Ten years in Beijing

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

...Introduction I've read through most of the reviews on Beijing, but having lived in Beijing for ten years, first as a student, then working, I wanted to give a more personal and in-depth view. I hope that this will help to guide anyone that is planning to visit Beijing in the near future. If you are planning to go, then the first thing that you should do is buy a copy of the Lonely Planet Guide to China - I think there is even one that concentrates on Beijing - this provides invaluable information on places to viist, how to get around the city and has a language guide for emergencies. Getting there A number of airlines fly to Beijing. I recommend Air China, which is cheap, clean and direct. BA is frankly over-priced and Virgin Atlantic flies only to Shanghai. Shop around, prices can vary enormously from travel agent to travel agent...

sunmeilan 30.09.2005 · Read review
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Review of China - beijing

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
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Review of China - beijing

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
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Review of Beijing Airport, China (NAY)

Waving at Astronaughts

Advantages: Waving
Disadvantages: Driving

...Beijing Walking to the gate in Heathrow?s shiny new Terminal 5, I decided to test out the rumour that all airline staff get emotional when you tell them it?s your Honeymoon, go all gooey, throw away their professional integrity and upgrade you to turn left with the celebrities and politicians grandkids when boarding the plane, not turn right with the cheap seats. It?s a lie. I asked everyone. I even ambush-questioned the pilot of our BA flight. Face to face as he walked past me in the departure lounge. Apparently approaching pilots isn?t fashionable these days, and although somewhat startled, he still said no. 9 ½ hours in Economy it was then, and more comfortable than a police cell at least. Our destination was Beijing, the first stop on a tour of China that would last 10 days, taking in Beijing, Xi?an, Shanghai...

Muffin_the_Mule 29.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of China - beijing

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
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Review of Hutongs, Beijing

A fantastic place to visit

Advantages: interesting, famous and exciting
Disadvantages: lots of poverty, toilets, dirty.

...a visit to your GP's to get various vaccinations such as typhoid. You may want to take anti-malaria tablets. And it's very wise to take anti-bug spray to stop you getting bitten, I only got a bite once. Remember you need a visa! We arranged this in Macau but in Britain, go to the embassy in London. Be wary of using public restrooms-stick to one's in the posher hotels. Saying that, the ones in the airport were clean and nice. At the Forbidden City, Great Wall and Ming Tombs there were mostly squats(holes in the ground) but a few actual proper toilets so don't worry too much! The shopping place also had 'normal' Westernised restrooms. Throughout my whole time in Beijing and China I never had to use a whole in the ground thank goodness!!! As is the culture there, people don't seem inhibated when it comes to going to the loo and often leave...

Katieshaz 26.03.2004 · Read review
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Review of China - beijing

Beijing Airport - a nice place to depart or arrive

Advantages: clean, lots of space, convenient, easy, quick
Disadvantages: airport tax for some

...The Beijing airport is probably just as good as many new airports in developed countries. I have lived in Beijing for three and a half years and this new airport is a great improvement to the old one. This airport has a very big feel to it. The ceilings are very high making it feel less crowded than it may be and its extremely clean. The light colours are probably what make it look so clean. There are escalators for those who can't be bothered with stairs and there are conveyor belts on the straight walkways for those who are to lazy or tired to walk. It is a very convenient airport as there are lots of signs around to help direct you in the right direction. What is so great about it being so spacey is that on arrival or when departing you don't have to creep through narrow halls packed with people that you bump into or who bump...

ozcr 19.08.2001 · Read review
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Review of Beijing Airport, China (NAY)

Beijing - one word - amazing

Advantages: Lots to see
Disadvantages: pollution, noise on the streets, busy

...When i first flew in, i did not get what i expected. I was imagining traditional china, with old buildings everywhere. This vision, was a fools vision. You come through the gates at the airport, and are met by crowds of people trying to get to the front to meet their people. Then when you get outside you are met by pollution in the air. There is a sort of haze in the area which you cannot escape. Bearing in mind we went in Feburary, it was very cold, and we wrapped ourselves in coats and other items of clothing. We were met by a coach which took our bags to the hotel for us, whilst we (tired from an overnight flight) were taken off to Tianneman Square. It takes about an hour from the airport to get to Beijing and on this journey you can see, it start to appear through the haze. The roads scared me at first, there were so many of them...

Goldilocks95 07.02.2005 · Read review
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Review of China - 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
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Review of Red Lantern House, 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
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Review of Hotel Kunlun, Beijing