Beijing Foreign Students Activity Center--Home for Foreign Students

[danier11]

I just arrived at the Beijing Foreign Students Activity Center yesterday (September 1st 2006) and I am impressed. I followed all the great info about it and feel really good about this place. I write this review to compile a lot of information gathered in this forum to one email that can be used for others if interested.

To tell you about the room I am staying in it is brand new. It has new furniture, a mini-refrigerator, a/c, telephone, internet access (additional 150 RMB a month) bathroom, a water heater/cooler dispensor, a tv, new sturdy study desk, new garmet closet. It's really nice if you don't mind a construction view outside. Since they are remodeling the outside has workers and all. It's not too loud, only if you open the window. One sweet thing is the key to the door is a credit card key. (CHECK OUT THE PICTURES ATTATCHED)

This place seems to have a lot of empty rooms because they are renovating. Be expected to be told that they only have one room open even if they have others.

Let me type what the informational letter says that they gave me:

Do you want your own house in Beijing? BFSAC can satisfy your needs. We have newly renovated buildings. There are many student apartments. A comfortable and clean enviornment for you. Every room includes a single bathroom and hot water. We offer a vast array of living arrangement set in place to accommodate your personal needs. We happily welcome you to join in on this life enriching experience.

The center located in a place close to many famous universities, such as Tsing Hua university, Beijing University, Beijing Foreign Language University, etc. The transportation is very convenient.

Free shuttle:

There are free shuttles to Beijing Foreign Lanugage University, University for International RElations, Global Village, Tian Ying University and Wu Dao Kou.

Public bus Information (These are the buses that pass by that you can get to get around)

16, 26, 815, 307, 425, 628, 630, 726, 109 (Notice there are a lot of buses)

Free Services:

Free public kitchen and washing machine.

50 free kilowatts if you stay a minimum of two months.

If you pay one year in advance, we will give you a 500RMB discount.

OK...the following list is the rates..."A" rooms are new...."B" are older...and when I went into the B rooms....they smelt a little. They were not much of a difference in the room...but the bathrooms weren't very clean compared to the new ones of course. B is definently liveable, just it seems when you can get a place new for 30 bucks more a night, its better to get the new ones.

Single Room A: (New Room)

Free customers pay 160rmb per day,

2-4weeks you pay 140rmb per day,

4-6weeks you pay 120rmb per day,

2-6 months you pay 70rmb per day, and

more than six months you pay 65rmb per day

Single Room B: (Old Room)

Free customers pay 160rmb per day,

2-4weeks you pay 140rmb per day,

4-6weeks you pay 120rmb per day,

2-6 months you pay 63rmb per day, and

more than six months you pay 58rmb per day

Standard Room A:

Free customers pay 200rmb per day,

2-4weeks you pay 180rmb per day,

4-6weeks you pay 150rmb per day,

2-6 months you pay 80rmb per day, and

more than six months you pay 68rmb per day

Standard Room B:

Free customers pay 200rmb per day,

2-4weeks you pay 180rmb per day,

4-6weeks you pay 150rmb per day,

2-6 months you pay 68rmb per day, and

more than six months you pay 63rmb per day

Suite A:

Free customers pay 260rmb per day,

2-4weeks you pay 240rmb per day,

4-6weeks you pay 200rmb per day,

2-6 months you pay 125rmb per day, and

more than six months you pay 110rmb per day

Suite B:

Free customers pay 260rmb per day,

2-4weeks you pay 240rmb per day,

4-6weeks you pay 200rmb per day,

2-6 months you pay 115rmb per day, and

more than six months you pay 95rmb per day

---end of their supplied info sheet---

So.....remember that I did not see the Suite's or Standard Rooms. I was just looking for the cheapest thing. They mention that the price for a group is negotiable.

Their contact info is:

Tel: (8610)62399884 51971888-0/8888

Fax:(8610)62320450

Email: postmaster@qmhjzx.com

BFSAC51971888@yahoo.com.cn

Address: Zhi Xin Xi Lu 3-1 Hao,

Hai Dian District

Beijing, PRC 100083

(The 3-1 is the number ....there is also a 3-2 etc. Just give this address maybe write 志新路 to the taxi driver. They will know where its at.)

The girl Hellen at the front is really good with English so she can help you out. Her office is next to the front desk. I brought a friend of mine with me to get the place, but if your doing it alone, just save yourself the hassel and ask for Hellen. She's a young girl so you will feel comfortable talking with her.

Their information sheet is in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese so this place appeals to a lot of people. They have a small shop inside where you can buy necessities. It's pretty sweet so far, but I don't want to get your hopes up. I was impressed with this place and I hope this information helps with your apartment search.

Oh yeah. Transportation to this place. Take the Airport Shuttle located to the right once you exit the airport doors. Ignore the Taxi drivers that approach you saying taxi...they will rip you off. Go get a ticket at the desk (16rmb) and you will see people lined up in groups. Find the number 5 Zhong guan cun sign. Get on that bus when it comes and then you will have to load up your luggage. If it is in the lower compartment you will have to get off at the last stop but the closest stop to BLCU is Xueyuan Qiao. Wherever you get off, take a taxi for about 10 yuan to BLCU or wherever you are going.

Oh yeah again. I don't know much about the surroundings of this place too much but there is a very close supermarket called wumart. (similar to walmart). In Chinese it is called wumei. It is located on Zhixinlu...If you walk out of the apartment complex and take a right...Walk till you get to the first big intersection and then take a left. You will follow it until you see it on the right hand side. Cross the road. You can get everything you need...Just like walmart. Maybe not the cheapest, but for a someone new, it is really convenient. I got everything I needed for my apartment for 28USD. There are 3 floors. The 1st is retail...(I didnt shop there) and the 2nd is grocery dept. and the 3rd is the everyday items. It's nice so check it out.

Oh and the internet....it's decent...takes a little time to load...but I can't get msn or skype video conference to work well. Which stinks. If some people have some suggestions then that would be great.

Good luck!

[Qcash3]

Thanks for all the info danier, your post was very informative! I will be arriving on wednesday and staying at the SAC for a week, and I was wondering exactly what I would find when I got there. Your post cleared up all of my doubt, and the pictures were a definite plus.

[lalibela]

Well, I am staying at building 17, which is better known as the new building. If I´m not wrong, is not even one year old. When I saw the pics you posted it reminded me of this place! It is pretty much the same. If anyone needs more information about this dorm, just PM me. The plus is that you´ll be on campus and be able to walk to your classes every morning!

Cheers

[calibantastic]

I live here too, it is really convenient to BCLU. About 20min. walk and 7min by bicycle. A lot cheaper than most of the apartments in Fu Ren Jia Yuan. The quality of the buildings and rooms doesn't seem to appeal to most of my expat friends staying in Beijing for a long time, but I'm cool with the shoddy (just built too!) construction, poor repair service, and overall inattention to detail. It's cheap. Not the cheapest, as I found a room for a friend that was 700RMB / month, but still a good deal.

Like Danier11 said, you'll notice that the bus stop- Er Li Zhuang, （二里庄）has a great selection of buses that go all over, downtown, uptown, xiang shan, guo mao, anywhere you might be headed.

The reason the internet connection is shit is because the ISP forces their proprietary login software upon your computer, which burns about 15MB of RAM in the background. So you're always connected, but blocked by their firewall, which you pay monthly for a personal password to get through. That's why Skype Videoconference and the like will lag, and why I'm looking elsewhere to run my own server.

And I agree, the staff is very nice, and everything is negotiable.

Top advice on the airport transportation, Danier. Simply can't impress that on people enough. TAKE THE AIRPORT SHUTTLE TO ZHONGGUANCUN, THEN A CAB FROM THERE!

So yep, nice place to live. It works for me.

Oh, get a room on a higher floor! The lower floors have mosquitoes and dust from all the construction.

back to work.

[danier11]

I just wanted to update this thread. I have been living here for over 2 months now and I still enjoy the place. I like the fact that you can get someone to clean the floors in your room for free and they take out the trash if you leave it out the door. Simple things but still nice.

In the last email I said it was 志新路. Actually it is on 志新西路.

The only downsides of this place is that it doesnt have very much to do around here that I have found. If you want to go out you will be traveling to different places. But its no big deal. Its a great place for the 1st timers. Basically, a lot of my classmates have lived her. Oh and another thing, there are so many foreignors, regarding your language usage, its not helpful. You can keep this in mind. If you are advanced in Chinese, then you might get tired of so many foreignors here.

But to leave it on a good note, its a good place to start.

[floressas]

thanks for a very informative message. especially the pictures are helpful, since they show one that this is a clean and nice price. i have a couple of further questions though, if you could answer them, i would be most happy

* can one book rooms in advance?

* are there a certain time you have to be "home" before? or do you carry your own key?

* i have a couple of friends/family and even girlfriend (only one, though that wants to visit me during my time in beijing. can they live in my room?

* are there any restrections for alcohol, music etc etc?

* last and most important; hav you got MSN running?

thanks in advance

[floressas]

nobody?

[billiardsmike]

You can book in advance. If you're language challenged, ask for Helen. Advance booking is no guarantee of them not losing it though, as they did mine. Arriving a week or so before the start of class terms should negate any issues.

No curfew. Front gate is open and guarded 24/7.

Guests are allowed. They need to sign in and you may need to pay something. I haven't, but my guests weren't carrying luggage either.

No restrictions that I've heard of or seen, other than the opinion of your neighbors. I'm now apartment hunting because it can be a little loud at times. Keep in mind that I'm a little older and on my way to being a grumpy old fart.

Internet service has improved recently, but it's not near DSL or cable speed. MSN is still a little slow and erratic. I switched to Firefox (which I recommend anyway) and Yahoo.

[mailvndlicious]

First of all I would like to appreciate Danier for this thred!

This thred is really helpful and now I cant wait to visit BFSAC

I have few questions about bfsac.

I would be very grateful if anyone help me.

Do I need to bring bedclothes to bfsac?

Is there anything esle that I should bring there?

p.s I am Mai from Japan. I hope to see some of the readers of this thred so soon

Mai

[Guest Aprill]

Hello, everybody!

I just wanted to ask if there is air conditioning in the rooms?

Thanks:D

[billiardsmike]

Yes, the rooms have A.C. Mine managed to keep the temperature just below roasting. I found a large fan to be my best friend.

[loobyloo1]

Hi,

I know it's crazy cold in Beijing in December but I will be studying at BLCU in December 2009 and wondered if this BFSAC has good enough heating otherwise I'm gonna freeze.

Thanks to anyone that help me with this question.

Loobyloo

[wonder_miki]

Please.... if u have some others choice.... don't come here. It's all lie... no such a things as cleaning everyweek.....

This place not even for students.... they had chinese tour come here and yelling at 5 am everyday for 2 weeks alredy.... i mean YELLING.

The walk way are not so clean.... and some light is not working.

The laundary only allow on 1 and 4 floor with no dryer..... u have to hang everythings in ur room.

I live here at the moment.... and i paid for 3 months... after these.. i will move out for SURE

[lilbun]

i didn't actually live here, but my friend did and i was at her place a lot even though i have my own apartment!

if i had known about this place before i got here, i probably would have lived here though!

the service people and front desk workers can be quite nice. i didn't even live there and they would help me! but sometimes, because it is linked to the super 8 hotel, they bring those workers over and they're rude.

visitors staying in your own room situation is different now, as of feb 2009 (but you know- the rules are always changing in china, so who knows this month? lol). your foreign visitors cannot stay in your room anymore, apparently the government/police were really cracking down on that at the time, so my friend's visiting friend couldn't stay with her. so, if your room is meant for only you, you cannot have your visitor stay with you (according to "official" rules.)

because when foreigners come here, they have to register at the police station unless they are living in a hotel (which the hotel would do this for you), before, bfsac would have done this for your visitor, before they cared about the rules.

your visitors can however stay in the hotel portion of bfsac though. it's not that expensive considering its no 5 star hotel, but it can be convenient. (this is what ended up happening in my friend's situation.) this is where those loud people at 5am come into play mostly. although, a lot of the permanent residence have the same problem with some of their neighbors too.

internet is slow though- too many people using it at one time problem.

heating is wonderful! since it's a place where foreigners live it gets turned on sooner than other peoples' and its super warm! when it finally comes on in my apartment, i can't even tell and i freeze under my 3 quilts! my friend said sometimes it was too hot to even sleep with her comforter!

you do need to bring your own bed linens if you're a resident. they do provide you with a quilt but it looks kind of gross. just get your own. there's a wu mart on chengfu lu about a block down from the zhixin lu and chengfu lu intersection.

on the cleaning service, that's a personal call. my friend is admittedly ocd and didn't want to use it and i don't blame her. the cleaning lady will come to your room at 7am knocking and screaming, "YOU REN MA?!" to come clean, but that wasn't the big deal for her considering she didn't use them, but still annoying because she still got woken up at that time because of the screaming. the reason she didn't use them was because they use the same water and mop and rags on your room as they did everyone else's and didn't change the water. in fact, i dont think they even used soap- just used the dampness to sweep through your room.

the reason i was always at her place was because A) if you walk over the qinghua donglu there's a whole block of cheap and good tasting food. even though i live in wudaokou, i went to eat dinner with her every night! B) since i live in an apartment and have to set up everything on my own but i tried to live without- i was using her internet all the time. C) her room is so much warmer than mine in the winter!

now why don't i just move there you may ask? well, i signed a year lease for my apartment and moving's a bitch! i didn't even live there and i reccommend it!