What's New in September
We give you all the essentials in Beijing, from events to news to community connections.
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What’s happening in Beijing this month? Well, the answer is, not much… In October the city will be celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The PRC was officially founded on September 21 1949, after the defeat of the Nationalist (Guomindang) party, but October 1 is the national day, and will be the focus of the celebrations. Rehearsals and preparations for the parade will dominate the city all month, and many other events have been canceled or postponed. Among the latter is our beloved Beijing Pizza Festival, originally scheduled for last month, but now postponed to October. If you’re not getting involved with the patriotic fervor, it might be an idea to start planning your getaway for Golden Week. Check our website, www.beijing-kids.com, for loads of ideas for great places to travel to with kids. If you are sticking around, expect to have a quiet week at home, with much of the city’s transport network grinding to a halt.
We at beijingkids love our pets, and our next issue will be all about our furry (and feathery, and scaly) friends. But we’re not sure we’d go to the same lengths as a Zhejiang man did when his beloved cat passed away. He had cells taken from the animal and then paid RMB 250,000 to have a clone created. The kitten, named Dàsuàn (Garlic) after its genetic forebear, was born in July and revealed at a press conference by the company which cloned it. They also do dogs, a bargain at a mere RMB 380,000. However, while the new Garlic may be genetically identical to the old, he doesn’t look the same – the owner was disappointed that a distinctive patch of black fur on his chin was missing.
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Artists of the World Gather for Beijing’s Biennale
The original “Biennale” was founded in Venice, as long ago as 1895 – an art competition taking place every two years, in which countries from across the world send a collection of work by one of their artists to represent them. Beijing’s own Biennale is a more recent creation, with this year’s event being the eighth, but it has attracted 595 artists from 113 countries. The theme is “Colorful World and Common Destiny,” and the 640 works in every medium can be seen at the National Museum of China (NAMOC) until September 21. Entrance to NAMOC is free, and the museum is open from 9am to 5pm every day except Monday.
Beijing’s Futuristic Daxing Airport Opens for Business
If you are getting away for Golden Week, you may be lucky enough to be one of the first passengers at Beijing’s shiny new airport. Daxing International Airport is expected to be open for business on September 30, and hopefully will relieve pressure on Shunyi’s Beijing City International Airport (BCIA), which is becoming notorious for delays due to its crowded flight schedule. The new opening means farewell too to the shabby charms of Nanyuan, China’s oldest airport, which will close its doors after over 100 years of service. Daxing was designed by Galaxy Soho architect Zaha Hadid, has four runways, and at full capacity will see 100 million passengers every year.
The “bird flu” panic of 2006, which started the trend for the wearing of surgical masks on public transport, turned out to be a lot of fuss over not much. However human avian influenza A (H5N6), to give it its proper name, remains a dangerous illness, if still a rare one. So we should respond calmly and proportionately to news that a Beijing woman has been confirmed to be carrying the disease. She is believed to have contracted the virus while working with domestic birds outside the city, and at the time of writing was critically ill in quarantine. However, the strain is rarely passed from human to human, so there is no likelihood of an epidemic. Authorities advise only that you minimize your contact with wild birds, and observe the usual sensible precautions against contagious disease.
Welcome to Auna!
Beijingkids is very pleased to welcome Auna Harris to the team, as our Digital Editor. Auna is originally from Michigan, and her love for the great outdoors led her to spend six years as a Park Ranger, before coming to China to learn about a new culture and explore Asia. Auna will be overseeing our WeChat official account – if you don’t follow us yet, don’t miss out! Just search for beijingkids on WeChat to get a daily update on everything international families need to know for a fun and fulfilling time in this great city.
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