Staying home this summer instead of winging off to Beijing? No problem, when your interest in team handball and Greco-Roman wrestling start to fade, turn to the Web for an alternative, informed look at the Chinese capital through the eyes of these bloggers.

Beijing Boyce: With a martini in one hand and a laptop in the other, Canadian expatriate Jim Boyce strives to provide "a consumer's view of the bar scene in Beijing" with his semi-eponymous blog. With a reputation for strict objectivity, Boyce offers a ground-level view of developments in Beijing's nightlife and entertainment, complete with reviews of drinks, food, service and atmosphere. Its sibling site, Grape Wall of China, gives oenophiles in China and abroad insight into the development of the industry in one of the world's most sought-after markets.

Most recently, Boyce led the charge in tracking down and debunking reports that blacks and Mongolians would be banned from Beijing bars during the Olympics, as part of security policy during the Games. Keep an eye on this blog to find out where the party is during the games and updates on what happens after dark.

Danwei: Literally "work unit" in Chinese, Danwei was born during the last major Beijing event -- the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) -- and has grown into a must-read for anyone with a significant interest in China's media market. Danwei is the go-to site for sites blocked by Chinese authorities, round-ups of headlines in the Chinese press and literary happenings in the capital.

How China is viewing itself during the Olympics -- and how the watchers are watching that viewing -- will be Danwei's bread and butter while the games are happening.

EastWestSouthNorth: Close the Google Translate window. This Hong Kong-based blog presents, in fluent English, how the Chinese press, both in China and Hong Kong, is reporting events making international headlines. Roland Soong translates local coverage of riots, natural disasters, celebrity mishaps and certainly the upcoming Olympics, adds occasional commentary, and when possible provides multiple views of them. Offering both text translation and links to online reports of events, this is about as close as the non-Chinese reader will get to understanding the Chinese view of events in Greater China without years of language study.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.