Haidian Travel Guide

If you have any interest in Chinese history and ceramics then this is a must see destination in the Haidian district.
It shows not only relics from the Beijing area but also significant finds from all over China that were fieldwork projects conducted by one of China's best collegiate archaeological departments.
Art on display include bronzes, jades, pottery, and other artifacts dating back to each of China's dynasties and presented in chronological order.
The building might look old but it was actually constructed around 1990 using a Ming dynasty design to blend in with other traditional architecture on campus.

There are actually two west gate entrances to Peking University; one exclusively for automobiles and motorcycles and the other for pedestrians and bicycles.
The pedestrian entrance leads to the Sackler Museum on the left after you cross the bridge shown in my photo. Continue walking east behind the Sackler Museum to reach "The Lake with No Name Yet" (Wei Ming Hu).
If you walk right after crossing this bridge you will come to the Peking University museum and from there you can cross a small bridge and continue south to the foreign student dormitories (Shao Yuan) where good cheap meals can be had at the cafeteria behind the main building.

There are bookshops for each and every special interest, and you'll also find an excellent selection of Chinese language travel books. There is a very large Foreign Language Bookshop here for those hunting for dictionaries or books in English about China.
To reach the Peking University gift shops, use the southwest corner gate and proceed northeast while asking students along the way. It is not far and the best bargains (and selection) on campus are found here. Avoid buying T-shirts at the gift shop in the Peking University museum near the west gate.

What to buy: books, computer accessories, long distance phone cards, and Peking University T-shirts

What to pay: Books are usually not expensive and quality Peking University T-shirts can be found for 30 RMB or less.

Favorite thing: Here's a money saving tip for people who want to know where to get laundry done in Beijing. You're back from the Silk Road, or perhaps you just got off the Trans-Siberian railway. You're toting a week's load of dirty laundry and need a place that charges by weight just like they do in Hong Kong.
Good luck! Your hotel will be happy to do it for you, at a price equivalent to what you would likely pay if you threw it all in the garbage and bought an entire new wardrobe at the local department store.
If you take it to most laundry shops in Beijing they'll also charge you for each article of clothing, just like your hotel, using the same outrageous fee.
What if you could get the same drop-off laundry service that exists in civilized Hong Kong, where they all charge by weight, but for a fraction of the former British colony's price?

Fondest memory: Many Chinese folks in Beijing will tell you that such service does not exist in China and that foreigners should either pay the high prices or wash it themselves by hand.
That's simply a bunch of BAMBOO SHOOTS (Chinese B.S.) as the real answer to your problem is located at the southwest corner of Peking University.
It's called "Jing Quan" and it's a new chain of successful campus laundromats. You don't have to be a student at Beijing University to use their drop-off service. Simply give them your bag of dirty clothes before 10:30 and for only 10 yuan you can pick them up washed, dried and folded same day from 19:00 - 21:00. Isn't that wonderful? They do a great job and are very reliable. It is located next to several dormitories in the southwest corner of Peking University. Simply enter the campus at the southwest gate and then walk east in a straight line. Friendly Peking University students you'll encounter while holding your sack of laundry will be glad to point you in the right direction to Jing Quan; it's about a 5 minute pleasant stroll away from the southwest gate.
You'll save a lot of money by letting Jing Quan's professional staff do your laundry for you. It's especially convenient if you're going to the Summer Palace as it's a nice stop along the way.