 |
dancing lessons from god |
Home
|
unusual travel arrangements for independent travellers
|
|
BeijingBeijingImage:Forbidden_city.jpg|thumb|240px|The outer wall of the Forbidden City '''Beijing''' (??) is the capital of the most populous country in the world, the China|People's Republic of China. It was also the seat of the Qing dynasty emperor until the formation of a republic in 1911, so it has rich historical sites, and important government institutions. The city is well known for its flatness and regular construction. There is not a hill to be found in the city limits, and like the configuration of the famous Forbidden City, it has concentric "ring roads", which are actually rectangular, that go around the metropolis. ==Administrative Divisions== Beijing has a total of 16 districts and 2 counties. ===Districts=== 8 districts are close to the city centre: *Dongcheng District (???) *Xicheng District (???) *Chongwen District (???) *Xuanwu District (???) *Chaoyang District (???) *Haidian District (???) *Fengtai District (???) *Shijingshan District (????) The other 8 districts are further afield: *Mentougou District (????) *Fangshan District (???) *Tongzhou District (???) *Shunyi District (???) *Changping District (???) *Daxing District (???) *Pinggu District (???) *Huairou District (???) Except for Mentougou, all of these eight districts switched from being counties to districts from 1988 to 2001. ===Counties=== The two counties lie very far from central Beijing: *Yanqing County (???) *Miyun County (???) ==Understand== Weekly maillist for Expats in beijing, http://www.xianzai.com/ ==Get in== ===By plane=== Beijing has a major international airport to the northeast of the city (Beijing Capital International Airport, ????????). This is around 20 km away from the city centre. Most people use taxicabs to reach town from the airport. Get your travel agent to get you a translation into Chinese of the name of your Hotel so that you can let your taxi driver read where you want to go! ===By train=== There is a major train station in the heart of Beijing (Beijing Railway Station, ???), but it has fierce competition from an equally large (if not larger) railway station to the west (Beijing West Railway Station, ????). If you arrive in Beijing by train, odds are, you will land in one of the two large stations. There is also a northern station (Beijing North Railway Station, ????), but it's very small compared to the other two - you might end up here if you are coming in from Inner Mongolia. ===By car=== The Jingcheng, Jingtong/Jingha, Jingshen, Jingjintang, Jingkai, Jingshi and Badaling (Jingchang) Expressways (????), as well as 11 China National Highways (??), link into Beijing. ===By bus=== Long-distance buses from areas as far as Tianjin connect to Beijing. ==Get around== === by train / subway === Beijing now has four subway lines: * Line 1 (???) runs from the industrial Pingguoyuan (???) area in west Beijing to Sihui East (???) in eastern Beijing. It has 21 stops. * Line 2 (???) is the loop line running under the interior 2nd Ring Road (???). * Line 13 (????) does an extended northern semi-loop from Dongzhimen (???) via Huilongguan (???) through to Xizhimen (???). * The Batong Line (???) extends from Sihui (??) through to Tuqiao (??) in eastern suburban Beijing. More are under construction in preparation for the 2008 Olympics. The subway is an excellent way to quickly get around the city and a traveller can easily figure it out through the station maps and English signs and language. The subway fare is now 3 yuan and you have to buy the ticket at a window. Just push the equivalent of 3 yuan (or a 5 yuan bill) through, and hold up your index finger, signaling that you want just one ticket. Then take it to the ticket tearer opposite the booth, and go downstairs to your platform. The subway station entrances are identified by a large blue stylized letter G wrapped around a smaller letter D. === Taxi === Taxis are the preferred choice for moving around, and are fairly inexpensive. Taxis charge standard rates per km in three bands. The cheap and nasty ones cost 1.20 Yuan per km (in 2004). These are generally in pretty poor condition and often not clean at all. Check they have a working seatbelt before you go for it. The next band of taxis cost 1.60 Yuan per km. These are usually slightly nicer, often with seatbelts. The third band are luxurious executive cars and cost 2.00 Yuan per km which is still very reasonable for a western budget. If the taxi driver "forgets" to switch the taximeter on, remind him by politely saying "''qing da biao''" ??? ("Run the meter, please"). Get your receipt (in case you want to make a complaint later or for business reimbursement purposes) by saying "Fa Piao" or gesturing at the meter and making a writing motion. The Xialis (CNY 1.20/km taxicabs) are being gradually taken off the roads. Replacing them are the somewhat more elegant Hyundai Sonata (CNY 1.60/km). Taxis are also relatively cheap, but communicating with the drivers can be a problem, since most do not speak English. You can ask that your hotel write your destination on a card for you to give to the driver. Make sure also to take a card from the hotel (and a map) which lists the hotel's address in Chinese. This can be a 'get out of jail free' card if you get lost in the city and need to get back to the hotel via taxi. ==See== === Tourist spots === * Forbidden City (also known as the Palace Museum) * Summer Palace * Temple of Heaven, south of Qianmen and the Tiananmen Square * Tiananmen Square (largest square in the world!) * Great Wall (about a 1.5 hour bus ride from the city...recommended!) Two or more sections near the city have been restored and are available for tourists to walk upon. One section even has a ski lift up and a toboggan (or ski lift) down. The Wall is on top of mountain chains. You may want to bring a jacket against the wind or cold. * Zoo (they do have Pandas, but displays are not great). The Zoo is one of the worst you will ever see, BUT the aquarium is one of the biggest in the world, and very impressive. * North Sea (Beihai) === Hot spots === * Hou hai - a hangout with trendy restaurants and bars in the central part of Beijing. essentially snaking around a man made lake * Sanlitun - this is the center of nightlife in Beijing, located in the Chaoyang district, it comprises of a main "bar street" divided into north and south sections, a side street with more casual (and cheaper) bars, and several large clubs/discotheque at the north gate of the worker's stadium near by. ==Do== *'''2008 Summer Olympics'''. http://www.beijing2008.org/ ==Learn== * Peking University (????)http://www.pku.edu.cn/ * Tsinghua University (????) http://www.tsinghua.edu.cn * Renmin University of China (??????)http://www.ruc.edu.cn/ * Beijing Normal University (??????)http://www.bnu.edu.cn/ * China Media University (??????)http://www.cuc.edu.cn/ * University of International Business and Economics (????????)http://www.uibe.edu.cn/ * Beijing Language and Culture University(????????)http://www.blcu.edu.cn/yzf.asp ==Work== Most of the commercial areas are in the following areas: * Guomao (??) * Dawang (??) * Eastern 3rd Ring Road (???) * Chao yangmen (???) Wherever you see the acronym CBD, it means it is located near the China Business District. It can be both residential or commercial area. ==Buy== * The true clothing market where the Chinese buys, is located in Xi Zhi Men, next to the Zoo. directions: in front of the Zoo there is a new huge building, which is just another big market, BUT behind it, there is the wholesale market, with the best prices, almost no need to bargain, and a lot of genuine goods (clothing). * Dong'dan/Oriental Plaza - East of Tian an men square. Shopping area (expensive) but provides you with a lot of buying opportunities from diamonds, to real (affordable) DVD's, (international) Music CD's and food. * Wangfujing - where most of the higher end shops are located * Xi'dan - West of Tian an men square. Several large malls near a substation, and look for the market, it's quite good - bargaining is a must (sellers even enjoy it)! * Golden Resources Shopping Mall near Yuanda Bridge / Yuanda Road -- Located by West Fourth Ring Road (Xisihuan) in Haidian District, Beijing, the mall covers 680.000 square meters, the largest in Asia. Multiple stories, snaking alleys, infinite shopping opportunities... you get the gist. * China World Trade Center -- here you will find a lot of expensive stores and some international convenience stores. * Silk Street -- This building is located east of Tian an men square. It is a 5 story air conditioned building selling entirely for foreign visitors with 'export' quality goods. You can find luggage, leather bags, clothing and Chinese artwork. This location caters entirely to foreign customers. On the plus side is that you can find higher 'export' quality merchandise and out-of-season clothing. On the down side, the price will be slightly higher. * SanLiTun YaShow Clothing Market -- Located at 58 Gong Ti Bei Lu, this is very similar to Silk Street (see above) with slightly better prices. Almost on every street you can buy (almost real) fake items. Do be careful when you buy these products, since not all countries allow them to be imported. This is especially the case with DVD's. These copied DVD's should be sold at about 6 or 15 yuan. But most often the sellers charge you a 'Tourists price' for 60 yuan. If you really want to buy it, look for '??' (ying wen) which means English language. ==Eat== The best way to eat good & cheap in Beijing - just enter one of the true Chinese restaurant, where the locals eats, and pick randomly a few different dishes from the menu. '''Beijing Roast Duck''' is the speciality in Beijing. Be sure not to miss it. There are some very famous restaurant that cater for the hordes of western tourists willing to spend a lot of money to get this famous dish. One of them is Quanjude Roast duck, which is located right at the Hepingmen subway station (One duck 160 Yuan, calculate around 220 Yuan per person). But backpackers and people able to speak a little Mandarin, or at least willing to order a bit longer, should try one of the more local restaurant. For example, when you walk just to the south from the Hepingmen subway stop, after around 500-800m you will see some restaurants on the left side of the street. There are nice ones, one even has relaxing classical Chinese live music and comes at one fourth of the Quanjude restaurant (one duck 38 Yuan, around 50 Yuan per person). '''Mongolian hot pot''' is a kind of fondue, except they use a clear soup broth that is boiling hot. You use your chopsticks to plunge a paper-thin piece of meat or vegetable into the hot, boiling soup. The trays of meat (chicken, pork, beef, lamb, etc.) are stacked high. The meat is rolled into thin rolls. It cooks within just a few seconds. Bakeries are in general quite good, though the Chinese variety of cakes is just a farce: behind the many different cakes there are only a few kinds of dough, and the variation is not so much in taste as it is in appearance. "Real cakes" are not available, cakes consist out of cream and very soft biscuit. Special Chinese cookies you should try is the ''Laopobing'' ("Wife cookie") and ''Laogongbing'' ("Husband cookie"). Vegetable flavor ice creams. This is considered normal (and tasty!) in Beijing. Purple Yam is good. Also, you can try green pea flavor. The ice creams are only slightly sweet, so it takes some adjustment. '''McDonald's''' has over 100 restaurants in Beijing, followed closely by '''KFC'''. As a rule of thumb, whenever there is a McDonalds, a KFC is no more far away than 100m. There are also a fair number of '''Pizza Huts''' in Beijing; one of the newest stores opened, in Chaowai, is uncongested and service is very good. Visitors to Pizza Huts should be prepared to take a number and wait in line if they dine around 12:00-13:00 and again from 18:30-19:30 (peak hours). If you're homesick, head for the John Bull Pub near the Jianguomen tube station. They'll happily provide you with your favourite English food and drink. For your stay in Beijing, you should have at least once tried the '''Lamb meat sticks''' (''Yangrouchuan''), which are delicious barbecued sticks of lamb meat. They are sold starting from the late afternoon to the early morning all around Beijing on the street out of small street grills by local chefs. Often, the worst looking grills offer the best taste, so be brave and try them all. ===Budget=== ===Mid-range=== ===Splurge=== ==Drink== Tea, tea, and more tea! It's the best in the world. They have a different ceremony for every type of tea. You should go to a good tea house. Some are in malls. Very, very relaxing. The tea masters's movements are hypnotic. Chinese beer can be quite good. The most preferred beer in China is Qingdao beer (normally 10 yuan) which can also be found in the States. It has a distinctive taste due to its mineral water content. Try Yanjing beer (normally 2 yuan), which is main beer brand of Beijing. It comes in very large bottles and has 11% alcohol content. (Yanjing is an antiquated name for Beijing.) Great Wall is one type of Chinese wine (there are several others). Chinese wines are just acceptable, and it is still not common to drink wine. Giving wine as a gift is not a common custom in most places in China and most people will not be accustomed to wine etiquette or appreciation. Foreign red wines are usually of a much better quality, such as those from California and Oregon, France, Australia, and Chile. The most common hard liquor to get drunk from is ''Bai jiu'' (white liquor). It comes in a large variety everywhere for very cheap prices and should be avoided if you want to have a clear mind for your travels on the next day. Mao Tai is a Chinese hard liquor made from sorghum. A large selection of imported liquor can be found at all bars ranging from tequila to whiskey. Bar and Club districts include Houhai, Wudaokou, and Sanlintuar - a hot spot for "waiguoren" (foreigners). ==Sleep== Foreign visitors often are "restricted" to staying in hotels, that restriction being less and less obvious as a great majority of accommodation now takes place in the form of hotels. Zhaodaisuos (???) are more difficult, and may be fully inaccessible altogether to the foreign community. ===Budget=== ===Mid-range=== A number of mid-range hotels are located east of the ??? Dongzhimen subway station. From the subway stop, walk around 800m eastwards to the next big intersection. On the northern side of the street, half a dozen large hotels can be found. A double costs 150 to 250 Yuan a night depending on the season. Its worth to haggle and compare with the other hotels around before you book. Although its already placed at the outer ring road, the subway provides for a convenient and quick access to the inner city. Right next to the subway station there is a McDonalds, and - more interestingly - a large shopping center with a food court hidden in the lowest floor. * Kaifeng hotel (????, Kai3feng1 Fan4dian4), telephone 64651177, ranging between 180-320 Yuan per day per double. * '''Xinxing Hotel:''' Moderately priced. About $50 per night. Free Internet access, but you need to ask for a room with it (you should also ask in advance too). Staff is friendly, and their English is just acceptable. Mostly Chinese internal tourists and businessmen stay here. Chinese breakfast on Floor 2 in the morning until 9 a.m. Swimming pool is in a separate building. Staff will clean your room twice per day. Hotel is a several block walk from the Gongzhufen subway station (Line 1) which is on the West side of town. Mind the traffic when crossing the street. Address: No.17 the 3rd Ring Road Middle West, Beijing. Telephone: 86-10-68166688 ===Splurge=== Some ''rather'' (although not ''very'') expensive hotels are in the city centre and on the eastern 3rd Ring Road. These include: * '''Grand Hyatt Beijing:''' Privately-owned, exquisite, and expensive. This is a 5 star hotel. Rooms can go for $150 per night. There is an enormous swimming pool in the basement that is decorated in very tropical manner, but the deepest part is only 1.5 meters. The jacuzzi and wet sauna are excellent, but the steam room is hot enough to cook a lobster. Great hotel, if you can afford it. * '''Beijing Hotel:''' State-owned (and thus presumably less expensive). * '''Great Wall Sheraton Hotel:''' Less expensive, comfortable, rotating restaurants. * '''Swissotel Beijing:''' "Budget-level" for a "splurge" hotel, yet very comfortable, provides Web access in every room, and very friendly staff. ==Contact== ==Stay safe== Beijing is a very safe city. However, tourists are often preyed upon by cheats and touts. Be especially cautious in the inner city, around Tiananmen Square, and on the tourist-crowded routes to the Great Wall. * Do not follow any "art students". At best you end up in a shabby "art store" and get pressured to buy art. * For tours to the Great Wall, be wary: the driver might just stop and set you off before your destination. Only pay afterwards if you are absolutely sure you are at the destination. Do not go for organized tours to the Great Wall in the 100-150 Yuan range that are advertised by people handing out flyers around the Forbidden City. Conveniently you are picked up from your hotel (so they know where to get back at you, in case you will not pay), you end up on a shopping tour through many many Chinese art, China, Chinese medicine, etc. shops and afterwards you have to pay upfront to get back to the city. Of course, there are exceptions, and people showing letters of recommendation from their previous travels and pictures are usually ok, as are people offering trips to the wilder parts of the Great Wall (ie. not Badaling or Juyong). Be wary of fake money. You may observe Chinese people inspecting their money carefully, and with a reason: there are a lot of counterfeit bills in circulation. The most common are 100's and 50's. A few tips for identifying counterfeit bills: * Be very careful if someone wants to give back the largest currency bill (100 Yuan) as change. In an attempt to pass you a counterfeit bill they may tell you that they have lowered the price in your benefit. Or, they may ask you to contribute an additional sum in order to pass you the 100 Yuan. * If they give you back all the change money plus the coins on top (though coins are rare in Beijing) take your time to check each bill carefully. * To check any 50 and 100 Yuan bill you get, do this: most importantly, check the paper. If its torn, thin or very slippery, ask for a different bill. Next, check the watermark, it should blur out softly. If there are hard visible corners in the watermark, reject the bill. Last, check the green "100" imprint on the lower left corner. It should be clearly painted on the bill so you can both feel and see a relief. If its missing or not feelable, reject the bill also. Rejecting bills is not considered impolite. If the colouring of a banknote is faded, it does not necessarily mean it is fake. '''Traffic-wise:''' Legally, pedestrians have the right of way on zebra crossing, although just a few drivers will actually go the mile and stop for them. It is better to cross via an underpass or an overpass. There are now several self-service traffic lights; pedestrians wishing to cross the road push a green button, wait for the words ?? (please wait) to appear on the traffic light (for pedestrians), and cross when the lights turn green. '''However, it is not rare to see a few drunkards or reckless drivers drive through when vehicles get a red light, especially at night and on roads with relatively sparse traffic.''' Care must still be taken. ==Cope== Bring a corkscrew for opening your wine. Swiss Army knives are a big help too (but remember to put it in your checked luggage). Air pollution is a BIG problem. Car exhaust, coal burning, and dust storms from the Gobi desert combine to make some of the worst city air on the planet. You may want to bring extra Vitamin C and other antioxidants (grape seed extract, etc.). A white surgical face mask may help with the occasional dust storms...the dust is very fine. Don't be surprised if your throat and nose ache soon after arriving. Drinking lots of the local green tea (hot) will help you resist sickness from the bad air. Green tea has antioxidants, some vitamin C, and the hot water helps to moisturize your throat. Winter is the worst time...cold air creates an inversion layer and traps the pollution in the city. Diet tips. Bring fiber supplements (such as Metamucil). Beijing food can be constipating due to high meat/low vegetable content. Chinese don't usually eat salads, but boil their vegetables for sanitary and cultural reasons. Also, an Acidophilus (yogurt bacteria) supplemental capsule taken daily can prevent G.I. distress from the local bacteria. Bring the type that don't have to be refrigerated, or drink the local yogurt beverages (which must be drunken on the spot as you have to return the glass jars immediately afterwards). The local bacteria can cause vomiting or diarrhea (or both) if you don't take precautions beforehand. Remember the 3 P's for food: Peeled, par-boiled, or piping-hot. Bring a pack of your own tissues (or toilet paper) and small bar soap. Many public bathrooms do not have wiping paper, especially if you venture out to the countryside. Alternately, you may wish to purchase an alcohol-based hand santizer for quick clean-ups. Also, pre-packaged wet hand wipes are indispensable. Try to use the bathroom before you leave for your destinations. Some establishments (even large grocery/department stores) will not have Western style toilets, and many a lady has been shocked and dismayed to find she doesn't know how to use non-elevated (sunken) toilets. If you do have to use a squat toilet, you may want to remove your trousers or dress first to avoid accidentally defecating on your clothing. Wipe with tissues that you have brought with you and put them in the bin; do not flush the paper because it can clog the toilet. Some toilets are pay toilets. In dryer months (especially winter), be sure to bring or purchase a heavy moisturizer. Although most hotels will offer some generic brand, the quality varies greatly and you would do well to supply your own. It is advisable to purchase and drink several bottles of purified water a day. Most Internet news is not censored, but BBC News usually is. The New York Times is sometimes blocked too. Reuters.com is usually not blocked. Email access through an Internet based email service is very helpful to have. Examples (free) include Yahoo, Google, Hotmail, etc. Postcard postage costs 4.5 yuan (as of May 7th, 2005). ==Get out== * Hong Kong: Trains depart on alternate days from '''Beijing West Station''' to '''Hung Hom Station''' in Kowloon, Hong Kong. * Shanghai/Suzhou: Train depart everyday from Beijing Railway Station, night train, "Z" title direct train. ==External links== :WikiPedia:Forbidden City|Wikipedia - Forbidden City fr:Pékin zh:?? WikiPedia:Beijing {{stub}} First page | Prev | Next | Last page |
if you like cool drinks you may be interested in:
Hope you enjoyed reading about Beijing |
|
