We cover Beijing for the people who actually live in it — and the ones passing through who want the real version, not the tourist one.
JingPlug is a magazine for English-speaking Beijing. We write about events worth your weekend, restaurants we love, people shaping the city, and the practical stuff no one tells you when you arrive. We've been there, we've tested it, we've met them — if we recommend it, we mean it.
Six places to explore. Events — what's on this week and next, from gallery openings to live music to supper clubs. Eat & Drink — our running list of restaurants, bars and cafés worth knowing about. City Guide — the broader places: parks, markets, hotels, hidden corners of the hutongs. People — profiles of the chefs, DJs, artists and founders making the city interesting. The Plug — opinion, long reads, deep dives and survival guides. Partners — the brands we've formally partnered with.
Look for our starburst badge across the site. When you see it on a venue, event or person, it means JingPlug has been there in person — we've walked through the door, attended the show, met them. The badge is deliberately rare. When you see it, trust it.
JingPlug is opinionated, friendly, magazine-y. We don't recycle press releases. We don't write everything in superlatives. We try to tell you the truth about a place — including the things that are awkward to say. We assume you're smart and you want depth, not hype.
Just landed? Head to The Plug. We've written survival guides covering the practical stuff: which apps to download, where to live, how to set up a bank account, the 20 Mandarin phrases that get you through 80% of situations. Skip the WeChat-group panic and read those first — they were written by people who learned all of this the hard way.
JingPlug is a small editorial operation, built and run from Beijing. We're here because we love the city, we believe its English-speaking community deserves better than scattered WeChat groups and stale forums, and we wanted to make the magazine we wished already existed. Our voice is opinionated, our edits are tight, our shortlist is short. That's on purpose.
Follow JingPlug on your preferred channel, subscribe to the weekly round-up, or just say hello. We read everything that comes in.
