2024 Year-in-Review: Most-Viewed Stories
It has been quite the year for Beijing! In our 2024 Year-in-Review, we're taking a look back at the happenings in the capital from this year that was. As 2024 draws to a close, it's time for a look back at the stories and posts that garnered the most views out of all our published work throughout the year... Save Time and Money With These Sleeper Trains From Beijing: Kicking off the year was a story all about travel just ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday. Detailing a number of sleeper train – aka “slow train” – routes from Beijing to far-off tourist cities like Xi’an, Shanghai, and beyond, the article was so popular it earned itself a 2nd list. Beijing-Based Italian Chef in Critical Care & Needs Help: Daniele Ferrari, Italian expat and respected chef at the Bulgari Hotel, found himself fighting for his life after a motorcycle accident on the night of Jan 13. Thanks to unparalleled support from Beijing’s tight-knit expat community, nearly RMB 60,000 was raised to help the chef, leading to his eventual recovery. Nali Patio to Become “Dirty Bar Street Experience”: In the lead up to the demolishing of Nali Patio, it was revealed by local media that the Sanlitun dining and nightlife complex had been purchased by investors keen on recreating the ambiance of “Dirty Bar Street” within, overpriced boozes, scams, and shady elements included. The Apr 1 news brought a bit of shock, a bit of excitement, and a bit of anticipation for the venture, be it good or bad. Side Street Claims 2024 Juicy Burger Cup Victory: In a repeat of their surprise 2020 victory over defending champion Slowboat, burger restaurant Side Street once again emerged with top honors in our 2024 Juicy Burger Cup contest. This year also marked a change in voting, with the result decided by a panel of 26 hand-picked Beijing burger experts, in order to level the field. Opposite House Closes With a Bang: In what was the first of many shocking closure announcements this year, Sanlitun hotel The Opposite House’s closure came to pass in July, with one last massive party taking place inside the hotel’s main hall before the doors shut for good. A Slew of More Restaurant and Bar Closures: The Opposite House was joined by many other closures this year, with all these stories garnering a lot of views upon publishing. We bade farewell to the likes of Din Tai Feng, Larry the Bird, Sherpa’s and many more, all of which you can read about via the linked article. New WeChat Translation Tool Makes Meituan a Breeze: WeChat made the lives of expats and those who can’t read Chinese a little easier this October with the rolling out of a new function which can translate all the app’s mini programs with the touch of a button. This new function showed up as a little pop-up translation icon in the top right corner, allowing for a full translation of pages like those on delivery app Meituan when clicked. China Adds Two More Public Holidays for the 2025 Calendar: Before each year ends, one of the biggest anticipated pieces of news is the release of China’s holiday calendar for the upcoming year. The one for 2025 came with some added excitement in the form of two extra public holidays, with extra days added to both the Spring Festival and May Day holidays. READ: 2024 Year-in-Review: New Beijing Bars Images; Uni You, Unsplash, courtesy of the venues Provided:Paid:
It has been quite the year for Beijing! In our 2024 Year-in-Review, we're taking a look back at the happenings in the capital from this year that was.
As 2024 draws to a close, it's time for a look back at the stories and posts that garnered the most views out of all our published work throughout the year...
Save Time and Money With These Sleeper Trains From Beijing: Kicking off the year was a story all about travel just ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday. Detailing a number of sleeper train – aka “slow train” – routes from Beijing to far-off tourist cities like Xi’an, Shanghai, and beyond, the article was so popular it earned itself a 2nd list.
Beijing-Based Italian Chef in Critical Care & Needs Help: Daniele Ferrari, Italian expat and respected chef at the Bulgari Hotel, found himself fighting for his life after a motorcycle accident on the night of Jan 13. Thanks to unparalleled support from Beijing’s tight-knit expat community, nearly RMB 60,000 was raised to help the chef, leading to his eventual recovery.
Nali Patio to Become “Dirty Bar Street Experience”: In the lead up to the demolishing of Nali Patio, it was revealed by local media that the Sanlitun dining and nightlife complex had been purchased by investors keen on recreating the ambiance of “Dirty Bar Street” within, overpriced boozes, scams, and shady elements included. The Apr 1 news brought a bit of shock, a bit of excitement, and a bit of anticipation for the venture, be it good or bad.
Side Street Claims 2024 Juicy Burger Cup Victory: In a repeat of their surprise 2020 victory over defending champion Slowboat, burger restaurant Side Street once again emerged with top honors in our 2024 Juicy Burger Cup contest. This year also marked a change in voting, with the result decided by a panel of 26 hand-picked Beijing burger experts, in order to level the field.
Opposite House Closes With a Bang: In what was the first of many shocking closure announcements this year, Sanlitun hotel The Opposite House’s closure came to pass in July, with one last massive party taking place inside the hotel’s main hall before the doors shut for good.
A Slew of More Restaurant and Bar Closures: The Opposite House was joined by many other closures this year, with all these stories garnering a lot of views upon publishing. We bade farewell to the likes of Din Tai Feng, Larry the Bird, Sherpa’s and many more, all of which you can read about via the linked article.
New WeChat Translation Tool Makes Meituan a Breeze: WeChat made the lives of expats and those who can’t read Chinese a little easier this October with the rolling out of a new function which can translate all the app’s mini programs with the touch of a button. This new function showed up as a little pop-up translation icon in the top right corner, allowing for a full translation of pages like those on delivery app Meituan when clicked.
China Adds Two More Public Holidays for the 2025 Calendar: Before each year ends, one of the biggest anticipated pieces of news is the release of China’s holiday calendar for the upcoming year. The one for 2025 came with some added excitement in the form of two extra public holidays, with extra days added to both the Spring Festival and May Day holidays.
READ: 2024 Year-in-Review: New Beijing Bars
Images; Uni You, Unsplash, courtesy of the venues
