The jing

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-13 10:29

The airport less traveled

The October holiday was indeed a lesson in options: If there were no cheap or available flights out of Beijing, there is always Tianjin.

For those looking to escape to the sandy, party-happy beaches of Thailand or impenetrable Malaysian jungles, many (one Jing operative included) found that their cheapest option was to fly AirAsia (Singapore's budget airline) from Beijing's seaside neighbor.

Due largely to tremendous improvements in public transportation in both cities, getting there is not as mafan as it seems.

The newly opened Line 4 stops at the South Train Station, which offers frequent (sometimes every half hour) high-speed trains to Tianjin, making the trip 30 minutes long for only 70 yuan. Not a bad deal for those desperately looking to get away.

Cold shoulder for Versace

Beijing literally means "northern capital", while Dongjing means "eastern capital", but most of us know this place as Tokyo.

And these are sad times for high fashion in Japan's once super cool style hub.

It looks as though those in Japan insistent on wearing couture will either have to bump up their purchases or go elsewhere (or to China), as Gianni Versace SpA announced the closing of its boutiques.

According to iciba.com, the store closures demonstrate Japan's dwindling appetite for luxury goods, which is forcing brands to reassess their operations in cities like Tokyo and Osaka.

Japan for many years has been at the fore of luxury (Gwen Stefani's song Harajuku Girls comes to mind), comprising one of the fashion world's most important luxury markets.

The speculation is that the economic crisis combined with the younger generation's change of spending habits are what is hitting the luxury market hard. In China, however, the luxury market is expected to increase 7 percent, due to the rising number of wealthy Chinese.

Versace has over 20 stores in China and yesterday the Versace's vice-president in China, Zhang Zhishen, said the plan was to have 44 Versace stores by 2010.

Water cube's secrets revealed

Beijing's new Olympic swimming center - with its foam bubble facade and cube shape - made a mighty splash around the world when it was first revealed in 2003 and now it's closed for repairs.

But did you know that the key to its success was understanding the secrets of Chinese design philosophy? The designers needed to know the yin and yang of Beijing.

The swimming center is strategically positioned adjacent to the equally impressive National Stadium, or Bird's Nest.

Together, the two structures form the heart and soul of the 2008 Games layout and reflect the Chinese philosophy of harmonious balance.

The steel stadium is circular, and colored with a red hue. The foam-covered swimming center is square shaped and blue.

Fire and water, masculine and feminine, yin and yang. An aerial photograph of the site reveals the two key Olympic Games venues forming a giant yin and yang symbol.

To recapture the Chinese spirit, the two sporting centers are integrated into the axis of the capital.

The north-south axis line, which runs through Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Drum and Bell towers, perfectly dissects the two modern Olympic landmarks.

Call it puppy love

The 2007 Japanese film A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies made its debut in Beijing yesterday and the box office has already reached 1 million yuan. According to the Beijing Times, theaters where the film was shown were packed.

The reason had a lot to do with the fact that this highly anticipated film about the miraculous survival of a dog and her puppies following the 2004 earthquake in Niigata was not released in China in 2007.

According to our sources, people were drawn to the cinema to watch this heart-warming story told through the eyes of three utterly adorable puppies.

Curse of Booboo's smelly feet

The idea of going barefoot inside a Chinese shoeless home conjured up very bad memories for one reader of The Jing because his feet always smelt really, really bad.

"My feet reeked so bad they could have been used as biological weapon in the war against terror," the man, surnamed Booboobumsteer, told us yesterday.

"They ponged worse than smelly bean curd and could overpower the noxious stench of a week-old dead fish. Even a garlic-munching Beijing taxi driver, who hadn't flossed their teeth for the past 23 years, would complain if I ever slipped off my shoes in his vehicle."

Booboobumsteer said his smelly feet was hindering many relationships and it was impossible for him to find a girlfriend.

If anyone has suggestions to help save Booboo's social life, please contact The Jing and we will pass on any helpful advice. He says he's very desperate.