HOW TO Beijing

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 Forbidden City. Take subway Line 1 to Tiananmen East, this will cost you 2 RMB.

Get there by bus

Take bus 101 / 103 / 109 / 814 and get off at Gù Gōng station (故宫站). Generally the bus ride will cost you 1 RMB.

Don’t bother taking a taxi unless you really, really need to.

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 square itself.

Take Line 1 to Tiananmen East (Tiān Ān Mén Dōng / 天安门东) or Tiananmen West (Tiān Ān Mén Xī / 天安门西).

Here’s an interactive subway map of Beijing.

By bus

Since Tiananmen is in such a central part of Beijing, it’s easy to find a bus that goes there. Here are some bus routes that will take you to Tiananmen.

Beijing bus numbers 1 / 2 / 5 / 10 / 120.

You may also want to view the post on how to learn bus routes in Beijing.

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 conductor. For most trips, bus fare is 1 RMB (0.40 with a public transit card). 

If you board a bus with a bus conductor, you’ll need to know where you’re going as the fare depends on how far your destination is. You should know how to say your destination or at least make sure you have it written down.

How to get on

There are 2 kinds of buses: 2-door and 3-door. If it’s a 2-door bus, you board at the front. For 3-door buses, board using the middle door.

This is important because the method of payment is near the boarding door. Also, this helps you avoid the stream of people exiting the bus.

How to keep your sanity despite the crowd

Just make peace with the fact that at some point in your Beijing bus-riding career that you will get elbowed in the spine; that some lady’s purse will hit you in the face; that someone will sit in a seat that you were clearly about to sit in.

I’ve rode some buses that were so crowded that when I got off, I noticed I had at least 4 different sweat stains on my shirt, none of them being mine.

So how can you deal with it? You either get used to it, or take a taxi that costs at least 10x as much. It’s that simple.

How to get off

On your first few bus rides, you should be constantly looking outside the window to familiarize yourself with landmarks. This is important because for newcomers to Beijing, it is difficult to know where to get off. The announcements are in Mandarin and English, but the station names are always said in Chinese. Eventually, things will click, but it’s always good to have a visual picture of your surroundings.

Also important is how to politely get off the bus. Use the phrase “xià chē ma?” which means “are you getting off the bus?” if someone is between you and the door. They may respond with “xià”, which means yes; in which case just stand behind them and follow their lead.

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

Yonganli station (Yǒng Ān Lǐ / 永安里) on Line 1, Exit B. The exit leads you directly to the building.

By bus

The Beijing Silk Market is on one of Beijing’s main artery streets, so a handful of buses will take you there. Once you get on board, look at the map and  make sure to get off at Yonganli stop. Make sure you know <a href=”/articles/how-to-take-the-bus-in-beijing” />how to ride the bus in Beijing</a>!

Bus routes: 1, 4, 9, 28, 37, 43, 120, 126, 205, 639, 640, 668, 673, 728, 729, 802, 810

If it’s your first time at a haggle market then you’ll definitely want to see the Yashow article for how to bargain in markets in Beijing.

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 of the Haggle

There’s a few things you can do to get a good deal here, depending on your shopping experience. You can go in there and pay full price if you’d like, but if you want to get a proper price you have to keep a few things in mind.

All the store owners speak good-enough English. You are not at a disadvantage if you don’t speak Chinese as long as you follow this system.

1. Change your attitude

The first mistake I see foreigners make is that they’re afraid to ask for a lower price. It is strange the first few times, but the whole point of going to these places is to get things cheap. If you’re uncomfortable haggling or bargaining, the adjacent Sanlitun outdoor mall is probably more your style.

2. Do your research

If you see something you like, don’t buy it at the first store you see. Chances are at least 3 other vendors have the exact same item or something similar. Pick a store, ask for their best price and (firmly!) tell them that you will be back. They will keep shouting prices at you as you walk away, maybe even pulling your shirt. You don’t need to respond, just walk away and remember the prices.

The rule of thumb is to ask for the price and then counter-offer with 10% of that price. Once the shopkeeper is saying that you are crazy and that she/he will get fired, you know you’re close to the “real” price.

3. It’s your money. Be firm!

I always see foreigners trapped into buying something because they feel guilty. They’re guilty because they’ve taken up the shopkeeper’s time, or they suddenly become sympathetic to the plight of the masses. Honourable, but foolish; you didn’t come to Yashow to fund someone’s education, you’re here to buy a fake Gucci bag.

The method I find most effective, efficient and fairest (for both buyer and seller) is the take-it-or-leave-it method. In my mind, I think about what I would be willing to pay. It doesn’t matter if it’s not the lowest price; as long as it’s low enough for me. I bypass the whole “how much is it” back-and-forth and just take the money out of my wallet and tell the shopkeeper my offer. 

You may need to add a few % of the price to let them save face, but generally everyone is happy afterward.

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. Most subway stations have service counters, but sometimes all they do is sell single-use tickets or provide coin change for the ticket machines. This can be maddening for people who have experienced the foreigner-friendly simplicity and ubiquity of Hong Kong’s Octopus cards or Seoul’s T-Money cards.

What I did was I went to several subway stations and just said “Yikatong” until someone nodded their head. For the record, I got mine at Sanyuanqiao (Sān Yuán Qiáo / 三元桥) station, but quite a few others sell them as well. I haven’t found a list of Yikatong vendor stations anywhere, so you might need to do a bit of legwork until you hit one.

The card itself costs 20 RMB and you need to put at least 10 RMB on it.

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 direction as the amount of people, vendors, tourists and tour buses increase.

By Bus
There are a ton of bus routes that serve the Summer Palace in Beijing. I’ve never taken a bus there, so the sampling below was shamelessly lifted from Travel China Guide.

Summer Palace bus routes: 209 / 330 / 331 / 332 / 346 / 394 / 683 / 690 / 696 / 718 / 801 / 808 / 826. Once you’re on the bus, look at the map and get off at (Yí Hé Yuán / 颐和园).