Hutongs of Beijing

Advantages: Beautiful buildings and a look at life for many ordinary citizens of Beijing
Disadvantages: Can be busy and cramped

...A hutong is an ancient alleyway or lane found in Beijing which can date back as far as the Yuan dynasty of China in the 13th century. The crisscrossing alleys can now offer a glimpse of another part of this ancient city that is quite different to the major attractions such as the Summer Palace or the Forbidden City. The tiny, twisted and interconnected lanes wind through whole areas of the city of Beijing. The lanes are lined with traditional stone houses all arranged in quadrangles, so four houses around a courtyard, which are beautiful old fashioned buildings. They often involve carved pillars, window frames and doors and the open spaces of the courtyard lets in air and light to otherwise quite cramped areas-some of the lanes really are tiny with less than a metre of breadth. Most of the hutongs are still used as housing and are...

flyingllamas 07.08.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Hutongs, Beijing

A Beijing Bolthole

Advantages: Cheap, with helpful staff
Disadvantages: pricy food (compared to outside of hostel),

...I am back again, writing from the East! I write this while still at the hostel, while I wait for a train to Shanghai this evening. We checked out before 12 so effectively my experience of the place is complete. They are storing our bags and allowing us to use the communal facilities as we wait. We booked our holiday to China in November, planning to go to Chengdu to visit a school friend of mine. She told us she would scope out the local hostels for us and that there was a chance we could stay in her friends flat instead. Then the earthquake hit Sichuan, and our holiday looked like it was going to be cancelled. We decided to change our destination to Beijing instead, and my friend came to join us. She recommended the hostel that she had stayed in on her last visit and it looked nice enough online, so she booked it for us a couple...

fabulous_girl 07.06.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Red Lantern House, Beijing

A seek Peking to Beijing life

Advantages: world class attractions, Friendly people, amazing food
Disadvantages: n/a

...I arrived into Beijing by train from Mongolia via the trans Siberian express, sadly we arrived just after the Olympics had finished last summer, but the weekend we arrived was a national holiday ? therefore there was lots going on. The train station we arrived was located in the middle of the city and was swarmed with thousands of people at the exit for international arrivals similar to that of a major airport and gave our first impression of the city. However this crowded mad city impression was forgotten after we arrived at our hotel near the lama temple was soon forgotten as the hotel was very nice and this was budget accommodation, but we had one of the best rooms we had around on our trip around the world. One thing that struck me instantly was that the smog that seems to plague the city was not as bad as I thought it would be, but...

mtpatton 17.05.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of General: Beijing

Hotel Kunlun-one of the best hotels in Beijing

Advantages: convenient location, good service and delicious food.
Disadvantages: Expensive.

...If you lived in Beijing and you said you don't know Hotel Kunlun people would think you were joking. I have lived in Beijing for over 11 years and visited the hotel many times for business meetings and leisure. Personally I think it's one of the best hotels in Beijing. Location The Hotel Kunlun is situated just inside the Third Ring Road of Beijing, which is the main traffic link between the centre of Beijing and the suburbs. Its central location is convenient for visitors and guests. From Hotel Kunlun to Beijing Capital International Airport the distance is 20km, to Tiananmen Square 10 km, to Beijing railway station 8km. It is also surrounded by many embassies, such as USA, Canada, Japan, etc. It's a 10 minute drive to the British Embassy. Last but not least there are many famous and popular department stores, shopping malls...

happysh2009 28.09.2009 (08.10.2009) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of Hotel Kunlun, Beijing

No gold medal for Beijing 2008

Advantages: Good online multiplayer, excellent graphics
Disadvantages: Controls, no story line

...Satisfactory sporting games are often hard to come by, especially for those of us wanting to experience a variety of events. Luckily, Beijing 2008 just made the cut. For the first time ever, Olympics fans have gained the chance to try their hand at running, swimming, shooting, jumping and much more from the comfort of their own homes. Sounds like a dream, and the game really did have some great features, but there were also some huge disappointments. .Graphics. Excellent graphics, in my opinion, are important in any good game, and Sega certainly didn't let us down here. Whether you're mid-race in a running event or getting ready to dive into the pool, you can always depend on the stunning looks of the surroundings. Simply everything is life-like, and the athletes become real as they cross the finish line first, last or somewhere in...

CaimheKnox 03.10.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Beijing 2008 (Xbox 360)

Top 3 bar areas in Beijing

Advantages: many choices.
Disadvantages: westerlized.

...There are more than 400 bars around Beijing. Most of them are located in the northern and eastern areas of the city. The most famous areas are the top 3 listed below. 1. San li Tun & Worker's Stadium Since the first bar opened in the southern street of San li Tun in 1989 this area has developed into 9 sq.km. It was most popular and still is especially with foreigners. Around San Li Tun there are more than 70 foreign Embassies and a famous silk market(now the market moved inside and is called Ya Xiu Market). Here you can find many bars with different themes. Some are very big. Some just have a couple of tables. The bars in the southern street are more simple, quiet and popular with people who are interested in art and music. The bars in the northern street are more noisy and popular with foreigners especially single men...

happysh2009 15.10.2009 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of General: Beijing

Ten years in Beijing

Advantages: Great people, fabulous food
Disadvantages: Pollution levels high, extremes of temperature

..., and order by either pointing at dishes on other tables or use the food guide in the Lonely Planet. It will be worth it. Don't worry too much about levels of hygiene - they are no longer that bad and the worst that will happen to you is an upset stomach. If you really can't stand Chinese food, then there are many western restaurants, especially in the Sanlitun and Houhai areas. There is even a fish and chip shop run by three Chinese men with English wives. Don't tip - the service charge is included in the price. Hotels There are a number of four and five star hotels in Beijing, all at international levels and prices. If you need to book your own hotel, then the Kerry Centre Hotel, the China World, the Wangfu Hotel and the Shangrila Hotel are all excellent, although the last is rather too far away from most attractions. For those looking...

sunmeilan 30.09.2005 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of China - beijing

Beijing 2008 Go For Gold!

Advantages: Loads of Games, Great Graphics, Good Sound
Disadvantages: Cheats on Xbox Live, Cuts your hand in running!

...Hi this is going to be a review on the game Beijing Olympics 2008 for the Xbox 360 Lets get on with it! Well this game is amazing there is loads of different games (38 over 10 sports) which makes it last for ever. I will talk a bit about a few of the games now 100 Metres in this game you have to use the left right thumb stick or rapidly press A and B like most of the running games there is one problem when using the thumb stick it hurts!!! I have about 5 cuts on my hand and a few blisters they really didn't think about it when they made it them buttons! There is also 200m 400m 110 Metre Hurdles in this its just the same as the 100 Metres except there is hurdles and to jump the hurdles you have to press the LT button or left trigger. 800 Metres and 1500 Metres in this you do the same in the 100 Metres except you don...

coolguymcd 26.07.2008 (28.07.2008) · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Beijing 2008 (Xbox 360)

Beijing's airport dragon

Advantages: spacious, well organized, hospitality
Disadvantages: far away

...I have been in Beijing in April 2008 on a business trip. I spent over a year working in Beijing in 1995/1996. This was my first visit to Beijing after that and I was excited and apprehensive at the same time. During my first stay I have been at the Beijing airport very often - waiting for friends or colleagues or travelling myself. The picture which was stuck in my head was of the sea of taxi cars, yellow and red taxis, perfectly lined in a huge queue covering vast parking space in front of the airport. I never saw so many cars in one place. On my come back, as I was putting the first shaky step on the Chinese ground after the long trip, the very first thing I saw was my name written on the panel which was in the hands of a beautiful Chinese girl. After the first shock I noticed that there are few more girls with passengers' names...

JohnCheese 17.10.2008 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Review of Beijing Airport, China (NAY)

Surprised by Beijing

Advantages: Lots to see and do, the great wall, Forbidden City
Disadvantages: Pollution, not the best weather in March, people spitting everywhere

...A short summary This is a travelogue about the trip that my wife, Nikki, and I took to China (Beijing, Xi?an and Hong Kong) in the period from March 15th to March 29th 2003. We first spent 7 days in Beijing and we got to see the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace and so on. From Beijing we took an overnight train to Xi?an and our main goal there was to see the Terra-Cotta Warriors but we also got to see a few other things. And from Xi?an we flew to the city of Shenzhen and from there we took the boat to Hong Kong (HK), where we stayed for about 5 days. In HK we visited Ocean Park, Victoria Peak, the Space Museum and so on. Prelude A couple of years back we thought about going to China and as luck would have it we ended up in Florida instead :-). Well, this time around we were more determined...

gard 26.06.2003 · Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Review of China - beijing