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Practical travel information on Money and costs in Běijīng …
Foreign currency and travellers cheques can be changed at large branches of the Bank of China, CITIC Industrial Bank, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, HSBC, the airport and hotel moneychanging counters, and at several department stores (including the Friendship Store), as long as you have your passport. Hotels give the official rate, but some will add a small commission. Useful branches of the Bank of China with foreign-exchange counters include a branch next to Oriental Plaza on Wangfujing Dajie, in the Lufthansa Center Youyi Shopping City, and in the China World Trade Center. For international money transfer, branches of Western Union can be found in the International Post Office and at the post office at No 3 Gongrentiyuchang Beilu (6416 7686).
If you have an Amex card, you can also cash personal cheques at CITIC Industrial Bank and large branches of the Bank of China.
ATMs that take international cards can now be found in abundance. The best places to look are in and around the main shopping areas (such as Wangfujing Dajie) and international hotels and their associated shopping arcades; some large department stores also have useful ATMs. There’s a Bank of China ATM in the Capital Airport arrivals hall. Other useful ATMs are:
Bank of China ATM Lufthansa Center Youyi Shopping City (1st fl, Lufthansa Center Youyi Shopping City); Novotel Peace Hotel (foyer, Novotel Peace Hotel, 3 Jinyu Hutong); Oriental Plaza (Oriental Plaza, cnr Wangfujing Dajie & Dongchang’an Jie); Peninsula Beijing (2nd basement level, Peninsula Beijing, 8 Jinyu Hutong); Sundongan Plaza (next to main entrance of Sundongan Plaza on Wangfujing Dajie); Swiss?tel (2nd fl, Swiss?tel, 2 Chaoyangmen Beidajie)
Citibank (6510 2933; www.citibank.com; 16th fl, Tower 2, Bright China Chang’an Bldg, 7 Jianguomennei Dajie) ATM.
Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC; 6526 0668, 800-820 8878; www.hsbc.com.cn) Jianguomen Dajie (Ground fl, Block A, COFCO Plaza, 8 Jianguomennei Dajie); China World Hotel (Suite L129, Ground fl, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie); Lufthansa Center (Ground fl) All have 24-hour ATMs.
Industrial & Commercial Bank of China ATM (Gōngshāng Yínháng; Wangfujing Dajie) Opposite Bank of China ATM at entrance to Sundongan Plaza.
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Běijīng Travel Information and Travel Guide – China – Lonely Planet
Stop–start capital since the Mongol Yuan dynasty, Běijīng is one of China’s true ancient citadels. It is also an aspiring, confident and modern city that seems assured of its destiny to rule over China ad infinitum.
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A vast and symmetrical metropolis, Běijīng is the orderly seat of the communist political power in China, so its architecture traces each and every mood swing from 1949 to the present, from felled hútòng (narrow alleys) to huge underground bomb shelters scooped out during the paranoid 1970s. One moment you are sizing up a blank Soviet-style monument, the next you spot a vast, shimmering tower rising up from the footprint of a vanished temple.
History may have been trampled in Běijīng over the past half century, but there’s still much more substance here than in China’s other dynastic capitals, bar Nánjīng or Kāifēng. You just need to do a bit of hunting and patient exploration to find the historical narrative. It’s also essential to sift the genuine from the fake: some of Běijīng’s once-illustrious past has been fitfully resurrected in the trompe-l’oeil of rebuilt monuments. Colossal flyovers and multilane boulevards heave with more than three million cars but ample pockets of historical charm survive. It’s the city’s epic imperial grandeur, however, that is truly awe-inspiring.
Frank and uncomplicated, Běijīng’s denizens chat in Běijīnghuà – the gold standard of Mandarin – and marvel at their good fortune for occupying the centre of the known world. And for all its diligence and gusto, Běijīng dispenses with the persistent pace of Shànghǎi or Hong Kong, and locals instead find time to sit out front, play chess and watch the world go by.
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Last updated: Feb 20, 2012
by angietravels1 27 April 2012
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Top 5 China apps – travel tips and articles – Lonely Planet
Aug 20, 2010 12:30:37 AM
Chris PittsLonely Planet AuthorTaking your iGadget to China with you? Here are five must-have apps that work offline.
1. Pleco Dictionary (free)
Although having a Chinese-English dictionary on your phone does not seem like it would be much use for non-Mandarin speakers, trust me, this thing is amazing. In Beijing or Shanghai you can get by using only English, but once you’re off in the provinces making pointless hand gestures every five seconds, that’s when Pleco will come in handy. Look up words in English, pinyin (Mandarin transliteration) or by stroke order (I’ve yet to come across a character it doesn’t recognise). For an extra USD14.99 ($11.99 for students) you can get the full-screen handwriting add-on, which can identify and define characters written on the screen. If you’ve ever had a Chinese person try to communicate with you by tracing invisible characters on the palm of his or her hand, you will know just how useful this feature is.2. Xiangqi (US$0.99)
Yup, bus and train rides in China can be pretty long. But rather than plug in your headphones, try out this Chinese chess game with your neighbour. Unless you’ve been playing since birth your chances of winning are slim, but you will definitely break the ice and make some new friends. You can also play against the computer to improve your skills (recommended).3. Explore Metro Maps (US$0.99)
Explore puts out metro maps for Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. They’re easy to use, up to date (no easy feat in Shanghai) and work offline. Very handy, especially when they’ve run out of paper maps at the stations.4. Pocket Timetable (US$2.99)
Imagine…China’s entire train schedule in your pocket. This is a major change from the days when you’d have to wait half an hour in line just to find out when the next train to Chengdu was leaving. Pocket Timetable’s search function is powerful: you can easily determine departure and arrival times and choose the most convenient option, and results are displayed in English and Chinese – critical for usability. If you use it online, you can also access features such as pricing and the number of tickets remaining from A to B for any given day.5. Lonely Planet ?Phrasebook (US$3.99)
So you’ve got the dictionary to help you out with specific vocab, but if you want to actually speak Chinese?? Lonely Planet’s Mandarin Phrasebook is in audio format, and will have you ordering dumplings and bargaining like a local in no time. A good search function and helpful categories make it even easier to use than the print version.Chris Pitts is researching the 12th edition of the China guidebook in Shanghai. Follow the tweets that slip through the Great Firewall.
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Mini guide to Běijīng – travel tips and articles – Lonely Planet
Sep 30, 2010 5:40:34 AM
Běijīng redefines and reinvents itself constantly. Stunning historical sights rub shoulders with cutting-edge architecture as the pace of change leaves residents breathless. There is a sense that this once conservative capital is enjoying the time of its life. Here, from Lonely Planet Magazine, is a quick taste test of what the city has to offer.
China’s best-preserved ancient site, the Forbidden City was home to the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is a striking series of wooden structures and courtyards full of imperial treasures (subway Tiananmen Xi or Tiananmen Dong; 8.30am- 3.30pm Oct-Apr, 8.30am-4pm May to Sept).
The former factory workshops of 798 Art District are now part of Běijīng ’s art community. Peruse modern Chinese art at highlight galleries White Space Běijīng and Běijīng Tokyo Art Projects (10am-6pm; take the subway to Dongzhimen station, then bus 909 to Dashanzi Lukounan).
The verdant gardens and pavilions of the Summer Palace were a playground for the imperial court. Glittering Kunming Lake swallows up three-quarters of the grounds (19 Xinjian Gongmen; 8.30am-5pm; ￡9).
The Great Wall wriggles to the Gobi Desert across hill country north of Běijīng . The stretch at Mutianyu is the second closest section to town (reachable in 1? hours) but less commercialised than Badaling. Many hotels run tours, but you can take the 916 bus from Dongzhimen (wall open daily; ￡5, cable car access ￡5).
Panjiayuan, aka the Dirt Market or Sunday market, takes place at weekends and has everything from Cultural Revolution memorabilia to Buddha heads. Bargain hard (off Dongsanhuan Nanlu; dawn-6pm Sat-Sun).
Donghuamen Night Market , near Wangfujing Dajie, is a food zoo: expect lamb kebabs, smelly tofu, cicadas, quails’ eggs, squid, strawberry kebabs and more. Look out for the dragon-spouted copper kettles of xin gren cha vendors for an almond-flavoured sugar rush.
Swat aside the English tourist menu at Niuge Jiaozi and stick to what this place does best – servings of steaming, plump dumplings. Aim for the lamb and onion or roast duck. The restaurant has no English sign, but is opposite a building signed ‘Hualong Street’.
Treat yourself to home-style cuisine at Xiao Wang’s Home Restaurant. Go for one of the specials: deep-fried spare ribs with pepper salt or hot and spicy chicken wings.
Běijīng Dadong Roast Duck Restaurant is a favourite of Peking duck aficionados. Its hallmark bird is a crispy, lean duck without the usual high fat content, plus plum sauce, spring onions and pancakes.
The Source is a swish Sichuan restaurant with a romantic courtyard setting. The set menus offer typically spicy Sichuan dishes such as hot mapo beancurd (14 Banchang Hutong; lunch and dinner; set menus ￡12 or ￡18).
Set around a sweet courtyard, hung unsurprisingly with red lanterns, Red Lantern House is located down a hutong (old alleyway). Rooms are simply furnished with pine or dark-wood beds and dressers; only a few are en suite.
Yan Yue Hutong, in which Hotel Cote Cour is located, used to be home to the dancers and musicians at the Ming court. Probably Běijīng ’s best mid-range option, the rooms are furnished in imperial gold, red and green. They range around a pretty lantern-strung courtyard.
Hotel Kapok is Běijīng ’s only boutique-style hotel. The space-age glass grille exterior frames the view out of every ‘executive fashion room’, each of which is styled with sharp, angular furniture and wood or limestone floors.
Defining China’s retro-chic, Red Capital Residence has five kitsch rooms with original period antiques, some picked up from Politburo offices. Rooms include the Chairman’s Suite and the Concubine’s Private Courtyards.
Grand Hyatt Běijīng is an elegant, modern hotel located right in the heart of town. Exemplary services are matched by gorgeous decor: leather-clad chairs and glass-topped tables. There is an oasis pool and four restaurants.
Běijīng ’s Capital Airport is 17 miles from the centre. The Airport Line light-rail connects with the underground at Dongzhimen (￡2.50). A taxi into the city costs around ￡8.50.
The subway is fast, reliable and reaches most points of interest. Line 1 runs east-west, Line 5 north-south and Line 2 circles the city. The flat fare is 20p. Most hotels can arrange taxis and bikes (bike rental ￡2.50 per day; taxis charge 20p per km).
If you found this mini guide handy, there is plenty more advice and inspiration in the Lonely Planet Magazine – subscribe and get your travel info delivered straight to your door. (Currently only available for delivery to UK addresses.)
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Beijing’s once Forbidden City – travel tips and articles – Lonely Planet
Jul 11, 2010 4:15:44 AM
Once home to China’s emperors, the Forbidden City was the very heart of the country for five centuries and even now exerts a powerful pull on the nation’s psyche. So called because an unauthorised visit to the palace would result in instant death, it’s the best-preserved collection of ancient architecture in China and is absolutely unmissable.
Originally laid out by Emperor Yongle between 1406 and 1420 with the help of a mere million labourers, the complex is so vast – 800 buildings with 9000 rooms spread out over 720,000 sq metres – that a full-time restoration squad is continuously repainting and repairing. It’s estimated that it would take 10 years to do a full renovation.
Most of the buildings visitors see today, though, date back to the 18th century. Fire was always a threat to the wooden palace and blazes were frequent, with the main culprits being wayward fireworks displays and knocked-over lanterns, as well as the odd angry eunuch. Scattered around the complex are the bronze vats that contained the water kept on hand to put out fires.
But the palace isn’t just a collection of buildings. It is actually a huge museum with the largest collection of imperial treasures in the country, including the superb Dragon Throne the emperor sat on and Buddhas bedecked with almost every precious metal and gemstone imaginable.
Despite being looted by the Japanese and the Nationalists last century, there are still so many artefacts that only a fraction can be shown at any one time. Most can be found in the pavilions and side buildings that act as mini-museums, with rotating displays of exhibits.
Equally enchanting are the courtyards that separate the buildings. They’re fine places to contemplate the splendour of the palace and the lives of its inhabitants. Fourteen Ming and 10 Qing emperors called the Forbidden City home and the intrigue, scandal and drama that went on here has inspired countless films and books.
The imperial family were catered for by vast armies of servants – cooks, concubines, eunuchs, officials and soldiers – who pampered them while also scheming to improve their own positions. Unsurprisingly, many emperors were insulated by the luxury they lived in and knew little of the dire conditions endured by most ordinary Chinese outside the palace walls. It was that isolation that caused their downfall.
For 500 years commoners were prohibited from entering the Forbidden City. Now, anyone willing to pay the entrance fee can experience this extraordinary palace. It was initially built under the auspices of Emperor Yongle between 1406 and 1420. Until the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1911, this sprawling complex was the seat of Chinese government.
Despite the fact that only around half the complex is open to visitors, it’s still so vast that you could easily spend several days exploring it.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the palace’s biggest and most important structure. This was the site of the imperial court’s grandest events, including coronations and royal birthdays. Inside the hall, the throne is guarded by two luduan (mythical beasts who can detect if a person is lying).
The Hall of Middle Harmony was a kind of backstage area where the emperor stopped to compose himself and consult with ministers before entering the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Used for state banquets and later for imperial examinations is the Hall of Preserving Harmony. Behind the hall, a 17m marble carriageway carved with dragons leads up to the entrance. The royals’ former living quarters are at the back of the palace grounds.
The emperor resided in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, until the mid-Qing dynasty when it became an audience hall in which ambassadors and other luminaries were received. The empress’s digs were in the Palace of Earthly Tranquillity.
On the western and eastern sides of the Forbidden City are an assortment of libraries, temples, theatres and gardens. Make sure you visit the Hall of Jewellery, and don’t miss the Clocks & Watches Gallery. The gallery boasts a dazzling array of timepieces, many of which were gifts to the Qing emperors from abroad. At the northern end of the Forbidden City is the Imperial Garden, a classical Chinese garden with 7000 sq metres of fine landscaping, including rockeries, walkways, pavilions and ancient – carbuncular and deformed – cypresses.
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Rocking out in Beijing – travel tips and articles – Lonely Planet
Jun 3, 2011 3:21:36 AM
David EimerLonely Planet AuthorThink of Asian rock and traditionally, it is Japanese bands that have had the biggest profile in the West. China, though, has been undergoing its own musical revolution in the last few years and Beijing has emerged as the centre of the country’s alternative rock scene. Now, a growing number of bands from the capital are challenging the notion that the Chinese are only interested in sugar-sweet Mandarin pop, or Mandopop, crooned by interchangeable Hong Kong and Taiwanese girl and boy bands.
Whether it is post-punk trios like Carsick Cars and PK 14, experimental noise bands like Lonely China Day, punk outfits like Reflector and SUBS or indie groups in the British tradition like the bizarrely-named Queen Sea Big Shark, the best of Beijing’s bands are slowly establishing reputations in the West. Singing in both Mandarin and English about everything from the pressures they face as products of the one-child system, to the joys of Chinese cigarettes, they are now on course to become one of China’s more unlikely export successes.
Far more than in the West, Beijing’s rock scene is a live one. While a few locally-based record labels have?been set up?in the last few years, including Modern Sky, Maybe Mars and Tag Team, the rampant piracy of music in China, along with no real system for collecting airplay royalties, means that most of Beijing’s bands rely on gigs to earn a living at home. For visitors to the capital, it means there is a normally a concert going on somewhere on any given night.
Venues like D-22 in the university district of Haidian are packed six days a week. Dark and dingy in the true tradition of an alternative rock club, D-22 has become the focal point of the Beijing rock scene. Opened in 2006 by an expatriate American economics professor, D-22 has gone from being a little-known addition to Beijing’s nightlife, to a place famous enough for visiting rock legends like Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page.
D-22’s success has spawned other venues, as well as giving existing ones a new lease of life. In the heart of the historic Dongcheng district, Mao Livehouse hosts both local and foreign bands, while close to the Forbidden City, What bar (72 Beichang Jie) is an intimate enough space for the audience to almost be on stage with the musicians. Further east in Chaoyang district, the rough and ready 2 Kolegas, with its graffiti-daubed walls, is a classic underground club that stages punk gigs and live jam sessions.
Music festivals too, have become an annual fixture in and around Beijing. Despite the government’s fear of large gatherings of people in one place, the most popular festivals, like Midi and Strawberry, draw crowds of up to 10,000 people a day. While that may not match the hordes who flock to Glastonbury, it is still remarkable in a country where western-style rock music was all but unknown until about 20 years ago.
It was only when foreigners started arriving in Beijing to study and work in the 1980s that a Chinese rock scene began to emerge. As tapes of western bands circulated, especially among the capital’s students, the first local groups like Black Panther and Tang Dynasty got together. By the mid-80’s, Cui Jian, the godfather of Chinese rock, had penned his best-known song Nothing To My Name, which became the unofficial anthem of the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in 1989.
Few of today’s bands sing directly about politics. Instead, their lyrics are more concerned with everyday life. And with most struggling to achieve true commercial success, the Beijing rock scene remains less competitive than its western counterparts. Members of different groups collaborate on side projects and share rehearsal spaces. Above all, there is no real distance between the musicians and the fans. Turn up to a gig and you are likely to find the band mingling at the bar after they have played. You do not need a backstage pass in Beijing; just a willingness to listen.
Lonely Planet’s 12th edition China guide is out now. With pull-out maps for Beijing and Hong Kong and a special Great Wall feature we think it’s our best yet! -
The Great Wall of China – travel tips and articles – Lonely Planet
Jun 15, 2009 7:14:57 AM
Emily K WolmanLonely Planet AuthorNo matter what you think it’ll be like the Great Wall will still blow you away. You can’t prepare yourself for the awe, but you can prepare for experiencing this ultimate historical hotspot. Here’s how: When to visit
The best departure point for main sections is Beijing.Go early morning or late afternoon to avoid crowds and have great light for photos.Avoid weekends, especially in summer.Places to visit the wall Badaling
The most touristed section of the Great Wall. Lots of hawkers.While not as ‘pristine’ as other parts, it’s best for older travelers, families with small children, those who don’t love sheer drops and those short on time.Leave Beijing early and do it as a half-day trip.If you take the Tourism Bus (tel 8353 1111) – direct to and from, but no guided tour attached – you’ll have about two hours to visit.This is often coupled with a visit to the Ming Tombs, making a full-day trip.Simatai
One o f the wall’s steepest and most beautiful points.Best for fit folks with sturdy, good-grip shoes and a penchant for stunning views – and the requisite steep climbs.Bring a day pack (you need your arms free for the climb).Drinks are very pricey and food is scarce, so bring your own.Unless you really want a souvenir, avoid eye contact with the aggressive vendors.Jinshanling
Remains relatively undeveloped.It’s the starting point of a 10km steep, stony hike to Simatai. Arriving at Simatai, you may have to buy another ticket.You can do the walk in the opposite direction, but getting a ride back to Beijing from Simatai is easier than from Jinshanling. Make arrangements with your driver to pick you up.Tours
When choosing a tour, check that the tour goes to where you want. If you don’t want to go to the Ming Tombs, don’t pick a tour that combines Badaling with the Ming Tombs.Some tours make detours to jade factories, gem exhibition halls and Chinese medicine centres (where tourists are diagnosed with bogus ailments that can be cured only with high-priced Chinese remedies, supplied there and then). When booking a tour, check that such scams and unnecessary diversions are not on the itinerary.If you want to spend some significant time at the wall our recommended partners have three or ten day hikes.
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Are you fluent in Chinglish? – travel tips and articles – Lonely Planet
Sep 21, 2009 5:08:48 AM
Wherever you glance in China, you enter the through-the-mirror world of Chinglish. You may at first be confused by a sign that says ‘Be Seated Defecate’, but it’s just a way of saying that the loo you’re about to use isn’t a squat version. ‘Deformed Man Toilet’ may sound like something from the David Lynch cutting- room floor, but it’s merely a toilet for the disabled.
‘The green grass is afraid of your foot’ is simply a cryptic way of saying ‘Keep off the Grass’. Upstanding Shànghǎi speakers of Chinglish are regularly reminded: ‘Don’t expectoration everywhere. Don’t attaint public property. Don’t destroy virescence. Don’t random through street. Don’t say four-letter word.’ Welcome to the compelling world of Chinglish.
A shop sign advertises itself as ‘OC SLOOT YTUAEB & GNISSERDRIAH’, which at first glance resembles some kind of outlandish code. Reading from right to left exposes the true gist, although the lettering is not mirror-writing; each letter faces the right way, but in a reverse sequence.
It’s all part of a growing linguistic empire, and with a potential 1.3 billion speakers, it’s a force to be reckoned with. It won’t be long before you have a small armoury of Chinglish phrases of your own. Before you know it, you’ll know without thinking that ‘Be Careful not to Be Stolen’ is a warning against thieves; that ‘Shoplifters Will Be Fined 10 Times’ means shoplifting is not a good idea in China; that ‘Don’t Stroke the Works’ (generally found in museums) means ‘No Touching’, and that ‘Slip Carefully’ means the floor could be wet.
Supporters of Chinglish see it as an English patois in its own right and worthy of protection. It’s easy to grow addicted to its quaint formality and back-to-front poetry. Chinglish, for very long life may you!
Rather wow the locals with some actual Mandarin? Download our Mandarin audio phrasebook from the iTunes store.
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