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Beijing

Brickyard Retreat at Mutianyu

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Why it matters: American-Chinese couple Jim Spear and Liang Tang converted a derelict glazed-tile factory in Beigou Village into this 25-room retreat expressly to create jobs for their village neighbors, and roughly 80 percent of the kitchen’s ingredients come from local suppliers. The reclaimed-brick architecture is a quiet lesson in reuse, and rooms look straight up at the Mutianyu Great Wall. Stay the night instead of day-tripping: you get the wall at sunrise and a village breakfast before the tour buses roll in. Book one of the scattered village houses if you’re traveling as a family.

Naga Tree Coffee

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Why it matters: founded in 2024 by Ren Jiayi, an entrepreneur with disabilities, Naga Tree is China’s first fully accessible cafe — it employs staff with disabilities and doubles as a community hub where blind visitors borrow braille books and wheelchair users socialize in a genuinely barrier-free space. It hides in Sanjing Hutong near Qianmen, an easy add-on to a Dashilar wander. Order a hand brew and browse the coffee merchandise that helps keep the project running. Notice the details while you sip: wind chimes at the door to guide visually impaired guests, adjustable tables, and restrooms with automatic doors.

Roundabout Charity Store

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Why it matters: opened in 2008 by longtime Beijing volunteer Leslie Simpson, Roundabout was mainland China’s first charity store, and store proceeds fund medical care for orphans plus support for 80-some charitable organizations across China and Mongolia. The volunteer-run shop is a proper treasure hunt: secondhand books, furniture, clothes and expat cast-offs at bargain prices, with one of the city’s best English-language used-book selections. Every kuai you spend goes to the cause, since store sales cover all overheads. Practical tip: it’s out toward Shunyi near Cathay View Plaza, so pair it with a lazy brunch in the villa district rather than a downtown day.

Dao Xiang Cun (稻香村)

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It has the best native Beijing PASTRIES and DESSERTS that Beijingers have loved for more than 100 years. The store maintains our favorite flavors through generations while bringing new elements to their…

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