Traveling is, by nature, a global obsession, and at Hercules we see no better way to introduce a new season in fashion than with a journey. This time, we’re hitting Beijing’s beating heart: the streets nestled behind the Great Wall of China. As Europeans, we have always been deeply fascinated by the exoticism of the East, with dreams manufactured by everything from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon to YSL’s Opium ads. Now, with everyone’s eyes on China, we wait on tenterhooks to see what will come next for the world’s economical powerhouse. Our Beijing issue comes fully loaded with the most fascinating characters that reflect the grandeur of China in one way or another. From Melvin Chua, the man to know in the far east to the iconic and irreplaceable Mr Chow, and from the charming and fascinating actor Daniel Wu to the wunderkind of Chinese menswear Xander Zhou. These are just some of the highlights of Hercules Universal Issue III Volume II, and we could never forget what’s happening back home in the west. So we threw in interviews with two talented designers recreating menswear powerhouses for a new, multicultural generation: Kris Van Assche at Dior Homme and Paul Surridge, who is re-shaping Z Zegna. So welcome a bit of exoticism and a lot of style to your coffee table with this issue we proudly call The Beijing Affair.