The Economist magazine publishes a collection of monthly newsletters with stories and recommended activities in selected cities across the globe. Beijing is the latest member to join the exclusive list, following her allegedly cooler sisters Shanghai and Hong Kong.
This month’s edition includes a short piece about recent sandstorms, a token IPR story about a token IPR ruling, and some stats on Beijing’s aging population. But locals would be more concerned with news of the Beijing Transport Bureau’s plan to increase taxi fares by 25%, from RMB1.60 to RMB2.00.
The news was confirmed by the driver on my way home.”I think that right after the May holiday we’re going to start with the new rates. Some people might start riding bicycles again, but there’s no other way (没办法)”.