China Travel, News and Lifestyle
Beijing
Fulicheng Beijing
Jul 17th
Fulicheng is an area in Beijing consisting of fairly new skyscraper apartments. The location is pretty central, 15min walking distance to Guomao (China World Trade) and fairly close to tourist attractions such as Tiananmen, Forbidden City, Silkstreet, and the Temple of Heaven. In Fulicheng, there are quite a lot of foreigners, some language students others doing business. There is a swimming pool / gym in the middle and a street filled with restaurants – all in this little community.
Fulicheng Rent
The rent in Fulicheng is pretty expensive by Beijing standards, but the location is good. Apartment rents normally range from 3,000 CNY to 7,000 CNY a month (approx $ 450 – $ 1,000 USD).
Getting PSP Hacked in Beijing
Jul 15th
Today I got my PSP hacked to allow the running of pirated games. I was running firmware 2.8 so they first downgraded it to 1.5 and then upgraded it to a custom version of 3.4, and then put some games in my card. It took around 15 minutes and I got it for 280 CNY ($40 USD approx.) together with a 2GB high-speed memory card.
The Resurrection
I got a PSP when I was in Sweden. However, after fooling around with homebrew applications I bricked it. I tried all the fixes I found on the net, but none of them worked so I gave up.
Today I was bored and plugged the PSP to the adapter, played around with the power controls, and it suddenly boots. Needless to say, I’m full of joy. 6 months of a dead PSP and it just resurrects out of nowhere.
Directions
If you are in Beijing and want to get your PSP hacked at the same place I did you can follow my directions, although they suck since I took a taxi. Anyway, hail a cab and say you want to go to Honqiao Market. Get off the cab and walk to the left on the large street. After 2 minutes you will see a semi-underground CD shop. That’s where it’s at. While your there, check out Hongqiao market too, it’s a great place to buy stuff like clothes and small consumer electronics.
I Saw The Prettiest Girl Ever
Jul 14th
I just got back from clubbing. One of the language students was leaving and having birthday, so this was his party. He had a table (sort of VIP) at the club Vics (apparently one of the best in Beijing) and bought lots of drinks.
Somewhere in the middle two pretty girls walk to our table and dance next to it. One of them was the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen. When she starts whispering to the birthday child, a large American, I realize something is strange. I whisper to my friend: “She has to be a prostitute.” He goes, “No, she can’t be.”
We drink and dance some more, and when we get home, he tells me “She was a prostitute and wanted 1,000 CNY (approx. $150 USD).”
Oh, was I right. But really, she was the prettiest girl I’ve seen. I got to go clubbing more here.
Buying Contact Lenses in Beijing
Jul 13th
Contact lenses were a bit hard to find, but the eyeglass shop was pretty good. The guy working there was very helpful, this was my first time using contact lenses, and I learned fast thanks to the staff there. During the process, we had a nice chat.
The contact lenses are name brand from Johnson & Johnson, which is good as it makes me feel safe. Due to the brand, the price is similar to that of Sweden. However, they first checked my eyesight to determine which contacts I should use – and that was free. It would have cost quite a bit in Sweden. I also got a liquid for my eyes to use when they feel dry. All in all I spent less than 500 CNY for a months supply of contacts, about $70 USD. I’m pretty happy.
Contact lenses are great! I’ve heard so many horror stories about them, but when I wear them, I feel nothing at all. The freedom gained from them is incredible, I don’t wear glasses normally – so I had a hard time seeing before. Not anymore. 
Beijing Taxi Safety
Jul 7th
A few days ago my friend who’s studying Mandarin in Beijing told me some awful news about a fellow student who had studied Chinese for 9 months and was heading back home. When he took a taxi to the airport, arrived and stepped out of the taxi, it left. His bags containing the visa, passport and all his belongings were still in the taxi. He had to call the police, embassy, home and take a loss on the valuables he lost.
I have never heard anything like this before. Most Beijing taxi drivers are nice guys. They work long hours and earn enough to get by. They’re not rich but definitely not poor. However, they do have other pressures as well. Beijing city wants the taxi drivers to be able to converse in English for the 2008 Olympics. It was pretty funny, once my taxi driver was singing along to American pop on the radio trying to learn English. Now we can all image how that sounds.
Beijing Taxi Tips
- Look at the driver ID: In front of the front seat there is always a small board with the drivers name, license number and photo. If there are any problems, you can call the taxi company and give them the number. Beijing taxi drivers are very afraid of this. If there information isn’t easily visible, it’s probably an illegal taxi. In that case, step out politely.
- Get the receipt: Get the receipt and make sure it looks legit. The receipt contains the taxi driver’s taxi license number, so the driver wouldn’t dare to do anything after you have the receipt.
- Be friendly: Most Beijing taxi drivers are honest, nice and hard working people. Do not be overly aggressive and show that you are suspicious of them stealing your luggage. Be nice and don’t hurt people’s feelings.
