General Information
The challenges of moving to a new country, a new city and a new job can be very exciting and at the same time overwhelming. Beijing is a world apart from many places you may have experienced, read or heard about. Many find Beijing a fascinating, intriguing, and wonderful city. We hope to be up front and honest about the lifestyle and conditions.
Beijing has many sights to explore and a thriving community to get involved in. China is a country with a vast territory and more than 5000 years of uninterrupted civilization. The Chinese civilization has a long history and a rich culture.
China boasts a population of 1.3 billion, with 56 ethnic groups. Over the past twenty years, as it has opened its gates to the wider global community, there has been great economic progress and a large increase in foreign investment.
Beijing, which has grown and modernized enormously, has seen a significant increase in the expatriate population. The site of the 2008 Olympics, Beijing is a city of 18 million people and, if you believe what you hear, 9 million bicycles. The Greater Beijing area stretches 100 miles east to west and 112 miles north to south, encompassing the old and the new. As China wakes and Beijing emerges, it is a very interesting and exciting place to live and work.
A-Z List of Living in Beijing
Automobile - If you want to drive in Beijing, you can purchase a new or used car here. Your choice will depend upon the size of your family and your personal preference. Of course, you must obtain a Chinese Driver's License to drive in Beijing. An International Driver's License is not recognized here.
Bank - We highly recommend all new overseas hire staff open new or maintain their existing offshore bank accounts, and have an internationally recognized ATM/debit card.
Bicycles - Some teachers ship in their own bicycles; however, you can buy bicycles here for a very low price. This city has no shortage of bicycles!
Credit Cards - China used to be a "cash" country, but now more and more places (like big supermarket chains, department stores and hotels) are taking credit cards. Thus, it will be worthwhile to bring along your foreign credit cards to China.
Currency - The local currency is called Renminbi (RMB), which literally means "people's currency". The basic monetary unit is called the "yuan" or colloquially "kuai". The money is used mainly in banknotes of 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1; and coins are very small denominations.
Domestic Helper - Employing domestic help (an Ayi) in Beijing is fairly common among expatriate residents. The average salary for a full-time (about 8 hours a day, 5 days a week) Ayi is approximately RMB1,500 (US$200) per month. One month extra salary is expected by your Ayi before Chinese New Year (pro-rated if she works for you less than 1 year).
Electricity - The current is 220 volts/50 cycles, but you may wish to purchase small appliances locally, as transformers are often more expensive than the appliances they are used with. Different types of adapters and transformers can be bought locally.
Entertainment - Monthly expatriate magazines can be picked up for free at many locations (including ISB). They include comprehensive listings of restaurants, bars, films, art events, and community events.
If you like to read for your own enjoyment, bring lots of books. It is not easy or cheap to buy English books here. Many teachers order books online from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. However, staff members share used books with each other. There is also a well-stocked library within the school, and the PTA has a book swap for the community.
There are many sights to see and places to explore in Beijing - the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, Temples, etc. There are also popular day and weekend trips outside the city including the Great Wall, the Fragrant Hills, the Ming Tombs, the site of the Peking Man, the Marco Polo Bridge, etc. It is just impossible to list them all!
Beijing's nightlife is becoming increasingly sophisticated and acquiring a sophisticated price tag as well. There are now plenty of Western-Style restaurants and bars for the foreign community.
Expenses and Savings - Beijing, while not expensive by international standards, is still an expensive city within China. Even so, those of us living in Beijing have learned where to purchase many products locally at quite reasonable prices. Unless you are into buying imported, luxury brand name goods, you can live on a very reasonable amount per month.
Certainly, you personal needs and your life style will ultimately determine just how much you spend and save. For example, if you eat out several nights a week at expensive hotel restaurats, you can spend a good deal; on the other hand, eating at home or at local Chinese restaurants can be fairly inexpensive.
Food - Local fruits and vegetables and other goods (like frozen chicken and fish) can be purchased at very reasonable prices at local markets and western style supermarkets (of varying quality). Many big supermarkets have a separate imports section, otherwise there is the famous Jenny Lou's dedicated to western imports (their Shunyi branch is very close to school).
There are many restaurants in Beijing, which include Chinese (of course), America, French, Italian, German, Indonesian, Japanese, Thai, and Indian. Of course, we also have the famous Starbucks, McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Hard Rock Cafe, Subway, and TGI Fridays. Please keep in mind that the Chinese use MSG.
There are also an increasing number of places where you can sample ethnic cuisine from various parts of China, take in the sidewalk cafes, or eat out at five star hotels.
Health Care - Medical and dental care in China is rapidly improving, and many of our staff find it compares favorably with experiences in their home countries.
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Beijing itself lies in a temperate climatic zone and has four distinct seasons. The weather is hot and humid in the summer months and cold and exceptionally dry in the winter. The strong Siberian winds, and a lack of a permanent snow covering in winter make it even chiller... Spring and autumn - with the skies clear and days warm - are considered by many the best seasons of the year. In the winter months the local Chinese burn soft coal to keep warm, which only compounds the heavy pollution. You may well consider an air purifier and a dehumidifier to be absolute musts.
One interesting thing to consider concerning the climate is that the Chinese turn the heat on and off only on certain dates, no matter what the temperature is. Luckily, this is not the case in the housing compounds where most expatriates stay.
Language - Putonghua is the official language of China, although there are many dialects throughout the country. It is not essential to speak Chinese to survive, especially within the school community, but it will certainly make your stay easier and less frustrating to speak and understand a few basic words and phrases. Chinese lessons will be available to all staff members as part of their professional development. Some staff will choose to learn more about the language by hiring private Chinese tutors. There is a growing number of local Chinese learning English and you should find it easy to settle in.
Mail - The local Chinese mail system is quite adequate and there are several express mail service companies in Beijing (DHL, FedEx, UPS, etc.) The school provides postal service for staff twice a week.
Medicine/Prescriptions - There are Watson's drug stores at the large expatriate areas like Lido Place, China World, Oriental Plaza. as well as some other big shopping malls, where they have limited over-the-counter medications, like Panadol, cough drops, etc. Please note that limited prescription drugs are obtainable here. You will probably need to bring your special prescription drugs with you, although they are becoming more available at the clinics and hospitals mentioned above. There are Chinese medicines available locally for all ailments. Also, don't forget to bring a spare set of contact lenses or glasses.
Pets - Some pets may be brought into Beijing with the proper papers, for example, evidence of a rabies shot and a 48 hour good health certificate etc. Officials at the airport will check all the necessary documents, and you are responsible for handling the immigration procedure for your pet (maximum one small dog per family) inside the airport restricted area. Please be prepared to have your pet quarantined, and to pay a fee at the quarantine. Please note that bringing pets to China is your responsibility, thus, to simplify the process, we recommend that you contract a relocation company to give you a helping hand.
Religions - Although religious activities in Beijing are closely monitored, there is a relatively relaxed attitude for foreigners who wish to worship.
Security - As the Capital of China, Beijing is a relatively safe city. Even though crime is minimal and generally non-violent, most expatriate compounds employ 24-hours security services. Of course, like big cities anywhere in the world, there are pickpockets, so please be cautious and aware of personal belongings, especially in crowded shopping areas. We recommend that you lock your bicycle when leaving it in a public area.
Television - In most of the expatriate housing compounds a number of TV channels, including CNN, HBO, BBC World, AXN, Cartoon Network, CCTV9 (the Chinese international channel broadcast in English) are available.
Toiletries - Shampoos, conditioners (which you really need due to the hard water), mouthwash, shaving cream, toothpaste, etc. are all available here in Beijing. If you have a particular favorite, you might want to bring it, but most people find that selections here are perfectly adequate.
Transportation - Many of the out-of-town housing compounds offer inexpensive shuttle services down to the city center and taxi are relatively cheap. Also, there are the extensive bus routes and the limited but expanding subway/metro/underground network.
Weather - Beijing itself lies in a temperate climatic zone and has four distinct seasons. The weather is hot and humid in the summer months and cold and exceptionally dry in the winter. The strong Siberian winds, and a lack of a permanent snow covering in winter, make it very cold. Spring and autumn, with the skies clear and days warm, are considered by many the best seasons of the year. One interesting thing to keep in mind is the Chinese turn the heat on and off only on certain dates, no matter what the temperature is. Luckily, this is not the case in the housing compounds where most expatriate stay!