We believe a trip to Beijing should be nothing short of utterly brilliant. We also believe that talking to real people (not just asking Dr Google) is the best way to find out more about the world’s fastest changing city.
Here’s where you get to meet those real people. So, without further ado…
Sarah Keenlyside
Managing Dictator
Sarah Keenlyside’s journey from hardnosed newshound to entrepreneur began when she left her native London for China’s capital to help launch Time Out Beijing. It wasn’t long before she became a bit of an expert on the city, offering advice to the likes of Barbara Bush and the BBC. Her mother will tell you that she was also the fussiest eater you’d ever have the misfortune to meet before she moved to China. Now, thanks to Beijing’s incredible dining scene, she’s a full-on foodie. Most memorable Beijing moments? Wangling an invite to a party with David Beckham during the Olympics and eating sea slugs without vomiting.
Veronica Wong
Overseer of Perfection
Bespoke Beijing’s Operations Director is something of a perfectionist. But when she’s the one overseeing your trip, we count that as a good thing. First experiencing Beijing as a student (she’s originally from California), her first job was planning educational tours in China for international university students. Now she lives close to Beijing’s Lama Temple and enjoys dreaming up new itineraries and discovering new restaurants and bars for Bespoke’s discerning clients. Her own personal favourites? You’re most likely see her eating a power lunch at Mosto or supping on a Stubborn Mule cocktail at Mao Mao Chong. If you spot her, feel free to buy her one. She won’t mind at all.
Kristen Lum
Events and PR Queen Bee
Kristen Lum is quite literally the most energetic person we know. A California gal through and through, she loves nothing more than biking, hiking and partying. Her illustrious Beijing PR career began back in 2006 running campaigns for big hitters LAN (a swanky, Philippe Starck designed bar) and award-winning Japanese restaurant Hatsune, before she began branching out in to events. Since then she’s organized numerous parties, three fashion shows and even two weddings! Oh yes, and she just happens to be the woman behind one of Beijing’s most read blogs: LumDimSum.com.
Lily Wang
Office Manager
Lily Wang is a Beijing native, who grew up on Beijing’s widest Hutong (Lingjing, in case you’re wondering). A lady with truly international tastes, she’s just as obsessed with American coffee as she is with Chinese fermented bean soup. And while you may not share her appreciation of the latter, her three years experience working at Beijing’s swanky Summit Wing hotel means she understands what good service means to travellers. A true fan of her own city and its prestigious history, she occasionally spends weekends wandering the hutongs recalling the past. Her goal in life? (And she really said this, we didn’t make her) is to make sure every visitor to Beijing’s trip is a special one.
Tom Pattinson
Director at Large
Director at Large Tom Pattinson is a man of many talents. First venturing over to China from his native UK back in 1997, he lived in the coastal city of Qingdao before returning to the UK to study Chinese proper. These days something of an ‘Old China Hand’, his experiences in Beijing have included: appearing on a Chinese TV game show with 200 children; eating sparrows in remote villages in Shandong, and chilli eating competitions with film stars. He is also the founder of Affordable Art Beijing, an annual event selling covetable works of Chinese art at affordable prices.
