Living location help!

[skylee]

Forgive my ignorance, is that area called Liangmaqiao or just Liangma? I think I've been there as the airport train stops there.

[Friedrich]

Liangmaqiao

亮马桥 it is in Chinese. I think the Airport Express stops there as well.

Lufthansa area is what its called in "foreign slang" in Beijing ;)

[jbradfor]

When I commute with my husband in Germany for an hour we both sit on a comfortable, smooth train while eating a croissant and reading a book.

And how much more does that ride cost than a crowded Beijing subway?

[wedge]

I recently finished a long-term intensive program at BLI in Sanyuanqiao which I recommend. The school has been discussed in previous threads. Given the other programs you've considered, I suggest looking into BLI. Going to a school in Sanyuanqiao vs. Guomao would cut the distance to Wudaokou almost in half.

I attended my program completely on an L visa. I was on a 1-year, 90-day stay visa and leaving the country once every 3 months wasn't a huge problem.

[amandagmu]

Liangma is the shortened version - everything in Beijing is shortened. No one says 工人体育场 , it's 工体 and I can't even remember the official name anymore of 工体北路... there's also 南锣 （南锣鼓巷) and 鼓楼 (鼓楼东大街) 等.....

Much like discussing a university (北大 or 师大), depending on the taxi driver or person you speak to here they may or may not actually recognize the full name you give them. Best to know long and short forms of all names. :-)

[amandagmu]

And how much more does that ride cost than a crowded Beijing subway?

The short answer: Reading, having breakfast, maybe even a short nap on the train in peace and quiet? PRICELESS............

The longer answer:

A monthly pass is 88 euros (but my husband gets his for cheaper as a university faculty) to ride ***ANY**** public transport in the state of Brandenburg (Berlin). The times arrive on time 90+ % of the time and the Regio Bahn has A/C. Less than 5% of the time I am without a seat. The ENTIRE public train and bus system works on the honor system with occasional ticket agent checks (usually on the regional train when they come to your seat to ask), so there are no turnstiles, thus eliminating things like faulty turnstiles (at nearly every station in Beijing) and insuring that there is no line holding you up to make the scheduled departure time. Yes, there's probably a 60% cost differential given *every time* I take any public transport in Beijing I need to pay. 2 kuai for subway, 1 kuai for a bus x 2 times per day = 6 kuai (~1 dollar), plus weekends and those extra rides for running errands or meeting friends around town. Probably ~30 euros per month. (If you want to discuss price further, I've found it livably cheaper, even when factoring in the price differential, in Berlin than in Beijing, but then again Berlin is quite unique compared to most cities and the inflation in Beijing has been rampant this past year.)

[tyc911]

Great post.

I am also moving to Beijing this fall. My wife and I are attending Beida for a year. Friends are telling us to live in CBD or Guomao, but I am worried about the long commute 4 times a week back and forth. My friends say we will be bored in Haidan. And that there are better apartments in the city. Do people agree?

We are also trying to find a higher end apartment close to Beida. Any recommendations?

Thanks in advance.

[imron]

Any recommendations?

Whatever you do, don't live in the CBD or Guomao if you are studying at Beida. Live somewhere close by. There is plenty of nearby accommodation at different price ranges and quality.

Taking a taxi or public transport to go out on weekends or whatever is fine. Doing it twice a day before and after class will make your life a nightmare.

[tyc911]

Thanks for that. A few others think that commute two times a day is crazy stressful.

Any nicer accommodations near the universities for "mature" students? Anyone with building names to share?

[imron]

A few others think that commute two times a day is crazy stressful.

Yes, and a Beijing commute is even worse

I'm not sure what first-hand experience your friends have with living in Beijing, but given that they would recommend living so far away from the place you'll be studying, I would hazard a guess that they haven't commuted in Beijing during peak-hour in recent years.

[tyc911]

They own cars. I don't think they have stepped foot in the subway.

[imron]

Even with a car that trip would be a nightmare. With Beijing traffic it would probably take longer than the metro too.

[roddy]

There is a lot more to do in that area, but by the time you've commuted to Beida and back you're going to be too angry and tired to enjoy it.

[amandagmu]

Have you ever lived in/spent time in Haidian before? A lot depends on what your goals are for the year and what exactly you like to do in your spare time. You'll need to make a list of priorities and decide what is the most important. When I first arrived I thought I could find the apartment and location that would fulfill all my needs perfectly, but in the end I had to make some compromises.I don't have any regrets. Some examples of priorities:

1. Is your goal to learn Chinese and is that why you're going to Haidian? If so, it is indeed probably the best area to live. A lot of opportunities to practice the language with students at cheap prices (or free) and an excellent academic environment.

2. Do you need to have excellent western food and grocery options? Then anywhere between Dongzhimen/Dongsishitiao/LiangMa/Sanlitun/east Chaoyang/CBD+Guomao are likely your best options. April Gourmet and Jenny Lou's are grocery stores with large import sections. Restaurants, sandwich shops, smoothie places, and authentic non-Chinese bakeries all exist in these parts of the city, alongside very good Chinese options as well. If either one of you has food allergies (I do) it is also a great place to eat out because restaurants will often not have a problem adapting the food to your needs. Another area of the city that is excellent for the above options is Lama Temple/Yonghegong/Andingmen nei. Besides Nanluoguxiang being 10-15 minutes walk away, Wudaoying and Guozjian are full of good non-Chinese food options, plus there's a small western food import store that also has cheeses, breads, chocolate, cereal, baking supplies and difficult-to-find non-Chinese vegetables/herbs (e.g. fresh basil and avocados).

3. Do you need a lot of green space or big parks within for jogging? If so, then living near Sanlitun/Dongsishitiao/Dongzhimen /Chaoyang area is your best bet as Chaoyang Park IMO is the best park for that. The summer and old summer palaces may not be so bad, but I think it's a lot more crowded (do they sell yearly passes for the sections without tourists?). Parks in Beijing are rarely large and free, but the Olympic park is an exception. There's a possibility of doing one loop of 12K (!) even (unheard of normally). The only problem there might be location and lack of food/grocery options nearby, but I am no as familiar with that area of the city.

4. Have you had long commutes before, do they bother you, and/or can you travel at non-peak times of the day and still be OK with never getting a seat? Can you switch your schedule to only commute 2-3 times per week? This is, of course, what everyone else is pointing out here. The commute is awful. I personally hate to do it whenever (because of the issues above) but I might do it for up to 2 or 3 times per week if I absolutely had to, and if I could avoid peak hours on at least some of those days. For example, if your classes ended at Beida noon (or began at 1) and so this was only a one-way insanely awful commute, living in a place like Lama temple area and going to Wudaokou isn't ideal but it isn't awful either. Don't get me wrong: the switch at Xizhimen is still crap -- 10 minutes of walking in between the lines 2 and 13 and easily my least favorite switch in the whole city.

5. How important is it to you to find other expats/students nearby in your age range, with similar interests, to socialize with regularly? It is true that most expats/students over the age of 25 (myself included) live in the eastern parts of the city. While this was not a determining factor for me, I do find it nice and convenient to have people in my age range (I'm 30) to meet up with for dinner and drinks on a regular basis, most of whom live with walking distance, or a short bus/taxi ride of no more than 15 kuai.

Given my higher preference for #2-3 (as a vegetarian runner these were key items for me), combined with my potential need to travel to Shangdi, National Library, as well as Tiantan area, and Chaoyangmen, I chose to be near Dongsishitiao station. (I can run along the canal to Chaoyang park and shop at April Gourmet or eat out quite easily around here. It's also quite easy for me to find people to meet up with for a drink at the last minute.) I briefly lived in the Lama temple area and that was OK for food but lacking in large park space.

Anyways, you might (probably) have other important factors governing the decision. I would make a list and realize that, in the end, you'll probably need to make some trade-offs.

[Lu]

I am also moving to Beijing this fall. My wife and I are attending Beida for a year. Friends are telling us to live in CBD or Guomao, but I am worried about the long commute 4 times a week back and forth. My friends say we will be bored in Haidian. And that there are better apartments in the city. Do people agree?

Don't go live in Guomao or CBD if you're going to study at Beida. Bad, bad idea. Go live near Beida, as that's where you're going to be most of the time. If you want to be sure of easy access to the city, go live near a metro station, but don't purposely go live at a place that will give you an horrendous commute four times a week. It'd take an hour or so, you will generally not have a seat, despite the aircon it's pretty hot in summer and stuffy in winter, and the changing trains at either Xi- or Dongzhimen is an endless walk (as I remember it, it might have changed, but I doubt it's changed much).

Your friends presumably have jobs, so you won't see much of them on weekdays anyway, no matter where you live. In the weekend, you can still take a then somewhat less crowded metro or a taxi to the more happening parts of town. But actually Wudaokou is not a bad place to live either, it has bars and bookstores and outside chuanr places and probably some other stuff but I haven't been back yet since I moved here last year, so don't have details.