Introducing: The Beijing Cream Chug-Off For Charity, August 24

Beijing Cream Chug-Off for Charity logo featured image
Think you're the fastest beer-chugger in Beijing? Prove it. Sign up for the inaugural Beijing Cream Chug-off for Charity on Saturday, August 24 at 2 pm at the new Great Leap Brewing (between Sun City and Chunxiu Lu). All proceeds will go to Magic Hospital, a local charity that "strives to help in the healing of sick, abused, neglected and orphaned children by restoring an element of fun in their day." It's absolutely a good cause, which we'll tell you more about in the coming days. Great Leap is very generously donating all the beer that will be used at the event.

Stabbing In Beijing: Sanlitun Jingkelong Manager Dead After Reported Pay Dispute

Jingkelong stabbing
Yesterday evening at 8:30, BJC contributor Alicia was passing the Jingkelong Supermarket at Xindong Lu near Sanlitun when she saw a crowd of people gathered outside. Curious, she paused and looked in. Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary. A minute later, cops attired in black, with black boots -- that's how you know they're serious -- walked up and asked people to disperse. Some lingered of course, but no one quite knew what was happening. Apparently there had been a fatal stabbing inside that store just 90 minutes prior.

A Nice Little Beijing Subway Scuffle

Beijing subway fight
There are a lot of things we like about this 35-second video. There's the automated voice -- which we've heard so many times that it now exists in the realm of our subconscious -- telling us that the train is nearing Dongdan on Line 1. There's the shouting: Waarrrrgh! Aaarrrrrgh! There are the passengers nearby, especially the man in the white shirt. There's the voice of the woman off-camera who, as if beseeching children, says, "Stop fighting. Just stop." And is that man on top trying to stuff the other guy into a box? Pure joy all around.

Three Shots With… Vicky Mohieddeen, Culture And Film Buff

Three Shots with Vicky Mohieddeen
Welcome to Three Shots with Beijing Cream, where local personalities may or may not get drunk on camera, depending on their alcohol tolerance. Produced and directed by Gabriel Clermont and Anthony Tao. Vicky Mohieddeen arrived in China halfway by accident with no long-term plans, but in an opportunity-rich place like Beijing, it didn't take long for her to find a calling. Or several, as it were.

The Creamcast, Ep.07: Kenn Bermel, Bar Owner, Knows Nothing About Belgium

BJC The Creamcast logo 250x250
Long-time Beijinger and The Local owner Kenn Burmel enlightens hosts John Artman and Amy Daml on why his bar is no longer called Brussels, how he survived SARS locked into his dorm (people had a lot of sex), and what exactly propelled The Local to an improbable 2nd-place finish in last year's the Beijinger Burger Cup (including a shocking -- shocking -- victory over Blue Frog).

Chengguan To Get Busier This Summer As Beijing Quadruples Street BBQ Fines

Lamb kebobs
This story was never good to begin with -- authorities crack down on street barbecue vendors, who by the way may be passing off rat meat as lamb skewers, because they think street barbecueing contributes significantly to air pollution -- but the folks in charge have found a way to make it worse: more chengguan are expected to deal with this issue, because now fines are serious, as in quadruple what they used to be.