The Beijinger
The Beijinger (stylized as "the Beijinger" or "thebeijinger") is a free monthly English language listings and entertainment website and magazine produced by True Run Media in Beijing, China. It was launched in October 2001 as that's Beijing and began as a print magazine under the auspices of Mark Kitto, the then publisher of that's Shanghai, and a succession of local publishers and government sponsors, including the Yangzhou Cultural Bureau, China Newsweek and China Intercontinental Press (CIP).
| Founder | Michael Wester |
|---|---|
| First issue | 2001 |
| Country | China |
| Based in | Beijing |
Background
In 2004, Mark Kitto was ousted from the company by China Intercontinental Press (a commercial publishing venture under the State Council of Information) and that's Shanghai was taken over by the then Sales Manager and Finance Manager under the supervision of China Intercontinental Press. True Run Media refused to join the co-conspirators in Shanghai, and under a separate agreement with the China Intercontinental Press, began producing that's Beijing independently.
In August 2008, China Intercontinental Press made a move to assume the title and complete control of the production and sales operations of that's beijing. The state-owned publisher began publishing its own version of that's Beijing shortly thereafter. True Run Media thus relaunched the original that's Beijing magazine as the Beijinger and continued publishing uninterrupted (the website formerly known as "www.thatsbj.com" was renamed "www.thebeijinger.com" prior to this in anticipation of CIP's inevitable move).
Readership
Today True Run Media continues to produce the Beijinger under a publishing arrangement with the Yunnan-based title "Ecological Economy." As of November 2013, the website has over 220,000 registered users and averages over 192,000 unique visits monthly. The print magazine has a monthly circulation of 35,000 copies and is distributed for free at over 850 venues around Beijing.
Festivals
The Beijinger is also pioneer in conducting different entertaining festivals, such as Pizza, Hot and Spicy, and Burger Festivals. Thousand of expats and native residents participate and enjoy such exciting occasions.
Sister websites
True Run Media also produces beijingkids magazine and website, JingKids magazine and website, and it also organizes events such as the annual School Choice Fair, Reader Restaurant Awards, Pizza Cup, Burger Cup and International Foodie Festival.
The magazine's online presence is particularly handy for expats looking to network with other like-minded foreigners since it offers free access to both the discussion boards as well as the classifieds sections upon account registration.