The Beijinger reported the attacks were committed by the same woman Sunday morning. She apparently made disparaging remarks about the victims’ nationalities immediately before attacking.

The victim of the first attack was a French expat cycling on Xinyuan South Road northwest of the Capital Mansion residential high-rise. The Beijinger quotes a person who talked to the French victim who said the assailant yelled “American! American” in Chinese as she attacked with a knife.

The second attack occurred as a Jamaican expat was departing a Sunday church service for foreign passport holders at Capital Mansion Athletic Club. As the victim was exiting the parking lot, she was approached by the attacker who asked in Mandarin, “Do you speak Chinese?” Before the Jamaican expat could answer, she was attacked.

Both victims sustained wounds in the attacks, and were treated at the nearby Raffles Medical Clinic for non-severe injuries.

The knife-wielding assailant was last seen in the back of a Public Security Bureau vehicle, in which she was whisked away (shown above).

Although rare, violent crimes targeting foreigners have occurred before in Beijing, sometimes resulting in fatalities.

On the first day of competition during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, the father-in-law of the US volleyball coach was fatally stabbed to death while visiting a local tourist attraction. Todd Bachman died from his wounds while his attacker, a 47 year-old Chinese national named Tang Yongming, killed himself by immediately jumping off the balcony of the 130-foot tall Drum Tower.

Other violent attacks targeting foreign nationals have been blamed on mental illness.

In 2012,  62 year-old American Howard Thomas Mills was stabbed to death in Beijing’s Xicheng District. The Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau released a statement saying the suspect arrested in Mills’ stabbing, 35 year-old An Libo, was believed to have suffered from a mental disorder.

An American was one of two deaths that occurred from a knife attack at Beijing’s Joy City Mall in 2013. Xinhua reported the 27 year-old assailant from Shandong, who was immediately captured by police, suffers from an undisclosed mental illness.

Last year, a man wielding a sword attacked a French expat and his Chinese wife at Taikoo Mall in Sanlitun, resulting in the wife’s death. Unlike other the attacks, the assailant was not said to have suffered from mental illness; instead, Beijing police said the attacker, a man named Gao from Jilin, “randomly” chose his victims and attacked them for “no reason”. However, the People’s Daily quoted a friend of the French victim who said he was asked if he was an American citizen just before the attack.

Last Christmas, the UK and US embassies warned of a possible threat against foreign nationals in the Sanlitun area, although no threat ever materialized.

The post Two Foreigners in Beijing Attacked with Knives Near Sanlitun appeared first on The Nanfang.

Beijing bars are the first in China to offer gender-neutral restrooms as a way to welcome people of all genders, including transgendered people.

The “all-gender toilet” is designated by a round sign that features the male and female symbols as well as a third symbol simultaneously wearing both pants and a skirt.

The gender-neutral restrooms can be found at Beijing’s Guloudajie, Nanluoguxiang, and Sanlitun. The bars that have adopted the measure include Cafe Zarah, the Double City Coffee Bar, the Pool Bar, and Adam’s.

The initiative is being carried out by the Beijing Gender Health Education Institute on May 17, the International Day Against Homophobia. Also supporting the initiative is UN Women and the UN Development Program.

Future plans include drawing up a map of city establishments that offer gender-neutral restrooms.

The post Beijing Leapfrogs Ahead of the US by Offering Gender-Neutral Toilets appeared first on The Nanfang.

In the warning, the US Embassy said it has given the same advice to American government personnel, and urged US citizens to “exercise heightened vigilance” during this time.

Last August, Sanlitun was the scene of a deadly incident in which a Chinese man with a sword attacked a French national and his Chinese wife, causing the death of the latter. Social media speculated that the attacker had anti-foreigner sentiments, something that hadn’t been clarified by Chinese police or the Chinese press.

The full UK Embassy warning is as follows:

The U.S. Embassy has received information of possible threats against Westerners in the Sanlitun area of Beijing, on or around Christmas Day.  U.S. citizens are urged to exercise heightened vigilance.  The U.S. Embassy has issued the same guidance to U.S. government personnel.

• The State Department’s Worldwide Travel Alert message remains in effect.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Contact the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, located at 55 An Jia Lou Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, by phone at (+86 10) 8531-4000, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., or by email at[email protected]. For AFTER HOURS EMERGENCIES, call 8531-3000 to speak to the operator.
• Call 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States or Canada or 1-202-501-4444 from other countries, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except federal holidays).

Beijing police responded by increasing its police presence in medium to large sized shopping malls and supermarkets during Christmas and New Year. The police have also raised the public security threat level to “yellow”, the third-highest level in a rating system out of four levels.

As reported by Shanghai Daily, the Beijing police are out in force in Wangfujing and Nanluoguxiang as well as churches around Dongcheng District. There’s no mention of Sanlitun in the report, the area that was specifically named in the US Embassy warning.

The post Beijing’s Sanlitun Safe on Christmas Day, but Police Still Out in Force appeared first on The Nanfang.

Update: The Den has apparently been saved at the last minute. The Beijinger reports:

“We’ll be here tomorrow. We’ll be here forever!” said a smiling bar manager Lisa Zhuang Monday night. A smattering of customers were in attendance around 9pm, some watching a replay of the Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos NFL game. It seemed a surprisingly low turnout considering the outpouring of comments that filled the Beijinger‘s Facebook page, lamenting what appeared to be the end, announced Sunday night.

Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation stated that while the bar was set to be shuttered, negotiations with the bar’s landlord to extend its lease were successful at reaching an accord to keep the place open and running as normal, at least for the foreseeable future.

Thanks to @peteriveson for letting us know. A Beijing institution clings to life for a little while longer yet.

Original story:

After 17 years, longtime favorite expat drinking establishment The Den in Beijing closed its doors indefinitely yesterday.

The Beijinger reported the news citing a WeChat post written by Beijing Devils Rugby group chairman Zach Fanders yesterday, who said:

Sad news … The Den is closing. No one is completely sure for how long. I spoke to [long-time head waitress] Lisa and it will close tomorrow [Monday]. Decisions will be made in the new year, maybe come back as is, renovate, return as something different, sell, or keep closed, etc. If available, head to The Den for a final drink.

The Den was formerly the official bar for the Beijing Devils.

Rumors of the bar’s closing had first appeared two weeks ago.

The Den had endeared itself to its loyal customer base by offering daily promotions and service throughout the year. The bar was open 24 hours everyday (aside from exceptions like Spring Festival), prompting one travel blog to claim The Den to be an ideal place to beat your jet lag, no matter where you arrived from. Due to its lack of a closing time, The Den had been synonymous with late-night revelry in Beijing.

The Den was also well known in the Beijing bar scene for a generous happy hour that lasted from 5pm-10pm that also included half-price on pizzas, and for offering a full menu anytime during the day.

Even though the bar scene in Beijing has been rough with the economic slowdown and new competition, Sanlitun bars can look to increase its patronage with the opening of a planned subway station in the near future.

The post Iconic Beijing Expat Bar The Den Saved At the Last Minute appeared first on The Nanfang.

Affected areas include the popular Taikoo Li South mall and Courtyard Four, an area located across the street from Taikoo Li. A letter from Swire Properties and given to Sanlitun business tenants reads in part as follows:

In line with the work of commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and in accordance with arrangements and notices from related Beijing Municipal Government departments, on August 22 and August 23, Sanlitun Taikoo Li South will come under martial law measures.

According to the requirements of related Beijing Municipal Government departments, during that period, all stores must temporarily cease operations. The time period is: August 22, 2015 3pm to August 23, 2015 2pm.

Several temporary measures have been implemented in order to accommodate the military parade that will be held in Beijing on September 3, including closing down the city’s airport, shutting down subway stations, halting the operation of tens of thousands of factories and power plants, and increasing security protocol on the delivery of mail and packages in the city.

Local authorities have previously announced the closure of Tiananmen Square and the Wangfujing area in order to hold rehearsals for the parade, two places within a few kilometers of Sanlitun.

The post Sanlitun to Close This Weekend as Martial Law Declared appeared first on The Nanfang.

The woman killed in a brazen knife attack in Sanlitun on August 13 was laid to rest in an eastern Beijing suburb funeral home yesterday. Friends and family of a Shandong woman now identified as Isabella, who was 28, mourned her passing. .

Last Thursday, Isabella and her French husband were walking by Tai Koo Mall in Beijing’s upscale Sanlitun District when they were attacked by a man armed with a sword.  A 25 year-old man named Gao from Tonghua, Jilin Province was arrested at the scene, where he stood holding his sword.

News on the attack in the Chinese media has been vague. For example, the relationship between Isabella and her husband was not made clear in reports a day after the attack. However, at the same time, Beijing police were adamant that the attacks occurred for “no reason” because the attacker had no motive.

However, for the first time, Chinese media is beginning to publish details of the attack that claim they may have been provoked by nationalist tendencies. As the People’s Daily Online reported, a friend of the French husband recalls that the attacker had asked if the man was an American citizen.

Social media had pointed out this theory before on Twitter. Over on Weibo, netizens have also considered that the August 13 attack was sparked by anti-American sentiment, while others don’t think so, saying the attack was by a “loser” who is angry at the world.

Here are some of their comments posted on the Global Times, a nationalist newspaper:

百羊凶:
Husband and wife were out for a walk on the street when the killer came up to them, asking the man if he is an American. Answering that he is from France, he began to lead his wife away from the scene. The murderer fatally stabbed the wife, and then injured the husband. Clearly, the two sides did not know each other. The killer hates foreigners, has contempt for women, thinks women are some kind of resource, and that her marrying a foreigner is disrespecting him. Instead of looking within himself to find the reason why he’s not able to marry a woman, he blames women for his problems. What a loser, and a cancer to society.

 

默默想养只猫：
Male chauvinists objectify women by treating them like a resource to exploit. Why is it that a Chinese man who marries a foreign woman is praised, but a Chinese woman who marries a foreign man is criticized? What kind of rationale is this?

无畏高尔察克:
Extremists are the shame of all the people.

M16dwg：
Global Times newspaper is the grand nationalist headquarters of hating the USA and the West.

塞上啸：
Is the Global Times thinking about performing a follow-up interview? Where does the murderer, who hates all Americans, normally get his information? By what propaganda is he influenced by?

查理布朗的小狗：
Isn’t the killer a member of your Global Times target audience?

陌上花開可歸矣萧萧：
I don’t understand: just what does this story have to do with nationalism? What does this chauvinist man and Global Times have to do with each other? What does he have to do with national educational policies?

塔总的柠檬茶：
I’m speechless at reading the comments. What the frig does this have to do with nationalism? If you really love your country, then you’ll work hard, make contributions, or become a soldier. Or, to say something extreme, if you have what it takes, you’ll go over to the USA and kill an American. But what does it prove to kill a woman that belongs to your own country? This is simply a chauvinist man who isn’t able to marry a woman, a coward of a bully. This is just misogyny, that’s all. 

Magnetj：
Those people who can watch their countrymen get murdered and then just write them off for having married a foreigner should get themselves checked into a mental hospital!

Gallifrey星的肉包被大圣苏飞：
Some people who have written some of these comments are just despicable.

moirae007：
This has nothing to do with nationalism. This is a loser trying to vent his frustration.

The post Chinese Debate Nationalist Motive as Sanlitun Attack Victim Laid to Rest appeared first on The Nanfang.

Yesterday’s shocking attack at Beijing’s upscale Sanlitun area may have people wondering what caused this horrible tragedy. Beijing police there isn’t much to explain because the assailant committed the crimes “for no reason”, but reports circulating in social media point to a man who was angry at foreigners in China.

Beijing police say the suspect in the stabbings is a 25 year-old man named Gao from Tonghua, Jilin Province. Gao is described to have attacked two pedestrians, a French man and a woman from Shandong Province believed to be his wife who died in hospital. Chinese reports don’t mention any relationship between the two victims or to their attacker. The report also says the attack took place at the southern entrance to the local bar street, even though pictures show the victims and the attacker located at the public square in front of the popular Tai Koo Mall.

Speculation is running rampant in social media, however, that the man was angry at foreigners in China.

@prchovanec @zhongnanhai Victim was friend’s friend’s fiancee. Motivation was apparently nationalist — “Chinese who sleep w/ 老外 should die.”

— Jordan Phillips (@jordanp) August 14, 2015

Wechat message about the murder in sanlitun. Just awful pic.twitter.com/OjU4KMCs7L — Bill Bishop (@niubi) August 13, 2015

Sanlitun sword attack does have Boxer echoes. https://t.co/jrv6auAPg0

— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) August 14, 2015

Tai Koo Mall in Sanlitun has been part of other recent incidents. A promotional campaign involving several men dressed up as “Spartans” from the film 300 were arrested by police on a pedestrian bridge immediately adjacent to Tai Koo Mall for “disrupting public order”.

The post Police Have No Motive for Sanlitun Stabbing, but Social Media Does appeared first on The Nanfang.

[This story contains very disturbing and graphically violent content. It is being updated periodically as new information comes to light.]

A man armed with a sword stabbed a woman to death at a busy mall located in the popular Sanlitun area of Beijing.

The incident happened today (August 13) around noon at the busy Tai Koo Mall. The man, aged in his twenties, had chased the woman to the UNIQLO store at the front of the mall, where she was stabbed. Photos and video of the incident show pedestrians walking past the victim as well as the attacker, still seen holding his sword in the middle of the square, unopposed.

Reports say the man was eventually apprehended by police, and that the victim has died of her injuries. People’s Daily said the woman was Chinese, while a foreign man was also hurt.

An hour or so after the incident, workers washing the scene clean.

The post Man With a Sword Kills Woman in Broad Daylight in Beijing’s Sanlitun appeared first on The Nanfang.

The chest-baring expats were promoting Beijing-based Sweetie Salad restaurant, and were seen in various parts of the city, including Guomao and Jianguomen Wai SOHO, attracting crowds of picture-takers armed only with Sweetie Salad promotional products.

However, the campaign came to an end at Beijing’s bustling Sanlitun area. There, at a narrow pedestrian overpass, the muscle-clad men were overcome by the even stronger forces of Beijing’s police. Reports say members of the brave “300” did not heed repeated police warnings to submit, so police had “no choice” but to arrest them for having an adverse effect upon public order.

The pedestrian overpass is close to the Sanlitun UNIQLO store where a sex video that spread virally through Chinese social media platforms took place.

As word of this story got out, Chinese netizens debated how these promotional “Spartans” will be remembered. While a popularly-held opinion was that no one is above the law in China, others were mystified by the actions of the Beijing police.

One person said, “The so-called rule enforcers of this country are weirdos! These people are neither naked nor did they block traffic; on what basis do you inflict violence upon them for?”

Whether or not this constitutes a breach of public order in China, we can only assume from this promotion that “dining in hell” could not be more hearty when choosing the dining services of Sweetie Salad.

The post That Time a Naked Expat Promotional Stunt in Beijing Went Horribly Wrong… appeared first on The Nanfang.

The station will be located at Beijing Worker’s Stadium, home of the Guo’an football team and close to many of the city’s expat bars and restaurants. Also intersecting the station will be Line 3, a planned east-west subway line.

Beijing Metro Line 17 will be Beijing’s longest-ever north-south route at 49.7 kilometers. Line 17 will be an express train that will reach speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour. It will pass through the districts of Tongzhou, Chaoyang, Dongcheng, and Changping.

Another feature of Line 17 is that ten of the line’s 20 stations will be transfer station. However, one line it won’t connect with is the airport express line.

Much as the way the Shanghai Metro has blossomed over a decade, Beijing still has a way to go before its infrastructure plans are completed. This year will see work being on Line 3, the eastern part of Line 7, Line 12, Line 17, Line 19, and the new Beijing airport to the south of the city.

Click here for a larger view of the map showing the future Beijing Metro.

The post New Subway Stop in Beijing Means You Can Finally Take the Train to Sanlitun appeared first on The Nanfang.