People watching - Tai Chi
by clairegeordio
This is a fond memory of my trip to Beijing: people (mainly elderly) in Tiantan park/Temple of Heaven complex practising Tai Chi, walking backwards, playing ball games, exercising, singing, waltzing. It was just a different way of life to what we experience in the UK and it made a refreshing change to see people so full or energy and life.
Beijing Tip
by london.gal
The Summer Palace and Kunming Lake - again. There are so many great pages on Beijing here that I would like to recommend: Krystynn's Beijing page and eva_oberg's Beijing page. They are excellent. You can find out all you want to know about the Summer Palace from them.
Focus on Guide Books
by mke1963
Cheap outdoor gear can be bought in many good shops (and on the markets) in Beijing. Cold and cough medicine Other than ASA100, 200 and 400 print film, you will need to go to a specialist shop (there are many in Beijing for 35mm slide and B&W film, and 220 films) The Beijing and China Lonely Planet guides are not particularly good, except for background information.
The China Rough Guide is marginally better.
The Blue Guide to China is very good on mainstream temples, buildings, architecture and historical overviews.
"Beijing: New and Old" published in China by the new World Press is VERY good on the sites (although now dated), and has maps (Shock! Horror!).
There are no other useful English-language guidebooks published in China. (Trust me on this). Plenty of picture souvenir books, most of which have simply appalling colour reproduction and the photos are generally dreadful anyway.
Learning mandrin !
by Sally_chen
I am not sure if it's the right place to post these sites.
I see some post requiring infm about Chinese course in Beijing.
These are the sites I got from a local magazine , hope you can find somthing usuful for your language study!
NLI -BEIJING LANGUAGE INSTITUTE
email:BLISchool@hotmail.com
Berlitz
www.berlize.com
The bridge School
www.bridgeschoolchina.com
The Mandrin School
email: schoolmandrin@yahoo.com.cn
Yanshi Language Taining Centre
Tel: 84487404
Location: 5th floor, Yaxing Mansion, 46 Liangmaqiaolu, Chao Yang
The rich ones
by anders1975 about Babyface
This is a hip club, a cool place to hang out and see the wealthy Chinese. This two storey nightclub has private rooms for hire and two open sections with dancefloors. One with loud music and one more relaxed where it's possible to talk...
You order your drink from a member of staff, who collects the money, goes to the cashier and then to the barmen. A gin and tonic will cost you 40 RMB.
Open till 5am. Casual will do. Many fashion-oriented Chinese dress up.