The Beijinger!

Today I had the immense pleasure of meeting with a few folks from True Run Media, who produce English-language lifestyle pubs like The Beijinger, tbjKids, Agenda, Urbane, and a bunch of guide books, including this brand new version.  

I particularly enjoy their Mandarin phrase book, which teaches eager conversationalists to say things like "Dude, this band rocks!"  (Gemenr, zhei yuedui zhen niu!)  "Do cats like to eat this?" (Zhei dongxi mao ai chi ma?) and "Please tattoo 'Beijing Olympics 2008' on my forehead." (Mafan ni zai wo etou shang wen yi ge Beijing aoyun erlinglingba.)  

Note to Chinese speakers: yes, there are plenty of punctuation tones missing from the pinyin I just wrote.  No, this blog platform won't let me insert them.  Yes, please refrain from sending me nasty nitpicky e-mails.  Or don't,  Whatever.  

Over a lunch of savory goodies from Xinjiang (an autonomous region that borders eight countries, including Afghanistan, Russia, and Kazakhstan), we discussed the difference between Chinese and Western media, especially where freedom of the press is concerned.  We're lucky, in the States, to have the freedom of expression that we do.  At the risk of sounding preciously patriotic, I have developed a greater appreciation for my constitutional rights--both as a journalist and as an individual--since coming to China.  When I'm at work, I don't have to worry that the government will shut down my office because it didn't like an article that we published.  In China, this is a very real concern for the media, and, besides all of the other external pressures that rain down on independent media outlets, it's a great source of stress, anguish and unfortunately harsh editorial boundaries.  

Anyway, check out The Beijinger online.  They have a fantastic weekly e-newsletter called "7 Days in Beijing," that's similar to our "8 Days a Week," plus podcasts, photos, blogs, the whole works. 

The mag has already proved invaluable, especially for its listings, which include addresses in Chinese characters--very helpful in cabs.  I plan to stalk The Beijinger staff for the rest of my time here.  Creepy!