Life in the city

RIP The Den, now with a new version

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

As it happened with Tim’s BBQ, The Den was also forced to close, as “the military cannot run that type of leases”. Who knows what they will do with that prime location, the corner of Gongti bei Lu and Gongti Dong Lu.
The Den was probably the oldest and most famous sports bar in Beijing, with a diverse crowd of older expats, young and noisy Chinese football fans, and in the past ladies of the night looking for business. A real landmark for Beijing’s bar and restaurant life.
Before 2008 on the second floor there was a disco that was open till daylight and with a “special” crowd.
The Den was open 24/24 and had the reputation of being a rough place. I never met any riots there, on the contrary it was a fun place with reasonable food, friendly waiters and many TV screens to watch sports, including F1. Many of the clients were regulars who nearly were there daily. Also families and Nordic Rugby players made it their home. Many memories…

It was one of my favorite “pit stops”.
See some pics I took on 13 December before it closed.

It seems that The Den will not reopen as such. But its former manager Lisa and some of the staff now can be found in a new version: D-One Sports Bar, on the “Gongti Strip”, next to Bellagio. See the pics I took on 9 April. I already met there some of the regulars of The Den…
Right now soft opening. Pretty large, modern (unlike The Den…), nice bar, many screens to show sport (football, rugby, soccer, F1, …).

Let’s hope they can recreate the The Den atmosphere!

Tim’s BBQ closed and now reopened

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Beijing has recently seen several bars and restaurants being closed, to the sadness of its regulars (like me). The story behind it is typically “Beijing”. Tenants have few rights, it’s the Far West here. Another victim is The Den, more about that later.
The former Tim’s BBQ was on Dongdaqiao Lu, at the corner of the former “Silk Street 2” (Guanghua Lu). It was a great place, interesting decoration with a soul. Two floors and pretty busy. See the pics I shot on 17 December 2015 before it was forced to close.

I just heard they had reopened and on 10 April I went to discover the new location in Central Park (close to The Place), in that semi circle with all the bars and restaurants, where you also find Swiss Taste.

A bit disappointing as the size is like 20% of its former self. I wonder how the many groups who used it (quiz evenings and other) will be able to use it.
Now there is an outdoor terrace but that will disappear in winter.
I need to try their food again, they were famous for their American BBQ, huge portions, often a bit too sweet and heavy, but a worthwhile experience. But I doubt we will have the same cozy atmosphere of the former one.

Old China Hands Lunch 8 April

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

Again I had to shift the lunch one week as I was in the USA – and I like to be present to be sure the lunch is running well. My jet lag did not bother me but I had to run to SOS Hospital in the morning, to take care of what looked like a bronchitis. Indeed there is a virus running around in Beijing, not only affecting kids, see this article:
http://www.beijing-kids.com/blog/Nimo-Wanjau/2016/04/07/Pneumonia-Epidemic-in-Beijing-Children-Concerns-Doctors

We were about 25 with some of friends not turning up because of meetings and health issues.
Next round is 6 May, back to “normal”, the first Friday of the month.

Old China Hands lunch 9 March

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

A different date for our monthly lunch at Morel’s Restaurant as I was on a business trip to Senegal. This time, Wednesday 9 March.
People were busy, several were sick (some bad virus going around in Beijing). And as always some were confused, did not read the mail and mixed up the date!

But while we were “only” 17, it was a great conversation as usual, also thanks to our Belgian ambassador.
As I will be traveling to the USA end of this month, the date for April is also changed: Friday 8 April.
I hope to see many of our Old China Hands on my return!

Foreign leaders attend September 3 parade

Posted on by Gilbert Van Kerckhove

A look back at last year!
Thirty heads of state and government leaders attended the 3 September 2015 parade in Beijing to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. The foreign leaders included Russian President Vladimir Putin, South Korean President Park Geun-hye, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
Former Taiwanese Vice President Lien Chan also attended.

(Most pics from the media and WeChat, except the last ones)
The parade included some 12,000 soldiers, 50 generals, 500 pieces of military hardware and nearly 200 aircraft. Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over the parade ceremony, flanked by his two predecessors, Jiang Zemin, 89, and Hu Jintao, 72. Three former Premiers – Li Peng, Zhu Rongji and Wen Jiabao – also turned out for the event. In a speech at the parade, Xi said the numbers of the PLA’s forces would be cut by 300,000 by 2017.
Oh well, it was a parade strictly to watch on TV. No people allowed on the streets. No enthusiastic citizens waving Chinese flags for the soldiers. Except for the “selected” foreigners and others who suffered hours and hours to be on Tiananmen Square. I was happy not to be invited and preferred to watch the planes fly over Guomao and watch CCTV.
Security measures were massive, including in Sanlitun and the main shopping areas. Beijing lockdown with many streets blocked: I went home quickly during the rehearsals and the parade days because I had the risk I could not go home at a certain point (it was actually a bit scary…). Most restaurants closed, and many shops. Yeah the sky was blue, after APAC blue now Parade blue after shutting down industry and social life. Beijing nearly became a ghost town except for the rumbling of the tanks and other heavy vehicles that I could hear in Julong Garden.
Draconian measures out of fear for “incidents” and to control pollution.