HOME INN Map pp Rujia Kuiji Jidin
6317 3366 www.homeinns.com 61 Liang-shidian Jie, Dashilar fflti fl rJ6S 61- - d Y178-218 Q Qianmen B Most branches of this budget midrange chain are unhelpfully scattered around in marginal parts of town, but earmark this one located a short trot south of Tiananmen Square. Double rooms are small, but clean, with modern fittings and bright soft furnishings. Parallel to Qianmen Dajie, Li-angshidian Jie Grain Shop St is gritty and repellent, but that's OK if you only want somewhere to hit the...
Panjiayuan Market
Map Panjiayuan Guwan Shichang iHsiCHSITfTi r 6775 2405 Panjiayuan Qiao S 4.30am-6.30pm Sat amp Sun SGuomao,then 028 Hands down the best place to shop for arts yishu , crafts gongyi and antiques guwan in Beijing is Panjiayuan aka the Dirt or Sunday Market . The market takes place only at weekends and has everything from calligraphy, Cultural Revolution memorabilia and cigarette ad posters to Buddha heads, ceramics and Tibetan carpets. The market hosts up to 50,000 visitors a day scoping for...
Fuel Stop Drum Bell Bar p
This short walk is best undertaken after visiting Beihai Park 1 p84 . Exit the park from the north gate and cross Dianmen Xidajie SnHXfiJ to Lotus Lane 2 Ti nh Fang , which runs along a section of Qianhai Xiyan f j M S j skirting the western shore of Qianhai Lake. Take your pick from one of the waterfront restaurants or caf s - many offering alfresco seating. Keep walking north and exit Lotus Lane onto Qianhai Beiyan f j iiXt j . An optional diversion west leads to Prince Gong's Residence p99...
Bicycle
Flat as a mah jong table, widely supplied with bicycle lanes and riddled with alleys, central Beijing is ideally suited to cyclists. You will need to keep your wits about you on the main thoroughfares, however, as the exponential increase in vehicle numbers has made cycling potentially hazardous. Cycling through Beijing's often car-free hiitdng alleyways is far safer and it's an experience not to be missed see pi 18 , although pollution may have you gagging join the locals donning surgical...
Sleeping
Jiguan Guesthouse JTguan Zhaodaisuo S 0335 505 1938 17 Dongsitiao S 23 17 - d Y100-180, ste Y320 This pleasant hotel has rooms off two courtyards. The simple doubles come without bathrooms, but have clean, tiled floors and TVs. The Y180 doubles have showers. Longhua Hotel Longhua Dajiudian Igl 0335 507 7698 1 Nanhai Dajie ftyfefctrl- s d large d Y168 188 288 This hotel has spacious, so-so rooms with 20 discounts the norm. Friendly Cooperate Hotel Yihe Jiudian 0335 593 9069 fax 0335 507 0351 4...
Pla Surplus Store
3501 JunyongpTn Dian ffl m 6585 9312 23 Dongsanhuan Beilu just south of intersection with Chaoyangmenwai Dajie S 9am-5pm Guomao,then u 421 or 701 heading north The Chinese armed forces, the PLA, are the largest in the world and this is where you can pick up some of their kit. Staffed by a cheery crew of middle-aged ladies, it's a good place to find cheap but hard-wearing boots, heavy greatcoats Y125 - ubiquitous in the Chinese winter, fur hats Y42 , long johns and waterproofs. Sturdy...
Chongwen South Chaoyang
Busy with shoppers and tourists alike, these districts are packed with dining options and have places to suit all budgets. You can dine in style at any of the top-end hotels that gather along Chang'an Jie or delve into the areas around the embassy district of Jianguomen for reliably good food. Some of Beijing's most well known Peking duck restaurants can be found around the bustling Qianmen district and there are some excellent restaurants located in the catchment area of the Forbidden City and...
China Millennium Monument
9a Fuxing Lu admission Y30 S 8.30am-5.30pm Junshibowuguan Vaguely resembling a vast sundial pointing directly south to Beijing West Train Station, this cumbersome monument solidifies Beijing's triumphant 21st century aspirations in stone. For such a momentous statement, the design is devoid of imagination or artistry, while examination of the stone cladding shows it already requires repair. The art gallery, however, is worth perusing included in the ticket price and you can pick up boats from...
Imperial Summer Villa
The Imperial Summer Villa is a park covering a vast 590 hectares and bounded by a splendid 10km wall. About 90 of the Imperial Summer Villa is composed of lakes, hills, mini-forests and plains. Passing through the Main Gate Lizheng Men you reach the Front Palace Zheng Gong , containing the main throne hall. The refreshingly cool Hall of Simplicity and Sincerity is built of an aromatic hardwood called ndnmii on display is a carved throne. There are also the emperor's fully-furnished bedrooms, as...
BEIJING SAGA INTERNATIONAL YOUTH HOSTEL Map pY
6527 2773 sagayangguang yahoo.com 9 Shijia Hutong I i W 9 dm Y55, d Y180 198, tr Y210 Dengshikou under construction H This modern and very popular hostel is ensconced within a historic hutong, offering a standard array of clean and well-kept rooms, a spacious seating area in the main reception area, rooftop common area, table football, a refectory, bar, internet access Y10 per hour and washing machine Y10 per load . Great Wall trips can be arranged, as well as outings to watch acrobats.
shanhaiguan
The Great Wall meets the sea at Shanhaiguan in Hebei province, where a strategic pass leads to northeast China. The area was originally part of the state of Guzhu during the Shang and Zhou dynasties but came into its own in 1381, when it was developed under General Xuda, who converted it into a fortified garrison town with four gates at the compass points and two major avenues running between them. Until recently, considerable charm survived within the old walled enclosure, although colossal...
Air
Tickets for Chinese carriers flying from Beijing can be booked through most mid-range and top-end hotels, at any one of the ubiquitous ticket offices lln.S'B At Beijing's Capital Airport is 27km from the centre of town about 45 minutes to one hour by car, depending on traffic. A rail linkfrom Capital Airport to Dongzhimen in Beijing is under construction, and due for completion intimeforthe 2008 Olympic Games. Passengers will be able to transfer to the subway system from Dongzhimen station....
TRANSPORT Yvn
Subway Line 2 The Yonghegong stop serves the Lama Temple and the Confucius Temple, and Ditan Park is a short walk north. Line 5 Still under construction at the time of writing, the north-south Line 5 intersects with Line 2 at Yonghegong in the north and Dongdan in the south, running through Dengshikou, Dongsi, Zhangzizhonglu and Beixinqiao. Bus The double-decker bus 2 runs along Dongdan Beidajie, Dongsi Nandajie and Dongsi Beidajie to the Confucius and Lama Temples bus 5 travels from Deshengmen...