Please help me with these questions of Beijing?

[Huang Jialuo]

I would like to know the following things:

1) How much is a cellphone in Beijing?

2) With unlimited calls?

3) How much are a couple of batteries in Beijing? I want to know how much they cost so I can make my personal budget.

4) How expensive is a Kung fu suit in Beijing?

5) Is the flea market the real deal?

6) How much is your typical bottle of water?

7) How much is an er-hu musical instrument?

Is it possible to volunteer with the Beijing 2008 Olympics?

Thanks.

[cdn_in_bj]

1) How much is a cellphone in Beijing?

2) With unlimited calls?

You can get a simple GSM handset new for only 300 RMB. You can also get the latest feature-packed smartphones for thousands. If you are coming from North America, you will be amazed by the selection of handsets here. There is also a large grey-market for cell phones here, with significant cost savings over buying from the standard retail channels and you'll also be able to find models which are not usually sold here, but I would not recommend this route unless you know someone here who can help you buy one. Note that most GSM phones sold here are unlocked so the prices may seem high compared to the subsidized prices in NA or Europe. There are contract plans here which give you the phone but with these plans you only get the phone AFTER you have completed the contract term, so this won't help you.

As for service, in my opinion the simplest way would be to get a prepaid SIM card such as Shenzhouxing. And then sign up for the 20 RMB monthly "plan" which gives you unlimited free incoming calls and outgoing calls charged at 0.25 RMB/minute. Oh, and you also get a free "ringtone" (the song that callers hear when the call your phone). Domestic outgoing SMS is charged at 0.15 RMB/message (incoming messages are free). You can get the SIM card for 50 RMB, and when you are about to run out of credit you just go to your nearest store or newspaper stand and buy credit in 50 or 100 RMB denominations.

Note that if you're planning on making a lot of outgoing calls, then other plans may be better suited.

3) How much are a couple of batteries in Beijing? I want to know how much they cost so I can make my personal budget.

Are you referring to regular AA/AAA batteries? If so, to give you an idea the other day I bought a pack of 8 AAA alkaline, mercury-free batteries for 13RMB. And it included a free pocket knife (like the Swiss Army ones). There was also another brand offering a free mini-stapler. Since I already have a stapler, I went with the pocket knife which has already come in handy...

Also, Ni-MH rechargeable batteries and chargers are very cheap here. These are something to consider if your electronics can use them, and it helps to reduce waste.

4) How expensive is a Kung fu suit in Beijing?

I have no idea, but it's probably not expensive.

5) Is the flea market the real deal?

Not sure exactly what you are referring to here?

6) How much is your typical bottle of water?

0.80-0.90 RMB for a 550 or 600 mL bottle if you buy it from the supermarket, 2 or 2.5 RMB if you buy it on the street. If you are looking for imported brands such as Evian, expect to pay a lot more than this (if you can find it).

7) How much is an er-hu musical instrument?

Apparently this is not very expensive either, as many of the beggars here seem to have one! Although as with other fine musical instruments, I would expect there to be a wide range of prices depending on the quality of the instrument.

Is it possible to volunteer with the Beijing 2008 Olympics?

Yes it is!

[imron]

5) Is the flea market the real deal?

Not sure exactly what you are referring to here?

Quite probably Panjiayuan (潘家园) market - which is definately real, though most of the "antiques" there are probably not. It's still a great place to go to pick up souvenirs and knick-knacks though.