Friday Night Musical Outro: Harsh Buzz From Makoto Kawabata & Co.

Makoto Kawabata + Junky + Arrebato live @NOIShanghai XLVI featured image
Hello Beijing Cream readers. My name is Morgan and I work at this other website called Smart Beijing, wherein we specialize in nothing but hard-hitting lifestyle journalism and hard-hitting venue addresses. The Tao is outsourcing these Friday Night Musical Outros to me so that he can concentrate full-time on his own true journalistic passions, which is the kids shitting in airports beat and hobo fights coverage.

NPC Delegate Zhong Nanshan: What Good Is The World’s Highest GDP If The People Can’t Breathe?

Zhong Nanshan featured image
Although the skies were conveniently blue for the first day of the National People’s Congress on March 5, by the next day the AQI was already creeping back above 300. In an interesting twist, a prominent member of the National People’s Congress has criticized the Chinese government for its anti-pollution efforts. In an interview with... Read more »

That Racist Beijing Restaurant? RFH Visited With A Japanese Diner

Beijing Snacks
Its most controversial days are likely behind it, but we have one more update on Beijing Snacks, which some have taken to calling “the most racist restaurant in Beijing” thanks to its owner pasting a “no dog… no Japanese et al.” sign on the front window. RFH recently visited with friends, including a Japanese man... Read more »

Unique “Tree Hollow Paintings” Bring A Touch Of Warmth To A Cold Winter

Hollow tree paintings in Beijing 1
The latest art craze sweeping the Chinese Internet? Tree hollow paintings. Netizens are going crazy for art student Wang Yue’s cutesy creations, painted in the hollows of trees lining a street in her hometown of Shijiazhuang. The story has been picked up by several mainstream news outlets, including CCTV News’ “Weiguan Tianxia” program, whose host Xu Zhuoyang called them “a touch of warmth in the midst of a cold winter.” Aww.

Mo Yan Grants First Interview Since Winning Nobel Prize, Rebukes Ai Weiwei, Makes Very Interesting Cultural Revolution Comparison

Mo Yan Der Spiegel
Since accepting the Nobel Prize in Literature on December 10, the controversial Mo Yan has turned down every formal interview request from every publication in the world. But he finally broke his silence last week, granting a sit-down with Germany’s Der Spiegel, one of Europe’s largest news weeklies. The article was published in this week’s (February 25)... Read more »

China Twitter Accounts You Probably Already Follow, Schmuck

Beijing Cream Twitter
At the end of every year, the meejah publish lists: what's what, what's hot, what's not, what's frot -- y'know, "Top 10 Worst Celebrity Red Carpet Frock Horrors!" and other such high-water marks for journalism. But being lazy and living in China, we thought we'd wait until the end of the Dragon Year to do something similar. And seeing as we're cheeky and crass, we thought we'd take a slightly different approach.

No Dogs, But Also No Japanese, Filipinos, Or Vietnamese Allowed? [UPDATE]

This shop does not receive (Houhai)
So, it seems that some people have yet to fully understand why racism is a bad thing. With tensions in the South China Sea remaining high, we’re still being treated to bizarre examples of unhealthy nationalism. The latest can be found here in Beijing: the proprietors of a snack shop in Houhai called Beijing Snacks... Read more »