Some random questions I'm having trouble getting answered

[Holly]

I have a few random questions that I'm not able to get answered by the Chinese people I'm asking. I hate to start a thread for them, but I'd really like to know the answers!

First, is the Bird's Nest closed off to visitors right now? I couldn't find an entrance when I went last weekend, and one of my teachers mentioned today when I asked her that she also couldn't find one when she visited last month. The entrance I did see was closed and appeared to be undergoing some construction. I went into the water cube last weekend during my trip there, and was thinking of going back down this Friday to hit the Bird's Nest, but obviously if it's closed, I won't go...I don't think there's much else to see at the Olympic area (correct me if I'm wrong).

Also, I'm wondering if anyone knows a good way to get to Nanlougu Xiang hutong. It's a pretty trendy hutong with many shops and restaurants. I visited the hutong after shopping in the Oriental Plaza at Wangfujing last Saturday, but the taxi drivers all said it would cost 50 kuai to get me there (despite it only being about a 10 minute drive), and when I eventually ended up taking one of those little grey...cab...things (not even sure what they're called, but it's not a reguar vehicle), the driver demanded extra money at the end despite telling me it would cost 30 kuai when I asked. So I'm not keen on getting ripped off again, but I'm not sure what a good way to get there is... I'm thinking I might go back this weekend, as I need to head down to Wangfujing anyway to attempt to exchange a shirt I purchased at Harley Davidson for my dad. I think it's too small... I suppose that's another question right there. If I have the receipt, the item still has tags attached, and only a week has passed, will I be allowed to exchange an item? I haven't tried to do so yet in China.

Also, I'm rather confused by the Chinese inch, or cun. I bought a measuring tape to use when trying to find another suitcase I need (airlines are obviously bonkers about suitcase sizes, so I wanted to be able to check and double check the measurements myself), but realized shortly after buying it that it's not the same inch that we have in America. The 12" point is quite longer than a standard 12" American ruler would be. I suppose that's not surprising, but stupid me stared at it in confusion for about 10 minutes until I asked my teacher, who said she thinks the American inch and Chinese inch are different, but was unable to elaborate. I'm not sure how to convert cun to American inches and vice versa. My Google searches are turning up some different answers.

[skylee]

I think you can take the subway to Gulou station and then walk to Nan Luoguxiang (IIRC it is a 10-15mins walk). This website will tell you which bus to take (I find it very useful).

Here is a handy answer -> http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/159916281.html?si=1

[roddy]

Wangfujing to Nanluoguxiang is actually quite walkable if you have a look on a map, and you can do some nice hutong wandering on the way, or maybe take a detour around the Forbidden City moat, maybe even Beihai. Or from Wangfujing it might make sense to take Line 5 from Dongdan to Beixinqiao and then it's a block and a bit west [edit: NOT east as I originally typed], partially along Gulou Dongdajie, which has plenty of nice shops and cafes of its own. That would get you to the north end, rather than south. What I personally would do, great big greedy guts that I am, is walk up Wangfujing to Still Thoughts, stuff myself silly, and then continue on northwards.

Surprised you had trouble with taxi drivers, but if you're going from one tourist place to another tourist place they may decide to be cheeky. Not sure what you're doing, but I avoid taking taxis that are waiting anywhere around tourist areas - flag a passing cab down, much less likely to have any issues.

Changing the shirt is up to the store - ask nicely, see what happens. Or have your dad diet before your return.

[amandagmu]

I agree with Roddy on the taxis - they should be able to take you to a hutong entrance without a problem. The cost depends on where you're coming from, of course, but I just arrived last week and haven't paid more than about 20 kuai for a long-ish trip from North of the 3rd ring road down south a bit. Make sure you're only taking the legal cabs with the signs on top, and I agree that flagging one down might be the best method. Personally, I would take bus 104 from Wangfujing up north and get off near Jiaodaoukou (the name of the stop is Jiaodaokou) and walk west on Jiaodaokou lu to NLGX. Of course, if you don't know any Chinese at all... this might be difficult.

I walked around some of the Olympic area after I arrived last week and indeed there isn't much going on up there. I was really disappointed.

[Holly]

I've had a bit of trouble with taxis here. Nothing major, just a few issues. Two or three times now the taxis I try to wave down will slow and after getting a look at me, drive off (which really baffled me at first), or the driver will tell me they can't take me to my destination (which is usually somewhere within a 10-20 minute drive). My teacher said that some taxis aren't very foreigner friendly when I told her about my taxi troubles...

[oriada2003]

Around the more touristy places like Oriental Plaza, Silk Market, Summer palace etc. you'll find plenty of "enterprising" taxi drivers lurking in wait for gullible foreigners who might be willing to pay several times the going rate for a journey. Quick hint - if you're being quoted a price by a taxi driver before you even set off, chances are you're being had.

If you can't find an honest driver who'll charge you according to what it says on the meter, just walk round the corner or down the road a bit and flag down a regular taxi.

[anonymoose]

then it's a block and a bit west [edit: NOT west as I originally typed]

So is that west or not west then?

[jbradfor]

I'm rather confused by the Chinese inch, or cun.

I'm not sure anyone addressed this. Chinese traditional units often confuse me too, in particular the 两, which seems to have different definitions depending on what is being weighted!

That said, this article states in part

In time the lengths were standardized, and in Hong Kong, using the traditional standard, it measures ~3.715 cm (~1.463 in). In the twentieth century in the Republic of China, the lengths were standardized to fit with the metric system, and in current usage in China and Taiwan it measures 31⁄3 cm (~1.312 in).

which agrees with the Wikipedia article. What conflicting information have you found?

[amandagmu]

I think this is absolutely true... unfortunately. I'm a tall (for a female) blonde-haired person who appears to be your generic non-Chinese speaking foreign tourist. I have had trouble hailing cabs before as well. When I get into the cab and start speaking fast some drivers are so floored that it actually gets annoying; sometimes they decide talking to me in Chinese is more interesting than getting me to my destination, at which point I cut them off and tell them I'm very late to an important appointment and could they please use the fastest route. Sometimes I have to repeat this multiple times and then ignore them by calling people on my mobile. I do this especially when they ask personal questions (well, what I consider to be personal, not them).

Of course, it is still 10000000^10 more comfortable taking the subway and even the bus (if it's not rush hour; the bus is horrendous at times during rush hour) because one often can avoid this crap altogether and get there faster/cheaper. I would try using the bus and subway systems if you haven't been doing so. I know it can be confusing since in the U.S. (especially the midwest) public transport is almost non-existent, but once you start using it you won't want to go back except for late at night when pt is closed.

[gato]

Also, I'm rather confused by the Chinese inch, or cun. I bought a measuring tape to use when trying to find another suitcase I need (airlines are obviously bonkers about suitcase sizes, so I wanted to be able to check and double check the measurements myself), but realized shortly after buying it that it's not the same inch that we have in America.

The Chinese length and weight measures are tied to the metric system

10 寸 = 1 尺 = 1/3 meter

10 两 = 1 斤 = 1/2 kilogram

Interesting that your teacher doesn't know this.

[Holly]

Did you happen to notice if the Bird's Nest was open at all, amandagmu? No one I asked knows for sure. Most Chinese people I've talked to think it's weird I want to go there, because they feel the Olympics were boring! Here I thought they took great pride in the Olympics. But everyone I've talked to (mainly teachers) has no interest in them, and doesn't really feel much about China hosting the Olympics in general. Surprising, at least to me. But then, almost everything here has been surprising.

I think I understand the measurements now. If I'm converting right, 15 cun should be around 19.6 US inches... I personally know almost jack about US measurements and conversions, so I don't think it's too surprising she wasn't sure. Haha. NUMBERS, you know...many people don't love 'em.

I can speak Chinese relatively well (I'm an intensive immersion student at Beida right now), and I'm good with using the subways, but the buses? Not so much. They confuse the heck out of me. I do find directions in general very difficult, in both Chinese and English! I'm one of those people who barely knows right from left...sad, I know. :rolleyes: I tend to go out by myself mostly since most of my class/program-mates prefer to get wasted every weekend, and I don't drink, and I have ended up wandering around (lost) in areas that weren't fabulous late at night. I'm not keen to repeat those experiences, but from what I saw during my last visit, that hutong and the surrounding area were both okay. Although I've noticed the touristy areas seem to attract some sketchy characters, as well as beggers whose aggressiveness is a little alarming. I know Beijing is a very safe city, but I have been approached 4 times now by scam artists (my favorite was the two drop-dead gorgeous girls dressed like fashion models who told me they were starving and needed 500 kuai for bread - BREAD), and I'm a careful person in general, anyway.

[roddy]

So is that west or not west then?

In my defense, I'm a moron.

Trick with the buses is to use the site Skylee links to before setting off. Admittedly this makes ad hoc journeys tricky.

I could quite easily spend 500Y on bread if you let me . .

[jbradfor]

the two drop-dead gorgeous girls dressed like fashion models

Sigh. Why don't these things happen to me?

[abcdefg]

The standard western metric system is also in common use in China today for things like measuring the dimensions of a suitcase. And the airline size regulations will also most likely be expressed in those units (centimeters.)

Consider a 厘米卷尺 for your suitcase project.

[Holly]

Does anyone here ever have trouble with cabs not being able to find a location? I need to get to the Harley Davidson flagship store in the Chaoyang district, but when I tried going last month my cab driver didn't know where it was, and although I asked a number of Chinese people in the area, no one was able to point me in the right direction. I took the address for the store right off their website... Not sure what to do! I was in the area again today and poked around, but still didn't find it.

[pancake]

Holly: Get the phone number of the store. Once the cab is in their general vicinity, you then call and hand the phone over to the driver. This worked great to find 东方红 which is (approximately) in the middle of nowhere.

Off-topic: 东方红 is a really cool place. You get to listen performances of old propaganda songs from the cultural revolution while eating some really ridiculously portioned food. Surprisingly, I was the only westerner there when I went.

[amandagmu]

I have no idea on the bird's nest! I have been way too freakin' caught up in what I have now termed my "housing struggle" - sigh. The housing market here is a nightmare during November. I guess everyone moves in either mid-year or end of the year, and not now. I can't find anywhere within my budget (and it's generous for a PhD student) in any areas I'm looking... not to mention I've met about 12-15 agents (95% scammers), even though I speak an advanced level of Chinese. Guess my bargaining tactics aren't up to par yet, or I'm too blonde, or more likely: both.

Which reminds me, I need to put up a roommate ad AGAIN.

[luozhen]

Bird's Nest was open when I was there a couple weeks ago (on a Saturday). It was 40 or 50 kuai to get in, IIRC. They were selling tickets and tourists were walking around inside.

[Lu]

Does anyone here ever have trouble with cabs not being able to find a location?

All the time. It seems that if you're going to something not very major, it's better if you know the way once you're in the vicinity of your destination, or are able to call someone who does.

[Holly]

I think I'll try again this weekend after getting to the general area, and I'll have the phone number of the store with me.

And I did go to the Bird's Nest - got a nice student discount. But then my wallet got slaughtered while buying a Bird's Nest sweatshirt. Oh well.