General Beijing Information

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Life in Beijing
北京欢迎你 '

Beijing is the capital of the People’s Republic of China, and with a population of 19.6 million, it’s one of the most populous municipalities in the world. While the municipality of Beijing is composed of 16 sub-divisions, only 6 of these are urban areas, the rest are outer suburban rural areas. The urban and outer suburban areas are linked by a system of 5 ring roads (2nd through 6th; the 1st ring road no longer exists under that name). The Second ring road encompasses the “old city” of Beijing (the Xicheng and Dongcheng Districts), still considered the heart of the city. The 3rd and 4th ring roads connect the Urban Districts of Chaoyang, Haidian, Fengtai and Shijingshan while the 5th ring road encompasses these Districts. The Inner Suburban Districts of Tongzhou, Shunyi, Changping, Mengtou, Fangshan and Daxing are connected by the 6th ring road.

Most of the foreigners in Beijing are found in Chaoyang (expats), Haidian (students) and Shunyi (expats). The other parts of the city are mostly void of sizable foreigner populations (although the odd English teacher can be found almost anywhere).

 Chaoyang 

Chaoyang has most of the places of interest to foreigners including the Central Business District (CBD), Sanlitun shopping area, Olympic Park and most embassies (including the US Embassy). Most import grocery stores, foreign stores as well as restaurants and clubs geared toward foreigners (and their money).

 Haidian 

Haidian is the area you'll know best. It's not only your home, but the primary area of Beijing’s universities, including the famous Beijing University (Peking University; also called BeiDa and PKU) and Tsinghua University (also spelled Qinghua), which are right down the road from Beijing Language and Culture University (BeiYu). Because of this, most of the foreigners are students, but Haidian is also home to China’s Silicon Valley, Zhongguancun, which also brings in a few expats. If you meet a Chinese person in technology or business outside China, they are often from Peking University or Tsinghua or Haidian area.

 Shunyi 

Shunyi is home to some of the nicest homes in Beijing, where there are several subdivisions where you could easily think you were in the US, complete with English street names, driveways and yards. You’ll likely have no need to go up here but the Europlaza mall (next to the Yosemite community) is home to Beijing’s first and only Hollister, you know, in case you miss that smell. Foreign amenities are almost as prevalent here as they are in Chaoyang.

Around Beijing - Transportation
Taxis and public transportation abound in Beijing, making getting around very easy.

Taxis – Taxis are usually easy to find, except in rush hour and when it’s raining. By far the most convenient, affordable transportation option. Flag drop is 10 RMB and it’s good for 3 km then 2 RMB each km after. Also, be aware that there is a fuel surcharge that will fluctuate from time to time. As of January 2013, it is 3 RMB. But be forewarned, drivers have become picky in recent years and have been known to decline a fare. See this article in The Economist for some insight. But the majority of the time, it’s not an issue. Some brutal truths about Beijing taxis: It’s easier to hail a cab if you look Asian; the cab drivers do not speak English; the drivers will hack (instead of cough), smoke and control the radio/AC/Heat at their discretion; if you leave any belongings (i.e. cell phone) in a taxi, they will not be returned.

Public Transportation – Public transport in Beijing is GREAT. The subway system is expanding and very cheap (2 RMB, single trip) as well as efficient. The Explore Beijing Subway app is very useful to reference. Buses are also very cheap and abound, though navigating them is a bit more difficult without Chinese ability – BUT Google Maps public transport instructions include Beijing’s buses and will specify route numbers and which bus stop, can be very convenient/cheap.

Other – Bicycles and electric scooters are very popular ways to get around locally. Prices will range from ¥200-¥1000 for a bike, depending on quality (¥300-¥500 should get you a decent bike) and from ¥2500-¥5000 for an electric scooter (e-bike). Black taxis are also common and will show up on the weekends to cash in on people wanting to get out of Wudaokou for the evening. BLCU south gate almost always has at least 1 or two waiting there. Same rules apply (as at the airport), negotiate beforehand, pay after arrival, and take at your own risk. Not that they are particularly dangerous (though there are stories), mostly that they may not actually know where you are going and if they wreck, they’re not liable for any injury to you. The black taxis are a good last resort if you need to get somewhere and cabs aren’t stopping and you can’t get to the subway.

Around Beijing - Shopping
This is merely an overview of what is convenient to you in Wudaokou. You can check out sites like thebeijinger.com and beijing-cafe.com for more info.
 * Wudaokou Clothing Market in Golden Towers (<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: "HGSMinchoE","serif"; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-font-family: HGSMinchoE; mso-ascii-font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">金 <span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: 宋体; mso-bidi-font-family: 宋体; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">码 <span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: "HGSMinchoE","serif"; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-font-family: HGSMinchoE; mso-ascii-font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">大厦 ) is a good place to get good bargains. (Chinese) People come from all over Beijing to score a deal on the latest trends. No English is spoken here though, so learn your numbers and some basic haggling phrases.
 * <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 宋体; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-font-family: 宋体;">Amazon.cn – No English translation site but you can use Google Chrome for that. Good deals for day to day items and they deliver to your door…the next day…for free. They also accept US credit cards if you don’t want to do C.O.D. which is the standard in China.
 * <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 宋体; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-font-family: 宋体;">360buy.com – the more popular Chinese variant of Amazon China but requires either C.O.D. or Chinese bank card. More selection.
 * <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 宋体; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-font-family: 宋体;">Chaoshifa (<span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: "HGSMinchoE","serif"; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-font-family: HGSMinchoE; mso-ascii-font-family: "Palatino Linotype"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">超市 <span lang="ZH-CN" style="font-family: 宋体; mso-bidi-font-family: 宋体; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN;">发 ) – A good local supermarket chain (the name actually means supermarket). There is one close to BLCU.
 * <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 宋体; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-font-family: 宋体;">BHG Market– in the basement of the Wudaokou shopping center, there are some restaurants (including a Dairy Queen) and a BHG Market. This is about as close as you’ll find to a US-style supermarket. Prices are reasonable (though fruit and vegetables are slightly more expensive than what you’ll find elsewhere) and they have a fair amount of imported goods should you desire.
 * <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 宋体; mso-fareast-language: ZH-CN; mso-fareast-font-family: 宋体;">Walmart – there is a Chinese Wal-Mart adjacent to the Zhichunlu subway station on line 13. While not what you would see at a US Wal-Mart. It can be a one stop shop, depending on what you’re looking for.

Around Beijing - Nightlife
List of famous bars, list of recommended bars.

Beware of certain situations and safety issues.