The time has come to say hasta la vista to 2008, and let the Beijinger show you how to do it in style. The latest issue – out on streets now! – has all the details on where the baddest party people will be come time to countdown.

Chefs from around the world will show you the meaning of New Year's in this month’s Dining feature. Also in Dining this month, get the goods on the grubbage to be had at Yu Shan Tang, Igosso, Café Noir, Lord of Salt, Ginkgo, Shiro Matsu, Tavola and more.

This is the book that plugs you into Beijing like no other guidebook can. It’s fully updated every year, which means that the 2009 edition is about Beijing today – not the pre-Olympics capital, but the city outside your window right now. Every listing (hotels, restaurants, galleries, tourist sites, bars, shops, businesses and more) has been individually checked and updated.

Those staying in town over Christmas and over the New Year, will be pleased to know that the capital doesn't slow down over the holiday season and that there are plenty of great live music, nightlife and other quality events to choose from this week. Pick of the bunch is our very own Xmas Charity Funk Throwdown taking place on Saturday night over at Block 8. DJs Eddy LV, Pimp Daddy Suiki, Dan Stephenson and Omar will be spinning some soul-sweating funk into the wee hours and proceeds from the RMB 100 entrance fee will go to Ping’an Medical Foster Home - you can take a look at this earlier post for details of the kids that the money goes to helping.

The 100 kuai donation also gets you a free drink voucher that you can swap for a Cosmopolitan, White Angel or Grapefruit Julep at the bar. Also get there early for a free Santa hat. Speaking of Santa, the Sexy Santas of years past will be back again offering up "Santa shots" to partygoers. Everyone also has a chance to win some great luck draw prizes - with everything from a two-night stay in the luxury Fraser Residence to bar and restaurant vouchers and free skiing at Nanshan ski resort up for grabs. So head down there on Saturday evening for a chance to not only get down to some good ol' fashioned funk but also to help raise money for a good cause.

The secrets to surviving this Christmas and New Year with a BANG have arrived! In this issue of agenda, we give you the lo-down on the finest festive feasts in town for your Christmas dining pleasure, point you to places where you can get your own Christmas tree to complete your Christmas experience, then we list all the best party places to ring in the New Year in whatever atmospheres you want, and offer suggestions for spas and shops, so you can unwind after the Christmas celebrations and get ready in time for your New Year bash!

In Spotlights, Chef Blaine Wilkinson from Beijing Marriott City Wall’s Provincia gives us his thoughts on the restaurant, its “bar and kitchen theater” concept and his thoughts for the festive season. Meanwhile, the cool cat bluesmen from Black Cat Bone share their tales of woes and whiskey and the blues in Beijing, and the 2009 lunar calendar is decoded as part of the round-up.

And if you’re still not busy enough with all the festivities going on, try out some of the restaurants we suggest, such as the Hot Bean Collective, Shash, Grandma’s Kitchen and One East on Third, and our suggestions for bars, spas and retreats. Last but not least, there is, of course, our 14-day detailed listing of the best events around town to make sure you are getting the most out of Beijing.

The opening up of direct flights, post and shipping between the mainland and Taiwan on Monday (or the liang'an santong) is good news for those who regularly commute between Beijing and Taibei. The price of a roundtrip Beijing-Taiwan flight has dropped by about RMB 600 and now goes for something in the vicinity of RMB 3,700 including tax. The length of the flight has also been cut by over an hour with the direct flight taking a mere 3 hours and 10 minutes.

The Beijnger has been throwing booty-shaking, soul-sweating Christmas charity funk parties since way back in the heady days of 2002. In the past five years we've helped raise money for charities such as the Tibetan Poverty Alleviation Fund, and since 2005, we’ve been donating the proceeds of these sweaty nights of funk-filled abandon to orphans at the Ping'an Medical Foster Home.

In our December issue, we mistakenly reported in the “Eat Cookies” portion of our “Tis the Season for Giving” cover feature that the Dec 6 and 20 gingerbread- and cookie-making classes offered by Bento & Berries (in the Kerry Centre) was open to the public. The class is, in fact, open only to 20 lucky children of the Sun Village charity.

Located on the first floor of Shangri-la's Kerry Centre Hotel, Bento & Berries is a bakery/café that offers a variety food and drinks selections, including Italian coffees, Japanese bento boxes, sandwiches and baked goods. For four years they’ve been working with Sun Village to provide classes aimed at passing on something of the Christmas spirit to children. Sue Meng Chan, director of communications with the Kerry Centre, stated that due to the numerous e-mails she has received in response to tbj’s cover feature, she has been exploring the option of having another class for outsiders (though nothing is being offered at this time). Those interested in participating can contact her directly at 6561 8833 ext 6666 or suemeng.chan@shangri-la.com.

Sun Village Special Children Aid Centre is a NGO dedicated to providing foster care and education for the children of convicted criminals. They offer services such as educational programs, counseling and vocational training. To find out how you can help, contact their Beijing Branch in Shunyi at 6044 3757 or ertongcun@163.com.

Most people count years sequentially. Urbane is not fettered with such pedestrian constraints. Welcome to the hype overdrive for Shanghai 2010 World Expo, the subject of this month’s feature. Contingents from more than 200 countries and international organizations are poised to flock to Shanghai slightly less than a year and a half from now. They will build a Giant Hairy Marshmallow, and scores of other amazing exhibition pavilions, as they show off to each other and the world for six glorious months. To make it all happen they will raze their city as Beijing did for the Olympics, mercilessly popularize a goofy gummy mascot, and take as many other extreme actions as they can think of, on a massive scale.

Back here in the present, things are still pretty interesting. Our expanded Exhibitionist section features a what’s why and why’s what of China’s recent nationwide art zone explosion, as fashion heavyweight Dior also thunders onto the Chinese contemporary art scene this month in Beijing. Elsewhere, we discuss a bovine-grass energy solution for rural China, The Opposite House reveals its attractions and Nanluogu Xiang explodes with commercial creativity.

I won't lie I’m not big on Dior. Prior to visiting the Dior show at Ullens my experience with the brand was limited to a bright orange knock-off t-shirt I bought on the street that had a black power fist on it and happened to read, “Dior Not War.”

Being a human who lacks the ability to match clothing, I did not expect to understand or appreciate the Dior show, so I was surprised to find that it impressed me greatly. The show mixes original Dior dresses from the 1940s up to present, some of them so old they are falling apart, together with works of art inspired by Dior done by 22 different Chinese artists.

We've just had word from the promoters of the DJ Qbert show in Beijing that the gig has been postponed until next year, with something hopefully coming together in the spring. The performance was to have taken place tonight at Mix. An e-mail from organizers vaguely explains that the postponement was down to "irreconcilable issues with scheduling and sponsors"

Sorry to those people who entered the competition to win free tickets to the show in this week's 7 Days newsletter. Hopefully we'll be able to offer more tickets when Qbert returns in 2009.

It's not all bad news for hip-hop fans as their is still a party tonight down at Mix. Their Re-creation night will go on as intended, just without the star attraction. Ch-ch-check it out.