Where is peking

It has the special status of municipality and directly governed by central government. The literal meaning of Beijing is "Northern Capital". Furthermore, Beijing is divided into fourteen urban and suburban districts along with two rural counties.

Beijing is one of the center points of the country especially in terms of transportation; it is the junction point of numerous railways, roads and motorways along with major international airport.

It is important historically as well and it is recognized as the political, educational, and cultural center China. Specifically, it is known for its magnificent palaces, superbly designed temples, and huge stone walls and gates.

Above all, its art treasures and universities have facilitated the city as the centre of culture and art in China. Driving in Beijing can be quite complicated with seemingly perpetual traffic jams.

Public transport or taxis will get you to most of the main tourist sites and therefore renting a car is not often required at all. Short visa holders less than 3 months can get a provisional driver's license at Beijing Capital International Airport or the transportation police stations in the city within minutes.

You need to provide your passport as well as your foreign driver's license and do a small examination to confirm you don't have a physical or visual disability that affects driving. With a provisional license you can legally drive cars in China.

Ask any information desk at the airport for directions. You can find the counters of many car rental companies in the arrival hall of Terminal 2 in Beijing Capital Airport, although their English is usually not very good.

These alternate every 13 weeks. The police have a right to fine you repeatedly if you are caught on the road when you should have left your car at home. If travelling to Tianjin by car, remember they operate the same system in tandem with Beijing's road rationing schedules. On weekends no such limits apply in either cities, which may give rise to worse jams during peak travel hours. Vehicles without a licence registered in Beijing are subject to severe restrictions in the capital — most need a special permit to enter the part of town inside the 6th Ring Road, and for those which are granted this licence, it must be renewed nearly every week.

Beijing, as a railway hub, has many railway stations. If you are travelling between them, you can even choose the national railway. Sometimes the train is the best way to go to places which don't have a good bus or subway connection. However, waiting for them takes a long time. You can also take trains to many other places like Huangcun and Miyvn, but those long-distance trains may not be as convenient as buses.

You can get one from most subway stations and every Yikatong service center. Mobile Yikatong cards can also be purchased inside the Apple Wallet on iPhones, change the phone's region to China and then change it back again once you have bought the card.

You can charge the card at a subway station, a transit hub, or a service center. Another kind of the cards is called the T-Union Yikatong. Almost look like the standard ones, but they have a China T-Union symbol on it. They can only be applied in the service centers, but they are useful if you are going to some other cities in the China T-Union plan.

Those cards can be used for:. The third mainly used Yikatong card is called the suburban railway Yikatong. The only feature that differs from other ones is that it can be used on Suburban Railway Sub-Central line and line S5. The centre of the city and most important landmark is Tiananmen Square near the centre of the city, administratively in Dongcheng District. This is the world's largest public square and a must see for all visitors from abroad and from elsewhere in China.

It is also home to the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall and the Monument to the People's Martyrs and was also the site of the infamous massacre of student activists by the Peoples Liberation Army in Both are outstanding examples of contemporary architecture.

The city's many green oases are a wonderful break from walking along the never ending boulevards and narrow hutongs. Locals similarly flock to Beijing's palaces, temples and parks whenever they have time. The green areas are not only used for relaxing but also for sports, dancing, singing and general recreation. Unlike many other historical sights, the Forbidden City was relatively untouched during the cultural revolution due to the timely intervention of then-premier Zhou Enlai, who sent a battalion of his troops to guard the palace from the over-zealous Red Guards.

Other parks are scattered around Beijing. All are quite close together and worth a visit. The museums in Beijing are generally not yet up to the standard seen in cities such as Paris, Rome, New York or even Taipei. However the city contains one of the largest and most well known museums in Asia, the Palace Museum also known as the Forbidden City.

China's government is determined to change the backward perception of its museums and has invested heavily in their development. It has also made most of them not the Forbidden City free to visit. However, for some museums, tickets must be reserved three days in advance. Finally, a number of restored former residences of famous Beijingers, especially in Xicheng District , give a good insight into daily life in former times.

The contemporary art scene in Beijing is booming and a large number of artists exhibit and sell their art in galleries around the city. The galleries are concentrated in a number of art districts, including the oldest and easiest accessible, but also increasingly commercial and mainstream, Dashanzi Art District in Chaoyang District.

National Centre for the Performing Arts in Xicheng District was finalised in and finally gave Beijing a modern theatre complex covering opera, music and theatre. This is worth a visit even if you do not go to a performance. The Beijing Opera is considered the most famous of all the traditional opera performed around China.

This kind of opera is nothing like western opera with costumes, singing style, music and spectator reactions being distinctly Chinese. The plot is usually quite simple, so you might be able to understand some of what happens even if you do not understand the language.

Acrobatics shows are also worth a visit if you want to see some traditional Chinese entertainment. Drama plays have had a slow start in Beijing and are still not as widespread as you might expect for a city like Beijing, and you will most likely not be able to find many Western plays. Classical music has got a much stronger foothold in Beijing than drama plays. Beijing is a very interesting place for gourmet tours and exploration of the cultures and traditions through food.

This is a very delicious way to learn new things! Not only do you get a fantastic taste of Chinese cuisine, but you also are acquire new skills and bringing back home a piece of Chinese culture. Beijing is the main centre of higher learning in China, with Peking and Tsinghua Universities being ranked among the best in the world. They attract top students from across China and globally as well. Most of the universities are clustered in Haidian District in the northwestern part of the city, and nearly all of the universities in Beijing accept foreign students.

Most foreign students are on Chinese language programs which can last from a few weeks to a couple of years. If you have a sufficient HSK level then you can enroll in programs to study other subjects. Many technology companies have offices in Haidian. Like all of China, finding a job teaching English in Beijing is relatively easy for native speakers. In fact, if you are of European descent some employers may assume that you are already qualified enough to teach English to Chinese students.

Throughout nearly all markets in Beijing, haggling is essential. After spending some time haggling, never hesitate to threaten walking away, as this is often the quickest way to see a vendor lower his or her prices to a reasonable level. Buying in bulk or in groups may also lower the price. How high or low the vendor sets the asking price depends on the customer, the vendor, the product's popularity, and even the time of day. Vendors also tend to target visible minorities more, such as Caucasians or people of African descent.

There are a number of interesting markets around Beijing where you can find all kind of cheap stuff. As an alternative to the markets you can go to some of the shopping areas lined with shops. Visiting hotel shops and department stores is not the most characterful shopping in China, but worth a look. While generally significantly more expensive, they are less likely to sell truly low quality goods. The old style of Chinese retailing is gradually being transformed by shops with a better design sense and souvenir items are getting better each year.

Silk clothing, table settings and so on and other spots around town, are worth a look, as are porcelain, specialty tea and other traditional items. The carpet business is strong in Beijing and you will find all manner of stores selling silk carpets and other varieties.

Beijing provides an ideal opportunity to sample food from all over the country. The street showcases many excellent cuisines, the centre of a food paradise.

The end result is a mouthwatering combination of the cool crunchiness of the cucumber, the sharpness of the scallions, and the rich flavours of the duck. The two best known restaurants are Dadong or Quanjude. Unlike Sichuan hotpot, mutton hotpot features a savory, non-spicy broth.

If that's not exciting enough for you, you can also request a spicy broth one that is flaming red, filled with peppers, and not for the weak! Raw ingredients are purchased by the plate, including other types of meat and seafood, vegetables, mushrooms, noodles, and tofu, so it's also perfectly possible to have vegetarian hotpot.

A dipping sauce, usually sesame, is served as well; you can add chilis, garlic, cilantro, etc. While "raw" sounds dangerous, boiling the meat yourself is the best way to ensure that more risky meats like pork are fully cooked and free of germs.

Low-budget types may reuse the spices or cooking broth from previous guests, although it has been boiling for several hours. For those who have a sweet tooth or enjoys snacks, Beijing is a city with a lot more choices. Some of the cheapest and most delicious meals can be had on the streets. For a tourist street food experience, start at Wangfujing has a "snack street" selling such mundane fare like lamb, chicken, and beef as well as multiple styles of noodle dishes, such as Sichuan style rice noodles, but the brave can also sample silkworm, scorpion, and various organs all skewered on a stick and grilled to order.

This delicious pancake is cooked with an egg on a griddle, a fried dough crisp is added, and the whole thing is drizzled in scallions and a savory sauce. Hot sauce is optional. Diehard fans often go on a quest for the best cart in the city. You can also find variations with oranges, grapes, strawberries, and bananas, or dipped in crumbled peanuts as well as sugar.

This sweet snack can also sometimes be found in the spring and the summer, but the haw berries are often from last season's crop. Beijing is not known for vegetarian fare. There are some good restaurants in the trendier parts of town in Dongcheng District and Chaoyang District. Tea , tea, and more tea! Some shops are in malls and others are stand-alone establishments.

Whatever their location, always ask the price before ordering or else brace yourself for the most expensive egg-sized cup of tea in the world. You can experience different styles of tea ceremonies and tea tastings at tea houses especially in the Qianmen area south of Tiananmen Square. These can range widely in quality and price. Some tea houses are really tourist traps whose main goal is to milk you of your money See warning box. You can get a free tea demonstration at most Tenrenfu tea houses which are located throughout the city and at some malls.

After an afternoon in such shops the remaining tea is yours to take home. Once tea is ordered, the table is yours for as long as you like. As a tea-loving country and grower of much of the world's tea, coffee is not as easy to find but a taste for it—along with more expats dotted throughout Beijing—has seen more emerging middle class and students drinking it. For example, the city alone has 50 Starbucks locations.

Most are situated around shopping malls and in commercial districts of the city. Other international chains such as Costa Coffee, Pacific Coffee and so on also have locations around Beijing. Coffee of varying qualities is also available in the ubiquitous Taiwanese style coffee shops such as Shangdao Coffee. These are usually located on the second floor of buildings and oftentimes offer Blue Mountain Styled Coffee, making places like restaurants seem a real bargain.

Most coffee shops will offer wireless. Baristas in non-chain coffee shops may not be educated on how to make generally accepted espresso drinks, like lattes and cappuccinos.

Espressos of Kaffa Cafe, a local coffee enterprise and coffee technical developing organization, usually taste better and are more consistent. Chinese beer can be quite good. Beer mostly comes in large bottles and has 3. Great Wall is the most popular local brand of grape wine.

Wine made in China does not have a great reputation, though this is changing. Giving wine as a gift is not a common custom in most places in China and most people will not be accustomed to wine etiquette or appreciation white wine is often mixed with Sprite.

Imported red wines are usually of a better quality and can be found in big supermarkets, import good stores, and some restaurants. The local Erguotou is sold in gallon containers, often on the same shelf as water and with a similar price-range and indistinguishable colour. Care must be made not to confuse the two. Due to its mild taste, Wuliangye might be a better option for first time baijiu drinker.

A large selection of imported liquor can be found at most bars and big supermarkets. One should better buy expensive liquor both domestic and imported from big supermarkets in order to avoid fake ones.

Most of Beijing's bars are located in one of the bar clusters around the city. In the beginning there was only one was Sanlitun, but many areas have emerged. Foreign visitors were once restricted to staying in high-priced official hotels. Tour groups tend to use these hotels but do so at rates far below those published. In general, restrictions on where foreigners can stay have become less and less frequently enforced.

Hostels and western-style travel hotels are almost universally open to foreign guests. However, for those determined to get a bargain, you may be able to get a room if you speak Chinese. Many of the hostels are located in Dongcheng District and Xuanwu District. There are a large number of three and four star mid-range hotels throughout the city and in all districts. Some 'expensive' hotels are in the city centre, especially in Dongcheng District , and on the eastern 3rd Ring Road in Chaoyang District , however by Western standards these hotels are still relatively cheap.

In the outlying areas, especially out by the Great Wall , are some country club type resorts as well as some unique, one-of-a-kind, hotels. For longer term accommodation, be prepared to splurge as Beijing's real estate prices are among the highest in the world; even higher than those in many major Western cities. Despite its size, Beijing is a very safe city, and violent crime is extremely rare; it is generally safe for women to roam the streets alone at night.

It is not uncommon to have heavy police presence in city-centre, probably having a handful of police officers stationed per each junctions, while there may be less in rural areas. However, tourists are often preyed upon by cheats and touts, who attempt to pull a number of scams on tourists.

Be especially cautious in the inner city, around Tiananmen Square, and on the tourist-crowded routes to the Great Wall. Petty crime is also relatively common, so you should beware of pickpockets in crowded areas and avoid leaving your belongings unattended. On the other hand, fears of scams have led many travelers to be overly dismissive of Chinese people who approach them. Many Chinese are tourists in their capital for the first time as well and they are genuinely curious about foreigners and may just want to practice their English and get a picture with you.

Being asked to have your picture taken is very common and there are no known scams associated with this. Be friendly but don't feel pressured to go somewhere you hadn't planned on going in the first place. If you are outside the tourist areas then your chances of being scammed drop dramatically.

Chinese people are very friendly to travellers and expats in general; seeing through a scam requires the same common sense as travelling anywhere in the world. Beijing scams are not particularly innovative or brutal in world-wide comparison, and as long as you keep your wallet out of sight , you can always walk away without fear of violence or theft.

That said, there are some common scams to be aware of. Traffic can be crazy in Beijing, and reckless driving is fairly normal. People honk all the time. Honking is not usually considered rude. It is simply another way to indicate that the driver is there.

Be prepared for drivers to violate traffic laws even to the extent of going in reverse on highways to back up to a missed exit or driving on a sidewalk. Also expect occasional road debris a piece of wood or torn out tire to be laying in the roadway. Pedestrians should be very careful crossing the street: People will generally stop for you, but they will honk.

Keep an eye on the locals and cross with them — there is strength in numbers. Cars don't need to stop at a red light when they are turning right.

Although the traffic law gives the first priority to pedestrians, not every driver obeys the rule. Tap water in Beijing is generally not safe for drinking. Locals always boil the tap water before they drink it, and you should too. Hygiene for cooked food is generally not an issue. Chinese people place a lot of emphasis on the freshness of their food, so any food you eat is usually cooked to order. However, be wary if you plan to eat cold or raw dishes. A white surgical face mask may help with the occasional dust storms, but a simple fabric or paper mask will not protect you against smaller airborne particles.

Most smog or haze outbreaks are made up of fine particles that are 2. Air pollution and smog has traditionally been a big problem in Beijing like any other big city in China. Coal burning and industrial emissions in the surrounding region makes for very unhealthy air. The air quality in winter is notoriously the worst but since management of air quality has vastly improved air quality during the winter, but a haze of hazardous air can strike at any time.

The worst months for average air quality in were from January to March. It's a good idea to check the air-quality readings online first thing every morning.

Hazardous air may continue for several days before precipitation or a gust of wind clears the air. Readings of air quality updated by the hour for Beijing and other Chinese cities can be found at aqicn. If it is "unhealthy" or "hazardous", consider cutting back on your activities if they are likely to involve a lot of walking outside, in favor of visits to museums or shops.

There are many hospitals in Beijing, but the public hospitals that most locals visit are generally not up to the standard that foreigners from Western countries are used to. In addition, it is unlikely that any of the doctors or nurses would be able to communicate in English. Ambulance services are unreliable, and in the event of an emergency, taking a taxi is usually much quicker.

There are several private hospitals in Beijing that are set up specifically to cater to expatriates, the most well known and expensive one being Beijing United Family Healthcare. The doctors and nurses at these hospitals are able to speak English, and the standard of care is usually on par with the West and far superior to what the local Chinese have to put up with.

However, they are generally very expensive if you are not covered by insurance. Go to US Embassy's medical facilities listing for a complete list.

To overcome these restriction travelers use VPN services that unblock these favorite websites. Also, PureVPN is cheap and works on many devices and it also a wide range of vpn servers. Most of the hotels and hostels have Wi-Fi services, but most of those Wi-Fi connections are weak and unstable.

If you cannot live without the internet. Choose a place which has a proper Wi-Fi facility through Airbnb. Laundry is very expensive to be done in Beijing, both at the hotels and at laundry service shops since they both charge by piece. 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.

It's especially convenient if you're going to the Summer Palace as it's a nice stop along the way. There is also a laundry delivery service called Laundry Town. Beijing is a huge city with several district articles that contain information about specific sights, restaurants, and accommodation.

This is the most important tourist district of Beijing. Chongwen , the southern third of Dongcheng, including the Temple of Heaven.

The former Xuanwu District now forms the southern third of Xicheng. About half of Haidian district is made up of the Zhongguancun high technology industry and business cluster and Beijing's major concentration of universities. Includes the Summer Palace. Includes Beijing West Railway Station. Northern outer suburbs Both districts are on the outer ring of suburbs but Shunyi is well integrated commuter suburb while Changping is a satellite location to the center.

Rural Beijing The distant districts to the north of Beijing. COVID information: Effective March 11, international passengers arriving at Beijing, except transit passengers, will be quarantined outside of Beijing for 14 days; the cost of quarantine will be paid by the traveller. Information last updated 11 Mar This is a huge city article , so detailed listings go in the district articles.

This section should only be a brief overview. This city travel guide to Beijing is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page. Namespaces Page Discussion. Views Read Edit View history. Main page Travel destinations Star articles What's Nearby? Tourist office Random page.

Western and southern outer suburbs Large districts that include both extensions of the urban center and mountainous rural areas. Mentougou District , mountainous western district with many well preserved traditional villages including Cuandixia Fangshan District , caves, mountains and water sports Daxing District , a new business center and the city's second major airport. Average max. Humidity is low except during the summer. Imperial conversion J.

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