Rock Off: Briefly memorializing Sanlitun’s best and only punk-rock dive bar

There was a restaurant? (Pic via Thats)
Up a rickety staircase, above a neglected sex shop, there they were: some of the laziest and most disinterested barkeeps in Beijing. But now they’ve disappeared, along with the rest of 3 Rock, a hole of a rock bar that encapsulated the punk spirit of Sanlitun’s “dirty bar street” – something best loved when it’s... Read more »

Two Videos Of The Sanlitun Stabbing [Graphic]

Sanlitun Uniqlo stabbing featured image
We have two videos from the stabbing this morning, in which a man wielding a meter-long sword attacked -- seemingly at random -- two people outside Uniqlo in Sanlitun, Beijing. The first video, above, is graphic, and I wouldn't recommend it if you'd rather not watch a woman bleeding from stab wounds.

ARRESTED: Beijing ‘gang’ alleged to have targeted foreigners with bats

Galsworthy (left) takes an image of his injuries shortly after the attack
A trio of Chinese men armed with baseball bats and metal pipes has been detained, following a violent assault on students at one of Beijing’s best-known universities. The case bears strong similarities to a series of racially tinged assaults alleged to have recently occurred in several foreign-centric districts, including Sanlitun, Houhai and Wudaokou, in which... Read more »

This Week In Douchey Laowai Ruining It For The Rest Of Us

Douchey laowai in Sanlitun MAIN
It's Friday night just past midnight. You're standing on a curb in Sanlitun after a pint/dinner/book talk/whatever looking for a cab. You see a green and yellow car driving your way, the little red light in the windshield beckoning. Already thinking of that book on your bedside, you raise your hand high and step forward in anticipation.

Why Is The Beijinger So Callous Toward Sanlitun Drug Dealers?

Foreigners arrested in Beijing Sanlitun drug bust 2
Because it's politically expedient to do so -- proven by Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, etc., to work -- Beijing conducted a drug investigation that recently culminated in a bust of street-level slingers in Sanlitun. This news doesn't affect the vast majority of Beijingers, foreign or local, which is to say, there's little reason any of us should cheer. If anything, we should cringe, knowing these "crackdowns" almost always disproportionately affect those on society's fringes who are most powerless to defend themselves.

How Beijing Authorities Conducted Their Great (Insipid) Sanlitun Drug Bust

Foreigners arrested in Beijing Sanlitun drug bust 1
More than 30 foreigners, most of “black complexion,” have been arrested on drug charges, and more than 790 grams of methamphetamine, ecstasy, and marijuana have been seized, according to an article on Tuesday in Legal China. Expect a few less head nods and “You good?”s around Taikoo Li. Also, you might need to find a new drug dealer.