Taxis from the airport

A long-running and well-established illegal taxi ring operates inside the arrivals hall of Terminal 2. One man acts as a tout for drivers outside and lures exhausted travellers to fake cabs that charge Y300 (or more) for rides into town. Don’t fall for this – make sure you line up at the official taxi stand outside. There are far fewer touts at Terminal 3.

The majority of Beijing taxi drivers are honest, but travellers have occasionally reported problems on the run from the airport into town. Usually, this involves the driver not turning on the meter and charging over the odds. Airport authorities have now started cracking down. The staff at the airport taxi stand write down the taxi number and your destination on a ‘passenger direct card’, so you can follow up if you think you’ve been overcharged.

PRACTICALITIES

BUSINESS HOURS

Offices, banks and government departments are generally open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm or 6pm. Shops, malls and department stores are normally open from 10am to 9pm or 10pm. Restaurants are open from 11am to 10pm or 11pm, although some will shut between 2pm and 5pm. Most sights are open daily, including public holidays, although some will close on Monday.

DISCOUNTS

Children under a certain height (normally 1.2m) often get in free or half price at sights. If you can produce a student card or an ISIC card (www.isiccard.com) you may get a discount, although some sights only offer them to people studying at Chinese universities. For details about the useful Beijing Museum Pass, see the boxed text.

ELECTRICITY

Electricity is 220V, 50 Hz. Beijing plugs vary, so you’ll see up to four different sorts around town. Bring a good plug-adaptor from home, although they are available to buy in Beijing.

EMERGENCIES

Compared to most cities of its size, Beijing is one of the safest urban centres in the world. Serious or violent crimes against visitors are extremely rare. But be on your guard against pickpockets on public transport, counterfeit money (see the boxed text) and certain scams targeted at foreigners, notably the airport taxi scam (see the boxed text). See also the boxed text.

HOLIDAYS

New Year’s Day 1 January Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) Generally held in January and February; 14 February 2010, 3 February 2011 International Women’s Day 8 March International Labour Day 1 May Youth Day 4 May International Children’s Day 1 June Anniversary of the Founding of the Chinese Communist Party 1 July Anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army 1 August National Day 1 October INFORMATION & ORGANISATIONS

The China Culture Center; 6432 9341; www.chinaculturecenter.org; Room 101, Kent Centre, 29, Anjialou, Liangmaqiao Lu) is geared to expats but is open to everyone and offers excellent English-language tours, lectures and courses.

INTERNET

Beijing’s internet cafes ( wangba 网吧 ) are often squirreled away down hutong (alleyways), in basements or on the upper floors of anonymous buildings, so you’ll need to keep your eyes peeled for the Chinese characters. They’re mostly populated by chain-smoking gamers; expect to pay between Y2 and Y4 an hour. Most of the time, you’re required to show ID, so bring your passport. Internet access is readily available at hostels for around Y10 an hour, and in most hotels, where you’ll pay anything from Y30 an hour, depending on the class of hotel. Conversely, if you have your own laptop, broadband access in rooms is often free. The government censors routinely block access to certain foreign sites critical of China.

Wi-fi (wireless internet; gaobaozhen 高保真) zones are now very common in Beijing. All the cafes listed in this book, and many of the bars and restaurants, have wi-fi.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14