Team Beijing
Zhang Yuan
Local Expert
A true Beijinger, Zhang Yuan has seen her city transform itself from hutongs and bicycles to a hub for the trend setters in avant-garde cuisine, art, music, architecture and of course business. After having spend two years studying and working in the UK, Zhang Yuan is now working in Le Novo and is back in her hometown for good. When she's not discovery new art galleries across the city and watching gigs at Hot Cat Club, she likes to loose herself in the alleys around the drum tower and Fangjia hutong, discovering the newest cafes and independent fashion stores.
Marianna Cerini
Local Expert
Marianna Cerini is a freelance translator and fashion & lifestyle writer living and working between Beijing and Shanghai. Since moving to China, she has worked for a local art gallery, sought hidden hutongs, martial art masters and design boutiques for a number of publications, as well as helping organise two Beijing Design Weeks. Ask her about the hottest places to shop, dine, and be seen in both cities and she'll have the answer. Her craziest experience in China so far? Getting her pack lunch and passport stolen by monkeys in Chengdu.
Natalie Hall
Writer
An avid traveler from a young age, Natalie's passion for adventure has taken her on many interesting journeys from dilapidated towns in Russia's golden ring to old-world fortresses in Bhutan and many years living and working in Asia. She first traveled to China when studying a Mandarin and anthropology degree, and lived in Beijing for several years before moving to Sweden to work as a Writer at the GuidePal office. Beijing is her second home and due to it's confusing mix of fading century old heritage, its tumultuous past and now a hub for cutting edge creative projects, is both the source of her inspiration and frustration.
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Yingying Chang
Contributor
Yingying was born in China but moved to Sweden when she was two years old. In an attempt to explore her cultural heritage, she enrolled in a Chinese course at Beijing Language and Culture University in autumn of 2010, learning not only the Chinese language but also its culture and history.