, with regulars stopping

by to catch up with friends, the wait staff or Zhai herself.

“[The cafe is] full of human touch, which is how I think life should be,” says Mr. Huang, an associate of Isabella Lifestyle, on our tour.

Serving simple snacks, sandwiches, Italian pasta, desserts, coffee, fruit tea and more, BELLA'S PLACE has secured solid reviews on sites like dianping.com for its consistency and quality. The coffee, though not the most ex-pensive variety, always utilizes beans roasted within the month, ensuring a fresh taste.

It's this painstaking attention to details and quality, which other shops tend to forgo, that allows Isabella Lifestyle to distinguish itself from comparable brands in China.

“There are lots of lifestyle shops in China, but they are only surface-level,” Zhai explains. “They can copy, but they won’t be better.”

It’s a refreshing approach, and one that may indeed gain traction as Isabella Lifestyle pre-pares to expand upon its Foshan location and open shops across China beginning this year.

1/F, Shop 2-3, 38 Tonghua Yi Lu, Tonghua Dong Xiaoqu, Tonghua Lu, Chancheng District, Foshan 佛山市禅城区同华路同华东小区同华一路38号2，3座首层 (0757-8335 3745)


ARTSSounds of the SeasonHong Kong punk rock group Dear Jane on July’s playlist, p35

TransformersP34

China Music Corner P38


DRUMROLL

TRANCE ENCOUNTER Our Completely Sober Interview with Dutch DJ Jochen MillerBy Matthew Bossons

This summer, Jochen Miller returns for his third Greater China tour, where he'll kick things off with a debut show in Hong Kong on June 29 before performing in Shanghai on June 30 and, finally, in Guangzhou on July 7. The Dutch DJ is notable in the electronic music scene for his high-profile concerts at major festivals like EDC Las Vegas, Ultra Music Festival, Tomorrowland and Kings Day. We caught up with Miller recently to chat Armin van Buuren, burgers and pets.

For your fans in the Pearl River Delta, tell us what made you choose Jochen Miller as your stage name?

My surname is van der Steijn and, in my opinion, it is nearly impos-sible to pronounce my name in many countries, so I opted to use a name that is simple and clear. The idea of using Miller as a stage name popped up when I drove home to my parents one day and passed the name sign of the small town I grew up in, Mill. I repeated it a couple of times in the car, and it felt like 'me' instantly.

Your name is often dropped in the same sentence as Tiesto, Armin and Above & Beyond, what makes people connect so well with your work?

First off, it is an honor to be named among these legends, thank you. And I think it’s the accessibility and emotion in my work that makes that connection. Making and playing music is my life and I think that love is something people can relate to, it’s our music, our passion.

Within your genre, who are your greatest influences?

That would be Armin, as he’s paved the way for every DJ in our scene and music style; he always knows how to come up with something new. And when it comes to electronic music in general I love to listen to Daft Punk, as they’ve always been so innovative and original.

If you could collaborate with any musician currently active, who would it be?

Oh... Chris Martin from Coldplay and Sia are on my bucket list, they are both so inhumanly talented in their writing and singing! Would be the ul-timate production if I had one of them sing it. A man can dream, right...?

Did you have a chance to explore the Guangzhou on your last visit?

I had the chance to see just a little bit of the city, unfortunately not enough! I’m hoping there will be a little more time for sightseeing and wandering around town this visit, so I can explore this beautiful city and its exquisite cuisine to the fullest!

Dogs or cats?

I am definitely a 'dog person.' My parents had a lot of dogs back in the day and I still really like them so much! The Berner Sennen dog is by far my favorite one. Probably because dogs are playful and like to run around, I consider myself to be just as playful and energetic, haha.

If you had to choose, would you rather eat McDonalds or Burger King for every meal, every day, for a year?

I prefer McDonalds! But some burgers are better at Burger King. I'm a huge fan of the Big Mac, but the Whopper is also a high-quality burger! But hey, every meal, for a whole year, I think I'd stop eating in about a week. For me it's healthy food all the way, to maintain my health. I love Asian food so much, another reason for me to be looking forward to coming to China!

Fri Jul 7, 9pm-4am; RMB100 (includes a free drink). Fei Bar, 2/F, W Guangzhou, 26 Xiancun Lu, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District, Guangzhou 广州市天河区珠江新城冼村路26号 (020-6628 6628)


HAO BU HAO

CANVASSED

Transformers VR Parks to Open Across China After holding the world premiere of Transformers: The Last Knight (aka the fifth movie) right here in Guangzhou on June 14, DMG Entertainment and Hasbro announced they would be opening sev-eral Transformers-themed virtual reality amusement parks across China over the next five years. The “digital simulation experience” at the parks will offer fans of the franchise VR battle walk-through, VR rides that simulate flying and driving, interactive experiences and more. Spokespeople have said that the park’s aesthetic will resemble the original comics more than Michael Bay’s blockbuster movies.

HaoFans of Stephen Chow’s epic film The Mermaid will be pleased to discover that the rights to a TV series remake of the film have been sold to major streaming site iQiyi for a record-breaking RMB420 million. Chow has confirmed that he will script and produce the TV adaptation himself, so fans need not worry about a new producer meddling with the fantastical world he created. TV remakes that expand upon and add more detail to already-loved stories, like Hulu just did successfully with Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, seem to be a new media trend for 2017, and all signs point to this remake being a major hit.

Bu HaoDozens of accounts on Weibo, Tencent, NetEase and Baidu that focus on entertainment and lifestyle news were shut down in early June in keeping with Beijing’s new law on cyber security, which states that online content cannot invade anyone’s privacy. Previously, millions of users would stay up-to-date on celebrity gossip, like actor Wang Baoqiang’s high-profile divorce, by

following these accounts. Some netizens applauded the move, while others complained about the loss of some of their favorite guilty pleasures. Weibo’s focus on entertainment news and gossip in the last few years has played a major role in giving it a bigger share of the global market (USD17.2 billion) than its Western counterpart, Twitter (USD12.8 billion).


SINO CELEB

Jing TianIf there’s one Sino celeb to remember in 2017, it’s Jing Tian (景甜). You might know her as the female lead who starred op-posite Matt Damon in The Great Wall, or as San Lin in Kong: Skull Island. Her rise to fame has been swift, to say the least –suspi-ciously swift. Chinese filmgoers in particu-lar have been left puzzled by her unusually smooth ascent within the Chinese enter-tainment industry, winning roles beside actors like Jackie Chan and gaining more international visibility than Fan Bingbing (The Empress of China) and Tang Wei (Lust, Caution) after only a few years in the game.

It’s not that Jing Tian isn’t capable – she has degrees from both the Beijing Dance Academy and Beijing Film Academy. But the 28-year-old has only just begun dab-bling in acting, is nowhere near fluent in English and has still managed to secure roles in three Hollywood blockbusters in just two years.

Naturally, Chinese netizens have devised a number of theories to explain the Jing Tian mystery, which range from feasible to fanciful: 1) Jing Tian’s longtime boyfriend is a Wanda shareholder (pos-sible though unproven); 2) Jing Tian is the secret daughter of Wang Jianlin (not likely); and 3) Jing Tian is a vessel for launder-ing Wanda money (highly unlikely). We’re not sure what to make of this two-time Golden Broom Awards ‘Most Disappointing Actress,’ but chances are we’ll be seeing her face on the big screen for the indefinite fu-ture, so we’d better learn to like her.

Kind of like: an educated KardashianFamous for: being famous unexpectedlySee her next in: Pacific Rim: Uprising

COLL AGE




From the Higher Brothers’ clever, catchy rhyme-spitting to the dreamy pop stylings of Banks, here are our 10 top picks from artists playing in South China next month.

Splashh – ‘See Through’

Jochen Miller – ‘Cubic’While She Sleeps – ‘Hurricane’Higher Brothers – ‘WeChat’String Fever – ‘The History of Music in 5 Minutes’Zhou Yunpeng (周云蓬) – ‘September’Xiao He (小河) – ‘From Far Away the Black NightCame Running Back’Banks – ‘Crowded Places’Dear Jane – ‘无可避免’Priscilla Chan – ‘千千阕歌’

WHAT’S NEW

Zhang Ziyi Joins Godzilla FranchiseZhang Ziyi (Memoirs of a Geisha and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), who is one of China's best-known actors in the West, has announced that she’s joined the cast of the Godzilla fran-chise in a major starring role. Her character’s story arc will span several movies. The first film in the series, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, is set to hit theaters in 2019. Zhang will play a leading figure within the “covert Monarch organization” alongside Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), Bradley Whitford and Ken Watanabe. A monster mash-up film called Godzilla vs. Kong with the same characters will follow in 2020.

A R T S | M U S I C


It’s been a hallmark year for Higher Brothers. After dropping sev-eral music videos that culminated in the release of their debut album, Black Cab, in May 2017, the Chengdu-based foursome have

gone from relative obscurity to one of the year’s most buzzed-about Chinese music groups. Articles from major Western publications like NPR and Paper Magazine have popped up almost daily since the album’s debut. All of them express incredulousness that these artists soaked up hip-hop’s influence from overseas and developed their own style, given all the restrictions on music platforms in China.

The group gamely fields these questions, but their music and lyrics reveal where their preoccupations actually lie. Take their breakout track ‘WeChat’ featuring major South Korean rapper Keith Ape, which has an irreverent DIY music video made to look like one continuous WeChat video call. The overall takeaway is that young people’s social media experience in China revolves around WeChat less because they can’t access anything else and more because it’s just the best app ever.

All the songs on Black Cab are appealing in part thanks to this focus on everyday subjects. “This album is about what’s been hap-pening in our recent daily life,” says Higher Brothers group member Psy.P, referring to songs like ‘Franklin,’ a chilled-out, 90s-inflected track featuring Jay Park about Grand Theft Auto, and ‘7/11,’ an ode to the convenience store. “We'll come up with an idea, or one of us will have an idea, and then each of us completes our own verse,” says Psy.P of their songwriting process. “Then we record together and modify each other.”

One of their standout tracks is ‘Made in China,’ a bawdy satire mocking foreigners' perception of the PRC, which opens with a Valley Girl-accented voice reading actual YouTube comments the group has gotten on their videos. The track has a catchy beat and a hilarious, high-energy video. In June, Asian music platform 88rising released a reaction video for the song, in which several major rappers, includ-ing Higher Brothers’ heroes Migos, respond positively to the video and to Dzknow’s ferocious delivery in particular (they dubbed him “Chinese Biggie”). It garnered over a million views on YouTube in less than a week. We hope that the irony of a bunch of Westerners commenting on a Higher Brothers song that mocks Westerners’ comments on Higher Brothers’ songs wasn’t lost on all those mil-lion viewers; in our favorite moment of the video, one rapper says earnestly, “they bring their culture into it, that’s what makes it stick,” while Masiwei is onscreen dressed in head-to-toe red, waving a fan

HIGHER BROTHERS

On the Brink of International Stardom, Chengdu’s Rap Foursome

Launches Their Debut Album TourBy Erica Martin

M U S I C | A R T S


Every stop will create history

around and joke-rapping about how toothpaste is made in China. The four MCs all grew up loving hip-hop, and each cites a different defining moment that

turned them onto listening: Psy.P’s friend played American rap trio Migos for him in his car; Melo heard someone’s Jay-Z ringtone in junior high; Dzknow heard a snippet of hip-hop in a car commercial. They found their style of rapping and wrote their first songs while perform-ing locally in Chengdu. “It’s developing well; there’s a higher acceptance than other cities,” says Psy.P of the hip-hop community there. Though much of their media buzz has been overseas, and their music videos have much higher views on YouTube than on Youku or QQ, Higher Brothers has never performed outside of China. This album tour will take them to almost every major city, including Shanghai, Beijing and Shenzhen. “Every stop will create history,” Psy.P says.

Higher Brothers’ strategy for making a splash so far has been to enjoy the exposure that comes with being a novelty in the West while still retaining all their playfulness and authen-ticity, writing verses relevant to their own lives that ring true to anyone living in China. This may well prove a lasting recipe for mainstream fame both at home and abroad.

Sat Jul 1; RMB60 presale RMB80 at door. Dazzle Club, 3/F, Central Commercial Building, 88 Fuhua Yi Lu, Futian District, Shenzhen 深圳市福田区福华一路88号中心商务大厦三楼 (0755-2348 1542); Sat Aug 5, time and price TBD. B10 Live, Building C2, North District, OCT-LOFT, Nanshan District, Shenzhen 深圳市南山区华侨城创意文化园北区C2栋北侧 (b10live.taobao.com, 0755-8633 7602)

3 8 | J U L Y 2 0 1 7 | W W W . T H A T S M A G S . C O M3 8 | G Z | J U L Y 2 0 1 7 | W W W . T H A T S M A G S . C O M

CHINA MUSIC CORNER Three New Homegrown Albums on Our Radar This Month

One Hundred and Twenty Seven by Play Rec LabelThe first compilation release from this new label of “cutting-edge sound art & elec-tronic music from China” offers tracks from 10 experimental electronic musicians. ’Experimental’ electronic music can sometimes be cool in theory but beatless and un-palatable in actuality, but this collection of tracks does a decent job of bridging the gap and being enjoyable for a casual listener. Rather than music for the club or the dance floor, the ambient tracks on One Hundred and Twenty Seven seem better suited for lis-tening to mid-afternoon in your office and wondering whether we’re all living in a sim-ulation (Zafka’s ‘Who’s Calling’ is especially good for this). Highlights include Flower’s spare and evil ‘Flower Crash,’ GOOOOOSE’s hypnotic and aptly named ‘Sea Changes’ and Xiong Zhenkai’s brooding ‘drown.’ The album is named for the fact that all the songs have the same tempo of 127 beats per minute. The album cover, with its cracked strip of highway and crashed cars (plus all the musicians’ photos crammed together into the rearview mirror), sets up the metaphor nicely that they are setting off toward some post-apocalyptic future and making music to match.

Listen at: https://playreclabel.bandcamp.com

Homeless by Howie LeeOne of Beijing’s preeminent electronic musicians, Howie Lee released Homeless as the first follow-up to his December 2015 full-length LP, Mù Chè Shān Chū. What stands out right away is the focus on vocals, including what sounds like screaming pixies, spiritual chanting and elements of Lee’s own voice. Beginning with a long, lonely ambient intro and then launching into the frenetic beats that make up the rest of the album, these vocals help keep the energy high throughout, adding urgency to all the tracks. The album ex-plores ideas about being unable to feel at home anywhere in the world, due to the amor-phousness of the Internet. Lee explains in a statement that the record is meant to capture “the sound of traditional China, dragged kicking and screaming into the electric age.” The album’s last two songs, ‘Muztagata’ and ‘Homeless’ are the highlights, moving from fre-netic, up-tempo Asian-inspired melodies and otherworldly vocal cries into the haunting, spare finale, which evokes the emptiness of the album’s name.

Listen at: https://dohits.bandcamp.com

Phases (Phase 2) by I Love You This record has an appealing aura of mystery surrounding it. Created by a Lanzhou-based band that offer almost no info about themselves online and have a name so ge-neric that it seems to purposely defy internet searches (我爱你 or I Love You), Phasęs (Phase 2) is a 10-track collection of earnest and emotional lo-fi dream pop. The LP was dropped unceremoniously on Bandcamp as a follow-up to the band’s January 2017 al-bum Phases, which is endearingly humble given that so many indie musicians release a single or a three-track EP with much more fanfare. The album’s centerpiece is two ver-sions of the track 'I Can Get,' a plaintive song with vulnerable vocals that offer up plenty of emo band nostalgia with lyrics like: “I don’t know who I want to be. I’m just glad we still talk.” The last three songs are an eclectic choice of covers from folk artist Elliott Smith, indie rockers The Paper Kites and rapper Lil Uzi Vert. Surprises abound.

Listen at: https://iloveyouso.bandcamp.com

A R T S | M U S I C

“When we talk about opioid painkillers, we are essentially talking about heroin pills”

– DR Andrew Kolodny, C0-Director of Opioid Policy

Research, Brandeis University

By Betty Richardson

C O V E R S T O R Y

41

has described it as “the worst drug epi-demic in US history,” claiming over 200,000 lives from overdoses. But this time, the drug that kick started the epidemic is a legal painkiller prescribed by doctors: OxyContin.

A backlash from doctors and scrutiny from regulators has forced its manufacturer, Purdue Pharma, a company privately held by the billionaire Sackler family, to seek new horizons; up-tapped markets where OxyContin’s success might be replicated with the same terrifying efficiency achieved in America. China offers one of the most lucrative expansion opportunities, with the company posting profits of USD100 million in 2015. But can the same strategy work in a country already bearing the scars of opioid abuse?

"For Chinese, opium is a big word"

Anti-opium campaigns had existed be-fore the Communist Party took con-trol in 1949, but the Party’s drastic

methods to remove the ‘scourge of opium’ cemented attitudes towards their use. Harsh anti-narcotic laws and limits on prescription, aimed at preventing the spread of non-pain related opioid use in society, have also contributed to a lack of pain management options.

Doctors sense a prevailing stigma towards opioid analgesics from patients too. “The Chinese are very concerned about opium. Opium is a big word,” notes Dr Anne Lee, a clinical professor at the University of Hong Kong. Fear of addiction is so strong that even post-surgical patients refuse basic opioid analgesics like morphine, according to Dr Cheung Chi-wai, president of the Society of Anesthetists, adding that sensitive memories of China’s battle against opium deters patients from accepting relief.

China’s consumption of opioids pales in comparison to the United States, at a startling comparison of approximately 7 ME (Opioid Consumption in Morphine Equivalence, mg per person) among the Chinese versus 677.7 ME for Americans in 2015, figures that suggest a sizeable por-tion of patients aren’t receiving adequate pain relief.

The numbers don’t look good from a pharmaceutical company’s perspective, but China’s soaring cancer rates have ushered in new attitudes and policies towards treating pain, and new opportunities for the compa-nies who exploit them.

China's Painful Subject

It might have been stamped out during the Communist Party’s efforts in the 20th century, but China’s history with opium

use still characterizes its attitudes towards pain relief to this day. Despite having been used socially among China’s elite idle rich since the Tang dynasty, by the early 1900s nearly 25 percent of the working male population were using opium, following defeat by British forces over the importation of the substance.

For both international observers and the Chinese, the apparent loss of productiv-ity, business activity and an uptick in cor-ruption within the civil service brought on by opium addiction crystalized the idea that narcotics had the capacity to cripple entire societies, leaving them vulnerable to foreign manipulation and economic ruin.

Today, an opioid addiction epidemic has unfolded in the United States. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention)

"Heroin Pills"

Andrew Kolodny is a medical doctor and Co-Director of Opioid Policy Research at the Heller School for

Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. He’s one of the world’s foremost experts on opioid rehabilitation, and one of the most vocal advocates for cautious prescribing of opioid painkillers. “The ef-fects that opioid pain relief medication like OxyContin and and Oxycodone produce on the brain are indistinguishable from the ef-fects produced by heroin. We are essentially talking about heroin pills.”

“This doesn’t mean we should never prescribe them,” he continues. “These are very important medicines for easing suf-fering at the end of life, or when used on a short-term basis. Unfortunately, the bulk of consumption of US-based opioids [have not been] for end-of-life nor short-term prescription.”

C O V E R S T O R Y

42 Overcoming Opiophobia

Opioid analgesics like morphine have been used to treat pain for decades, so why did the launch of OxyContin

result in an addiction outbreak? Part of the reason can be attributed to its claim of a 12-hour extended-release system, a mecha-nism which Purdue sought an FDA-issued patent for, asserting that it minimized the chance of addiction.

In 2007, Purdue and three of its execu-tives pleaded guilty in a federal court of misleading doctors, patients and regulators over the addiction risk of OxyContin, and were ordered to pay a fine of USD634 mil-lion. A lot, perhaps, but just a drop in the USD31 billion ocean that the company has accrued from the sale of the drug. So much revenue that the Sackler family, who own Purdue Pharma, debuted on Forbes 2015

list of America’s richest families with an esti-mated net worth of USD14 billion.

OxyContin is still approved by the FDA for long-term use, something that Kolodny argues is incompatible with sustainable treatment. “The trouble with opioids for chronic pain isn’t just that they’re addictive, dangerous and have pretty bad side effects, the problem is that they don’t work. What happens after as little as one week is that the patient becomes tolerant and needs higher doses. Finally, you get to a point where instead of the opioid giving pain relief you get a phenomenon called hypoal-gesia, where you actually become more sensitive to pain.”

Studies by Bradley Martin, a professor of pharmaceutical evaluation and policy at the University of Arkansas for Medical Science have shown that in patients who took opioids for 10 continuous days, one in five were still on an opioid drug years later.

"I’ve treated patients who’ve beaten cancer and wound up addicted to opioids." – DR Andrew Kolodny, C0-Director of Opioid

Policy Research, Brandeis University

C O V E R S T O R Y

Kolodny adds that this study examined only immediate release opioids, “For extended release opioids like OxyContin, those statis-tics are even higher.”

A Pattern of Addiction

By 2009, emergency room visits related to prescription drugs reached 1.2 mil-lion cases, with OxyContin attributed

as the leading cause for visits and fatalities. An investigation by the LA Times found that when faced with withdrawal, users turned to illegal or black market sources to maintain their supply. The report found a phenomenon of non-prescribed users crush-ing the pills into a powder to snort, smoke or inject to bypass the extended release sys-tem, delivering intense and immediate relief from withdrawal.

Subsequent ‘abuse-deterrent’ refor-mulations of the drug have reportedly done little to quell abuse. A study at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri found that a third of users were able to sidestep the mechanism, while the National Bureau of Economic Research found that others turned to her-oin, resulting in a spike of heroin overdose fatalities.

Reports of America's addiction epi-demic have caused a decrease in sales of OxyContin. According to Forbes, prescrip-tions have declined at a rate estimated to be at around 17 percent last year, down 40 percent since 2010. As such, Purdue Pharma realized that the time was nigh to start thinking outside the US.

China’s Changing Attitudes

As recently as February 2017, the Chinese Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security ex-

panded its list of Western medicines reim-bursable by public health insurance schemes for the first time in eight years from 133 to 1,297. It signalled a new era of affordable Western medication and more frequent prescription.

Mundipharma, an associated com-pany of Purdue Pharma that manufactures OxyContin in China, has already capitalized on the evolving nature of state medical care, which emphasizes a standardized approach to care that could offer phar-maceutical companies a lucrative near monopoly state on certain medicines.

OxyContin, which has been available in China for many years, currently enjoys a 60 percent market of cancer-related pain relief according to Greater China General Manager Wang Zhongling, in an interview on Mundipharma’s website.

The rules for prescribing opioids in China are more stringent than in the US. In non-cancer patients, they must have been in pain for at least four weeks, be over the age of 40 and have tried alternative pain management methods. Additionally, they are only permitted a seven-day supply (up to 15 for cancer patients) according to the global NGO Human Rights Watch.

Dr Ivan Lau, a Family Physician at the Jiahui Clinics in Shanghai, notes that doc-tors have jurisdiction to repeat a patient’s seven-day prescription “dependent on follow-up clinical assessment.”

“The doctor may also consider adjust-ing the dosing,” he adds, confirming that China’s regulatory framework allows leeway for doctor discretion on individual cases, underscoring the significant influence that holding training seminars for medical pro-fessionals can have.

Still, Andrew Kolodny argues that these guidelines allow too much margin for ad-diction. “Even the ‘perfect’ pain patient will start to need higher doses to get pain relief, just as they will have cravings when they try and come off. If they stay on OxyContin for a few months, many may never be able to come off. For particularly painful surgeries, an opioid won’t be needed for more than seven days.”

The interview with Mundipharma’s general manager goes on to state that the company’s focus will be toward palliative care for late-stage cancer patients, though Wang also endorses OxyContin’s potential for non-late-stage cancer sufferers “to help patients establish confidence” – something Kolodny says also poses a risk. “Many peo-ple with cancer now survive it. If you use opioids aggressively on somebody with a curable cancer, they can be left with an opi-oid addiction that can devastate their lives. I’ve treated patients who’ve beaten cancer and wound up addicted to opioids.”

“Secondly, even with cancer that is un-likely to be cured, you need to be cautious with opioids early on because if you’re too aggressive in the beginning, the patient will need astronomically high doses in order to get pain relief at the end. If, in the course of their cancer they need surgical care or medical intervention that is painful, as the doses escalate it becomes very difficult to treat their pain, meaning they can have more suffering at the end.”

250 million opioid prescriptions in USA, 2013 (CDC)

1.7 million Americans used OxyContin ‘non-medically’ in 2015 (Bloomberg)

C O V E R S T O R Y

44

Same Tactics, New Country?

China’s low consumption of opioids suggests widespread under-prescrip-tion for palliative care and major

post-surgery patients, a problem that the government has made a concerted effort to resolve by increasing access to opioid analgesics.

Training sessions designed to educate doctors on the safe administration of pain management are another method to in-fluence doctors. Mundipharma has been involved with government bodies in China since 2011, when it assisted the health ministry and Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology with an initiative called the ‘Good Pain Management Programme.’

A Bloomberg reporter has alleged that materials used during an educational seminar training session in eastern Zhejiang province cited decades-old studies and letters (Jane Porter, Herschel Jick, New England Journal of Medicine, 1980) stat-ing that opioids have addiction risks of just 0.6 percent, a statistic that was used on doctors in Purdue’s training seminars in the 1990s. The presentation also highlighted OxyContin as a “global bestseller” with few side effects, thereafter devoting several slides to the “shortcomings of rival thera-pies.”

Virtually identical content was seen at a similar conference in Beijing, and again in a patient manual posted to the Mundipharma website. Mundipharma claims that such presentation materials were prepared by the speakers outside of its involvement, and the patient manual was published by the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology.

“I would imagine the message that drug companies are putting across is that because of China’s history with opium there’s been an overblown fear of opium-based drugs, and that patients have been subsequently suffering without adequate pain management,” argues Kolodny, who says that the US ‘opioid lobbyists’ have attempted to pin the opioid addiction epi-demic on ‘drug abusers,’ suggesting that if opioids are prescribed medically, the risk of addiction is low. “I’m not really sure why China even needs Oxycodone (the generic opiate in OxyContin) at all if they already have morphine available.”

Evidence may also suggest some within China’s medical community harbor misconceptions of prescription opioids that pre-date the American addiction epidemic. “Clinical observations show that pain itself is capable of putting up the most powerful defense against any potential addiction," says Xu Guozhu, former director of Peking University's National Institute on Drug Dependence in a February 2013 China Daily article. "In other words, patients who take morphine for pain relief are much less likely to get hooked than those who do so recrea-tionally, for fun."

“That’s totally not true,” Kolodny re-futes. “If you’re using an opioid repeatedly, whether you’re smoking opium, taking pills recreationally or because a doctor pre-

scribed them to you, the use of this highly addictive drug causes structural changes in the brain.”

“Furthermore, many doctors also don’t realize that Oxycodone and OxyContin are chemically more similar to heroin than morphine is to heroin, something that drug companies have also exploited.”

A Warning Message

“I think it’s really important that China learns from our mistakes,” says Kolodny. He’s backed up

by a letter from 12 US Congressional Representatives sent to the World Health Organization’s Director General on May 3, 2017, urging caution against the spread of OxyContin into other countries. “The greed and recklessness of one company and its partners helped spark a public health crisis in the United States that will take genera-tions to fully repair,” it reads.

Citing the Sackler family by name, the letter issues a bleak warning that describes the troubling similarity between ‘train-ing seminars’ given abroad and those in America during the mid-90s. “The interna-tional medical community has a rare oppor-tunity to see the future,” it continues. “We urge the WHO to learn from our experience and rein in this reckless and dangerous be-havior while there is still time.”

74%increase in China’s cancer deaths from 2006-2015 (Bloomberg)

C O V E R S T O R Y

GENTLEHEALINGNon-invasive, Conservative and Alternative Approaches to Pain ManagementBy Dominic Ngai

According to a 2013 report by the Journal of American Osteopathic Association, pain is “the most com-

mon reason for physician consultations” in developed countries. This unpleasant sen-sory experience is usually a symptom of an underlying condition associated with tissue damage, which could be induced by patho-logical, mechanical and thermal factors.

“One of the biggest misconceptions most people have is that if you’re not ex-periencing pain, it’s not serious. If it’s pain-ful, then it’s serious,” explains Dr Eric Yue, founder and chief physical therapist at the clinic. “But pain is not always proportional to the degree of damage you have – it’s subjective according to [one’s tolerance].”

In most non-emergency cases involv-ing musculoskeletal pain, non-invasive approaches – namely physical therapy (PT) – are usually the first options for doctors in the West. “With the evolution of medicine, there are now many options for managing pain without drugs or surgery,” says Yue.

Several types of alternative pain management methods such as osteopa-

thy, chiropractic and traditional Chinese medicine have also become more and more mainstream – many of which are compat-ible with one another in dealing with pain. Meanwhile, comprehensive medical and wellness centers like the clinic (they have PT, osteopathy and TCM on offer) have also been gaining popularity in the West, and Yue believes that’s the future of medicine.

“Many medical conditions are multi-factorial; you need to evaluate them from different perspectives. If you work with a group of people who are trained in differ-ent specialties, you can attack the problem from different points of view,” he explains. “I don’t think PT is better than osteopathy, TCM or chiropractic or vice versa; it’s all about applying the right tools, at the right time, on the right person, and on the right medical conditions.”

In the second half of this story, we speak to four practitioners and experts in PT, osteopathy, chiropractic and TCM to find out more about their medical special-ties and how they manage pain.

“With the evolution of medicine, there are now many options for managing pain without drugs or surgery” – Dr Eric Yue, FOUNDER AND

CHIEF PHYSICAL THERAPIST, the clinic

C O V E R S T O R Y

In the 15 years that he has been practicing medicine in Spain, France and China, Dr

Eric Yue, who’s the founder, managing partner and chief physical therapist at the clinic by International Rehabilitation Specialists, says the best doc-tors that he’s worked with are ones who show more empathy to their patients. He says, “When you’re dealing with se-vere injuries, physical therapists see their patients more fre-quently than any other medical professionals, and we get to know them very well. In my profession, at the end of a workday, I feel like I’ve done something good for the community.”

Physical therapy (or physiotherapy) is a physical medicine and rehabilitation spe-cialty that remediates impairments and pro-motes mobility, function, and quality of life through examination, diagnosis, prognosis and education for prevention, and physical intervention by using physical agents such as manual therapy and exercise-based therapy.

Modern physical therapy (PT) was established at the end of the 19th century and institutionalized during World War I. Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, DC established the first school of physical therapy following the outbreak of the war to help wounded soldiers – many of whom sustained serious injuries that required am-putations – transition back into society.

But in modern day metropolises around the world, physical therapists are able to treat anything from relatively minor conditions such as chronic pain to helping post-surgical and trauma patients with mus-culoskeletal damages regain mobility and

functionality. Within the discipline of PT, there are many specialties including trauma, orthopedics, sports, neurology, pediatrics and geriatrics (Yue specializes in the first three). While chiropractors, osteopaths and TCM doctors can all treat non-emergency and chronic pain cases, physical therapists are the only ones who should work with patients requiring post-surgical or traumatic care.

“In most Western countries, PT is the frontline conservative, non-invasive medi-cal approach for pain management that is drug-free,” says Yue. A course of PT treat-ment lasts anywhere from few sessions to six months, which gives the body enough time to do its own partial healing. Only once all resources have been exhausted and the patients have yet to improve will therapists refer them to other doctors to prescribe medication or recommend surgery as the last resort. In most of the cases, ac-cording to Yue, that is not necessary.

He adds, “In places like China, you see people getting surgeries for conditions that they shouldn’t get surgeries for, which is sad and not the proper way to practice medicine.”

PH

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Dr Eric Yue, Chief Physical Therapist, Founder and Managing Partner, the clinic

Manual therapy (like massage, myo-fascial techniques and manipulation) and exercise-based therapy are the two most common techniques used in modern PT, while other physical agents such as ultra-sound, laser and shockwave therapy are also weapons in a physical therapist’s arsenal. But before prescribing a treatment plan, Yue notes that the first part of the consultation process is actually the most important step.

“When a patient comes for a consulta-tion, the therapist has to do an anamnesis (an interview about the pain – Where does it hurt? When did it start? Is it associated with a recent trauma or a lifestyle or pos-tural habit? etc.) and it might take 30, 40 or 50 questions. The more detailed it is, the sharper the diagnosis,” Yue explains. “Diagnosis is an art. It’s how you get to the root of the problem. If you see 10 cases of lower back pain, you might have to pre-scribe 10 different treatments based on the cause. That’s the beauty and complexity of the medical approach in physical therapy.”

Find out more about physical therapy treatments at www.singhealth.asia

C O V E R S T O R Y

47

OSTEOPATHYOSTEOPATHY

“The Chinese generally don’t know what osteopathy is, but the phi-losophy and techniques used are

actually quite similar to traditional Chinese medicine,” says Dr Elodie Nordey, osteopath at the clinic by International Rehabilitation Specialists. After graduating from a six-year-long program at Ecole d’Osteopathie de Paris, Nordey’s been practicing osteopa-thy – a form of alternative medicine that emphasizes massage and other physical manipulation toward soft tissues (includ-ing ligaments, tendons, muscles) and joints to relieve musculoskeletal conditions – in Shanghai since 2016.

Nordey continues, “Westerners, on the other hand, would only know about us if they, or a friend of theirs, have been treated by an osteopath. Many people, however, don’t really know the differences between a chiropractor, a physical therapist, and an osteopath.”

Founded in 1874 by American physi-cian Andrew Taylor Still, osteopathy is guided by the notion that since the human body is one dynamic unit with multiple interrelated functions and structures (i.e. your brain would not function without your heart, and vice versa), it should be treated as one whole unit instead of just focusing on isolated parts as with allopathic medi-cine.

Another major principle behind osteo-pathic medicine is that the body possesses self-regulatory mechanisms, giving it the ability to heal itself. “Osteopathic medicine is a tool-free approach. We only use our hands to diagnose and treat and do not rely on machines or medicine,” Nordey explains. “Osteopaths make joint and body adjust-ments. If we have to identify one thing that osteopaths focus on, it’d be body joints – just like how chiropractors mainly focus on the spine and nerves.”

Back pain (including neck, thoracic and lower back) and joint pain (most com-monly shoulder and knee) are conditions that osteopaths treat most frequently, often when patients are experiencing acute condi-

tions in which painkillers are not effective. Osteopaths also treat conditions like belly pains, headaches, vertigo and problems with digestion and breathing when severe medical evidence has been discarded. Nordey stresses, however, that severe conditions such as fracture, inflammatory or systemic diseases (diabetes, cancer) are things that osteopathic medicine isn’t able to treat. “The consultation process (medical questionnaire and physical exam) helps us exclude these conditions, so we can refer patients to other healthcare professionals as needed.”

Due to many people’s sedentary lifestyle with long hours sitting at their desks, back and neck pain are problems that Nordey treats on a daily basis through manual manipulation. Much like seeing other types of doctors, the consultation process for visiting an osteopath starts off with a medical questionnaire and physical examination, followed by treatment and patient education – the last of which is par-ticular important for patients suffering from chronic pain due to postural imbalance. Says Nordey: “Besides treating pain symp-toms, we try to help patients understand the root cause of the pain as well. In most cases [involving back and neck pain], we’d also recommend some lifestyle changes.”

Find out more about osteopathy at www.eurammedicalcenter.com

Dr Elodie Nordey, Osteopath, the clinic

C O V E R S T O R Y

48

CHIROPRACTIC Considered a form of alternative

medicine, chiropractic focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of mechani-

cal disorders of the musculoskeletal system, and the effects these disorders have on one’s general health.

Practitioners believe that our central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) and peripheral nervous system (everything apart from the brain and spinal cord) are the keys to the human body and the manipulation of the spine – the pathway for sensory and somatic neuron signals linking the brain to the rest of the body – can be an effective way to manage pain without the use of medicine or surgery.

While some medical professionals remain skeptical of this approach, in recent decades, chiropractic has become more widely recognized in Western countries such as the US, Canada and Australia as an effective treatment option for neck and lower back pain.

Born in Malaysia and educated in Kuala Lumpur’s International Medical University, which is accredited by CCEA Australia and MOH Malaysia, Dr Gordon Boo, chiro-practor at Chiropractic First and Parkway Health and a registered member of World Federation of Chiropractic, has been prac-ticing in Shanghai for the past two years after working in Singapore. “It’s a relatively new field and discipline in China but there’s been an increase in interest over the past few years,” says Boo, citing an uptick in the ratio of local Chinese versus expat pa-tients he has treated over the past couple of years.

A chiropractor’s goal is to make cor-rections to vertebral subluxations (misalign-

ments of one or more bones in the spine that interfere with the proper communica-tion between the brain and the body) to restore the spine and nervous system back to normal functioning through techniques like manual therapy and spinal adjustment – a technique developed by chiropractic founder, Daniel David Palmer.

“[When a patient comes in complain-ing of back or neck pain], we first do a physical examination to determine if there’s a spinal problem. If it’s a problem with the muscles, we would refer him or her to an-other physician,” Boo explains. “If the prob-lem is spinal, we do an X-Ray to analyze at what angle and direction the vertebra has been shifted [in order to prescribe treat-ment].” Knowing the cause of the pain, ac-cording to Boo, is extremely important. For pathologically induced pain (such as from an autoimmune disease), medications are actually a more suitable pain management method.

But for mechanically induced pain from force-related injuries (including eve-rything from chronic pain caused by poor posture to sports injuries), chiropractic is a drug-free and non-invasive approach that’s becoming more mainstream. He adds, “Painkillers and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are designed to stop our brain from receiving pain signals, but they don’t actually solve the root of the problem; they can only provide temporary relief and might come with numerous side effects. Chiropractors make spinal adjust-ments by using opposite force to correct the vertebra misalignment.”

Find out more at www.bellaireclinic.com

Dr Gordon Boo, Chiropractor, Chiropractic First and Parkway Health

C O V E R S T O R Y

TCM doctors study more than 600 herbs and 400 different formulas, each with any-where from three to 12 herbs, that are de-signed to help promote the flow of qi via the digestion and bloodstream. “A lot of opiate-based painkillers used in Western biomedicine attack only the symptoms, but when you stop taking them, the pain comes back, whereas in TCM, if the formula is administered correctly, it’s meant to get rid of the symptoms com-pletely while taking care of the root cause as well,” says Pinto.

A course of treatment for pain, according to Pinto, generally lasts about three to four months. “Qi changes in your body on a sea-sonal basis. We have to take into consideration other factors in the surrounding environment and adjust the qi accordingly.”

Dr Evan Pinto, Shanghai Trinity TCM Clinic

Evan Pinto is one of the few Westerners practicing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in Shanghai. Having been based

there since 2012 after graduating from the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in New York City, Dr Pinto has been part of the team at Shanghai Trinity TCM Clinic and an instructor at Shanghai University of TCM.

According to Dr Pinto, about 75 percent of the patients who come to see him have some sort of pain-related issues, such as migraines, muscle aches from sports injuries, chronic wrist and elbow-related problems as a result of prac-ticing yoga, and menstrual pain.

“The reason why most people want use TCM for pain management is either because they want to try something natural and stay away from pharmaceutical drugs, or they’ve already tried Western biomedicine and it didn’t help,” Pinto tells us. The elemental foundation of TCM is to balance the yin with the yang, as well as to promote the healthy movement and circulation of qi (energy) within one’s body. “If there’s no movement of qi, there’s pain,” Dr Pinto explains. “A TCM doctor’s job is to figure out where the blockage is and get the qi flowing again.”

As a licensed acupuncturist and board certi-fied herbalist, these are the two main methods Pinto uses to treat pain. In most courses of treat-ment, he uses a combination of both disciplines. He explains: “Acupuncture starts the healing process from the outside while herbs attack the problem from the inside. When the two meet, wellbeing and harmony are achieved.”

Pinto likens all the acupuncture points in the body as keyholes with different functions, while the needle acts as the key. Doctors, who are familiar with each point in the body, turn on certain functions when they insert the key into the keyhole to eliminate the blockage of qi. “In each session, we usually only work on eight or nine acupuncture points, and as the course of treatment progresses and according to the pa-tient’s condition, we work on different points at different times.”

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Scan the QR code here to see a list of acupuncture professionals near you.

C O V E R S T O R Y

COMMUNITY

Women's RugbyP52

Staying AbreastP54

Bringing Back DecorumHow etiquette varies across cultures and what we can do about it, p55


FEATURE

So you've decided you want to get a gym membership and trade in Nestle Crunch bars for abdominal crunches;

exchange queso cheese dip for weighted triceps dips. You have even typed in jian-shenfang (健身房) into Dianping and found a nearby gym that you can go to 3-5 times a week easy. Great.

In China, there is one extra hurdle standing between you and that body you are dreaming of. We aren’t talking about RMB7 fried noodles or Tsingtao that is cheaper than water. No, we are talking about the hurdle of getting a gym membership in the first place. In China, it is a needlessly obfus-cated process in many cases.

Instead of getting frustrated, read our guide below and follow the simple steps to make bargaining for a gym membership as painless as possible.

Arriving at the gym

Here is what will happen: someone in a bright fluorescent green shirt whose job it is to shill passersby into joining the gym will see you walk onto the premises and know you aren’t a member. They will show you the facilities in a cursory manner and then sit you at a table that has a calculator and a man who looks like the seedy car salesman dad from the 90s film Matilda.

Expect no English to be spoken and for all numerical figures concerning how much you will pay to be typed into the calculator. It is kind of like shopping at the fake market.

At this point you should follow the steps below or risk getting the short end of the stick.

1. Investigate the premises

Leave the negotiating table and walk around the gym and locker rooms. Determine if the changing area meets your standards and be sure to ask if there are any extra fees for using the lockers.

Try to visit the gym at the time you will be working out to make sure it won't be too crowded. If you are unable to do this, ask staff what the facility’s peak hours are. Inspect the machines and free-weights and see if they are all operable.

2. Refuse the opening offer

Some gyms in China will outright fab-ricate their prices based on how much of a sucker they think you are. This is especially true in gyms located farther away from the city center. The prices for gyms are seldom posted, leading to even more confusion.

Note that some of the more high-end gyms will not negotiate a basic membership fee – their quote will be the true price.

Assume that all of the other gyms are out to take you for a ride. The opening offer the gym staffer quotes you is probably going to be way too high, which brings us to step three...

3. Fire back with a reasonable offer on the low side

All first-tier cities have different rates for

a yearly membership, which is the de facto contract length the gym will try to sell you on. We recommend chatting with other expats in your city to get a rough idea what the price is like before going into negotiations.

In Guangzhou, for example, a nice gym near the CBD will range from RMB3,500-7,000 (depending on quality and loca-tion); RMB1,500-3,000 outside of it. If you are quoted RMB3,500 for a gym nowhere near the center of town, fire back with an RMB1,400 offer and work from there.

4. Set up a favorable payment plan

While many gyms will not go along with what we are about to encourage you to try, we recommend you try it anyway: avoid paying the balance for your member-ship upfront. If you negotiate and agree to RMB3,000 for a year, try to pay RMB750 for four months. If possible, aim to string pay-ments out as long as possible.

5. Before handing over cash, inspect the contract

If your Chinese skills aren’t up to par, this is where you will likely need some help from a friend, as many contracts are written in Chinese. Check that there are no hidden fees or services listed, and that the contract will not renew automatically.

Like this guide? Find dozens more like it on thatsmags.com.

BEEFING UP THE BARGAIN5 Tips for Negotiating a Gym Membership in ChinaBy Connor Frankhouser


Meters from the try line the ball carrier is cut down with a brutal tackle, hitting the muddy pitch and eliciting a palpable gasp from the spectators. Moments later the whistle blows, the home team wins again.

Although this could be a scene from the 2015 Rugby World Cup, it is but a typical Saturday for members of the Guangzhou Rams Women’s Rugby Club. The Lady Rams barnstorm all around southern China, playing games in Guangdong, Xiamen, Hong Kong and Macau each year, under both touch and contact rugby codes.

The team has an international squad fea-turing a healthy mix of local individuals and foreign expats and is social in nature, focusing just as much on having fun off the pitch as they do executing textbook plays on it.

Their season kicks off in September with the infamous Macau Beach Rugby Invitational and typically wraps up in late April or early May.

Every Wednesday at 7pm at Tianhe Sports

Center, the ladies meet up to play touch rugby; contact training occurs at Xianggongdong area in Haizhu District every Thursday at 8.30pm.

Club president Vega Ouyang has been playing with the team for over a decade and says that at first, the Lady Rams were touch rugby only. But after the team went to a touch rugby tournament in Hong Kong and saw a fellow women’s team playing contact rugby on an adjacent field, the seeds for a full-contact team in Guangzhou were sown.

The Lady Rams added contact rugby to their repertoire in November 2005 and have been going strong in both codes ever since.

The club has membership fees to pay for field use and a comprehensive insurance plan for members. Yearly fees are RMB400 for con-tact, RMB300 for touch. Full-time students get a special price break.

For more information, add Vega’s WeChat (Vegahuihui) or visit www.guangzhourugby.com

SOCIAL SKILLS

Guangzhou Women’s Rugby Club

AROUND TOWNCOMMUNITYDEAR JAMIE

Breast BuddiesDear Jamie,

I’m a white female and I work with about a dozen Chinese colleagues. When I started the job, a female coworker asked if she could touch my breasts, I guess out of curiosity. It was weird but also sort of funny, so I said sure. Later on, another female coworker asked and I also let her. Over about a month some-thing happened like this about once a week. Now it’s sort of become a thing they do if I show up in a new top or even just when they want to be funny.

I’ve seen them do it to each other, but I’m getting tired of it and don’t want it done to me. Is this just something I should accept as part of a different cul-ture or is there a way to get them to stop without ruffling any feathers?

-Baffled in Shenzhen

Dear Baffled,In all my years in China I’ve never

been invited to join the ‘breast friend brigade’ – a jolly bunch, I gather, laying their hands on each other in a familiar way to turn a regular nine-to-five into a tactile experience. You must feel honored – or just uncomfortable and confused.

Is this normal behavior? I conducted a bit of a survey and women of the Chinese persuasion described it in terms ranging from ‘weird’ to ‘fun’ to ‘normal.’

But it doesn’t really matter what they think: it’s about what you’re comfort-able with. You may need to put up with loud talking in the elevator, but you have every right to draw the line at physical contact. The next time you notice a cow-orker about to get hands-y, tell her firmly – and politely – that it’s not happening.

And a word of advice for the future: set boundaries early. If it’s not something you want happening later, don’t let it happen now.

-Jamie

Got a problem? Alcohol is technically a solution, or you can email Jamie at [email protected].

Curious what local consulates and chambers are up to this month? Look no further – we’ve got the scoop.

The Canton Plage 2017 will be held at Nikko Hotel on July 14 in Guangzhou and July 15 in Shenzhen, in partnership with the General Consulate of France in Canton. It is a major event in the Sino-French business community every year, attracting roughly 700 people in each city.

Later in the month, the European American Chamber of Commerce and Industry will hold its 3rd China Intelligent Equipment Industry Exposition and 6th China Electronic Equipment Industry Exposition from July 27-29 at the Shenzhen International Convention and Exhibition Center. Want to get in on key networking and sourcing opportuni-ties? Contact Ruby Lee at 177-2762-6348 or via email at [email protected].

INTERNATIONAL CHITTER-CHATTER

Network and Chill


TAKE FIVE

Paul van Loenen


Known more commonly around Guangzhou as ‘the Viking Beer guy’ or ‘the guy who brings swords to parties,’ Paul van Loenen is a long-time fixture of the city’s F&B culture. Moving to the Flower City back in 2008, he runs a successful food and beverage company that imports healthy edibles and, you guessed it, beer!

Which Guangzhou tourist attraction is the best to drink a sneaky beer at?

That must be Shamian Island, I love the at-mosphere there. Almost as if you are going back in time when you cross that bridge.

Craziest drunken adventure you have un-dertaken during your time in China?

Probably walking around Zhujiang New Town in a tight dress with the rest of the Guangzhou rugby team.

Worst Guangzhou taxi experience?

Too many to describe. The worst is during the Canton Fair when they don’t want to turn on the meter and literally ask 10 times the standard rate. Glad when it is over and every-thing gets back to normal.

A weekend in Hong Kong or Macau and why?

Must be Hong Kong, mostly because I’m just more familiar with it then Macau. But I really love the diversity. And the Asian-Western mix. It is almost good on all occasions. Sightseeing, shopping, the outdoor activities – the possi-bilities are endless.

Your favorite martial arts film and why?

Probably Bloodsport, it’s such a classic. It was kind of cool then, but now it’s just funny to re-watch it. It has almost become a cult.


Breast pain, palpable breast mass and nipple discharges are the three com-mon symptoms for which women seek

consult for medical advice. At our Ob-Gyn clinic, the most commonly encountered be-nign breast conditions are fibroadenomas, mastitis and breast abscesses.

Women who complain of breast pain or mastalgia often show anxiety because of fear that the pain is a symptom of breast cancer. In some cases, the severity of the pain can im-pact a woman’s daily life.

Breast pain is associated with higher prevalence in premenopausal and post-menopausal women, in women with larger breast size and in women with lower fitness and activity levels.

Breast pain symptoms are treated based on classification type. Cyclical pain, for ex-ample, is the most common type of breast pain and coincides with the female menstrual cycle.

Cyclic pain characteristically starts up to two weeks before menstruation and gradually increases in severity and subsides once men-struation has started and disappears after few days. Treatment options include wearing a well-fitting brassiere for better support, ap-plication of a warm or cold compress to pro-vide symptomatic relief and medical therapy with acetaminophen, NSAIDS or danazol.

In the non-cyclical type, the pain has no relationship with the menstrual cycle. It may be intermittent or constant and women often describe it as heavy, achy, pulling, stabbing or pinching pain that usually has unilateral breast involvement. Examples of non-cyclical breast pain include lactational mastitis, which is common in nursing mothers up to 12 weeks post-delivery, traumatic fat necrosis, stretching of the cooper’s ligament and be-nign breast tumors or cancers.

Another type of breast pain is the extra-mammary pain. In this type, the woman perceives pain in the breast but it is actually related to an extramammary site. This type of breast pain has no pattern; it can occur in any age group and almost always has unilateral breast involvement. Extramammary breast pain is commonly caused by inflammation of the costochondral junctions of the chest wall, costal cartilage symptoms and chest wall muscular pain.

Breast mass is another common symptom encountered in the clinic. These masses may be initially detected by the woman herself during self breast examination or by her clinician during routine clinical breast ex-

KEEPING ABREAST What You Should Know About Breast Pain By Allyn Zamora, M.D.

amination. In most cases, these masses are fibroadenomas, palpable solid tumors that are well-defined, smooth, mobile, non-tender masses with rubbery consistency on a physi-cal examination or well-defined round or oval solid masses with smooth contours on an ultrasound.

Fibroadenomas are usually found in females ages 13-35 and although their eti-ology is unknown, they could be related to hormonal factors, as they may persist throughout the female reproductive years and can increase in size during estrogen hormonal therapy or pregnancy and regress in size after menopause. Younger women with fibroadenomas are managed conserva-tively by a close follow up every three to six months. Women whose breast mass increases in size or remains unchanged by age 35 should pursue further investigation to rule out the possibility of malignancy.

In women who seek consult for nipple discharges, it is important to differentiate benign and possibly malignant discharges. A patient’s clinical history and physical exami-nation findings are helpful in distinguishing the cause of these discharges.

Those that are benign often have bilateral

and multi-duct breast involvement and occur in patients with a history of breast manipula-tion. Those discharges that are malignant are associated with females over 40 years old, the presence of breast mass and persistent or spontaneous discharges that may be clear, yellow or blood-tinged with unilateral and single-duct breast involvement.

Although breast conditions are mostly benign and treatable, it is still recommended that women pay close attention to breast symptoms or discomfort and seek profession-al evaluation to rule out potential malignancy.

Allyn Zamora, M.D. is an obstetrician and gynecologist at United Family Guangzhou Clinic, 1/F, Annex, PICC Bldg, 301 Guangzhou Dadao Zhong, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 广州市越秀区广州大道中301号人保大厦南塔副楼首层(4008-919191, emergency: 8620 8710 6060, www.ufh.com.cn)

C O M M U N I T Y | H E A L T H


muttering and the occasional tantrum (or six). But they are always forgiven. Most visi-tors coming from places with a low popula-tion density will have a larger and more territorial sense of personal space than those who hail from more densely populated envi-ronments.

They say it’s the little things that often offer the best insight into a culture, and eti-quette takes the cake here.

For example, you can often tell if some-one is new to or from the Chinese mainland just by how he or she behaves in a queue. You can also tell a lot by observing one’s attempts at bargaining, or hosting, or shaking hands. Different etiquette is not necessary bad, it’s merely representative of one’s culture, identity and background. And it works both ways: Westerners don’t necessarily know everything about Chinese table manners, lo-cal customs or guanxi, right?

Looking to expose mainland Chinese to more globally accepted standards of etiquette (while introducing foreigners to the nuances of Chinese decorum) is Lawrence Leung, CEO of Prestige Education Consultancy.

A Cantonese native born in the UK who

Most of us think getting into an eleva-tor is a fairly straightforward affair: press a button for your desired floor,

press again to close the elevator (or better still, wait until it closes automatically), and wait until you reach your destination (making slight eye contact with those around you or attempting a smile if warranted). Established elevator etiquette is as easy as 1-2-3, right?

Wrong. In China, elevators can really get you down. There can be obscene throat clear-ing not normally observed, people standing so close that you can hear their digestive juices rumble or people shrieking into their phones whilst carrying bags of take-out oozing foul-smelling sauces. Our ultimate favorite has to be ‘The Pushfest,’ when some-one barges in while everyone else is still in the elevator and waiting to get out.

Whenever I have friends or family visit China for the first time, I always get a per-verse, aberrant nous of pleasure seeing the near-homicidal state of panic that erupts when they enter or exit an elevator, espe-cially after they’ve just navigated the sweaty throngs of humanity on jam-packed streets, markets and metro stations. It usually in-volves plenty of eye-rolling, unintelligible

spent some of his childhood in Hong Kong, Leung is the first to admit a growing trend of local Chinese attending homegrown etiquette schools to learn everything from business finesse to wine tasting and even walking, in an attempt to open doors on an international level, solidify social standing at home and of course, improve their guanxi.

“PEC was one of the first to bring interna-tional etiquette to China,” says Leung. “Many have opened since then, but we remain truest to our cause and intent.”

With an established presence in China since 2011, the feather in Leung’s cap for the last three years is none other than Paul Burrell, former butler to the Queen of England and to the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Often referred to as the ‘world’s most famous butler,’ the author of two books served the royal family for 21 years, so if any-one knows manners fit for royalty, it's him.

With Burrell serving as head consult-ant, PEC offers courses to both children and adults. The latest round saw Burrell in Guangzhou for a few days in June to officially inaugurate PEC’s Guangzhou office, while training a lucky few on matters of poise, el-egance and, lo and behold, elevator etiquette.

CASHING IN ON ETIQUETTEThe Good, the Bad, the NecessaryBy Lena Gidwani

E D U C A T I O N | C O M M U N I T Y


(Supported by )

B10 Live Tomorrow Festival

2017 BritCham Golf Tournament

The Japanese avant-garde hard rock band Fushitsusha, led by Keiji Haino, rocked B10 Live in OCT Loft this past month. Music was de-stroyed, rebuilt and reborn within the three-hour show, closing off the fourth Tomorrow Festival. It began on May 18 and invited some of the most experimental musicians to Shenzhen. Attendees ranged from vet-eran players in the Chinese music scene to Norwegian multi-field musi-cian Maja S.K. Ratkje. Photographs provided by Xu Yiming.

The 2017 BritCham Golf Tournament was held at the Norman Golf Course in Dongguan Mission Hills on June 9. Seventy golfers partici-pated, which rendered it the group’s biggest golf tournament to date. The tournament raised more than RMB5,700 for the Captivating International Foundation through the Charity Hole group. The Foundation runs a program to provide illiterate girls in rural China with intensive vocational training.

Food and Drink Tasting at The 7th Day

Saturday, June 17 saw an afternoon of food and drink tasting at The 7th Day all-day brunch restaurant in Shenzhen, where attendees were given a choice of Vedette Extra White or Liefmans beers as a welcome drink before creating their own meal from a menu that included a delicious smoked salmon and spinach main. The rain lent a cozy feeling to the dinner, which brought families and friends excited to learn about Shenzhen’s latest addition to the F&B scene. The event was capped off by a lucky draw that saw guests win business set lunches and VR experience coupons from Atlife.

CITY SCENES

(Supported by )


(Supported by )

AIFA and SFSM International Youth Tournament 2017

Sino-French Forum 2017

In collaboration with Urban Family and sponsored by Guangdong Nanyue Bank, the AIFA and SFSM Youth Tournament took place at Shenzhen’s Degrantin Soccer Fields on June 3 and 4. HarMoniCare Women and Children's Hospital ensured the safety of the players with on-site first aid. Ten separate football academies participated in the event that attracted about 700 children and parents. The tournament also saw 35 pairs of shoes donated on behalf of underprivileged children in Nigeria, and AIFA remains open to further donations (call 187 1903 8314). Food and drink were provided by La Maison, George & Dragon, Alexander’s Ice Cream and Taps Brewpub. Photographs provided by Victor Chen. AIFA would like to extend a special thanks to all the supporters of this event, as well to Mr. Larry Chi and Mr. J. Jewett for their contribution for the success of the tournament.

The fourth edition of the Sino-French Business Forum was held on June 6 at Sofitel Guangzhou Sunrich, thanks to cooperation between the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China (CCIFC) and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Guangzhou Council (CCPIT), the Guangzhou General Chamber of Commerce (GGCC) and the Ronggui Youth Chamber of Commerce. The occasion was also supported by the Consulate General of France in Canton, the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Hong Kong (FCCIHK) and Business France.

(Supported by and )


PRD FOCUS

The British School of Guangzhou held an ‘Awards Day’ on June 30 to celebrate students' achievements and to wave

goodbye to their graduates, many of whom are heading to universities ranked in the world’s top 100.

In the last decade, Guangzhou’s Eclipse English Center has grown to become an influential institute in the community. On

June 18, the language center commemorated its 9th anniversary by hosting a charitable ex-hibition of its students’ artworks, the proceeds of which went to Little Angel Charity.

Hundreds of spectators gathered in Zhuhai on June 2 for the launch of the Giantroot Urban Digital Landscape

Artistic Installation, featuring a huge LED transparent screen that allows users to send digital fireworks or personal messages to the screen using their mobile device.

Organized by the Consulate General of Greece in Guangzhou, the exhibition Glimpse of Greece opened to the public

on May 26 at F10 Space in Redtory. Over 30 Greece-centered photographs by Zhou Chen were displayed in the exhibition.

Canton Global Academy (CGA) and the Canadian International School of Guangzhou (CIS), in concert with Urban

Family, hosted a Summer 2017 Family Fun Day at Crowne Plaza Guangzhou City Center. The fun-filled occasion included workshops, sports activi-ties, snacks, a seminar and a stage performance.

On June 17, a party celebrating The Sound of Music with the little ones was held by Guangzhou Trinity

International Kindergarten and cohosted by Urban Family. More than 20 families enjoyed a ‘Do Re Mi’ violin performance, storytelling class and a music class.

The Italian National Day was observed last month in Four Seasons Hotel, Guangzhou. On June 2, at a reception

hosted by the Consulate General of Italy in Guangzhou, Consul General Laura Egoli greet-ed and celebrated the occasion with invitees.

Conrad Guangzhou unveiled in May in the city’s CBD. Overlooking the Pearl River, the hotel is an artisan oasis for those

seeking inspired experiences, with an interior design boasting a stylish interpretation of tra-ditional Xiguan culture.

On June 15, just over two years since ISA International School Guangzhou opened, the school became an IB

World School. It now stands among a family of more than 4,500 IB schools around the world.


This month61 Home Cooking62 Grapevine 66 New Food and Drink

Guangzhou reviews, events and information

Come See the Crazy Side of Nuns in this Original Broadway Production

p70

SISTER ACT

A monthly insert in July 2017

EAT&

DRINKThe Summer Sling A refreshing cocktail to make at home, p63

Moroccan DelightsP66

Noodles and Beer P68


HOME COOKING

AN ACT OF CODMarinated Codfish with Citrus and Honey Reduction

Dear reader, your complaints began as a trickle – this or that ingredi-ent was too hard to find, you said. From there it became a chorus: ‘We don’t own ovens!’ ‘This recipe takes too long!’ ‘What’s the difference

between a boil and a simmer?’ Alright, alright. We get it. This month we’ve turned to one of Shenzhen’s finest chefs and asked him to keep it simple – very simple. Some quality cod, basic spices and about 15 minutes of your time and this fish is good to go. Happy? Now get cooking.

Ingredients:The fish200g piece of codfishThe marinade and reduction 1 orange 1 lemon 1 tablespoon of honeySaltPepperCayenne pepper powder1 teaspoon of five-spices mix Olive oil Side dishYour choice of salad

Method:1. Squeeze the lemon and orange and mix the juices.2. Add honey, the spice mix and salt

and pepper to the juice to create the marinade.3. Marinate the codfish in the mix for up to 10 minutes.4. Panfry the fish in olive oil at low heat, switching sides when the hon-ey caramelizes and changes color. Check firmness with needle or knife and add olive oil as needed.5. While frying the fish, use the stove to reduce the marinade to a syrup.6. Plate the fish with your choice of salad and drizzle the reduction over the dish before serving.

This recipe is courtesy of Chef Greg Delbost at Taste Moment, 1/F, Bldg 1, Block A, 1979 Culture and Creativity Park, 1011 Qiaoxiang Lu, Futian District, Shenzhen 深圳市福田区侨香路1011号1979文化创意园A区1栋1层 (0755 8255 6173)

Scan the QR code to see Chef Greg Delbost prepare this dish.

SCAN TO WATCH


THE SCANDALOUS SCOOP

We’re digging:

How easy it is to stop into 13 Factories now that the beloved American bistro has relocated to Huasui Lu (see our review of its revamped menu on p69); everything about La Medina – a new Moroccan restau-rant and bar in 289 Art Park (p66); word that Dongshankou molecular gastronomy restaurant and bar Prism has transformed into a spa (random, yes, but as long as it’s still located in that mansion with the mir-rors, we’re down to revisit); the insanely cheap coffee sold at IKEA – who knew?; Lian restaurant’s new Sky Lounge and DIY cocktails at IGC in Liede.

We’re done with:

Industrial salt scandals (check thatsmags.com for regular food scare updates… just kidding, we don’t get nearly as many as Shanghai); that characteristically dark sky before downpours that always seem to strike when we forget an umbrella; the bells on shared bikes... and how some people feel the need to ring them constant-ly when no one is in their way.

GRAPE VINE


OLDIE BUT GOODIE

‘Tongue Tip Beef Noodles’ 舌尖尖牛肉面This isn’t one of those ‘We Tried It’ features where we taste some-thing revolting and then insist on recounting the horror. Rest as-sured: the ‘tongue tip’ in the title is just a literal translation of the restaurant’s name, though it would be better interpreted as meaning simply ‘delicious’ in this context.

In fact, Tongue Tip Beef Noodles is anything but a culinary gamble. It serves consistently hearty, lip-smacking (and spicy if you choose) noodles. Legit Lanzhou lamian, in other words – not the slippery imitation kind found at streetside noodle shops that feel the need to name themselves ‘Lanzhou Lamian’ as if that will fool passersby into thinking they’re authentic.

Tongue Tip Beef Noodles is the real deal, and many a Dongbeier’s first pick when it comes to noodle joints in Guangzhou.

Try the classic spicy beef noodles (麻辣牛肉面, RMB18) or vegetarian liangpi (凉皮, RMB10) served with chunks of gluten (面筋). Still hungry? Fill up on a beefy roujiamo (肉夹馍, RMB10), lamb skewers (羊肉串, RMB10) and small sides like hot and sour potatoes (土豆丝) or lotus root (莲藕) for RMB4 each.

It might feel like a heavy meal on a hot summer’s day in South China, so consider washing it all down with a cup of Hey Tea, which is conveniently located right next door.

Pro tip: place your order at the front of the restaurant and pick up your freshly made noodles in the back kitchen. Roujiamo, skewers and other side dishes can be picked up in the front of the shop across from the cashier. Shop A09, 1/F, Hao Jiating Yundong Cheng (behind OneLink mall), Guangmeishan Tielu, Shipaiqiao, Tianhe District 天河区石牌桥广梅汕铁路大厦好家庭运动城一楼A09铺 (189 2218 6581)


The Summer SlingCOCKTAIL

Cocktails are storied beasts. Origins are often unclear and regional variations abound as the drinks form pseudo histo-ries through a mixing of cock and bull with fact – unless we’re talking about the sum-mer sling. “It was originally designed for a music festival I catered, so it’s incredibly easy to make,” says Shenzhen-based mix-ologist Ross Woodford.

Six easy-to-find ingredients, a bit of shaking and the drink is ready. And while the Summer Sling doesn’t yet have the lore that makes for a classic, that’s where you come in.

IngredientsBasil45ml vodka

20ml lemon juice20ml strawberry puree or two fresh straw-berries 15ml sugar syrup with basilSoda water

Method1. Place a pinch of washed basil in a shaker with vodka and muddle the basil.2. Add all the other ingredients and shake well.3. Strain into a glass and top with soda water.

This recipe was provided by our friends at Shenzhen’s Providence Cocktail, 2/F, Paradiso Apartments, 82 Furong Lu, Futian District, Shenzhen 深圳市福田区福荣路82号金域蓝湾2楼 (186 6538 3106)


Mung Bean Popsicle

Often tragically mistranslated as ‘green beans,’ mung beans are in fact an Asian sta-ple, a common ingredient in desserts and summertime beverages. Take the mung bean popsicle, for instance. Don’t be put off by the coloring; its mild sweetness is sure to soothe on a hot day.

‘Snow Rice Cake’

It’s a wonderful idea – vanilla ice cream inside a soft, mochi-like outer layer – but somewhat tricky in execution. Our advice? Unwrap and wait for the ice cream to soften before digging in. Poke it with the tiny plastic fork provided to check when it’s ready.

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Chestnut Red Bean Ice Cream

Unless you’re really fresh off the boat, you’ve prob-ably tried red bean desserts before. The taste is sometimes sickly sweet, which is why we prefer this rendition: bits of sweet chestnut and whole red beans embedded in yet another milk-flavored popsicle.

The ‘Milk Stick’

Among convenience store desserts, this is as basic as you can get: a modest cylinder of white ice cream served on a stick. It tastes like the faint memory of milk after being watered down and sweetened, but it’s cold and cheap and served in moderate portions.

Red Date Milk-Flavored Ice Cream

For an ice cream with date juice inside, this option is surprisingly accessible to a Western palate. A thin outer shell of white chocolate covers ice cream with a swirl of fruity filling. The date is satisfyingly sweet, as is the rest of the treat.


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pre- ferred the juicy chicken

thigh doused in pre-served lemons and

olives (chicken tagine, RMB72).

The real highlight of the evening, how-

ever, was the lamb tagine (RMB85), crafted with

lamb shank from Xinjiang slow-cooked with cara-melized prunes and apri-cots. Sweet yet complex,

it’s bound to be a favorite – even among those who claim to prefer

salty dishes. Given how unique each tagine is, we suggest you order at

least two and share them (or casually devour the entire lamb tagine while your friend is in the bathroom).

The VibeCozy and enchanting, La Medina buzzes with an underlying energy as people from all walks of life come together to try authentic Moroccan cuisine, whether for their first time ever or simply their first time in Guangzhou.

Price: RMB250 for dinner, drinksWho’s going: expats who miss homemade hummus and falafelsGood for: Moroccan cuisine, an intimate bar experience

Shop 103, 1/F, main entrance, 289 Guangzhou Dadao Zhong, Yuexiu District 越秀区广州大道中289号生活综合

楼一楼103房 (8700 6942)

LA MEDINACumin and Take Your ThymeText and photos by Jocelyn Richards

The PlaceIt used to be craft beer and specialty coffee that brought us to 289 Art Space. Now, it’s falafels, hummus, lamb tagine and cocktails, in a setting that works just as well for lunch as it does late-night drinks.

La Medina – named after the maze-like medina (or ‘old city’) quarters in Morocco – is set away from the road in a quiet section of the park, making its outdoor patio secluded enough for working or gazing into the eyes of your unexpectedly chivalrous Tinder date. It’s also one of the only establishments in 289 with its own bathroom, so you don’t have to trek halfway across the city when nature calls.

Inside, candlelight and hanging Moroccan stained glass lamps set the tone for what we anticipate will be an exotic dining experience, but that, on the contrary, stirs up pangs of homesickness – likely because we grew up with chickpeas, thyme and lemon chicken.

The FoodThe founders – two young men from France – strive to present authentic fare like they tast-ed while visiting North Africa. They’ve per-sonally sought out and hired a Moroccan chef,

import fresh spices straight from the medina and even brought back special glasses used to serve Moroccan mint tea (RMB35) – which, we might add, ranks right up there with the best hot chocolates when it comes to irresistible warm bever-ages.

If you stop in for drinks, the signature cocktails deserve your attention. We can vouch for the Garden of Eden (Eden Mill Pink Love Gin, fresh rasp-berries, lime juice, rose water and tonic water, RMB60) and, if you don’t mind anise, the Green Dash (Pernod, cucumber syrup, mojito syrup, lime juice and soda water, RMB60).

Ordering a round of tapas is essential to experiencing all that La Medina has to offer. Try the shrimp chermoula (RMB58), marinated in a pungent herb sauce, and, for large groups, the mezze platter (RMB110), a collection of homemade hummus, carrot cher-moula, taktouka, marinated olives, Moroccan salad and homemade merguez, or mutton- and beef-based sausage.

For mains, the menu is actually quite sim-ple: guests can select a couscous dish (gener-ous enough for two, RMB65-92) and one or more tagines, which are essentially savory stews slow-cooked in a cone-shaped earthen-ware pot. You can also choose to pair a tagine with a bowl of rice or couscous.

Though the quail eggs in the kefta tagine (RMB75) – made with homemade meatballs, herbs, tomatoes and onions – were a treat, we


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The PlaceBrasston, a vegan and gluten-free dessert shop with a secret (which we’ll get to later), occupies a prime spot along the Pearl River in Haizhu District. Its large windows in front are perfect for people watching or taking in views of the charming riverside promenade across the street.

Named in part after ‘brass,’ which co-founder Tsui Chong describes as a “pretty yet low-profile material” used to make eve-rything from instruments (he loves jazz) to wires (“they connect things, like we do peo-ple”), Brasston strives to be ‘subtly chic,’ i.e. the opposite of tuhao gold.

Its founders are vegetarians who care deeply for animals and try to connect that passion with their work. During the next Chinese Valentine’s Day (the Qixi Festival) in August, for example, Brasston will be sell-ing boxes of chocolates with a romantic gift, the proceeds of which will be used to help stray ani-mals in Guangzhou.

Pets aren’t only wel-come at Brasston – in the future they may even en-joy a menu of their own.

The FoodWhile the theme of the cafe (brass, jazz, ani-mals) feels a bit random, the menu is reas-suringly focused. Every item uses all natural ingredients and is free of gluten, dairy and sugar – white sugar, that is. But sweet addi-tions like Canadian maple syrup, dates and coconut milk ensure the desserts still taste like desserts.

The rainbow stone cake (RMB48/slice), made with cashews, almonds, walnuts, sun-flower seeds, dates, maple syrup, coconut milk, coconut oil, mango, lemon juice and sea salt, is tangy and refreshing – like lemon meringue pie sans the sugary filling and rich butter crust.

If you’re not into dessert, give the fruity beverages a try. Rainy days call for the Sunny Smoothie (RMB50), made with a blend of mango, banana and coconut milk topped with fresh raspberry puree.

The VibeThough its pastel exterior now primarily attracts ladies for afternoon tea, Brasston’s vibe can only be fully expressed by divulging its secret:

a concealed door that leads into a gallery featuring interactive installation art and then – wait for it – a colossal bar.

Open in late June, the bar will see a DJ and mixologist working side-by-side in an animated spectacle; one mixing tracks, the other drinks. A stage is reserved for live music.

Stay tuned for a review of the bar or go now and check the place out for yourself. It’s well worth the cab fare to Haizhu.

Price: RMB50Who’s going: ladies, Sebastian (La La Land)Good for: vegan desserts, smoothies, selfies

246 Binjiang Xi Lu (near Jiefang Bridge), Haizhu District 海珠区滨江西路246号 (解放桥) (8413 1342)

BRASSTONLet It ShineText and photos by Jocelyn Richards

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The Place We’re not sure what’s up with Huasui Lu. First, we had Dumplings Café, which tried to convince us that jiaozi and coffee work well to-gether. Now, Noodle Bar has moved in on the very same street, and is attempting to fuse noodles and draft beer (not in one dish, thank-fully – just served together). Fun fact: it’s a food combination that’s frowned upon in traditional Chinese medicine.

Noodle Bar is the brainchild of food photographer Cayman Liu, who was turned down in an interview with the company behind Enjoy (an app promoting food and drink), only to receive an inter-view request from the same organization after he opened this restau-rant.

The eatery itself is housed in a two-story establishment (second floor opening soon) with an all-glass wall facing the street.

The Food On our visit, Noodle Bar was offering just three select noodle dishes: chef shrimp laksa (RMB58), beef king laksa (RMB52) and laksa dry noodles (RMB43).

The shrimp laksa is composed of a boiled egg, tofu, sprouts, fresh shrimp the size of one’s thumb and thin noodles typically used in ra-men. Liu utilizes both chicken soup and oil extracted from frying the shrimp to prepare the broth, which gives the dish a satisfying depth of flavor. But at RMB58, it’d better be tasty.

As for the ‘bar’ part of the moniker, well, it isn’t ready yet. Two imported draft beers are listed on a temporary menu, but we’re told more will be available in the near future. In the meantime, cold brew coffee (RMB25) was recommended to ward off the heat outside.

The VibeThe atmosphere at Noodle Bar is upbeat. It’s kind of like slurping noodles to the repeated track of ‘Become My Dream’ by Silya and The Sailors while getting glances from passersby. Actually no – it’s exactly like that during our visit.

Price: RMB70Who’s going: hungry pupils, curious passersby Good for: robust laksa, a quick lunch

Shop 2, Xincheng Mansion, 174 Huasui Lu, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District 天河区珠江新城华穗路174号星辰大厦2号铺

The PlaceTucked away on the top floor of a pure white building on Miaoqian Xi Jie in Dongshankou is a newly-opened, homey cafe. To savor a cup of coffee in Long Fung, patrons need to first pass through a stationery store and boutique selling independent de-signers’ brands housed in what’s been named the ‘Bad Market.’

It’s a compact space: five tables with a dozen or so chairs are placed on the far end, ungenerously spaced, and roasted coffee beans in gift bags are arranged on wall shelves. A staircase leads you directly to a counter, where a variety of Long Fung’s signature cold brews are displayed in a desktop fridge.

The FoodLong Fung is still tweaking the menu, but there are two desserts – caramel pudding and panna cotta (both priced at RMB20 and disappointingly small) – available so far. Options for cold brews, on the other hand, are as abundant as they are dynamic.

Here, cold-brew coffees are served in glass flask, along with another cup containing one sizable sphere of ice. You’re able to choose from about 10 coffee bean varieties from Africa, South America and other regions, which are roasted daily to different levels. The style of roast affects the coffee’s bitterness, so ask the staff for a recommendation if you’re unsure what to order.

On top of exploring a diverse offering of cold brews, you can also satisfy caffeine cravings with Long Fung’s select teas. Pick your ‘cup of tea’ from fragrant grass, vanilla, red and fruit varie-ties, all of which come with optional dried fruits to infuse your brew with specific regional flavors.

The VibeOn our visit, sunlight spills through large windows onto a large table occupied by a group of gossipers. This is a place where the murmur of conversation is respected instead of being drowned out by canned music.

LONG FUNG CAFE Cold Brews in Old CantonText and photo by Tristin Zhang

Price: RMB50 Who’s going: lady-bros, the soft-spoken Good for: cold brews, chitchat-ting

3/F, Bad Market, 9 Miaoqian Xi Jie, Yuexiu District 越秀区庙前西街9号Bad Market三楼

NOODLE BAR TCM Says No Text and photos by Tristin Zhang

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The PlaceThe familiar, indulgent aroma of gravy, crisp waffles, caramel milk-shakes and Cajun spices envelops you like a hug as you breeze through the bar to the second floor, where a humble abode awaits.

Located on Huasui Lu between Social & Co. and McCawley’s, 13 Factories could easily be considered the subtlest, most hush-hush re-opening of 2017. Under the radar for a few years now, it has what could be described as a cult following, and we just rediscovered why.

The FoodWith a menu that pays serious homage to bold flavors that comprise various culinary landscapes, from Cajun, Creole and Tex-Mex to New England and Atlantic, the restaurant’s York-born-and-raised proprie-tor Justin has filled a niche, delivering heritage recipes with a home-made twist.

The oldies prevail from the previous menu: chicken ‘n’ buttermilk waffles (RMB68), southern mac & cheese (RMB75) and BBQ chicken (RMB65) are done generously and wholesomely, with nothing to fault except the fact that the portions are so large, you’ll need a doggy bag.

Then there’s the new, or shall we say, rejuvenated, entrants: the chipotle chorizo and cheddar taquitos (RMB45) tastes just as good as it sounds, with a tequila-infused dipping sauce. Lunch is well priced, so it’s no surprise the place is often packed with consulate folk look-ing to sate themselves before attending to burgeoning crowds of visa seekers.

Hankering for a greasy yet invigorating brunch? Try the shrimpy bastard (RMB68), a non-conventional take on eggs benny, or the huevos beneduck (RMB65), chipotle duck patties served on English muffins, with eggs, bacon and chipotle hollandaise. We’re salivating as we type this, thinking of just how many bacon bloodies and mimosas (two hours’ free-flow, RMB118) we can down whilst stuffing our faces.

Oh, and then there are the dishes not found on the menu, like the New England clam chowder, cheesecake and fried Oreo sundae. Yes, a fried Oreo sundae, with whipped cream and a cherry to boot. Ask and you might just receive this godly creation.

The VibeThis is soul food, so you’d best feel right at home. Come in shorts and slippers and use your hands to dig into the BBQ pulled pork nachos, sliders and atomic wings. No holds barred. Need we say more?

Price: RMB120Who’s going: cool kids who can pronounce chipotle, Cajun and jambalayaGood for: all-Ameri-can fare

121 Huasui Lu, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District 天河区珠江新城华穗路121号 (3884 9230)

13 FACTORIESPapa Americano By Lena Gidwani

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STELLA ARTOIS RECOMMENDS

Situated on the eighth floor of Sofitel Guangzhou Sunrich, 8, Faubourg derives its name from a fash-

ionable Parisian street and is, according to hotel staff, the city’s sole apartment-style luxury bar.

With an architectural style and interior design that reflects French elegance, the bar boasts translucent white lattice windows, crystal chandeliers, a black and white marble floor and sunset views in the summer.

Open from 5pm to 1am, it comprises a living room, library, res-taurant and patio, which cater to every whim of fastidious patrons. Spacious and palatial, 8 Faubourg’s living room has hosted a fair share of parties, while the garden-like patio, drawing inspiration from jardin à la française, is capable of holding nearly one hundred people.

8, Faubourg is proud of its select pure malt Scotch whiskey and cigars. In its library, patrons can unwind and smoke at will, unlike in other hotels. The dining room is dedicated to fine wine tastings, Champagne celebrations and creative cuisine by renowned award-winning French chef Nicolas Vienne.

On every Friday and Saturday night this summer, 8, Faubourg will offer a barbecue platter that features select seafood paired with free-flow wine and cocktails. Australian lobster, Scottish oysters and tiger prawn are just a few of the toothsome dishes on the menu. A live band playing jazzy tunes guaran-tees a night of tenderness.

The barbecue set is priced at RMB328 and is available from 7-10.30pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

8, Faubourg Bar And TerraceBy Tristin Zhang

8, Faubourg Bar and Terrace, 8F, Sofitel Guangzhou Sunrich, 988 Guangzhou Dadao Zhong, Tianhe District 天河区广州大道中988号广州圣丰索菲特大酒店8楼 (3883 3333)


win!We have a pair of tickets

to this show to give away! Message our official WeChat account (ThatsGuangzhou) before July 10 with the subject ‘Calligraphy’ and why you should win. Please include your full name and contact number.


to this show to give away! Message our official WeChat account (ThatsGuangzhou) before July 5 with the subject ‘L’Avare’ and why you should win. Please include your full name and contact number.

win!We have a pair of tickets to this show to give away! Message our official

WeChat account (ThatsGuangzhou) before July 23 with the subject ‘Sister’ and why you should win. Please include your full name and contact number.

L’Avare de Molière Theater

One of famous French playwright Molière’s most representative works, L’Avare (also known as The Miser) is a comedy-drama that portrays the meanness and absurdity of a loan shark who loves money. Through dramatic conflicts and characters and with dashes of humor and sarcasm, the play’s message (money is power – but an ugly one at that) is evident.Sat-Sun Jul 7-8, 8pm/2.30pm; RMB80-880. Guangzhou Opera House, 1 Zhujiang Xi Lu, Tianhe District 天河区珠江西路1号广州大剧院 (www.gzdjy.org, 3839 2888)

Beyond Calligraphy Modern Dance

Coming into being over a decade ago, Beyond Calligraphy is a popular dance performed by the Guangdong Modern Dance Group. Using their bodies, dancers portray the abstract traits of Chinese calligraphy and land-scape painting. The show, performed worldwide for the past 12 years, has received rave reviews from estab-lished critics at the New York Times and Washington Post.Wed Jul 12, 8pm; RMB80-480. Friendship Theater, 696 Renmin Bei Lu, Yuexiu District 越秀区人民北路696号友谊剧院 (www.damai.cn, 8666 8991)

Sister Act Musical

Based on the namesake 1992 hit film, Sister Act has performed on Broadway, West End and a number of countries worldwide. With scores by Grammy and Academy Award nominee Alan Menken, the musical received five Tony Award nominations in 2011. It tells the story of a Reno lounge singer, who, after witnessing a mob crime, is hidden in a convent under a witness protection pro-gram, where she struggles to fit in. This July, the original Broadway production, directed by four-time Tony Award winner Jerry Zaks, will make its appearance on the stage of the Guangzhou Opera House.Tue-Sun Jul 26-Aug 6, 2.30pm/8pm; RMB180-980. Guangzhou Opera House, 1 Zhujiang Xi Lu, Tianhe District 天河区珠江西路1号广州大剧院 (www.gzdjy.org, 3839 2888)

BP Zoom Mime

Mr. B is scrupulous, wearing a formal coat and specs. Mr. P, keen but clum-sy, is a fantasist. When the two meet, the great physical comedy double act known as BP Zoom is born. The crea-tion of American comedian Bernie Collins and Frenchman Philippe Martz, BP Zoom, by means of panto-mime, brings laughter to audiences with body rhythm and clever ges-tures, without breathing a word. Sat Jul 29, 8pm; RMB180-580. Guangdong Performing Arts Center Theater, 1229 Guangzhou Dadao Zhong, Tianhe District 天河区广州大道中1229号广东演艺中心剧院 (www.damai.cn, 3720 6282)

The International Champions Cup Football Match

AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund will land in Guangzhou this month for the International Champions Cup. It’s bound to be an adrenaline-pumping sporting event, as the top two European teams face off for the 13th time in history.Tue Jul 18, 7.30pm; RMB199-1,299. Guangzhou University Town Sports Center, 218 Daxuecheng Neihuan Dong Lu, Panyu District 番禺区大学城内环东路218号广州大学城体育中心 (www.damai.cn)

Photography Exhibition by Xu Peiwu Exhibition

Chinese poet Li Bai lived during the Tang dynasty and was acclaimed, as a genius and romantic figure, for taking traditional poetic forms to new heights. This exhibition showcases photographs that capture the locations in Li Bai’s poems. For this project, Chinese photographer Xu Peiwu travelled for five years around the China, snapping scenes near the Yangtze River, Yellow River, Mount Emei and more. Until Aug 31, 10am-7pm (closed Tuesdays); free entry. Fei Gallery, GF, Estate Plaza, 5 Nonglin Xia Lu, Yuexiu District 越秀区农林下路5号亿达大厦负一层扉艺廊 (3768 8781/3768 8830)


SEE


to this show to give away! Message our official WeChat account (ThatsGuangzhou) before July 16 with the subject ‘Triplets’ and why you should win. Please include your full name and contact number.

win!We have a pair of tickets to this show to give away! Message our official

WeChat account (ThatsGuangzhou) before July 20 with the subject ‘Brass’ and why you should win. Please include your full name and contact number.

HEAR

While She Sleeps Metalcore

It was not until four years into their formation that the English rock band While She Sleeps released their first record. Hailing from Sheffield, England, they were influenced by alternative rock bands like the Foo Fighters and Gallows. Screaming vocals, down-tuned guitars and fast-paced drumming characterize their sound, which is occasionally complemented by melodic guitar and piano.Sun Jul 23, 8.30-10pm; RMB180 presale, RMB260 at the door. SD Livehouse, Building No. 7, Huacheng Wangshi Creative Area, 132 Gongye Dadao Bei, Haizhu District 海珠区工业大道北132号”花城往事”创意园7号楼SD现场 (www.showstart.com)

Jochen Miller DJ

Hailing from Holland, Jochen Miller has regularly performed prime stages at major festivals and events, includ-ing EDC Las Vegas, Ultra Miami, Tomorrowland and Kings Day. Aside from killing the festival circuit and performing alongside the likes of Armin van Buuren, Jochen has also placed first in the Dutch Mixing Contest at Dance Valley. Fri Jul 7, 9pm-late; RMB100 (includes a free drink). Fei, W Guangzhou, 26 Xiancun Lu, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District 天河区珠江新城冼村路26号广州W酒店 (6680 7825)

John Carroll Indie Pop

Irish independent musician and lyricist John Carroll settled down in Hangzhou in 2007 after touring his first album. A year later, Carroll founded indie rock band The Phoenix Prestige. He’s been an advocate of creating original music through his collaborations with various Chinese musicians, and is a popular act at music festivals, pubs and hutongs in Beijing, as well as on Chinese TV and radio.Fri Jul 21, 8-9.30pm; RMB40 presale and for students, RMB50 at the door. 191 Space, 191 Guangzhou Dadao Zhong, Yuexiu District 越秀区广州大道中191号191空间 (www.showstart.com, 8737 9375)

Splashh Alternative Rock

Anglo-Australian rock group Splashh are a young band formed in 2012, with two albums to their name. Their latest record, Waiting a Lifetime, was developed in just three years’ time, and is set to be the highlight of the group’s China tour this July.Sun Jul 9, 8.30-10pm; RMB100 pre-sale, RMB120 at the door. T:union, 1/F, 361-365 Guangzhou Dadao Zhong, Yuexiu District 越秀区广州大道中361-365号东方花苑首层凸空间 (www.showstart.com, 3862 5735)

The Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass Concert

Dedicated to bringing a joyous musical experience to their audience, The Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass made their humble inception on the streets of New Orleans. Comprising top Stateside brass musicians, the group has appeared on the world’s most prominent stages and inspired many a young musician. Sun Jul 23, 8pm; RMB80-480. Guangzhou Opera House, 1 Zhujiang Xi Lu, Tianhe District 天河区珠江西路1号广州大剧院 (www.gzdjy.org, 3839 2888)

Les Triplettes de Belleville Swing Jazz

The Terrible Orchestra of Belleville, hailing from Canada, will perform nostalgic swing tunes from the French animated comedy The Triplets of Belleville. While the film is screened, the ‘terrible’ orchestra will take the audience on a jazzy journey – to the bustling streets of Belleville in the 20s.Wed Jul 19, 8pm; RMB80-680. Guangzhou Opera House, 1 Zhujiang Xi Lu, Tianhe District 天河区珠江西路1号广州大剧院 (www.gzdjy.org, 3839 2888)


DO

Barbie Run Guangzhou Running

At the end of July, Zhujiang New Town will see an army of runners dashing about in pink tees. That’s right! The fashionable Barbie Run is coming to Guangzhou and you don’t want to miss it, because pink is evidently the color of the year. Sat Jul 29, 7-11am; RMB128/228/328. Haixinsha Park, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District 天河区珠江新城海心沙公园 (www.huodongxing.com)

Modern Dance Experimental Class Dance Class

Modern dance teacher He Qiwo demonstrates dance moves to his students with a skeleton he calls ‘Mr. Michael.’ In each interactive session, He will help you explore the beauty of body movement through a four-part agenda: warm-up, skills acquisi-tion, improvisation and relaxation. Tue ongoing, 7.30-9.30pm; RMB70. For more information, add Ergao Dance Center to your WeChat (ID: ergaodance1). Ergao Dance Center, Shop 18, Fuli Dongdiwan Buidling, Jinyang San Lu, Yuexiu District 越秀区金羊三路富力东堤湾18号铺二高表演中心

Moulin Rouge Party at Mandarin Oriental Party

Taking place at Mandarin Oriental’s Ebony restaurant and Jin bar, this Moulin Rouge themed party will treat attendees to riveting performances and electrifying beats by an onsite DJ. Come in your snazziest attire and revel in honor of the modern can-can dance’s spiritual birthplace. Contact Jenny Chen at 189 8896 9052 for a reservation.Sat Jul 8, 8pm-midnight; RMB380. Ebony and Jin Bar, Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou, 389 Tianhe Lu, Tianhe District 天河区天河路389号 (189 8896 9052, 3808 8884)

Wing Chun Kung Fu Experimental Class Martial Art

Wing Chun, made known to the world by Bruce Lee and Yip Man, is a practical martial art that focuses on self-defense and close-range combat skills. The Renyi Wing Chun Center combines the Chinese martial art with modern science, establish-ing over 40 branches in China and Germany. They offer classes for both children and adults. Call 152 1883 9906 for more information. Sat-Sun ongoing, 8-9.30pm; free. Rm 401, Beigang Business Center, Guangzhou University Mega Center, Panyu District 番禺区广州大学城贝岗商业中心401室 (www.renyi1893.com, 152 1883 9906)

Make Your Own Cheongsam Tailoring

In this tailoring class, you will be taught to make the most perfect qipao to fit your figure. An appoint-ment is required one day in advance. The process will take about 4-5 hours, varying by individuals. Tue-Fri ongoing, 10am-6pm; RMB299. Rm. 2003, Ocean Pearl Building, 15-23 Huali Lu, Tianhe District 天河区华利路15-23号远洋明珠大厦2003室 (2810 3953 / 133 5290 9735)

Parachuting Extreme Sport

For most of us, jumping from a helicopter thousands of meters above ground is a once-in-a-life-time experience. For parachuting trainers, it’s just a regular day on the job. If you’re keen to try it in Guangzhou, join this organized expedition, where a parachuting trainer certified by the Australian Parachute Federation (APF) will accompany you through the entire adventure. You’ll be equipped with parachute gears tested by both the US Parachute Association and APF. The parachute base is located in Yunfu City, west of Guangzhou, and participants should meet at Exit D of Gongyuanqian Metro Station after making an appoint-ment.Ongoing, 8am-10pm; RMB5,388 (including meals, transportation and jump). Contact MK on WeChat (yeshenyuemk) for more information.


TA STE

Lobster Buffet at Shangri-La Hotel Guangzhou Buffet Dinner

Nothing says indulgence better than a lobster buffet at Shangri-La. This generous three-month summer offer at Wok Too Café will undoubt-edly satisfy diners’ craving for prime Boston lobster presented in the styles of well-known cuisines around the globe. The cafe’s 20 live-action food stations will showcase lobster cooked in a variety of methods, from the simplest chilled lobster to a sophis-ticated Indian tandoori grill and a more adventurous lobster ice cream. All month, 5.30-9.30pm; RMB418 plus 10 percent (Sun-Thu), RMB468 plus 10 percent (Fri-Sat). Wok Too Café, Shangri-La Hotel Guangzhou, 1 Huizhan Dong Lu, Haizhu District 海珠区会展东路1号广州香格里拉大酒店 (8917 6391)

Themed Buffet at the Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou Buffet

Foods restaurant presents six new themed buffets, allowing foodies to taste extraordinary flavors from around the world. From Mexico to Germany, Southeast Asia to Texas, global cuisines take center stage in six live cooking stations featuring a melange of vibrant colors and fresh flavors. If you consider yourself an epicurean, Foods is the place to be.Ongoing, 6am-10pm; RMB428 plus 15 percent (Mon-Thu), RMB498 plus 15 percent (Fri-Sun). Foods, The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou, 3 Xing’an Lu, Tianhe District 天河区兴安路3号广州富力丽思卡尔顿酒店 (3813 6688)

All-You-Can-Eat Dim Sum Lunch

Dig into a wide selection of signature dim sum treats, all tastefully arranged in an all-you-can-eat lunch menu at W Guangzhou’s Yan Yu restaurant. All month, 11.30am-2.30pm (Mon-Fri), 9.30am-12.15pm, 12.30-2.15pm (Sat-Sun); RMB178. Yan Yu, W Guangzhou, 26 Xiancun Lu, Tianhe District 天河区冼村路26号广州W酒店 (6628 6628)

Guangzhou Marriott Hotel Tianhe Anniversary Offers Discount

Celebrating its fifth anniversary, Guangzhou Marriott Hotel Tianhe invites you to enjoy unbelievably generous discounts on an all-you-can-eat buffet, sashimi platter and afternoon tea set. Bring your friends and take advantage of these steals while they last!All month. RMB61 for a second diner for a buffet at City Bistro. RMB166 for a sashimi platter at Man Ho. RMB161 for an afternoon tea set at the lounge bar. Guangzhou Marriot Hotel Tianhe, 228 Tianhe Lu, Tianhe District 天河区天河路228广州正佳广场万豪酒店 (6108 8888)

Sky Lounge Southeast Asia Cuisine

Situated atop IGC Mall, the newly opened Sky Lounge is Lian restaurant’s roof-top extension, offering DIY cocktails and Southeast Asian fare with a modern, Western twist. Sitting outside on the patio, beer in hand, while enjoying a breathtaking view of the Pearl River is as good as it gets.6/F, IGC Mall, 222 Xingmin Lu, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District 天河区珠江新城兴民路222号 (8565 5044)


WHAT SHOULD I DO THIS MONTH?

Myself FriendsA hot date

Girl or guy?

Who do you plan to go out with?

What are you actually thinking right now?

Baozi Chuanr

What are y’all in the mood for?

START HERE

FIND ME FRIENDS!

God I’m awesome

Spend an afternoon exploring historic Xiguan. Start at Lychee Bay, wander down En’ning Lu and end up at the new 13 Factories

museum next to Guangzhou Cultural Park (bring your ID!).

Attend ‘The Salon’ and meet an awesome group of open-mind-ed people. Creative communication workshops will be held in

July. Contact AriLombardi or MisterRowley on WeChat for details.

Sign up to volunteer with Global Friendship. (WeChat: globalfriendship)

Head to Hong Kong for the Lan Kwai Fong Beer and Music Fest from July 15-16 (p76)

See trance DJ Jochen Miller live at the W Guangzhou on July 7 (p71).

Plop him down in front of BP Zoom’s double act comedy (p70).

Bring him to feast at Lanpu Street Muslim Market, open every Friday 1-4pm.

Casually saving the world

Gettin’ crunk! (before July 7)

Gettin’ crunk! (after July 7)


The whole fam

Loves ‘em!

Girl

GuyHow much does she like selfies?

His favorite street food?

How old are the kids? Do they at least get good grades?

They can walk and

(sort of) talk

I’m their biggest hero

Take ‘em to splash around in clean, natural waters at the base of Baishuizhai, a waterfall located an hour away from downtown

Guangzhou. Scan here for public transport info.

They’ll love meeting prehistoric creatures at Dinosaur Zoo by Erth Visual & Physical Inc, July 11-14 at the Guangzhou Opera House

(gzdjy.org / erth.com.au).

Take her to see the award-winning Broadway show Sister Act (p70).

Treat her to a buy-one-get-one-free wine special at Sun in Sky, every Friday and Sunday night from 6-11pm.

Give them a classic dose of sarcasm and go see the beloved French comedy The Miser (L’Avare de Moliere, p70).

Treat them to a day of bungee jumping at Baiyun Mountain (daily 9am-5pm; call 3722 2222 for more info).

Yep

Hates ‘em!

They give me ‘tude

Nope


HK MO

HONG KONG & MACAU CALENDAR

ALL MONTHTUE-SATReunions: A Collector’s Journey, 10am-6pm; HKD200. Liang Yi Museum (www.liangyimuseum.com)Inspired by the three movements in Beethoven’s Les Adieux, this exhibition explores themes of loss, absence and return, featuring over one hundred pieces of Chinese fur-niture from the Ming and Qing dy-nasties. Tours by appointment only.

ALL MONTHSAT-WED

Ancient Egypt’s Quest for Eternal Life, 10am-7pm (Mon-Wed, Fri) 10am-9pm (Sun-Sat); various prices. Hong Kong Science Museum (hk.science.museum)On loan from the British Museum, coffins, burial objects and centuries-old mummies are used to introduce the funeral customs of ancient Egypt, with a focus on the culture’s pursuit for immortality.

JUL 1SATFireworks Marking the 20th Anniversary of the SAR, 8pm; free. Victoria Harbor (www.lcsd.gov.hk/eo)Join crowds along Victoria Harbor to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with a glittering fireworks display.

JUL 15-16SAT-SUN

LKF Beer and Music Fest, 1pm-12am Jul 15 1pm-10pm Jul 16; free admis-

sion. Lan Kwai Fong (www.lankwai-fong.com)This will be a showcase of different beer brands from around the world with more than 60 booths offer-ing delicious food, fine beers and interactive games alongside all-day performances.

JUL 19-25WED-TUE

Hong Kong Book Fair 2017, vari-ous times; prices vary. Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (www.hkbookfair.com)Whether you’re a convicted biblio-phile or a casual reader, the 28th Hong Kong Book Fair is sure to please. High-caliber authors will be sat between publications while 300 related cultural events are held.

JUL 28-30FRI-SUN

19th Ani-Com & Games HK, 10am-9pm; HKD35 (presale at 7-11s). Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (www.ani-com.hk)This is one of the most popular summer carnivals for the younger generation, packed with a selection of animation, comics, games, toys and limited edition collectibles.

JUL 14-16 FRI-SUN

FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix, various times; MOP150. (www.sport.gov.mo/en)Teams from China, Italy, the US and Turkey will face off in the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix taking place at the Macao Forum. With more prize money up for grabs than any of the other three volleyball classics (the World Volleyball Cup, World Volleyball Championship and Olympics), this is one of the most fiercely competi-tive sporting events held in Macau.

JUL 15SAT

Dear Jane, 8pm; MOP280-880. Cotai Arena, The Venetian Macao (www.venetianmacao.com)Formed in 2003, Dear Jane is a Hong Kong punk rock band with Tim Wong singing lead vocals, Jackal Ng on the bass, Howie Yung on guitar and ‘Nice’ on the drums. Wong, Ng and Yung all grew up outside of Hong Kong, however, picking up pop-punk styles from the States, Canada and Taiwan be-fore forming the band.

JUL 17MON

Feast of Kuan Tai, all day; free. Various Kuan Tai temples in Macau (www.temple.mo) A quasi-religious custom to com-

memorate the birthday of Guan Yu, also known as ‘Kuan Tai’ – a general of Shu during the Three Kingdoms period – this feast sees locals come together in celebra-tion, holding lion and dragon danc-es, banquets, sports competitions and more. Check it out if you’re in Macau that weekend.

JUL 22SAT

Janice Vidal, 8pm; MOP280-880. Cotai Arena, The Venetian Macao (www.venetianmacao.com)Known as the ‘Queen of Cantopop,’ and enjoying album sales exceed-ing 10 million, Janice Vidal has won hundreds of awards and toured throughout China, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, United States and Canada. Catch her live this month at the Cotai Arena.

ONGOING

DAILY (EXCEPT THU)

Monkey King, 8pm; MOP420-1,580. Sands Cotai Theatre (sandscotaicen-tral.com) Known as “one of the most fa-mous and enduring stories told in Chinese folklore and one of the most dynamic characters in world literature,” the Monkey King is indeed a force – and show – to be reckoned with. See it daily (ex-cept Thursdays) in Macau through December 2017.


Cherry Seasonal Limited Edi-

tion Launch Event, May 13@

The Westin Guangzhou

Cherry Seasonal Limited Edi-

tion Launch Event, May 13@

The Westin Guangzhou

URBAN MOMENTS

Ameron Hotels Go Global

At ITB Berlin 2016, The Althoff Hotel Group an-nounced its cooperation with Chinese hotel group Plateno for the hotel brand Ameron. The plan is to add 10 hotels in the Asian market. Negotiations are in process for the first hotel and Walter Junger, the CEO of Plateno Lifestyle Lab and master fran-chiser of the Ameron brand in Asia, is confident that several management contracts will be signed before the end of 2017 with a focus on the Chinese market.

Hengda Hotels & Resorts Successfully Holds 2017 South China Roadshow

From June 16 to 17, the 2017 South China Roadshow of Hengda Hotels & Resorts was held in Qingyuan Hengda Hotel, the flagship project of Hengda Hotel Group. The roadshow focused on the theme, ‘Start from Heart, Cooperate to Win,’ with 200 distinguished guests coming from renowned conference and exhibition institutes, travel agencies and the media to experience the high-end quality service.

Hilton Appoints Markus Kosch as General Manager of Conrad Guangzhou

Hilton announced that Markus Kosch has been named General Manager for the newly opened Conrad Guangzhou. A veteran hotelier with decades of international experience with Hilton and specifically in China, Kosch is uniquely qualified and has been instrumental in leading the preopening team for the region’s first Conrad hotel.

IHG South China Sub-Region Culinary and Gourmet Charity Carnival 2017

IHG hotels in South China held a culinary and gourmet charity event at Crowne Plaza Guangzhou Science City to raise funds for IHG Foundation. The attendance of the charity event was well over 400, including IHG hotels under InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express brands, sponsors and media. With the generous support from all involved participants and spon-sors, over RMB1,000,000 was raised from the event through donated prize auctions and raffles.

Langham Place, Guangzhou Appoints New Executive Chef

Langham Place, Guangzhou an-nounced the ap-pointment of Eric Soong as the new executive chef. The Malaysia-born Chef Soong will over-see operations of the open kitchen, pastries, in-room dining, banquets, the alfresco and club lounge, of-fering delicious Western dishes of the highest quality to guests and gourmets of Guangzhou.

Merlin Wilson Appointed as General Manager at Sheraton Guangzhou Nansha Hotel

Before joining the pre-opening of Sheraton Guangzhou Nansha Hotel, Wilson worked as hotel man-ager at The Azure Qiantang A Luxury Collection Hotel, Hangzhou and The Westin Beijing Financial Street. With 27 years of working experience in the hospitality indus-try, Wilson brings along a strong passion and rich experience.

HOTEL NEWS

HOTEL NEWS

TRAVEL DEALSSummer Vacation at Zhuhai Chimelong

School’s out, summer’s here and there’s only one prob-lem: you haven’t made any plans yet. If you prefer to stay close to home, consider a weekend getaway spent visiting a grand aquarium, amusement facilities and spectacular theater shows. A package at Chimelong Hengqin Bay Hotel starts from RMB1,998 and includes a one-night stay in a themed room, Ocean Kingdom tickets or Hengqin Theatre ordinary class circus tickets for two as well as Hengqin Bay Water World tickets for two. Call ahead to reserve yours today!

Chimelong Hengqin Bay Hotel, Fuxiang Bay, Hengqing New District, Zhuhai 珠海市横琴新区富祥湾长隆横琴湾酒店 (www.chimelong.com, 0756-299 8888)


Summer Holiday at Chimelong Hengqin Bay HotelTreat yourself to a little stayca-tion this summer at Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, where water sports, entertainment and fun-filled activities await. Book a Bay Hotel Room Package start-ing from RMB1,998 and enjoy a one-night stay in a themed room with tickets for two to Ocean Kingdom, Hengqin Theatre’s circus and Hengqin Bay Water World. Once you get to the hotel, it’s easy to jump between attractions, saving you all the time and trouble that typically accompanies excur-sions.For enquiries or reservations, call 0756-299 8888 or visit www.chimelong.com.Chimelong Henqing Bay Hotel, Fuxiang Bay, Hengqin New District, Zhuhai 珠海市横琴新区富祥湾长隆横琴湾酒店 (www.chimelong.com, 0756-299 8888)

FEATURED LISTINGS

FOOD & DRINK1920 Restaurant 1) 4/F, 1 Jianshe Liu Malu, Yuexiu District; 2) Shops 67, 69, 72 & 76, The Canton Place, Qingfeng Jie, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District (8388 1142); Shop MW01-03, 05, Central Zone, Mall of the World, 89 Huacheng Dadao, Tianhe District (8709 6033)1920 咖啡厅 1) 建设六马路一号前幢 4 楼 ; 2) 天河区珠江新城清风街 48 号广粤天地 67, 69, 72, 76 号铺 ; 3) 天河区花城大道 89 号花城汇MW01-03, 05 商铺

Aroma Bistro Shop 117, 1/F, Voka Street, 460 Tianhe Bei Lu, Tianhe District (185 0200 1416) 天河区天河北路460号沃凯街首层117铺

Bravo Shop 114-115, 6 Huajiu Lu, Zhuji-ang Xincheng, Tianhe District 天河区珠江新城华就路6号114-115铺

The Brew Sports Bar & Grill 1) Unit 9-11, Huanan Country Garden, Panyu Dadao (across the road from Chime-long Theme Park), Panyu District (3482 0401); 2) West Section, Bao Lin Yuan, Huaxun Jie, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District (3408 9549); 3) Shop 11-13, Yuhai Food Street, 1 Jianshe Liu Malu, Yuexiu District (8382 8299) 1) 番禺区番禺大道华南碧桂园碧华商业2街9-11号; 2) 天河区珠江新城华讯街保林苑西区加拿大布鲁咖啡馆, 近发展中心; 3) 越秀区建设六马路誉海食街11-13号铺

The Eating Table With seats for more than 200 diners to explore gastronomy at a less frenetic pace, The Eating Table's warm,

alluring design enlivens the senses. The owner, who spent years in Melbourne, has ensured that the food delivers to both local and foreign palates. Enjoy a gratifying meal, with a menu that boasts a wide range of appetizers, soups, pastas and both meaty and marine-filled mains. Shop 401, 4/F, GTLand Winter Plaza, Zhuji-ang Xincheng, Tianhe District 天河区珠江新城高德置地冬广场4楼401室 (8398 0860) Buongiorno 1) 3/F, Yi An Plaza, 33 Jianshe Liu Malu, Yuexiu District (8363 3587); 2) A7, Xinshijie Haoyuan Diyi Ju, 168 Dongcheng Nan Lu, Dongguan (0769 2339 6499) 邦奴意大利餐厅 1) 越秀区建设六马路宜安广场3楼; 2) 东莞市东城南路 168 号新世界豪圆第一居 A7 号

Element Fresh 1) Shop L302, TaiKoo Hui, 383 Tianhe Lu, Tianhe District (3808 8506); 2) G/F, 42 Qingfeng Jie, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District (3828 8482) 新元素 , 1) 天河区天河路 383 号太古汇广场 L302店 ; 2) 天河区珠江新城清风街 42 号首层

Scan here for complete Guangzhou listingsWant to see all restaurants, hotels and more in Guang-zhou? Check out www.thatsmags.com or download our app by scanning the QR code here

THE LOCKSMITHWhy You Have to Try These Bespoke Cocktails

OPEN DOOR

If you live in Guangzhou (or anywhere in South China), chances are you’ve heard chatter about a new restaurant and bar shaking things up in Foshan: The Locksmith.

It’s going where no dining establish-ment in Guangdong has gone before, growing its own produce, herbs and gar-nishes onsite, making almost every dish and condiment from scratch and boasting an interior design that would feel at home in Wallpaper magazine.

But there’s one more thing you might not yet know about The Locksmith: its bespoke cocktails are among the best you’ll try on this side of the world.

Joe Armitage, the beverage director with more than seven years’ experience back in Australia, tells us all of the syrups, purees and tonics are made in-house, while herbs and gar-nishes are plucked fresh from the garden. With

every recipe, he strives to use new, innovative techniques and add a bit of theatricality as well, revealed in the use of fun, novel glasses.

“In about six to eight months’ time, we’ll be able to have 30-40 different cocktails spread across the three floors,” Armitage says. “Every floor will have its own style, its own character.”

The first floor will boast three different cocktail lists (pre-dinner, signature and after-dinner varieties) featuring minimal-

ist drinks that pair well with food. Upstairs, “crazy, unique and innovative” cocktails await alongside more than 50

different whiskeys from around the world, while the third floor will serve sharable pitcher cocktails fit for summer.

“I think especially upstairs, it will be a lot more casual for drinking out in the sun and having more relaxed sort of fun,” says Armitage.

To get your hands on an ice-cold Locksmith cocktail tonight, hop on the

Guangfo Metro Line and get off at Zumiao sta-tion. You can thank us later.

First and second floor bar open daily, 6pm-onwards; third floor open for private functions with plans to open regularly on weekends soon. 2 Qilin She, Lingnan Tiandi, Chancheng District, Foshan 佛山市禅城区岭南天地麒麟社2号 (+86 181 4475 6916, [email protected])

“We’ll have 30-40 cocktails spread across three floors”


L I S T I N G S

Happy Monk 1) Back of Yi’an Plaza, Jianshe Wu Malu, Yuexiu District (8376 5597) ; 2) No. 109, 7Xingsheng Lu, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District (3877 8679); 3) Outdoor Plaza, Happy Valley Mall, 36 Mach-ang Lu, Tianhe District (3832 5317)1) 越秀区建设五马路宜安广场后门 ; 2) 天河区珠江新城兴盛路 7 号 109 号铺 ; 3) 天河区珠江新城马场路 36 号太阳新天地户外广场

Hooley’s Irish Pub and Restaurant 1)101, 8 Xingsheng Lu, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District (3886 2675); 2)Section 2, Yijia Yuan, 7 Xingzhongdao, Zhongshan 1)爱尔兰西餐酒吧, 天河区珠江新城兴盛路8号101; 2) 中山市兴中道7号颐嘉苑2卡

In·Side·Out By Threedrops 3/F, 10 Xi-etianli, Lingnan Tiandi, Chancheng District, Foshan (0757-8203 1400, 189 885 25470) 佛山市禅城区岭南天地协天里10号3楼T Knightship Fusion Restaurant Conveniently located in Zhujiang New Town, Knightship Fusion Restaurant provides gourmet food with international favor in an unparalleled atmo-sphere. We are committed to applying our understanding of what constitutes a quality life to each dish in our boutique restaurant. In addition to Chinese and Asian foods, you can also taste the best of European fare on our ‘fusion’ menu. Shop No.116，Zhong Hai Jing Hui Huating, No.33, Liede Da Dao, Tianhe, Guangzhou广州市天河区猎德大道 33 号中海璟晖华庭一期首层116 号铺 (85162413)

The Locksmith Situated in the charming dining area of Lingnan Tiandi in Foshan, The Locksmith combines innovative dishes with a chic interior and exterior design that's second to none. All herbs, garnishes and some produce is grown onsite, while the Australian head chef personally dry-ages much of the meat. 2 Qilin She, Lingnan Tiandi, Chancheng District, Foshan 佛山市禅城区岭南天地麒麟社2号（0757-8203 6557）

M9 Restaurant Lounge Shop 112, 9 Xing-sheng Lu, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District (3802 0171)

McCawley’s Bar & Grill Shop 101, 16 Huacheng Dadao, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District (3801 7000)天河区珠江新城花城大道 16 号 101 铺HOggi Pizzeria 1) Shop 119, 8 Xingsheng Lu, Tianhe District (3805 1282); 4) 1 Tianlun Garden, Jianshe 4 Lu,Yuexiu District (8356 1196) www.oggirestaurant.com卡布里西餐厅 1) 天河区兴盛路 8 号 119 铺 ; 2) 越秀区建设四马路天伦花园首层

Paulaner Bräuhaus L307, 3/F, TaiKoo Hui, 383 Tianhe Lu, Tianhe District (2808 6333) 宝莱纳 , 天河区天河路 383 号太古汇广场 L307

Rebel Rebel 42 Tiyu Dong Lu, Tianhe Dis-trict (8520 1579) 天河区体育东路42号

Ricci Creative Eats Shop 015B, G/F, Popark Mall, No.63 Linhe Zhong Road, Tianhe Dis-trict, Guangzhou, China (Across the street from IKEA) (3809 6330) 天河区林和中路 63 号东方宝泰购物广场首层（宜家家居对面）

Shami House 2/F, Zhao Qing Da Sha, 304 Huanshi Zhong Lu, Yuexiu District (8355 3012 / 8355 3091) 莎米屋 , 越秀区环市中路 304 号肇庆大厦 2 楼

Summer House Directly behind the Marriage House, Xietian Li, Lingnan Tiandi, Chancheng District, Foshan (133 9223 6374, www.summerhouse.com.cn) 佛山市禅城区岭南天地协天里（嫁娶屋正后面）粤天地112-116号铺 Sultan Restaurant Turkish BBQ 1) 1-3/F, 367 Huanshi Dong Lu, between Baiyun Hotel and Friendship Store, Yuexiu District (8349 4170, 8349 4171); 2) Shop 102 & 114, Zhonghai Jinghui Huating, 31 Xingsheng Lu, Zhujiang Xincheng, TianHe District(3801 5002) 1)苏坦土耳其烧烤餐厅, 越秀区环市东路367号1-3楼(白云宾馆与友谊商店夹位处); 2)广州市天河区珠江新城兴盛路31号中海璟晖华庭二期商铺102 & 114

The Tavern Sports Bar Traditional Eng-lish style bar that fosters a cosy intimate atmosphere. Both Taverns offer an exten-sive menu of Western favorites and dif-ferent theme nights throughout the whole week. 1) Poly 108, 6 Huajiu Lu, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District (8550 3038); 2) On the right side of the Huanan Country Garden, Yingbin Lu, Panyu District (3482 4882, www.tavernchina.com) 致盛 1) 天河区珠江新城华就路 6 号保利 108 公馆 ; 2) 番禺区迎宾路华南碧桂园大门右侧

HEALTH All Smile - Dr. Lu Int'l Dental Clinic Rm 603-604, 6/F, Metro Plaza, 183 Tianhe Bei Lu (24-hour hotline: 8755 3380). Mon-Sat 9am-6pm (other times by appointment) 大都会牙科，天河北路183号大都会广场六楼603-604 Bellaire Int'l Clinic Rm 2202-2203, Kingold Century, 62 Jinsui Lu, Tianhe District (2899 3911, 3736 2020) 贝利尔全科医疗中心，广州市珠江新城金穗路 62 号侨鑫国际中心 2202-2203

Deron Dental 11/F, Ice Flower Hotel, 2 Tian-he Bei Lu (3886 4821,www.kaiyiyk.com) 德隆齿科诊所，天河北路 2 号冰花酒店 11 层

Dr. Sherily Xiao Master of Medicine. 19 years TCM & Acupuncture & Massage & Physiotherapy Experience.Only for appoint-ment. Fu Lai Garden Shui Yin Zhi Jie Shui Yin Road Yue Xiu District Guang Zhou.（Tel: 137 1052 6617. E-mail: [email protected]. L5, Zoo station, C exit) 广州市越秀区水阴路水阴直街福莱花园

Eur Am Int’l Medical Center 1/F, North Tower, Ocean Pearl Bldg, 19 Huali Lu, Zhujiang Xincheng (3758 5328, 24-hr urgent care: 137 1041 3347, www.eurammedicalcenter.com)康辰国际医疗 , 珠江新城华利路 19 号远洋明珠大厦北座首层

H&H Dental Center 1/F, Mingmen Build-ing, 4 Huacheng Dadao, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District (3808 0700, 3808 0729; 24-hour hotline: 139 2516 2826; E-mail: [email protected])H&H 牙科中心（嘉茜医疗门诊 ), 天河区珠江新城花城大道 4 号名门大厦正门首层

United Family Guangzhou Clinic 1/F, Annex Bldg, PICC Bldg, 301 Guangzhou Dadao Zhong (4008 919 191, 24-hr urgent care: 8710 6060) 广州越秀和睦家门诊部 , 广州大道中 301 号人保大厦南塔副楼首层

FEATURED LISTINGS

LIFESTYLESO’ O LK (Hair Salon) 1) G/F, 545 Binjiang Dong Lu, Haizhu District (3425 7429); 2) Shop 103A, World Trade Centre, 371-375 Huanshi Dong Lu, Yuexiu District (8760 6299); 3) Shop101, 712 Binjiang Dong Lu, Haizhu District (8419 1022); 4) Shop101, Fuli Edinburgh Apartment, 2 Huali Lu, Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District(3826 3718); 5) Shop 15 2/F, Chateau Star River Hotel, Yingbin Lu, Panyu District(3479 0641); 6) Shop81-82, G/F, New City Plaza, Olympic Garden, Luoxi New Town, Panyu District(3452 1826); 7) Shop 21, Agile Phase II, Fenghuang Bei Lu, Huadu District(3692 8686)苏豪路易士，嘉玛发廊，1) 天河区天河北路 366 号都市华庭 13 铺 ; 2) 越秀区环市东路 371-375 号世界贸易中心首层 103A; 3) 海珠区滨江东路 712 号101 铺 ; 4) 天河区珠江新城华利路 2 号富力爱丁堡公寓 101 铺 ; 5) 番禺区迎宾路星河湾酒店 2 楼 15 号铺 ; 6) 番禺区洛溪新城奥园城市花园首层 81-82 号铺 ; 7) 花都区凤凰北路雅居乐二期 21 号铺

True Pilates China Studio provides Pilates &Gyrotonic lessons for everyone. Add: 7F/7 Huacheng Dadao, Zhujiang New Town. www.truepilateschina.com (186 2007 6022)珠江新城花城大道 7 号 7 楼

EDUCATIONAmerican International School of Guangzhou (AISG) 1) 3 Yanyu Nan Lu, Ersha Island (8735 3393); 2) 19,Kexiang Road Luogang District,Science Park, Guangzhou (3213 5555) 1) 广州美国人，二沙岛烟雨南路 3 号 ; 2) 广州罗岗区科翔路 19 号

Canadian Foreign Language School Cam-

bridgshire Garden, Panyu District (39191868 ext. 0)广州市番禺区剑桥郡加拿达外国语学校，广州市番禺区剑桥郡花园

Canadian International School of Guangzhou Cambridgeshire Garden, Nan-cun Town, Panyu District (3925 5321) www.cisgz.com广州加拿大人国际学校，番禺区南村镇雅居乐剑桥郡花园内

Canadian Internatioanal Kindergarten Agile Garden, Yinbin Lu, Panyu District (8456 6551). 加拿大国际幼儿园，番禺区迎宾路雅居乐花园

Canton Global Academy 4 Chuangjia Road, Jinshazhou, Baiyun District, Guagnzhou (180 2401 1757)广州寰宇外籍人员子女学校 , 广州市白云区金沙洲创佳路 4 号

Clifford School International International Building, Clifford School, Clifford Estates, Shiguang Lu, Panyu District (8471 8273; 8471 1441; 8471 1694) 祈福英语实验学校，番禺区市广路

Eclipse English Education 18D, No.368, Tianhe Bei Road, GZ (Tel:38780382,18922769713) 爱誉英语, 天河北路, 368号, 18D Guangzhou Nanfang International School No.1 South Industrial Park, Yinglong Lu, Longdong, Tianhe District (3886 6952, 3886 3606, Fax: 3886 3680). www.gnischina.com 广州南方国际学校，天河区龙洞迎龙路龙山工业园南1号

Hanbridge Mandarin School Individual Class,Group Class: 50RMB/Hour~ Daily Chinese/Business Chinese/ HSK Kids Chinese/Cantonese/Company Training1303, Left tower, Stars building, No.174 Huasui Road,Zhujiang Newtown,Tianhe ,GZ.Branch shcools: Linhexi CITIC & LieDe Pub Street & ShiPaiQiao TaikooHui


L I S T I N G S

(TEL&Wechat 020-85645966, 189 9838 3060, 181 0272 9662) 翰语桥中国语总校：天河珠江新城华穗路星辰大厦东塔1303

ISA International School Guangzhou Block C2-2, 128 Yuancun Siheng Lu, Tianhe Dis-trict (8890 0909, [email protected]) 广州爱莎国际学校, 天河区员村四横路128号红专厂创意园C2-2

The British School of Guangzhou 983-3 Tonghe Lu, Baiyun District (8709 4788) 广州英国学校, 白云区同和路983-3 Trinity International Kindergarten 663 Huacheng Dadao, Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District (8558 3287) 圣心国际幼稚园, 天河区珠江新城花城大道663号

Utahloy Int’l School www.utahloy.com 1) 800 Shatai Bei Lu, Baiyun District (8720 2019, fax 8704 4296); 2) Sanjiang Town, Zeng Cheng (8291 4691 fax: 8291 3303)广州誉德莱国际学校，1) 白云区沙太北路 800 号；2) 增城三江镇

HOTELChimelong Hotel Panyu Dadao, Panyu Dis-trict (8478 6838, gz.chimelong.com)长隆酒店 , 番禺区番禺大道

Chimelong Hengqin Bay Hotel Hengqin New District, Zhuhai (0756-299 8888, www.chimelong.com)长隆横琴湾酒店 , 珠海市横琴新区

Chimelong Penguin Hotel Hengqin New District, Zhuhai (0756-299 3366, www.chime-long.com) 长隆企鹅酒店, 珠海市横琴新区

Chimelong Circus Hotel Hengqin New Dis-trict, Zhuhai (0756-299 3399, www.chimelong.com) 长隆马戏酒店, 珠海市横琴新区

China Hotel, A Marriott Hotel 122, Liuhua Lu (8666 6888) www.MarriottChinahotel.com 中国大酒店 , 流花路 122 号

DoubleTree by Hilton Guangzhou 391 Dongfeng Lu, Yuexiu District (2833 7215; 2833 2888) 广州希尔顿逸林酒店 , 越秀区东风路 391 号

Grand Hyatt Guangzhou 12, Zhujiang Xi Lu, Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District (8396 1234 www.guangzhou.grand.hyatt.com)广州富力君悦大酒店 , 天河区珠江新城珠江西路 12号

Guangzhou Marriott Hotel Tianhe 228 Tianhe Lu, Tianhe District (6108 8888) 广州正佳广场万豪酒店，天河区天河路 228 号

Langham Place Guangzhou 638 Xingang Dong Lu, Haizhu District(8916 3388) 广州南丰朗豪酒店 , 海珠区新港东路 638 号

LN Garden Hotel, Guangzhou 368, Huanshi Dong Lu (8333 8989, www.thegardenhotel.com.cn) LN Garden Hotel, Guangzhou, 368 Huanshi Dong Lu, Yuexiu District 广州花园酒店 , 越秀区环市东路 368 号花园酒店 (8333 8989)

LN Hotel Five 277 Yanjiang Zhong Lu, Yuexiu District （8931 0505）广州岭南五号酒店，越秀区沿江中路 277 号

Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou 389 Tianhe Lu, Tianhe District (3808 8888) 广州文华东方酒店 , 天河区天河路 389 号

Park Hyatt Guangzhou 16 Huaxia Lu, Zhuji-ang New Town, Tianhe District, Guangzhou (3769 1234)广州柏悦酒店天河区珠江新城华夏路 16 号

Shangri-La Hotel Guangzhou 1, Huizhan Dong Lu, Haizhu District (8917 8888, www.shangri-la.com)广州香格里拉大酒店 , 海珠区会展东路 1 号

Sofitel Guangzhou Sunrich 988 Guangzhou Dadao Zhong, Tianhe District (3883 8888) 广州圣丰索菲特大酒店 , 天河区广州大道中 988 号 . www.sofitel.com

The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou 3, Xing’an Lu, Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District (3813 6688, www.ritzcarlton.com) 广州富力丽思卡尔顿酒店, 天河区珠江新城兴安路3号

W Guangzhou 26 Xiancun Lu, Zhujiang New

Town, Tianhe District (6628 6628) 广州 W 酒店 , 天河区珠江新城冼村路 26 号

White Swan Hotel 1 Shamian Nan Jie, Liwan District (8188 6968)白天鹅宾馆 , 荔湾区沙面南街 1 号

CONSULATESArgentina 2405, Teem Tower, 208 Tianhe Lu, Tianhe District (3888 0328, [email protected]) 阿根廷共和国领事馆 , 天河区天河路 208 号粤海天河城大厦 2405 单元

Christian Fellowship Hilton Hotel Guangzhou Tianhe , 215 Lin He Xi Heng Lu, Tianhe District (6683 9999) (Foreigners only. Please bring ID) Worship Hours: 10am-11:30am.every Sunday. 广州天河新天希尔顿酒店 , 广州天河区林和西横路215 号

Guangdong Int’l Volunteer Expatriate Service (GIVES) Contact Rosaline Yam (8778 2778; [email protected]) www.gives.cn

Guangzhou Women’s Int’l Club (GWIC) For contact information, visit www.gwic.org Brazil Rm 1403, 10 Huaxia Lu, R&F Center, Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District (020-83652236; cg. cantao.itamaraty.gov.br) 巴西驻广州总领事馆, 珠江新城华夏路10号富力中心1403室

Australia 12/F, Zhujiang New City, Develop-ment Centre, 3 Linjiang Lu (Tel: 3814 0111; Fax: 3814 0112) www.guangzhou.china.embassy.gov.au 澳大利亚领事馆，临江路 3 号珠江新城发展中心 12楼

Belgium Room 0702, 7/F, R & F Center, Unit 2, 10 Huaxia Lu, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District (Tel: 3877 2351; Fax: 3877 2353)天河区珠江新城华夏路 10 号富力中心 7 楼 0702室

Cambodia Rm 802, The Garden Hotel (Tow-er), Huangshi Dong Lu (Tel: 8333 8999 - 805; Fax: 8365 2361) 柬埔寨领事馆，环市东路花园酒店大楼 808 室

Canada 26/F, Tower 1, Taikoo Hui, 385 Tian-he Lu, Tianhe District (Tel: 8611 6100, Fax: 8667 2401) www.guangzhou.gc.ca加拿大领事馆，天河区天河路 385 号太古汇一座26 楼

Colombia Unit 12, 36/F No 5, Zhujiang West Road, Tianhe, Guangzhou (8883 4826, [email protected]) 哥伦比亚驻广州总领事馆，珠江西路 5 号广州国际金融中心主塔写字楼 36 层 12 单元

Cuba Rm 2411, West Tower, Huapu Plaza, 13 Huaming Lu, Zhujiang New Town (Tel: 2238 2603 / 2238 2604; Fax: 2238 2605) 珠江新城华明路 13 号华普广场西塔 2411

Denmark Rm 1578, China Hotel, A Marriott Hotel, 122 Liuhua Lu (Tel: 8666 0795; Fax: 8667 0315) 丹麦领事馆，流花路 122 号中国大酒店写字楼1578 室

Ecuador Room 1801, R&F Building, 10 Huaxia Lu, Zhujiang New Town (Tel: 3892 7650; Fax: 3892 7550) 厄瓜多尔共和国驻广州领事馆，珠江新城华夏路 10号富力中心 1801 室

France Rm 810, 8/F, Main Tower, Guangdong Int’l Hotel, 339 Huanshi Dong Lu (2829 2000) www.consulfrance-canton.org/法国领事馆，环市东路 339 号广东国际大酒店主楼８10 室

Germany 14/F Teem Tower, 208 Tian-he Lu, Tianhe District (Tel: 8313 0000; Fax: 8516 8133) www.kanton.diplo.de德国领事馆，天河路 208 号粤海天河城大厦 14 楼 Greece Rm 2105, HNA Building, 8 Linhe Zhong Lu (Tel: 8550 1114; Fax: 8550 1450; [email protected]) 希腊领事馆 , 林和中路 8 号海航大厦 2105 室

Guangzhou Narcotics Anonymous Meetings:

Monday 6.30pm and Friday 7pm. (For help: 188 9857 0042 (French, Chinese & English), 133 3287 0750 (Persian), 185 8876 4470 (Eng-lish), www.nachina.com)

India 14/F, Haichuan Dasha, 8 Linhe Zhong Lu, Tianhe District (8550 1501-05) 印度领事馆，天河区林和中路 8 号海船大厦 14 楼

Indonesia Rm 1201-1223, 2/F, West Building, Dong Fang Hotel, 120 Liuhua Lu (Tel: 8601 8772; fax 8601 8773; [email protected]) 印度尼西亚领事馆，流花路 120 号东方宾馆西座 2楼 1201-1223 室

Israel 19/F, Development Center, 3 Linjiang Dadao, Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District (8513 0509) 以色列领事馆，天河区珠江新城临江大道 3 号发展中心 19 楼 . Guangzhou.mfa.gov.il

Italy Rm 1403, International Finance Place (IFP), 8, Huaxia Lu, Zhujiang New Town (Tel: 3839 6225; Fax: 8550 6370) 意大利领事馆，珠江新城华夏路 8 号合景国际金融广场 14 楼 1403 室

Japan 1/F, East Tower, The Garden Hotel, 368 Huanshi Dong Lu (Tel: 8334 3009; Fax: 8333 8972) www.guangzhou.cn.emb-japan.go.jp日本领事馆，环市东路 368 号花园酒店东塔 1 楼

Korea (Republic) 18 Youlin Lu, Chigang Con-sulate Area, Haizhu District (Tel: 2919 2999; fax 2919 2980; [email protected]) 韩国领事馆，海珠区赤岗领事馆区友邻路 18 号

Kuwait 10A-10D, Nanyazhonghe Plaza, 57 Lingjiang Dadao, Zhujiang New Town (Tel: 3807 8070; Fax: 3807 8007). 科威特国总领事馆，珠江新城临江大道 57 号南雅中和广场 10A-10D

Malaysia Rm 1915-1918, 19/F, CITIC Plaza, 233 Tianhe Bei Lu ((Tel: 3877 0765; Fax: 3877 2320) 马来西亚领事馆，天河北路 233 号中信广场 19 楼1915-1918 室

Mexico Rm2001, Teem Tower, 208 Tianhe Bei Lu (Tel: 2208 1540; Fax: 2208 1539) 墨西哥领事馆，天河路 208 号粤海天河城大厦 20楼 01 单元

Netherlands 34/F, Teem Tower, 208 Tianhe Lu, Tianhe Bei Lu (Tel: 3813 2200; Fax: 3813 2299) www.hollandinchina.org 荷兰领事馆，天河路 208 号粤海天河城大厦 34 楼

New Zealand Rm C1055, Office Tower, China Hotel, A Marriott Hotel, 122 Liuhua Lu (Tel: 8667 0253; Fax: 8666 6420; [email protected]) www.nzte.govt.nz 新西兰领事馆，流花路 122 号中国大酒店商业大厦1055 室

Norway Suite 1802, CITIC Plaza, 233 Tianhe Bei Lu (3811 3188 Fax: 3811 3199) 挪威领事馆，天河北路 233 号中信广场 180 室

Peru Unit 01 on 32/F 5 Zhujiang Xi Lu, Tianhe (Tel: 6184 6244; Fax: 6631 1804) 秘鲁驻广州总领事馆，珠江西路5号广州国际金融中心主塔写字楼32层01单元

Philippines Rm 706-712 Guangdong Int’l Hotel, 339 Huanshi Dong Lu (Tel: 8331 1461; Fax: 8333 0573) www.guangzhoupcg.org 菲律宾领事馆，环市东路 339 号广东国际大酒店主楼 706-712 室

Poland 63 Shamian Da Jie (Tel: 8121 9993; Fax: 8121 9995) 波兰领事馆，沙面大街 63 号

Singapore Unit 2418, CITIC Plaza, 233 Tianhe Bei Lu (Tel: 3891 2345; Fax: 3891 2933) 新加坡领事馆，天河北路 233 中信广场 2418 室

Spain Rm 501/507/508 5/F, R&F Center, 10 Huaxia Lu, Pearl River New City (Tel: 3892 7185 / 3892 8909; Fax: 3892 7197). www.maec.es/consulados/canton 西班牙驻广州总领事馆，珠江新城华夏路 10 号富力中心 5 楼 501/507/508 室

Switzerland 27/F, Kingold Century, 62 Jinsui Lu, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District (Tel: 3833 0450; Fax: 3833 0453) 瑞士领事馆，天河区珠江新城金穗路 62 号侨鑫国际金融中心 27 层

Thailand Rm M07, 2/F, Garden Hotel, 368 Huanshi Dong Lu (Tel: 8385 8988; Fax: 8388 9567) 泰国领事馆，环市东路 368 号花园酒店 2 楼 M07

室

The Russian Federation 26/A, Development Centre, 3 Linjiang Dadao, Zhujiang New Town (8518 5001 Fax: 8518 5099 (office)/ 8518 5088(visa section)) 俄罗斯联邦驻广州总领事馆 , 珠江新城临江大道 3号发展中心 26/A

Turkey Rm. 23A, Development Center Build-ing, 3 Linjiang Dadao, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District (3785 3466, [email protected])天河区珠江新城临江大道 3 号发展中心 23A

United States 43 Huajiu Lu, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District (Tel: 3814 5000) http://guangzhou-ch.usembassy-china.org.cn/ 美国领事馆，天河区珠江新城华就路 43 号

Vietnam 2/F, Hua Xia Hotel, Haizhou Square, Qiaoguang Lu (Tel: 8330 5911; Fax: 8330 5915) 越南领事馆，侨光路华沙大酒店 B 座 2 楼北部

CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE

American Chamber of Commerce Suite 1801, Guangzhou International Sourcing Cen-ter, 8 Pazhou Dadao Dong, Haizhu District (Tel: 8335 1476; Fax: 8332 1642; [email protected]) www.amcham-southchina.org 美国商会，海珠区琶洲大道东 8 号广州国际采购中心 1801 室

Australian Chamber of Commerce Rm1714 -15, Main Tower, Guangdong International Building, 339 Huanshi Dong Lu (Tel: 2237 2866; Fax: 8319 0765; [email protected]). www.austcham-southchina.org 澳洲商会，环市东路 339 号广东国际大厦主楼1714 – 15 室

BenCham, Benelux (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg) Chamber of Commerce in China, Pearl River Delta, Floor 34, 208 Teem Tower, 208 Tianhe Lu (155 2118 2708 ). 荷比卢商会 , 天河路 208 号粤海天河城大厦 34 楼 www.bencham.org

British Chamber of Commerce Unit 2201B, International Financial Center, 5 Zhujiang Xi Lu, Tianhe District ( Tel: 8331 5013; Fax: 8331 5016; [email protected]) 英国商会，天河区珠江西路 5 号国际金融中心2201B

European Union Chamber of Commerce Rm 2817, Tower A, Shine Plaza, 9 Linhe Xi Lu, Tianhe District (Tel: 3801 0269; Fax: 3801 0275) 中国欧盟商会，天河区林和西路9号耀中广场A塔2817室

French Chamber of Commerce in South China (CCIFC) Room 802, 8/F, Leatop Plaza, 32 Zhujiang Dong Lu, Zhujiang Xincheng, Tianhe District (2916 5535) 天河区珠江新城珠江东路 32 号利通广场 8 层 02 单元

German Chamber of Commerce 1903 Leatop Plaza, 32 Zhujiang Dong Lu, Tianhe District (Tel: 8755 2353; Fax: 8755 1889; [email protected]) china.ahk.de天河区珠江东路 32 号利通广场 1903 室

Italian Chamber of Commerce Rm 948, Of-fice Tower, the Garden Hotel, 368 Huanshi Dong Lu ( Tel: 8365 2682; Fax: 8365 2983) 意大利商会，环市东路 368 号花园大厦 948 房 www.cameraitacina.com

China-Philippines Chamber of Commerce Rm 1613, Main Tower, Guangdong In-ternational Hotel, 339 Huanshi Dong Lu (8331 1888-71613; Fax: 8331 1983; E-mail: [email protected]) 中国菲律宾商会，环市东路 339 号广东国际大酒店主楼 1613 室

Spanish Chamber of Commerce Rm 1814, 18/F, Guangzhou International Sourcing Cen-ter, 8 Pazhou Dadao Dong, Haizhu District (Tel: 3892 7531; Fax: 3892 7530) 海珠区琶洲大道东 8 号广州国际采购中心 1814 室

L I S T I N G S


ACCOUNTING FIRMS

Harris Corporate Solutions LtdGuangzhou | Shanghai | Beijing | Hong KongEstablished since 1972• WFOE & Rep. Office Set Up• Accounting & Tax Compliance• Payroll, HR & Visa Solutions• Hong Kong & Offshore Company Registration• Hong Kong & China Bank Account OpeningServing all your business needs for investing in China. Call us for a free consultation.Tel: (86)20-8762 0508Mobile: 135-703-48815Email: [email protected]

Romeo Lau & Co.work visa, WFOE, JV, RO, HK company, auditing, car rental,driver license.www.romeolawoffice.comMobile: 13570993252, 020-38865269, [email protected]

BUSINESS SERVICES

Asiabs & B.stringHong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai1) Setting-up HK, BVI and other offshore company2) Setting-up WFOE, JV, Representative Office in China mainland3) Accounting, Taxation, HR, Visa & Trading serviceTel: 852 8102 2592 / 86 21 58362605 86 10 65637970Website: www.AsiaBS.com www.Stringbc.comE-mail: [email protected]

CENTURY, a Comprehensive Office Services Company1. Office Relocation, Personal Relocation2. Second-hand Office Furniture Resell3. Office Cleaning Services4. Landscaping/Indoor Plant5. Carpet Cleaning6. Pest ControlTel: (86 20) 2816 5345Email: [email protected]

HiTouch ConsultingLeading business and legal solution provider• Company Registration• Tax & Accounting• Intellectual Property• China VisaTel: (8620) 8355 5515Website: www.hitouch.comGuangzhou丨Shanghai 丨Yiwu

CHURCH

CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Expatriates welcome! Large group multi-national, non-denominational expatriate Christians hold English services Sundays 10.00am to 11.30am. Need foreign citizenship proof. Website: www.gicf.net Tel: 177 2768 5019.

JOBS OFFERED South China HR English Website (English.job168.com) China's most famous & professional job hunting website 8/F, Nanfang Jingdian Building, No. 198 Tianhe Road, Guangzhou 1/F,Huapu Building, No.104 Tianhe Road,Guangzhou (Tel: 85584676)南方人才网英文站(english.job168.com)广州市天河路198号南方精典大厦八楼广州市天河路104号华普大厦西座一楼

Chin-Door Culture KindergartenFull-time Foreign English Teacher needed in Chin-Door Culture Kindergarten in Baiyun district. Resume please email to Cecilia Zhang. Email address: [email protected].

Eclipse English EducationNative English teachers wanted.Competitive pay with flexible scheduling.Free Chinese classes for employees.Tianhe location.13902273359 or (020) 38780382 Mrs.Wong

MOVING & SHIPPING

Asian Tigers Mobility Is an international relocation specialist started in 1988 handling visa and immigration, orientation, home finding, international, domestic and local moves and settling in services in China. We are FAIM & ISO 9001-2008 accredited, members of the OMNI and FIDI which gives us the global representation. Contact us:Tel:(8620) 8326 6758 / 8666 2655E-mail: [email protected]: www.asiantigers-mobility.com

AGS Four Winds is leading international moving company offers a full range relocation, moving, and storage services. Our global network of over 300 offices

worldwide plus 40 years experience in the moving industry, we know your concerns and have the ability to serve you anywhere in the world.We are FAIM & ISO 9001-2008 accredited, members of the FAIM and FIDI.Contact us for FREE survey and quotation:Tel: +86 20 8363 3735Email: [email protected]: www.agsfourwinds.com

Rayca Moving & Transportation ServicesWith 10 years experience, Rayca provides international, domestic, local moving services & pet relocation service. We can effectively move you anywhere with competitive price!You move, you save!Service hotline: 400-048-9099Email: [email protected]:www.raycatrans.com

REAL ESTATE

Life Partner provides house leasing, housekeeping and other personalized services to expatriates from Multi Corporations and foreign institutes as well as to individuals. Guangzhou/Foshan/Zhaoqing/Zhengzhou/Wuhan Since 2004Contact Person: Ellen Pan, Tel: 020-3881 3137, Mobile: 159 1878 3607Email: [email protected]: www.lifepartner.cn

TRAVEL Free N Easy Travel An International Travel Agency in GZ, offers you the most competitive airfares, best discounted hotels worldwide and great getaway packages.Call our Toll free no.800-830-2353 or Tel 3877 2345 or email us at [email protected] or visit us at our travel center at 218 Sky Galleria, CITIC PALAZA, 233 Tianhe North Road or check for more details at our website---www .fnetravel .com

Turkish Airlines Rm. 6107, Citic Plaza, 233 Tianhe Bei Lu, Tianhe District (3877 1690, 3877 1691, www.turkishairlines.com)天河区天河北路233号中信广场6107室


C L A S S I F I E D S

July is a month of hot, hot weather and hot, hot passion for Pisces. Cool off with your lover by taking a sexy dip in a piss-infested public pool (they're easy enough to find in this city). Eat rice noodles on the 12th.

Pisces2.20~3.20

You’re smart – very smart. But this summer’s got you feeling dumb. Get back in the game by actually attending your Chinese lessons for once. Oh, you’re too hungover again? Fine - just be prepared to be ripped off while fruit shopping for, like, ever.

Aries3.21~4.20

This month is all about self-care. Go to one of those places where an old lady scrapes dead skin off your feet with a tiny knife, and then eat something really nutritious, like woodear with a vat of vinegar. Do not travel to Kaiping if it’s raining.

Taurus4.21~5.21

That’s

Guangzhou

JULY

Finally, a horoscope that understands your life in Guangzhou. BY NOELLE MATEER

Ac t i o n s h a v e c o n s e q u e n c e s . I f y o u p a r k y o u r M o b i k e s o that it blocks your neighbor’s actual bike, or if you bring your O f o i n s i d e y o u r a p a r t m e n t , misfortune will befall you later in the month. Eat tripe on the 13th.

Libra9.24~10.23

Get some new toothpaste. Your current brand is kinda lame. If you switch to Crest you will find love; if you switch to Darlie, a terrible calamity shall befall you. Floss regularly. Do not eat malatang on Sundays.

Capricorn12.22~1.20

You’l l secure a major deal at work this month – if and only if you eat an odd number of baozi in the morning. Pork baozi , not that pansy-ass egg-and-chive kind. Avoid men in green jackets.

Scorpio10.24~11.22

Yo u c a n g e t a l i t t l e i n t e n s e s o m e t i m e s , s o f o c u s t h a t intensity on a new project, like l e a r n i n g t o s a l s a , o r q u i e t l y d i s m a n t l i n g c o n s t r u c t i o n e q u i p m e n t b y n i g h t s o t h e sounds of drilling no longer wake Guangzhouers prematurely.

Sagittarius11.23~12.21

Don’t lose hope, Aquarius. Your favo r i t e b a r o r r e s t a u r a n t o r chuan’r shack will open again. Or, actually, we don’t know. It might not, TBH. You know horoscopes aren’t real, right? Clap twice before entering bathrooms in bars.

Aquarius1.21~2.19

It’s time to compromise. Your roommate will never agree to living in Xiancun. It just isn’t going to happen. Instead, tr y living in an apartment complex nearby Xiancun. Do not move to Shipai Village.

Virgo8.24~9.23

You’re energetic, restless even. Use up your energy by climbing s o m e t h i n g t a l l . A n o b v i o u s choice here is IFC, but you could also walk up all six flights of stairs in Grandview. Use vinegar, not soy sauce.

Leo7.23~8.23

Happy birthday! For the record, C a n c e r , y o u r o c k , a n d y o u deserve the best! Treat yourself to a big party, and don’t be afraid to buy super expensive drinks. (Full disclosure: The person who writes these is a Cancer.)

Cancer6.22~7.22

C o n g r a t s o n m o v i n g t o Guangzhou! Are you new, or are you just terrible at navigating? U s e y o u r M a p s a p p , a n d t r y t o g o s o m e w h e r e o t h e r t h a n Xingsheng Lu for once. We know it’s hard, but you can do it. Wear purple on the 19th.

Gemini5.22~6.21

Horoscopes


JULY 2017 - Thatsmags.com

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