Summer in cities in around the world

We asked our colleagues at Time Out magazines around the world for their insider tips on what‘s hot in their cities this summer

Beijing
Ever since the success of China’s 2008 Olympic bid, Beijing has been a flurry of activity, desperate to give itself a glitzy makeover before the games arrive. Rem Koolhaas’s ‘twisted donut’ China Central Television tower, Herzog and de Meuron’s Olympic Stadium and Norman Foster’s futuristic airport expansion reach for dizzying heights, presenting a bold new vision, but the city’s ancient heart still beats hard. The fifteenth-century Forbidden City remains a staggering sight and its more recent Communist past is still pulsatingly evident in Tiananmen Square.

Don’t miss
National Grand Theatre of China
If you want to see a tangible symbol of China’s ambitions, this brand new building is surely it. Encased in 6,355 square metres of laminated glass, the Grand Theatre is voluptuously curved with an enormous parted glass curtain at the front. Inside it’s cavernous, with a mammoth opera house seating 2,416 people, plus a concert hall and theatre that are not much smaller. Designed by Paul Andreu, the Grand Theatre is set to reseal his reputation as a daring and skilled architect after the roof of his ill-fated Charles de Gaulle airport collapsed in 2004. And, close to both Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, it’s an easy addition to every visitor’s sightseeing checklist.National Grand Theatre of China, Chang’An Avenue.

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Where to eat
Jia 21 Hao Zhaodaishou
The word zhaodaishou (meaning guesthouse) conjures up an image of bare-bones accommodation for government officials with squat toilets and no hot water, but this plush new, glass-walled and palm-tree-thronged restaurant is just the opposite. The food features Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou specialties, with a hint of Thai influence.
Jia 21 Hao Zhaodaishou Jia 21 hao, Beitucheng Dong Lu, Chaoyang district (0086 10 6489 5066). Open daily
11am-11pm. Meal for two: around RMB200 (£13).

Light fantastic: Club Cargo

After hours
Club Cargo
Run by the guys behind established nightclub Mix, the latest hotspot on the Gongti club strip to throw open its doors is Club Cargo. The decor is shiny and black, with a flashy wall made up entirely of lights that react to the music – sounds cheesy but looks great. The cover charge varies from free to RMB200 (£13), depending on who’s on the decks, and bottles of beer start at around RMB30 (£2). The music is far less commercial than at other joints and the owners have already done a impressive job of lining up many big-name DJs and live acts.
Club Cargo, 6 Gongti Xi Lu (between Babyface and Angel),Chaoyang district (0086 10 6551 6878). Open 9pm- late.

Sleep
Commune by the Great Wall
In Commune by the Great Wall, Beijing has one of the world’s hippest hotels. The setting, in the lush, green Shuiguan Valley, about 40 miles outside the city beneath the Great Wall at Badaling, is simply stunning. And the hotel itself is a utopian grouping of 12 striking houses designed by 12 Asian architects (including six from China). Each house has several bedrooms and boasts an on-call butler. The Clubhouse stands facing the Great Wall and serves as an unbeatably elegant venue for parties and the courtyard restaurant, large swimming pool, gallery and cinema aren’t bad either.
Commune by the Great Wall, Badaling Expressway, Shuiguan exit, follow signs to the Commune for 2km ((0086 10 81181888/www.commune.com.cn). Four-bedroom villa RMB12,500-RMB24,883 (£846-£1,685 plus 15 per cent surcharge) per night.

Time Out Beijing is published monthly in Mandarin and English.

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