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Living in Beijing Guide - Dulwich College Beijing PDF

27 Pages·2013·1.13 MB·English
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LIVING IN BEIJING CONTENTS This book is not intended to be a comprehensive guide, but should be enough to get started. NOTE: contents are correct at time of writing (autumn 2013) USEFUL CONTACTS College Information 3-4 Other Useful Contacts 5 LIVING IN BEIJING R e s o u rces 6 Transport 7 Communication 8-9 Travel and Activities 10-12 Especially for the Kids 12-15 Shopping, Eating Out and Entertainment 15-17 LANGUAGE A B r ie f G u i de to Speaking Chinese 18 Basic Phrases, Shopping 19 Numbers, Date, Time 20-22 Getting Around 23 Giving Your Address USEFUL LOCATIONS T o u r i s t S i g h t s & Popular 23-24 Areas Around School Campus 25 Local Area: Shops/Restaurants 25-27 MAP OF LOCAL AREA 2 USEFUL CONTACTS COLLEGE INFORMATION Dulwich College Beijing 北京德威英国国际学校 Pinyin: Beijing Dewei Yinguo Guoji Xuexiao CAMPUS ADDRESSES Legend Garden Campus Reception (+86 10) 6454 9000 Legend Garden Vilas (Gate 7), 顺义区, 首都机场路 89号 , 丽京花 89 Capital Airport Road 园 Shunyi District, Beijing 101300 Riviera Campus Reception (+86 10) 8450 7676 1 Xiang Jiang Bei Lu, Jing Shun Lu 朝阳区, 京顺路香江北路 1号,香江 Chaoyang District, Beijing 100103 花园 Who should you contact at the school? Please view our website for guidance of who to contact regarding your child’s education and well being or any concerns you may have. All emails for Dulwich College Beijing staff members are generic: OTHER USEFUL CONTACTS MEDICAL EMERGENCY SOS Alarm Centre +86-10-6462 9100 (24 hour) Kunsha Building, No.16 Xinyuanli 北京市朝阳区新源里 16号琨莎中心 Beijing United Family Hospital +86-10-5927 7120 (24 hour) 2 Jiangtai Lu, Lido 北京市朝阳区将台路 2号 LOCAL EMERGENCY NUMBERS Police 110 Vehicle Accident 122 Fire 119 Ambulance 120 or 999 EMBASSIES & OTHER GREAT NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES Upon your arrival to China, it is recommended that you contact your embassy and register as a resident of China. There are so many ways you can start getting busy with your new life in Beijing. The following organisations offer a great opportunity to obtain information about Beijing and meet new friends. These organisations are open to all foreign passport holders. Your embassy may be able to help you find similar organisations for your own country, however, the following organisations have an international membership. • Friends of Dulwich – this is Dulwich College’s parent run organisation. • INN – International Newcomers Network – www.innbeijing.org Monthly meetings and informal coffee mornings • British Club – www.britishclubbj.org Meetings every alternate Tuesday, interesting guest speakers • ANZA – www.anzabeijing.com The Australian/NZ Association – very active, good charity events 4 LIVING IN BEIJING RESOURCES The following information gives you a brief introduction to life in Beijing. There are a huge number of resources available for expats to help navigate Beijing life. There’s also a Handy Guide Google map here: http://tiny.cc/o492e FREE LISTINGS MAGAZINES • The Beijinger: monthly print publication also online at: www.thebeijinger.com/. Also publishes a children’s magazine, Beijing Kids www.beijing-kids.com • City Weekend: fortnightly, also online at www.cityweekend.com.cn/beijing/. • Time Out Beijing: monthly, also online at www.timeoutcn.com/Magazine/Digitaledtion/Default.html. BOOKS Aside from the usual Lonely Planet/Rough Guide books, have a look at the phrasebooks, food guides and taxi books. For sale in branches of Jenny Wang’s and April Gourmet, or try The Bookworm in Sanlitun. WEBSITES • www.mobilenative.com a handy searchable site providing shop and restaurant listings across Beijing. Provides a map and English/Chinese address, and reviews. SMS service available on 13466660777. • www.xianzai.com provides email updates on offers and events. IPHONE APPS (buy from the iTunes Music Store) • Beijing Taxi Guide (£5.99) – extensive listings, with addresses in Chinese • Beijing Genius Map (59p) – offline map • Explore Beijing Subway map (£1.19) • Pleco Chinese Dictionary (free, but pay-for add-ons) • DianHua dictionary (free) TRANSPORT 5 Taxis are cheap and abundant in Beijing, starting at 10 RMB (11 RMB at night), then 2 RMB per km (3 RMB per km over 15km). There is a 2 RMB surcharge (add it on at the end when you pay) for journeys over 3km to allow for rising fuel prices. Most drivers do not speak English and driving can be erratic. Be aware that many taxis still do not have seatbelts, especially in the back, and you usually get in on the right side only. Taxis are harder to find in rush hours and in bad weather. See the language section for some useful phrases. • Download Beijing Taxi Guide app or carry a map and your destination written in Chinese characters: taxi books and business cards (called ‘míngpiàn’) are helpful. • Some drivers are nervous of foreigners and might refuse a fare. Learning some Chinese, and sounding confident, usually helps. • Drivers usually know road names and big tourist sites - learn the former and find out if any of the latter are near your destination. • Using an expressway incurs a toll for outbound traffic from the city centre - normally the driver will pay but you should add it on to the final bill (5 or 10 RMB for journeys within Beijing). • To order a taxi, call 96103, then dial 8 for English. The service costs 3 RMB extra (paid to the driver), and at busy times you should order in advance. • Driving restrictions are in place. Cars are not allowed on the road th inside the 5 Ring Road one day per week, as per your plate number. OTHER OPTIONS SUBWAY: The subway system is being constantly extended across the city and is cheap (2 RMB). See www.explorebj.com/subway BUSES: Buses are extensive and cheap (1-2 RMB) but can get busy. Bus stop information is usually only displayed in Chinese, but this site may help: www.bjbus.com/home/map_section.php?uPageType=5. DRIVING: To drive a car you will need to get a Chinese driving licence. The test includes an eyesight test and a written exam which you must get 90% correct. Try Expat Cars (www.expatcar.com), Beijing Car Solutions (www.bjcarsolution.com) or Star Auto Club www.stautoclub.com.cn for help with cars, licences and insurance. You can hire private drivers, perhaps ask around for recommendations. WALKING/CYCLING: Beijing is not a very pedestrian-friendly city, but there are some areas that are easy and pleasant to walk around. Be 6 aware that vehicles rarely stop at zebra crossings, and can turn right at junctions even on a pedestrian green light. Bicycles are readily available and there are many cycle lanes (though these are often used by drivers). COMMUNICATION TELEPHONE IP Cards offer cheap international calls and can be purchased from newsstands, mobile phone shops and some markets. You should be able to get them for less than the face value. Note: recommend 08448619090 for cheap UK-to-China calls, or try Planet Numbers online. Mobile phone handsets and SIM cards are readily available. There are two providers, China Mobile and China Unicom (the latter has better coverage at Legend Campuses). Pay-as-you-go SIM cards are the easiest option, with top-up cards available in many shops (including the Friends Shop in Legend Garden and branches of Jenny Wang’s). If you want a contract telephone you will have to pay in person, each month, at the provider’s shop where you bought the SIM. For more information go to www.mobilenative.com/chinamobile.php INTERNET Home internet access is easily arranged through your landlord or management company. Wireless access is readily available in Beijing in many restaurants and cafes, and is usualy free of charge. www.mobilenat ive.com has a ‘search for venues with wifi’ function. Skype is free software which allows you to have free computer-to- computer calls. For a charge you can make calls to landlines or mobiles. The Skype App for IPhones is also available. See www.skype.com/intl/en for more information. 7 POST Incoming mail can be unreliable. Documents and letters are usually fine packages can be problematic and may be opened by Customs. Sending a letter internationally costs around 5-7 RMB per letter. The following Post Offices have English-speaking staff: • Jianguomenwai Dajie Yabao Lu, Dongcheng District. (tel 6512 8114) (北京国际邮电局,东城区 建国门外大街 雅宝路). Main international office. • Inside the shopping complex at Lido Metropark hotel (丽都假日饭店 Lido fàndiàn, pron. lee-do fan-dee-en). • Gongti Beilu, Sanlitun, opposite the Worker’s Stadium North Gate. You can also use DHL, Fedex and UPS to send items - see their websites for details. Sending documents to the UK is around 200RMB. TRAVEL & ACTIVITIES TRAVEL Aside from making bookings directly with airlines/ hotels, you may find the following resources useful. The Excursion Guide (details Page 6) has ideas for short trips around Beijing, whilst the free magazines also provide listings on travel and tours. There are many travel services in Beijing which can book transport etc. for you. This is particularly useful for booking train tickets which can be time-consuming to buy yourself. • Ctrip: Payment in cash or credit card (faxed copies of the credit card wil be required). Tickets can be delivered. www.ctrip.com • Elong: Payment details as above. Offices in Lido. www.elong.net • BJS Travel has offices in Pinnacle Plaza and inside Jenny Wang’s at Chaoyang Park West Gate. Email Great Wall: Accessible from Beijing are the following sites: Badaling: Approximately one hours drives from Beijing, but being the closet site to Beijing also means it is the busiest and most popular with tourists. Mutianyu: Approximately 1.5 hrs, still popular but not as busy. Take the option of a cable car up, walk along the Wall for approximately 40 minutes and toboggan down. Would recommend this site for children and others who are less able. The Schoolhouse restaurant is nearby for good rewarding lunches (Call ahead at the weekends)! Jinshanling and Simitai: further away, not all renovated, good 3-4 hour hike. At time of printing was being maintained, so check in advance that this site has re-opened. Lesser known sites: Ming Dynasty Walls, Old Summer Palace, Longqing Gorge (near Badaling Great Wall), Fragrant Hills, Botanic Gardens, Yonghegong (Lama Temple), Bell and Drum Towers (Gulou/ Zhonglou), Legation Quarter, Wangfujing Snack Street (try some scorpion or seahorses on sticks!), Panjiayuan Market (antiques market, also known as the ‘dirt’ market) and Confucius Temple. Parks: Jingshan Park (great view over Forbidden City), Beihai Park (boating), Ritan Park, Chaoyang Park (sports and activities), Ditan Park rd Architecture: Olympic Park, CCTV Building (East 3 Ring Road), National Centre for the Performing Arts (‘the Egg’) Culture: 798 art district and Caochangdi art district (both Lido), China Art Museum, City Planning Museum, Acrobatics shows (try Chaoyang Theatre) ‘Old Beijing’: hutongs (traditional alleys/streets) around Houhai/Gulou and the Forbidden City, Liulichang Culture Street (SW of Tiananmen) ACTIVITIES Beijing has a huge number of sports clubs, cultural and national groups, alumni organisations and other interest groups. Check the free magazines for full listings, or try the following companies. • China Culture Center www.chinaculturecenter.org Offers tours, classes and courses. • The Hutong www.the-hutong.com or phone 8915 3613. Offers classes and courses in a traditional setting. • Beijing Hikers www.beijinghikers.com or phone 5137 4906. Organises 9 hikes of varying difficulty around Beijing. • Yin Yang Center www.yinyangbeijing.com Courses and classes. OUR STAFF RECOMMEND… Manicures, pedicures and massages are cheap and abundant. Treat yourself! Sunday brunches are a Beijing fixture. From all-you-can-eat-and-drink champagne extravaganzas (The Westin is a staff favourite or Sureno at The Opposite House), to tasty fry-ups (try The Vineyard). Check magazine listings for the dedicated brunch section. Outdoor eating and drinking can be great on summer evenings. Sanlitun has a number of restaurants/bars with outside space (Migas, Blue Frog, Flamme, Element Fresh, Fez, Kokomo, The Saddle, Bar Blu) plus try The Pavilion (West Worker’s Stadium), Xiu Bar (CBD Park Hyatt hotel), Parkside Bar (Lido), Q Bar (Sanlitun Nanlu). Wandering in the parks at the weekend is a popular Beijing pastime. Beijingers love parks and you’ll see ballroom dancers, singers, accordion players, calligraphers, games of table tennis, mahjong and more. The exercise parks, similar to outdoor gyms are fun and busy. Temple of Heaven park very early on a Sunday morning is unbeatable. 798 – Art Zone – wander around the many galleries show-casing Chinese Contemporary Art and enjoy a coffee or lunch break at one of the many cafes. ESPECIALLY FOR THE KIDS A very useful website when you arrive in Beijing and have children to think about is www.beijing-kids.com Beijing Kids is a monthly publication (you can often pick up a copy in bookstores, housing compound clubhouses, and many expat haunts) with parallel website aimed at expat families in Beijing. Their website directory (and back pages of print publication) is full of places to go, places to eat, shopping guides etc. Here are a few things to get you started. SHOPPING LeYou Level B1 Europlaza, 99 Yuxiang Lu, Tianzhu Zhen, Shunyi District 顺义区天竺镇裕翔路 99号欧陆广场 5层 10

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