Beijing Watchdog: Roxette, St. Paddy's Day and Occupy the Toilets

Beijing Watchdog: Roxette, St. Paddy's Day and Occupy the Toilets

March is finally upon us and that means festival galore in Beijing. Don't worry if you're not the festival-going type, Beijing has plenty to keep you busy, from toilet occupation movements to Roxette. Read on to find out more on the news and events happening this March.

Notable News:

1) Occupy the toilet!
Yes you heard that right, the newest protest to hit Beijing is the "Occupy the Men's Toilet" movement. Organised by Beijing student Li Maizi, the movement actually held its first protest in Guangzhou but has since taken measures to occupy toilets in Beijing. The main call of the movement is for city officials to make sure that there is a 2:1 ratio of female to male toilets, as women (typically) take longer to go about their business than men do.

So far the protest has been met mostly by support, except for the few unlucky guys that had their daily deliveries blocked by a wall of young determined women holding signs that read, "If you love her, don't let her wait in line." A more far reaching effect might be how it influences the debate about women's rights in China.

2) Subway power failure
On February 27 there was a major backup in Beijing's subway system because of a power failure on line 10. At 18:11 a subway car traveling from Sanyuanqiao to Shaoyaoju lost power and caused a back up till 18:37 when power was restored and the line cleared. Thousands had their evening commutes disrupted and some stations on line 10 even closed their gates. Luckily, there were no reported injuries.

3) New airport to break ground soon
Even though the gargantuan Terminal 3 of Beijing's Capital Airport was only built a few years ago to handle increased traffic into the city for the 2008 Olympics, Beijing is already in need of a new airport to handle the masses flocking to the city. According to reports, construction of the new airport, located between Beijing and Langfang, will begin later this year and should be completed by 2015. When finished the airport will handle 130 million passengers a year on 9 runways...and we thought Terminal 3 was big!

Events:

1) Roxette in Beijing!
Legendary Swedish pop duo Roxette is returning to Beijing after a 17 year absence as part of their recent world tour. So if you want to hear some of the old time classics or some of the efforts from their latest album "Charm School" then head on out to the MasterCard Arena on March 12th or the 14th. Tickets cost between 280-880 RMB depending on seating and can be bought here (http://en.piao.com.cn/beijing/ticket_4392.html). The performance on both nights starts at 19:30.

2) Groove to DJ Paul Kalkbrenner
Recognised as one of the most innovative DJs in Europe for over 15 years, DJ Paul Kalkbrenner is now coming to Beijing on March 17th. So if you want to groove out to the Berlin native's beats, head on over to Tango dressed to impress. The show starts at 21:00 and tickets are 250 RMB presale and 300 RMB at the door.

3) St.Patrick's Day!
Even if you are not Irish there is no reason why you shouldn't dress in green and have a beer, because this year Saint Patrick's Day falls on a Saturday (March 17th)! While there are plenty of places that are having Saint Patrick's Day parties here are four cherry-picked recommendations:

  1. Danger Doyle's: They are offering 30 RMB Guinness and 20 RMB green beer from 18:00 onward and to top off the night they will show the Ireland vs. England rugby game!
  2. 12SQM: The cosy Nanlouguxiang bar invites you to celebrate with one of the widest selections of Irish Whiskey around. There will also be hourly trivia tests on Ireland.
  3. Q Bar: They claim to have the classiest St. Paddy's Day, with a line of specially crafted green cocktails as well as traditional offerings like Guinness.
  4. Lush: Along with student infused craziness, Lush is also offering green jello shots.

4) Upcoming movies
If the recent Oscar awards got you itching to see come Hollywood movies on the big screen, here's a treat: on February 28th, Steven Spielberg's latest Oscar nominated effort "War Horse" opened in Chinese cinemas. The movie, about the special bond between a man and his horse, gets quite emotional. So much so, in fact, some critics have said if you leave the theater without shedding at least a tear, you may not be human. See if you pass the test…

If you are looking for something more action-packed and in 3D, Disney's latest Sci-Fi epic "John Carter" will hit Beijing cinemas on March 16th.

Openings:

1) Brussels Restaurant and bar
If you like Belgian food and beer, it's time to smile because Brussels Restaurant and Bar is now open in Sanlitun South (the official launch is actually on March 2nd). So get out there and enjoy!

2) Switch Grill
Switch Grill has completed its move from the 798 Art District to the Regentdale Center near the Swissotel in Chaoyang District. They offer decent burgers, thick-cut fries and other mouth watering goodness. 

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Keywords: Beijing watchdog Saint Patrick Roxette in Beijing

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