After the Birthday Party, Beijing Gets Back to Business as Usual — With a Pizza Festival!
By the time this issue hits the streets, the patriotic fervor inspired by the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China will be settling back to normal levels. The debris from the parades will have been swept up, the roads and subway will be open again, and Beijing will be getting back to business as usual. We hope so, anyway! This means we can start looking forward to the Beijing Pizza Festival. This annual celebration of all things round, flat, and tastily topped had to be postponed from its original date and is now taking place at Galaxy Soho on October 19-20. On the plus side, this means that you’ll be chewing on your cheese in Beijing’s pleasant fall sunshine. The theme this year is Ancient Rome, so get out your toga, stop resting on your laurels, and get over to the Beijinger website for your ticket: www.thebeijinger.com
New School Regulations to Make Students Safer
Beijing authorities have announced a slew of new regulations and rules aimed at making the city’s schools safer for our kids. The regulations create a 200 meter “safety zone” around schools, where dangers such as polluting factories and internet cafes will not be permitted. In a sign that the authorities are serious about this, school principals will be held personally responsible for breaches of the regulations. Most eye-catching though is the news that parking will be banned within 100 meters of any school. Anyone who has ever witnessed the jam of SUVs outside any school in a well-off area of Beijing at pick-up and drop-off time will be wondering whether and how this is actually going to be enforced. We at beijingkids will be monitoring the situation, to see how it plays out.
Beijing On Track to Meet WHO Air Quality Standard
Some unequivocally good news for Beijing families came with the publication of IQAir’s annual air quality report. Pollution has fallen for the sixth year in a row, a trend that should see Beijing drop out of the list of the world’s 200 most polluted cities by the end of the year. If the trajectory continues, then the capital’s air will meet the World Health Organization’s air quality standard by 2022. Although measuring pollution is always tricky, if not contentious, anyone who has been in Beijing for any length of time will be able to attest to the ever-improving air. It’s a staggering achievement, and reassuring to families who may one day no longer have to send their kids to school in masks, or worry about sending them outside to play.
Welcome to Mina and Drew!
We’re delighted to welcome some new faces to the beijingkids team. Mina Yan is taking over as our new Managing Editor. She’s originally from Newport Beach, California and has been living and working in Beijing for the past eight years. Mina is no stranger to the F&B industry here in Beijing, having worked in hotel marketing and editorials. She is currently also working as a freelance food columnist for News China and has a book on China’s poverty alleviation coming out early next year. Our new Deputy Managing Editor is Drew Pittock, who moved to Beijing from Los Angeles, California this year. While he hates to leave his cat behind, he’s very excited to explore everything the city has to offer. He’s always looking for the next adventure, and is happy to have found a like-minded community here in Beijing.
… And Farewell to Managing Editor Kipp
As we have a new Managing Editor, you’ll have guessed that we are saying a sad zaijian to Kipp Whittaker. Kipp has steered the good ship beijingkids over the last two years with a sure hand, and can look back on achievements such as our groundbreaking Special Needs issue with considerable pride. Aside from his work with us, he’s well known around town as DJ Cousin Kippy, using his encyclopedic knowledge of weird and wonderful music to get toes tapping and faces grinning at countless venues and events. We’re going to miss his humor and his kindness. And while we’re very sorry to see him go, we’re excited for him and his lovely wife and son as they embark on a new adventure in Europe. Thanks, Kipp, for everything you’ve done, and best of luck for the future!
This article appeared in the beijingkids October 2019 Family Foodies issue
Photos: Kipp Whittaker, the Beijinger, China Daily
