Born and raised in Hebei—the province that, on the map, appears to wrap two arms around Beijing in a loving hug—restaurateur Amy Li moved to the Chinese capital some 26 years ago to live and work. In the time since, she and husband Jonathan Ansfield have run several food businesses (the latest, Vietnamese restaurant Susu, was conceived after a friend observed a dearth of such cuisine in the city.) Li loves Beijing’s multifaceted nature, citing both the “powerful sense of order” wrought by such landmarks as the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the Wall as well as the messy chaos of Old Beijing’s hutong—here, she lays out what you can’t miss of the old as well as the new on a visit.
White Tiger Village
“In the middle of the pandemic, our friend Nathan Zhang had the guts to reopen a chic bistro called White Tiger Village. It’s now in the Maizidian neighborhood, which in recent years has spawned a hopping drinking-and-dining scene packed with Japanese izakayas and wine bars. They specialize in small plates paired with a large selection of natural wines. Nathan and chef Xiao Liang were inspired in part by the ultrafresh cuisine of Yunnan. Their new collaboration, In-Between, is tucked in an alleyway in the Xingfucun hood. These are great places to catch glimpses of Beijing’s jet-setter crowd.”
Dusk Dawn Club
“In the basement of a seedy underground mall known as Yabaolu, you can see a range of musical acts, from experimental jazz to girl punk. The Yabaolu used to be a hub of Russian and Central Asian traders, where you’d find cheap tchotchkes, vodka, and fur coats.”
Dashanzi Art District
“UCCA and M Woods are the anchors of the Dashanzi Art District, also commonly known as 798. These museums pull in major international shows in partnership with galleries abroad. We visit their exhibits and stroll around Dashanzi more and more these days, now that our girls can start to appreciate it. The converted factory district is over 50 years old now. But that’s the point—despite everything, it’s still going fairly strong and attracting hordes of young Chinese people on weekends.”
