China Travel, News and Lifestyle
Lifestyle
A Walk on Chang’an Road
Jul 18th
Fulicheng is pretty close to Guomao, which is on Chang’an road, Beijing’s main road. Tonight I decided to take a walk and headed out around 10:30 PM. It was warm enough outside to wear tshirt and shorts.
After I arrive on Chang’an road, walking was a breeze (and fun). The road itself was very wide with many lanes and constant traffic. I walked past Silkstreet Market and the Friendship store, and then walked back to Silkstreet Market and took a cab home.
Something funny and strange happened as I was walking back to Silkstreet Market. Two 20-something guys were sitting by the street smoking, and as I walk by, one of them says to the other “This guy is pretty handsome” in Chinese, loud enough for me to hear clearly. The guys didn’t look gay, but looks can always be deceiving. Maybe they were male prostitutes trying to recruit a “brother”, or maybe it was just because my handsomeness aura was so strong the words just slipped out of his mouth. 
It was nonetheless a great ego-boost.
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).
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.
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.
