China Travel, News and Lifestyle
Beijing
Honey, It’s Been A Long Time
Aug 10th
There’s no complete Beijing IKEA visit without staying and eating their Swedish meatballs after the shopping. As I sat down and chunked the meatballs in, I had a nostalgic feeling creeping through my spine. The meatballs were OK, a little on the raw side. I don’t get why we got fries. It should have just come with boiled or mashed potatoes.
The IKEA restaurant in Beijing isn’t just a place for tired shoppers to eat, but acts like a dedicated restaurant. People come from all over town just to eat the food there. Apart from meatballs, they’ve also got several salmon dishes as well as Chinese dishes.
If in Beijing, it’s definitely a worthwhile visit.
Back to Sweden… Sort Of
Aug 9th
A while back I went to the Beijing IKEA with a few friends, it is the second largest in the world dwarfed only by one in IKEA’s home country Sweden.
Entering IKEA felt just as if I was back in Sweden. Everything was the same as Swedish IKEAs. Except one thing. Here, the people were Chinese. 
Products in the IKEA in Beijing cost roughly half of what they would have cost in Sweden. Since most of the products are produced in China, their savings in transport are passed on to the consumer.
Another difference is that in Sweden IKEA furniture is the cheapest you can get, and a popular brand amongst young people. In China, it’s also popular amongst young people, but for entirely different reasons. IKEA in China is more or less a luxury brand and a is used as a fashion statement.
Origus is a Nice Place to Eat When Hungry
Aug 8th
So what do you do when you drink too much one night and feel like shit the entire next day, and then comes evening and you’re starving. Easy – go to Origus.Origus is a Chinese buffet chain serving pizza, chicken, pasta, snacks, salad, fruit, ice cream, cake, soft drinks, beer, tea and coffee. For 43 CNY ($6 USD) you can eat and drink as much as you want. The food is pretty good, but a little fatty. I would recommend you to eat there if you’re really hungry and/or work out.
What! A Chocolate Pizza?
The last time I went to Origus I was really surprised to find a chocolate pizza. It was basically pizza bread with chocolate sauce and cheese on top. Although I don’t think it was very nutritious, I’d have to say it was quite good.
Prostitution in Beijing
Aug 7th
Here in Beijing, prostitution is rampant. You can find prostitutes at clubs, hairdressers, massage parlors and on the streets. The normal price range goes from 100 CNY to as much as 2,000. Prostitution is illegal in China, but it’s pretty hard for the police to bust them, because they’re all covered in some way. Hookers at clubs don’t openly announce their profession, and it’s impossible to see the difference of them and a regular club-going girl. At the hairdressers, how can the police know that they are prostitutes and not just hairdressers? Despite difficulties, the local police has had quite a few successful raids in the past.
The area in Beijing that I live in is called Fulicheng. Several times a week, we get these namecards (pictured above) of massage services with suggestive pictures of girls slipped in under the door while sleeping. Whether they really do massage or not, I’ve yet to find out. But from what I’ve heard, these girls generally do very poor massages. I guess the rest should be left to the imagination. 
Drinking Beijing Style
Aug 4th
When you’re tired of all the Western-style bars and clubs over at Sanlitun, Houhai and Workers Stadium – you should definitely try this out. This is what many Beijingers do and is a cool experience for the casual traveler.
- Make sure you’re with good company.
- Scourge the streets until you find the closest Muslim (Xinjiang) joint, and get a table outdoors.
- Start ordering Yanjing (Beijing) brand beers and some shish kebab (yang rou chuan / lamb on a stick), some pickled peanuts and green beans to go along with it.
- If you don’t know how to order, point at the plate of your neighbors and order what they’ve ordered.
- Let the games begin. Usually 6 bottles is enough for a person.
- Be merry.
The beers go for around 4 CNY ($0.6 USD) per 600 ml bottle and the kebabs 0.5 CNY ($0.1 USD) each. All together it shouldn’t cost more than 35 CNY ($5 USD) per person. Not only is this a very good deal, but also something unique to remember. I liked the food and the beers, and would do this again anytime.
These guys know how to earn money and close when all their customers leave, so don’t worry about the time.
