September 2011
1 post
August 2011
2 posts
an iphone is ~7k rmb...I can't figure out how so...
Would loooove to know the recruiting process for #beijing taxi drivers. Never know if rude or “just rural”
July 2011
2 posts
1 tag
headlinesoftheweek asked: Is this blog dead now?
May 2011
2 posts
Anonymous asked: How Does a foreigner open a bank account in China in order to use Internet banking?
Anonymous asked: HI,
I'm looking at a job in Beijing and should be getting my contract via email today. I was wondering what you thought about host families as opposed to apartments....my email is joncroy1@gmail.com
I'm looking at a job in Beijing and should be getting my contract via email today. I was wondering what you thought about host families as opposed to apartments....my email is joncroy1@gmail.com
April 2011
38 posts
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HOW TO get a haircut in Chinese
Getting a haircut in Beijing is always an adventure because of the language barrier. Even if you go to an expensive, fancy salon, there’s no guarantee that the staff speaks English. If you really want to use English, then head to a swanky hotel and use their salon (and pay a premium for it).
Guys’ haircuts cost about 10-50 RMB. You should be on the low side unless you’ve got a...
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HOW TO find subway maps in Beijing
Getting subway maps in Beijing should be much easier than it currently is. It’s a baffling problem; it’s a major city with a huge subway system and yet there are no take-away-able subway maps at the station. If you ask one of the attendants, they’ll just point you to the poster maps or give you a confused look.
btw: Subway (dì tiě / 地铁) + Map (dì tú / 地图) = Subway Map (dì tiě...
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HOW TO Go to the Beijing Friendship Store
The “Friendship Store” concept goes back to the days when China was still very closed off. Friendship stores were some of the only places where one could buy foreign goods.
It’s an interesting place to go for the historical aspect, but in terms of shopping experience, it’s since been eclipsed by many other malls. The selling point of the Beijing Friendship store is that...
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HOW TO Find an Apartment in Beijing
Finding a place to live in Beijing is pretty easy even if you don’t speak Chinese. If you do have some Mandarin ability, it’s as easy as walking into the many real estate offices that are scattered around the city.
English apartment classifieds in Beijing
The Beijinger. If you’re in the market for a new apartment, this should be one of your first stops. An especially great...
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HOW TO Describe Flavours in Mandarin
Sour: suān / 酸
Sweet: tián / 甜
Bitter: kǔ / 苦
Spicy: là / 辣
Much like English, these words are not restricted to food only. For example, kǔ (苦) can also mean “hardship”, “pain” and “suffering”.
If you combine all 4 flavours, you’ll get a phrase: Suān Tián Kǔ Là (酸甜苦辣). This phrase describes the joys and sorrows of life and the whole range of...
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HOW TO Use Bijiao as a Comparative or Adverb
Bǐjiào (比较) can be a tricky concept for Mandarin beginners grasp. On one hand, it’s used for comparison, but it’s also used as an adverb like “quite” or “fairly”.
Bǐjiào for comparison
nǎ yī jiàn yīfu bǐjiào hǎo kàn? / 哪一件衣服比较好看? / which one (of these clothes) looks better?
shéi bǐjiào gāo? / 谁比较高? / who is taller?
zhè ge bǐjiào hǎochī / 这个比较好吃 / this one tastes better
...
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HOW TO Find a Job in Beijing
Put simply, getting a job in Beijing comes down to who you know. I know that this is a universal tenet of job hunting, but networks count more in China. Reason being that expats work in smaller circles than they usually do back home, so the “value” of each connection is greater.
Know that you are at a big disadvantage if you are starting your job search outside of Beijing/China....
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HOW TO Get YouTube, Facebook and Twitter in...
In order to get access to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc in China, you have two options:
1. Pay for a VPN
Put very simply, a VPN (“Virtual Private Network”) secretly connects you to another computer outside of the country. You then browse the web through that foreign computer, allowing you to access all of your evil western websites and bypass the Great Firewall of China.
There are...
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HOW TO get to the Forbidden City
The Forbidden City (Gù Gōng / 故宫) is really cool. So much history and culture in one place. The whole city of Beijing is built around it, making it very accessible. Expect to spend at least 1 hour there; if you’re really into Chinese culture it can easily take your whole afternoon.
Get there by subway
By far the easiest way as it stops right on Tiananmen Square and at the gate of the...
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HOW TO get to Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square (Tiān Ān Mén Guǎng Chǎng / 天安门广场) is very hard to miss. In fact, you could probably find your way there if you just asked random people on the street, said “Tiananmen” with a confused look on your face.
By subway
Taking the subway is bar-none the easiest way to get there. The Beijing metro will cost you 2 RMB (cabs start at 10 RMB) and will drop you off right at the...
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HOW TO Get to 1949: The Hidden City in Beijing
You can find 1949 (part art gallery, restaurant and bar) tucked behind Pacific Century Place (太平洋百货) in Sanlitun.
Cool place, but a bit tricky to get to. There is a subtle classiness and formality about the place. Their use of glass, wood and heavy doors give it an air of a cool place to hang out. I’ve eaten a lot of Peking duck, and the duck I had at their restaurant ranks up there with...
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HOW TO Find Yisilan Xinjiang Restaurant
If Yisilan Xinjiang restaurant (Yī Sī Lán Fàn Zhuāng / 伊斯兰饭庄) isn’t the best Xinjiang food in Beijing, then it’s definitely one of the contenders for that title.
I’ve been to this Muslim food restaurant twice now and I have every intention of having a third, fourth, ninth meal at this place. Because it’s so out of the way, it’s one of those places that you’d...
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HOW TO Find the Beijing Zoo Market
The Beijing Zoo market (Běi Jīng Dòng Wù Yuán Fú Zhuāng Shì Chǎng / 北京动物园服装市场) is similar to its siblings Yashow Market and Silk Market, but here the Chinese people really outnumber the foreigners. Anytime this happens, you can bet that you’re going to get good value for your money.
Getting here is ridiculously easy, just go to <b>Beijing Zoo station</b> on subway Line 4. Take...
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HOW TO Check Your Balance on China Mobile
If you’re on a China Mobile SIM, text “ye” to 10086 (no quotations) and you’ll get a text with your balance. It may be sandwiched between Chinese characters, but you should be able to figure it out.
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HOW TO Extend or Renew Your Visa in Beijing
Visas are always an important part of foreigners’ lives in China. This article is all about how to renew or extend your visa with a focus on Beijing. Getting the first-entry visa to begin with is a whole ‘nother story, so I’ll save that for another time.
Many details (price, eligibility, allowed length of stay, etc) regarding visas are country-specific so make sure you have...
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HOW TO Send Money From China
If you’re trying to wire money overseas from China, you have a few options. The most important part is changing your money from RMB to another currency.
The easiest and most painless way to transfer money is to have a Chinese friend do it (now that I think about it, I could say that for 99% of the articles on this site. but anyway). Your Chinese friend needs to have an account with one of...
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HOW TO Take The Bus in Beijing
Learning how to take the bus in Beijing and learning Beijing bus routes are two entirely different experiences. Indeed, both require lots of patience. However, you need more than patience when riding the bus in Beijing, especially if you’re new. Here’s a few things you need to know:
How to pay
There are 3 ways to pay on buses: public transit card, cashbox, or pay cash to the bus...
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HOW TO Learn Beijing Bus Routes
The bus system is Beijing is pretty good. Convenient, expansive and cheap (generally 1 RMB per ride; if you have a public transit card it’s usually 0.40 RMB).
However, if you’re new to Beijing and have no Chinese language skill, learning the bus routes quickly becomes an ugly exercise of trial and error. I’ve been to a few “tourist centres” around the city and none...
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HOW TO Get to Beijing Silk Market
Beijing Silk Market (Xiù Shuǐ Jiē / 秀水街) is nearly identical to the Yashow Clothing market in Sanlitun (see how to get to Sanlitun Yashow market). The Silk Market is a bit bigger and some of the shopkeepers here have best tourist-targeted English in the city.
By taxi
If you tell the taxi driver to take you to “Xiù Shuǐ Jiē” you should have no problem getting there.
By subway
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HOW TO Get a Bargain at Sanlitun Yashow Market
The Sanlitun Yashow Clothing Market (Sān Lǐ Tún Yǎ Xiù Fǔ Zhuāng Shì Chàng / 三里屯雅秀服装市场) is a great place to get stuff on the cheap. It is one of Beijing’s haggling markets, which, depending on your personality, can either be a miserable or entertaining experience.
It is right next to Sanlitun Village, you really can’t miss it. See this post on how to get to Sanlitun Village.
The Art...
March 2011
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HOW TO find a language partner in Beijing
Finding language exchange partners is really important for foreigners who are interested in improving their Mandarin. There are a few websites you can use to meet conversation partners in Beijing.
Conversation Exchange. Great site, simple layout and cool people. I’ve met a lot of language partners here who quickly became friends.
The Beijinger. You’ll get a lot of responses by...
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HOW TO get a Yikatong Transit Card
Getting a Yikatong (Yī kǎ tōng / 一卡通) is an essential piece of living in Beijing. It allows you to use the huge public transportation system for a substantial discount over paying by cash. A few convenience stores also allow it as a method of payment.
Getting these Beijing metro pass cards can be tough if you don’t speak any Chinese. I just assumed you could buy them at any subway station....
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HOW TO get to the Summer Palace
The Summer Palace (Yí Hé Yuán / 颐和园) is a really beautiful place to visit. I know because I went there in the winter, where the trees were barren and the lake was frozen, and I still thought it was amazing. There are two main ways to get there: subway and bus.
By Subway Take Line 4 and get off at Beigongmen station (北宫门). Walk out of exit C2. You’ll know you’re walking in the right...
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HOW TO get a Temporary Residence Permit
There’s something about getting the TRP (Temporary Residence Permit) that I find both annoying and endearing. It is annoying because (to me) it is such a mindless piece of unnecessary paperwork. I find it endearing in a strange way. Since it is one of the first things you must do when you settle in China, it gives you an introduction to the stifling levels of bureaucracy that exist...
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HOW TO say "Already" in Mandarin
Yǐjīng (已经) is pretty much identical usage to already.
tā yǐjīng qǔ shàngbān le / 她已经去上班了 / she’s already gone to work
tāmen yǐjīng zǒu le / 他们已经走了/ they’ve already left wǒ yǐjīng chī fàn le / 我已经吃饭了/ I’ve already eaten tā yǐjīng xiàbān le / 他已经下班了/ he’s already gotten off work jīntiān wǒ yǐjīng xuéxí le / 今天我已经学习了/ I’ve already studied today wǒ yǐjīng xiě hǎo le / 我已经写好了/ I’ve already...