Planning on living in Beijing, China? The Expat Info Desk guide to Beijing will help you find your way around in no time.
Our guide was written by Vicky Li Yip and last published on Sunday 4th October 2009, it's the 1st edition.
Although Beijing is the capital of China, it has often been regarded as the less glamorous sister to glitzy Shanghai, that is, until the arrival of the 2008 Olympics. Touted as being China’s “coming out party” in much of the media, the 2008 Olympics also served as an opportunity for Beijing to show off its new facelift and snag a spot on the world stage. Beijing rightfully reminded the international community of its position as the nation’s political, educational, and cultural capital. Home to a complex array of modern and historic buildings, it also boasts some of the world’s most fascinating historical sites. In addition to all the new iconic architecture dotting the city, like the “Bird’s Nest” Olympic Stadium and fanciful CCTV tower, Beijing is best-known for its cultural relics including the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven Park, and the Great Wall of China.
…| Population | Beijing continues to grow even as it struggles to cope with its current population of over 17 million. It is estimated that over 5 million of the population are not official Beijing residents but are “floating residents”, such as migrant workers who come seasonally to the city for construction and other low service jobs. |
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| Currency | The currency used in China is the Renminbi (literally “the people’s money”), more commonly referred to as RMB or “yuan”. |
| Credit Cards | Credit cards are not commonly used, but bank ATM cards are and most of the time, you will be using your ATM card to pay for purchases at restaurants and shops if you don’t want to carry large amounts of cash with you since the largest bill available is the 100 RMB bill (about $15 USD). |
| Language | Chinese, specifically “Putonghua” (also known as Mandarin) is used in Beijing. You will find many different accents here since many of Beijing’s residents are not native to the city, but instead have migrated here from hometowns in other provinces. |
| Time zone | Beijing is on China Standard Time, which means it is 12 hours ahead of New York City (Eastern Time Zone) during Daylight Savings Time. |
| Dialing code | Callers from abroad should dial the “86” country code and “10” city code before dialing the landline phone number. If callers are dialing a Beijing mobile phone number, then it is not necessary to add the “10” since all mobile numbers already include an additional two prefix numbers. |
| Temperature | The temperature can be extreme in this northern city, with hot summers and cold winters and a short spring and autumn season. Average summer temperature can reach 30 degrees Celsius and above (87 degrees Fahrenheit) and winter temperatures can plunge to -10 degrees Celsius (15 degrees Fahrenheit). |
| Electrics | The electrical outlets in China generally accept 220V, 50HZ appliances. If you are going to bring electrical appliances from abroad, you will need to purchase a transformer that not only converts the voltage for you, but will also allow you to actually plug your device into the sockets in mainland China since these are likely shaped differently from those in your home country. |
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The full guide contains over 25 chapters of information covering all practical aspects of moving overseas; from fulfilling legal obligations through to choosing a home for your family. Written by expats, for expats, we do not give you the “official version”, we give you the “real version” and that’s exactly what you will need to have the best possible start to your new life in Beijing. You can purchase our Beijing guide by clicking on the links on the right-hand side of this page.
If you have a discount code you'll be able to enter it before you make your payment.
