It’s a Greek axiom that anywhere you go, you’ll find a Greek. Even in China, you can have a chat in Greek over a cup of Greek coffee after picking up some feta at the market.
The Greek population of Greece is almost equal to that of the Greek diaspora–some ten million versus roughly seven million. In a country as large as China, with its population of 1.3 billion, any Greek community would be overwhelmed numerically, yet the 100 or so Greeks who’ve chosen to live there do have a presence. Most of China’s Greeks live in Hong Kong, Shanghai–the city with the largest population in the world–and in Guangdong in the south. A fraction live in Beijing–a negligible number in a city of twenty-odd million.
If you do an internet search for “Greeks in Beijing”, one blog appears high up on the list of search results: “Greek Man in Beijing” written a Yannis Vatis, who offers the following information about himself: a graduate in IT systems from the American College in Greece, he was born in Manhattan, lived mostly in Greece, and practices Shotokan Karate. Before visiting the Chinese city, I imagined Yannis as a kind of pioneer–although there have been a few before him. Vatis works for a Chinese company and has a Chinese spouse, and it’s not inconceivable that other Greeks will follow in his footsteps. China is welcoming, job opportunities in Greece are few because of its slide into recession, and ties with China have continued growing stronger since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, with a new trade memorandum signed this October.
Community
With only a handful of Greeks in Beijing, there is no Greek community. Individual Greeks live without knowledge of the others, though the Greek embassy did recently celebrate a marriage of one of their own. The nearest Greek Orthodox Church is in Hong Kong, a nine-hour flight away. The Greek embassy, however, is committed to promoting bilateral relations with a series of events and publications that celebrate the similarities between two of the oldest cultures in the world: a book about Socrates and Confucius; the twinning of the museums of Nikos Kazantzakis and founder of modern Chinese literature Lu Xun (also known as Zhou Shuren).
Embassy of Greece
17th Floor, The Place Tower, The Place, No. 9 Guang Hua Lu, Chaoyang District, tel.: 8610 6587 2838. www.grpressbeijing.com
In an effort to promote bilateral relations, the Press & Communication Office of the Greek Embassy in Beijing circulates the quarterly cultural review EpiKoInoNiA in which one can read about olive trees and Karagiozis in Chinese. The bulletin’s title is a play on words, with the capitalized letters spelling “Kina”, which is Greek for China. Free copies are available at the Embassy offices.
Peking University Center of Hellenic Studies
tel.: 8610 6275 4614; www.history.pku.edu.cn/hellen
Founded in 2000, the Center for Hellenic Studies is situated in a traditional Chinese garden on campus and delivers courses in ancient and modern Greek language and ancient Hellenic arts and history for over a decade. The center boasts a small library, which was acquired last year through a generous donation of books and other resources by the Greek embassy. Supported by both Chinese and Greek governments, the Center of Hellenic Studies is a research institute for Hellenic cultural studies. In early December, the center hosted a two-day forum on Greek studies.
Coffee culture
Greeks drink coffee; the Chinese drink tea. Yes and no. For reasons of cultural sophistication the Chinese are increasingly making the switch to coffee. To be fair, the Chinese in Shanghai were drinking coffee back in the 1920s and 1930s, thanks to exchange with Westerners, but the cafés were closed by Mao. Cafes have emerged again and America’s Starbucks and Australia’s The Coffee Club (founded by Greek Australians) have both entered the market. In Beijing, however, there is also a place for a slow Greek coffee served in the quintessential tiny cup and accompanied by the necessary tall glass of water. It’s Greek Delicacy (see listing below) where, tucked away in a corner of a massive commercial centre, you can enjoy a Greek meal and a Greek coffee before continuing with shopping.
Dining
When in China one must indulge in the famous roasted feast of Beijing Duck, but when that is done, there is a Greek alternative. Greeks are known for their lamb on the spit, tzatziki on the side, horiatiki to share, and plenty of bread to mop up everything. These Hellenic culinary delights can also be found in Beijing.
Argo
59 Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng District, tel.: 8610 8403 9748; open daily 11:30 a.m.–11 p.m.; www.thebeijinger.com/directory/Argo
The restaurant’s proprietor Vangelis Giannakaros traveled to China as a student in 1979, and is one of a very few Greek businessmen who have remained in the land. In June last year, he opened up his Argo, named for Jason’s famous ship. The eatery sits within a traditional Chinese building. The cuisine is the Greek fare Giannakaros grew up on; the architecture and design is a fusion of Greek and Chinese.
Greek Delicacy
Solana and Lucky Street, Solana Lifestyle Shopping Park, Chaoyang District, tel.: 5905 6380; open Monday-Friday 11 a.m-9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; www.greekdelicacy.com.cn
Open since 2008, this is a fast-food-style restaurant is dedicated to the gyros and the souvlaki. The website delves into the history of the rolled Greek meat sandwich and skewered meal, educating patrons about Alexander the Great and his army “who skewered their meat on long knives and cooked it by repeated turning over an open fire” and Athanaeus, who wrote about the souvlaki, which the ancient Greeks called kandaulos way back in the third century B.C.E.
Athena Club
No.1 Xiwu Jie, Sanlitun, Chaoyang District, tel.: 8610 6464 6036; open daily 11:30 a.m.-11:00 p.m.; www.athenaclub.cn
The Athena Club lays claim to being the very first Greek restaurant to open in China offering “Greek delicacies” such as dolmades, moussaka, tzatziki, souvlaki, and “numerous dishes piled high with feta cheese”. Retsina flows plentifully and Greek music fills the space.
Jenny Lou’s
101, Building 17, Central Park International Apartments, Chaoyang District, tel.: 8610 6533 6791; open daily 8 a.m.-midnight
For any Greek living in Beijing, in fact, for any foreigner, the culinary culture shock might have been too great had it not been for Jenny Lou’s. In this delicatessen-cum-supermarket, one can find a vast variety of global products and amongst them are Greek coffee, Greek feta, ouzo, olive oil, wine, chocolate and biscuits.
Jenny Wang
Hairun International Apartment, 2 Jiangtai Lu, Chaoyang District, tel.: 8610 5135 8338; open daily 8 a.m.-midnight; www.jennyshop.com.cn
Jenny Lou’s sister runs this grocery chain, which stocks Greek-style yogurt–both unsweetened and sweetened, amongst other items–and accepts online orders.
Shopping
Folli Follie
1/F S6-1-17 Unit, Building 6, 19 Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District, tel.: 8610 6413 2636; www.follifollie.com.cn
This is the Greek jewelry and fashion accessory company with a global presence of 440 points of sale across twenty-four countries. In Beijing, you can shop at any of the city’s fifteen stores. According to the company’s Chinese president, Yuki Tan, when the company entered the Chinese market with a store in Shanghai in 2002, Chinese women had up until then only bought items of jewelry that were expensive and old-fashioned. But Folli Follie’s mid-range collection was a hit. The company continues to grow with both a commercial and a social presence, by supporting cancer and children’s charities in China as well as, for example, supporting Miss World China.