Moving to Beijing

[Saxondale]

So i just landed a job in Beijing, which requires me to start working in March. I've been living in Qingdao for nearly 3 years now and have visited Beijing several times, but i still can't get my bearings when i'm there.  I have no idea what area is suitable for my needs; i feel that once i know which areas would work, i can start looking for apartments. 

 

The job is located in Chaoyang (CBD), so i'm looking for an area that is close to a tube stop, making the commute to 国贸 and other main places relatively straightforward.  I'm happy to commute around 25 minutes by tube each way (i don't mind changing lines). I'm looking for an area which has most things, such as supermarkets (家乐福，乐购), shopping centers (万达 etc), cinemas, coffee shops...an area that doesn't always force me to travel to find entertainment or a decent coffee in the evening.  

 

Budget: 5000rmb

 

Thanks

[icebear]

If you can, I'd suggest renting a place within 10km of your job and getting an electric scooter or bicycle. 50 minutes every day on Beijing's metro (at rush hour) is not something to take lightly.

[tysond]

I ride a bicycle from Dongzhimen (on the 2nd ring) to Wangjing (near the 5th) almost every day.

It's 6.6km, takes about 30 minutes, and is relatively stress free and very cheap.  Due to Beijing's generally dry weather it's very rare to need a second option, and if I do, I just go to work earlier and get a taxi.  I am so happy not to squeeze into the subway.

 

Chaoyang is a huge area, I assume you'll work at GuoMao and want to live a shortish commute from there but in walking or short riding distance of entertainment options.

 

Consider:

• Sanlitun - expat central.  Sanlitun in particular has everything you might need, although it's a circus every night.  May be too pricey.  Probably better to be nearby Sanlitun than in it.
• Chaoyang park - quieter and leafier, but still an enclave of nice housing and probably expensive, strip of restaurants nearby
• Liangmaqiao 亮马桥 area - adjacent to Sanlitun but much more local and quieter - also with a very good little food market
• Maizidian 麦子店 area - relatively local feel but still close to Sanlitun and Chaoyang Park west, some small shops
• Around the Dongsishitiao (东四十条) or Lama template (雍和宫）area inside the 2nd ring road (so not far from Guluo 锣鼓 area which has plenty of hutong places, but also to jump on a bus or ride to 三里屯 for the big stuff). 
• Or Lido (丽都) area which is a bit further out past the 3rd ring road.

You could also try further south - lots of people live in Shuangjing (if working at Guomao it should be close) but I don't know those areas so well.  

 

I don't know which apartments meet your pricing needs (it won't be the high end expat stuff), but hope the names above give you some ability to search by location.

[icebear]

Tysond's advice is very solid. In addition to that and what I said above, you might want to look into this thread on rental experience and advice in Beijing. http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/37618-resources-and-advice-for-apartment-hunting-in-beijing/

 

I personally wouldn't consider living in Shuangjing - I think anywhere between Gulou and the CBD (again, within that radius of about 10km around your workplace) would be better as far as your after-work lifestyle in Beijing. 

[Ruben von Zwack]

I have never lived in Beijing, just been there as a tourist/language school student, but I want to second icebear's and tysond's advice not to take the subway travel time lightly.
 

I was in Qianmen and had to be at Wudaokou every morning at 8, and the pure subway travel time was not much, maybe 15 or 20 minutes. But it took me nearly 50 minutes one way every morning, because changing the bloody line, when 10,000 other people attempt to do the same at the same time, was the problem.

[Lu]

I lived in Shuangjing and it's nice enough, near 2-3 supermarkets, some restaurants, shopping mall (with cinema), gym, a few coffee places and bars, and at least one American diner if that's your thing. Not a lot of traditional Chinese street life though. You can also consider living even further south, Jinsong and beyond. Or perhaps consider the area just east of Guomao, it's fairly well-developed, with gyms, malls and everything.

 

The Dongsishiqiao/Dongzhimen area is very nice to live in, but imo rather far from Guomao. Can be feasible if you have a motorcycle I suppose. It's close to both Dongzhimen and Sanlitun, so you'll never need to travel far for entertainment.

 

Like others, I strongly advise against long subway rides and even more strongly against attempting to change trains in rush hour. Of course it can be done, but dealing with the crowds and the pushing every day wears you out. Also, I don't know what the situation is currently, but in the beginning at 2013 (just before I left) it was basically impossible to travel north from Shuangjing on line 10 during the rush hour, as the metro was completely packed with people coming from further south. I tried and failed to get on the train for two or three days and then switched to taking the bus.

[Tianjin42]

Hi thrice 12,

 

Already some sound advice here.

I work in a similar area and would add:

I am okay using the subway but would agree it is seriously crowded and can get unpleasant (especially Lines 1 and 10 in my opinion).

 

The apartment prices around CBD can be expensive – but you would be able to find something in your range. Shuangjing is a little bit of a western zone for me but it would meet your spec.

 

Just south over the river might be an option – places like 百子湾 where you are in biking range of CBD and depending on where exactly – there are a lot of buses.

 

Also consider the subway lines that will be completed fairly soon – Line 14 is well on the way and will sweep across the south of the city then up to 大望路 (and beyond when final stage is completed). 

[zhouhaochen]

If you work in Guomao, and have such a small budget, I think the best option is Sihui or Sihui Dong. They are only 2 or 3 subway stops away and rents are reasonablyt affordable (5000 is not a lot in Beijing). Anything else, even Shuangjing, might be too expensive for you. The subway from Sihui to Guomao is very crowded, but the trains go every minute and you could also cycle (from Sihui to Guomao, should not take more than 20 minutes by bike). The area is very residential and maybe not Beijing's most exciting place, but good enough for living.

[icebear]

I lived in Sihui Dong before and another advantage it has is that you frequently have an easier time getting a seat, given its the first stop on that line (although there will be a crush behind you from the incoming Batong transfers). I still strongly encourage living within biking or scootering distance - coming from Qingdao it may be hard for you to imagine how hectic and draining a daily commute on the subway can be here.

[Saxondale]

Thank you so much, a lot of information here to get me started on my search.  I've been on 58.com searching for apartments around the areas mentioned, which now gives me a better feel as to what 5000rmb can get you in Beijing.

 

It definitely seems like i should avoid long trips and changes on the tube. When i lived in London, i used to commute quite often on the tube, but it seems like tube life in Beijing is completely different.

 

I'll be honest, i'm not a big fan of the idea of biking through Beijing during summer. Even in Qingdao i'm dying in summer...then again, are the air-conditioned tubes even that effective during peak-hours/summer?

 

@icebear

how come you wouldn't live in shuangjing?

 

on paper it seems like an alright place, especially when looking at these box apartments: http://bj.58.com/xiaoqu/pingguoshequ/chuzu/?shi=1&mp=3000_5000

[Tianjin42]

Okay - it is a lot different than London Underground. In summer the air conditioning is on and it helps but during rush hour it gets hot and you will get other people's sweat on you. Not nice.

 

Sihui is probably a good shout - you will get more apartment for your yuan there. However, personally I do find it to be the greyest part of a grey city - especially in winter. 

[zhouhaochen]

Yes, Sihui can be a bit gray and the entertainment options are limited. But it is within easy scooter/biking distance to the CBD, so if you want a quality place for that price, it is probably one of your only options.

[icebear]

how come you wouldn't live in shuangjing?

 

 

 

My personal feeling is that Shuangjing is where expats that are not really that "into" China prefer to live. Maybe they've been sent out, maybe they have families that take higher priority, whatever - that's all fine. And why not choose Shuangjing in that case: the apartments on average are much newer, it has the latest department stores and grocery options, and its a very convenient bike ride to the CBD. Unfortunately, it also feels very bland, and all you have to do for fun within 10s of minutes is mallratting and seeing movies. Besides going to work the location is terrible for almost anything else.

 

I've previously lived at Sihui Dong, in the heart of the CBD, and now (and I think for the duration) along the inside of the east 2nd ring. The problem with living at Sihui/CBD (and, presumably, Shuangjing) is that it is inconvenient to meet up with friends in more interesting parts of the city. The CBD is completely dead after 8pm and all weekend long. Shuangjing has a bit of night life, but everyone I know from there is always griping about the hassle of getting a cab home at night. Sihui was even worse for that. Everyone moves out there with the intention of still spending a lot of time in the more lively parts of the city, but commutes can drain you and make it easier to just shrug your shoulders and go "not tonight".

 

Living just inside the second ring is cheaper than the above, and the popular Sanlitun, and a 10-20 minute bike ride from either work or the heart of the city's nightlife/restaurants/core. You should be able to find a OK (not amazing) studio or small one bedroom just inside the second ring within your budget. I suggest look into small agencies anywhere north/south of ChaoyangmenNei. Another thing I like about living in older complexes is you can see actually social fabric in them - its not all fresh arrivals. Lots of characters that shoot the shit with each other every night in the courtyards, and occasionally that's fun to join in on for awhile when dropping of your bike after coming home. Living inside in these kinds of neighborhood make you feel like you are part of that social fabric.

 

When most people choose where to live they are usually optimizing:

a) distance to work

b) quality of housing

But they're omitting the most important part of the equation -  c)distance to friends and activities that make you happy. Ideally you can find a ok place at a decent price in between a and c - which for me definitely isn't Shuangjing, Sihui or the CBD.

[Saxondale]

@ice bear

Well that definitely doesn't sound like the type of area i'd like to live for 6 months (sihui, shuangjiang etc), so thank you for making that clear.  Despite going to Beijing quite a few times, i still can't get my head around the ring roads.  You mentioned looking inside the second ring, could you recommend a few places? 

 

thanks

[Lu]

 

Everyone moves out there with the intention of still spending a lot of time in the more lively parts of the city, but commutes can drain you and make it easier to just shrug your shoulders and go "not tonight".

This is true. Although Shuangjing does have a bit of nightlife, you can only share it with fellow Shuangjingites because it's hard to convince anyone else to come that way. In my experience it's not a problem to leave Shuangjing late at night, but in many people's minds it's just very far away. I haven't lived in Sihui and never got further than the metro station, but I think it might have the same downsides as Shuangjing but without the cinema, supermarkets etc. As to getting a seat on the metro: because there are seats available on that stop, people scramble for them like the life of their children depends on it. It's not pretty.

 

I don't know if I'd recommend the Dongzhimen area if you work in Guomao though. It has better social life, entertainment and nightlife, but it's rather far from Guomao. No direct metro line afaik, although motorcycling might work.

[icebear]

I don't know if I'd recommend the Dongzhimen area if you work in Guomao though. It has better social life, entertainment and nightlife, but it's rather far from Guomao. No direct metro line afaik, although motorcycling might work.

 

 

I live in Dongzhimen now and its great, I think. My scooter commute is about 15-25 minutes door-to-door, depending on how I hit the lights. Seriously, after having a scooter its really hard to imagine anyone not using that (or a bicycle) as their main form of transportation. It completely changes your outlook on the city. Mobility matters.

 

If interested in just bicycling I'd recommend the Chaoyangmen area, which isn't as lively but still very easy to get to the action and work.

[roddy]

Congratulations on the new job, thrice12 - it's fun to see people go through the study-work progression over the years. I keep on wanting to offer advice, but having not living in Beijing for a few years I should probably keep quiet. Good to see you getting so much help though, after all your posts about Ocean Uni. 

 

I'll also flag up the accommodation reports topic - this kind of info is obviously invaluable for people moving to or within China, so if anyone has a new pad to post about, please proceed. 

[roddy]

Thrice12, how've your first few weeks in Beijing been? Kindle some Beijing nostalgia for me...

[Saxondale]

Well i would love to give you an answer but it's been a big nightmare trying to get out there, so i'm still in England.

 

I won't start till May, but i should be flying out next week.  I've secured an apartment, so once i'm sorted, i'll contribute to the accommodation thread.

[Tianjin42]

Hey Thrice12,

 

Well done on finally getting confirmed and good luck for your first few weeks out here. As someone who lives in Beijing and someone who has benefited from people's thoughtfulness on the forums, do feel free to get in touch with me when here in the city if there is anything that I could help with. I work near Guomao.

 

Coming over here now isn't such a bad thing. Just in time for nice weather.