Meet Jim.

This Canadian expat will only be in Beijing for a total of 8 months, so he is soaking up as much as the city as he possibly can. Jim has truly tried to experience all things Beijing, from the local food and drinks, to the music and people.

Donkey sandwiches, duck brains and dog stew are just a few of the delicacies he’s indulged in since arriving here. He didn’t enjoy the dog stew, but claims it was the stew that turned him off, not the dog—had it been gong bao dog he would have gobbled it right up. He loves pijiu and doesn’t mind bijiu: if you pour him a shot he’ll gladly gulp it down.

However, it’s the local music that he has immersed himself in most; on any given night you are bound to find Jim rockin' out at one of the popular live music venues around town. Jim’s top pick is 2 Kolegas for simple reasons: "great music, great people, and cheap beer.” If he manages to not pass out on the grass lawn after the show, he’ll venture out into the hutong to join the natives at an outdoor pool hall, for “summer nights, shirts off, drinking pijiu, and playing pool—that’s real China.”

It sounds as though he’ll be taking many wild memories home, yet the deepest impression this city has made on him is more humble: how incredibly beautiful and kind the Chinese people are. He doubts there are more generous people anywhere else in the world.

So, of all this, what will Jim miss most when he leaves at the end of October? “Getting my mind blown everyday.”

Touché.

Tracy Winn loves to find the weird and wonderful characters who make Beijing great. Be sure to check out her other blog for more reflections of a laowai on the highway.