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Please Get Ready For Your Arrival

Welcome to our capital — Beijing: a confusingly huge capital. 5 ring roads. 16 freeways (with just a few more under planning). 4 major train hubs. This is not your average Chinese village. This is it. Shanghai, be very afraid of your northern rival.

And add to this — 8 Subway lines by the time the Games are here. The latest bit of news comes as three new lines — Lines 8, Line 10 and the Airport Express — are slated to open in mid-July 2008, just weeks before the Olympics.

And, taxis are expensive. So where does that leave us today? A trajectory underground into the Beijing Subway. As the station announcements so proclaim: The next station is Beijing Subway. Please get ready for your arrival.

Click the image for a bigger map (Beijing Subway Network)

A Little History Behind the Underground World in the Nation’s Capital

The Beijing Subway wasn’t there when the PRC was created in 1949. When Londoners first went underground in 1863, Beijing was still Emperor City, and people in “The Jing” (as it’s otherwise known) were still more interested in building things such as the Summer Palace and Yuanmingyuan — things that stood above ground, not hidden somewhere in the underground. Even when Mao came to power, the Subway was in “no-rush, no-hurry” mode; people thought of getting from A to B in buses or in corporate cars (which were a rarity back in the day). Going underground was virtually unheard-of.

Then, in the 1960s, something awful started to happen to China’s ties with the former Soviet Union. With tension between Beijing and Moscow nosediving with every passing day, Mao and Co thought of digging things underground so that the Soviets wouldn’t wipe out the capital in one fell swoop. The city went underground 1965, with Line 1 and part of Line 2 built — a quick, one-liner service linking the city’s railway station with the western suburbs.

At first, Line 1 went bit by bit to Gongzhufen (where the western 3rd Ring Road is right now) further west, before the whole line went straight west into Pingguoyuan, which to many a visiting foreigner is a never-heard-of place in far far away western Beijing. By 1969, the deep deed was done: Beijing’s first Subway line became reality.

When Deng replaced Mao, Subway fever continued with the reforms. A second line, the loop line, became reality, running underneath the Inner City Walls just inside of the 2nd Ring Road. By 1992, the Subway even went commercial, linking Xidan, a major shopping area in western central Beijing with the rest of the network.

When the People’s Republic turned 50, the entire Chang’an Avenue got Subway service from the western terminus to Sihui East, the point where the avenue turned into a city expressway headed for the eastern suburbs in Tongzhou. Tian’anmen and Wangfujing got Subway service, too. Things were looking good.

Beijing’s successful Olympic bid added Lines 5, 8, 10, 13, as well as the Airport Express and the Batong Line, into the whole mix. Pre-Games, Beijing now has just under 200 km of the underground world to offer to the incoming visitor.

The Subway Lines, Blow By Blow

Want a real detailed look at each line? We figured that this might be the bit you enjoy the most — a Subway line with a pic per line. Just to make sure you’re on the right line to the right place…

Line 1: The West-East Express (Color: Red)

Beijing’s very first Subway line, indeed, Line 1 is a straight, almost-no-curves link from western suburban Beijing right into the city center. It zips right along Chang’an Avenue from the western suburbs in Pingguoyuan through Gucheng, all in relatively industrialized Shijingshan District, and then rushes east, bypassing the Military Museum, all the way to Xidan, before zipping through Tian’anmen Square. Post-Square, the line heads further east to Wangfujing before diving nose first into the CBD and the eastern suburbs.

Stations of interest to the incoming visitor: Bajiao Amusement Park (velodrome), Wukesong (basketball venue), Military Museum (museum and link-up to Beijing West Railway Station), and all stations between Fuxingmen and Dawanglu (central Beijing).

Batong Line: Extending East into the Suburbs (Color: Red)

The Batong Line, despite it being colored red (like its bro, Line 1), is probably of less importance to the incoming visitor than Line 1. Unless you’re after a bit of the new suburban Beijing, you might find yourself away from this line to the extent that it remains a subterranean (OK, actually above-ground) mystery.

Stations of interest to the incoming visitor: Sihui and SIhui East (to head back city-wards after a long day out east), Baliqiao (the Baliqiao old bridge), and Tongzhou Beiyuan (for a look at the eastern suburbs — a bit of real modernized Beijing).

Line 2: Running Circles Around the City (Color: Blue)

Line 2 is probably one of those lines you’ll have a hard time keeping away from. The Subway Gods hear you. Fully aware that you, O Picky Incoming Visitor (as seen in the eyes of many a local — the way we hear it in the capital), don’t like travelling with clackety old trains with service gaps the length of the Great Wall, end-to-end, Beijing Subway now has all-new rolling stock on the rails (indeed, about 90% of the whole line now has new trains), and has shortened Them Gaps down to 2 minutes 30 secs during rush hour. Getting you from A to B faster — and in more comfy style.

Stations of interest to the incoming visitor: nearly all, but especially the interchanges to the other lines — Xizhimen (Line 13), Yonghegong Lama Temple (Line 5), Dongzhimen (Line 13 and Airport Express), Jianguomen (Line 1), Chongwenmen (Line 5), and Fuxingmen (Line 1).A little note as we speak: Beijing Railway Station (as in the subway station) is out of service until further notice. Get to the station either via Jianguomen or Chongwenmen stations plus a bus or taxi ride (or walk if you fancy doing so).

Line 5: North To South, Mozart Included (Color: Purple)

An October 2007 addition, the Mozart Line as we know it (so called because for the first few months, Mozart — and only Mozart — was played in the whole system) does the whole thing north-south, creating a real Subway network (lines hitherto were either all-circles or all west-east).

Stations of interest to the incoming visitor: Datunlu East (this is where your Olympic shuttle bus might take you), and Tiantandongmen (for the Temple of Heaven).

Line 8: The Olympic Express (Color: Green)
Coming mid-July 2008…

Line 8, also known as the Olympic Branch Line, connects the rest of the capital with the Olympic Green. Phase 1 is 4 stations — rather short — but by around 2011 or 2012, the whole line will be built, extending further north and south into the city. Most of the venues in the Green are served by this Subway line.

Stations of interest to the incoming visitor: Beitucheng (transfer to Line 10 and the rest of the system), and all stops in the Olympic Green (Olympic Sports Center, Olympic Green, and South Gate of Forest Park).

Line 10: The Zhongguancun-CBD Express (Color: Aqua)

Coming mid-July 2008…

Relief to the guys up north in Zhongguancun or east in the CBD, Line 10 finally links the two together in a semicircle. The arc line is mainly a massive connector with just about every line of Beijing’s 8-line Subway system except for Line 2 and the Batong Line. You’ll be on this one quite a bit, too.

Stations of interest to the incoming visitor: in particular the transfer stations — Zhichunlu and Shaoyaoju (Line 13), Beitucheng (Line 8), Huixinxijie Nankou (Line 5), Sanyuanqiao (Airport Express), and Guomao (Line 1). Also, Suzhoujie and Haidian Huangzhuang are for Zhongguancun people, while CBD-ers may like to note down Hujialou and Jintaixizhao, too. Especially if you’re after Them Big Pants (aka the new CCTV Tower).

Line 13: For Those Up North (Color: Yellow)

This line, which opened up in two phases — one in late 2002 and the other in early 2003 — is, like its Batong counterpart, of less use to incoming guests. However, Line 13 runs dangerously close to Wudaokou and Wangjing, where there are probably more Koreans than Chinese (as the whole thing might so appear). If you hail from Seoul and places beyond, this line is for you.

Stations of interest to the incoming visitor: Xizhimen and Dongzhimen (transfer stations with Line 2), Zhichunlu and Shaoyaoju (transfers with Line 10), and Wudaokou and Wangjing West (Koreatowns — the latter is bigger).

Airport Express: City To Airport In A Quarter Hour (Color: Light Purple)

Coming mid-July 2008…

The Airport Express is probably only of interest if you’re headed to, or have arrived from, of course, Beijing’s airport. This is also the only line which is not in Beijing’s CNY 2-anywhere Subway fare network; a ride on this baby saps away CNY 25, over twelve times the standard fare. (Just you try fare evasion on this thingamajig: fines go up to CNY 250. Owch.)

Probably the only stations of interest to you are Terminal 2 and 3 stations, as well as Sanyuanqiao station (linkup with Line 10) and Dongzhimen station (linkup with Lines 2 and 13) — which is how you will enter The Jing.In Part Two Coming Later This Week: How to get your Subway tickets — and get mobile in the whole system.

Quick Guide to Super-Famous Spots Near Major Subway Stations

Line 1:

• Tian’anmen (天安门) and Forbidden City (紫禁城): Tian’anmen East station (地铁天安门东站)
• Wangfujing (王府井): Wangfujing station (地铁王府井站)
• National Center for the Performing Arts (国家大剧院): Tian’anmen West station (地铁天安门西站)
• Xidan shopping area (西单): Xidan station (地铁西单站)
• Headquarters of Apple Beijing (苹果中国北京办事处): Yonganli station (地铁永安里站)
• China World Trade Center (中国国际贸易中心): Guomao station (地铁国贸站)
• CBD stops: Yong’anli, Guomao and Dawanglu stations (地铁永安里、国贸、大望路站)
• Beijing West Railway Station (北京西客站): Military Museum station (地铁军事博物馆站)
• Wukesong Indoor Stadium: Wukesong station (地铁五棵松站)
• Laoshan Velodrome: Bajiao Amusement Park station (地铁八角游乐园站)

Line 2:

• Beijing Zoo (北京动物园): Xizhimen station (地铁西直门站)
• Deshengmen Arrow Tower (remains of Ming and Qing City Walls) (德胜门箭楼): Jishuitan station (地铁积水潭站)
• Bell and Drum Towers (钟鼓楼): Guloudajie station (地铁鼓楼大街站)
• Yonghe Lamasery (雍和宫), Guozijian Street (国子监街), and Beijing Confucius Temple (北京孔庙): Yonghegong Lama Temple station (地铁雍和宫站)
• Workers’ Stadium (工人体育场) and Gymnasium (工人体育馆): Dongsi Shitiao station (地铁东四十条站)
• Chaowai area (朝外): Chaoyangmen station (地铁朝阳门站)
• Beijing Ancient Observatory (北京古观象台): Jianguomen station (地铁建国门站)
• Beijing City Wall relics (Ming and Qing Walls) (清明城墙遗址公园): Chongwenmen station (地铁崇文门站)
• Tian’anmen Square, Qianmen Avenue (前门大街) and Zhengyangmen Gate (正阳门): Qianmen station (地铁前门站)
• Finance Street (金融街): Fuchengmen station (地铁阜成门站)

Line 5:

• Olympic Green (奥林匹克公园): Datunlu East station (地铁大屯路东站)
• Temple of Heaven (天坛): Tiantandongmen station (地铁天坛东门站)

Line 8:

• Bird’s Nest and Water Cube (鸟巢、水立方): Olympic Sports Center station (地铁奥体中心站)
• National Stadium (国家体育馆): Olympic Green station (地铁奥林匹克公园站)
• Forest Park (森林公园): South Gate of Forest Park station (地铁森林公园南门站)

Line 10:

• Zhongguancun (中关村) and Zhongguancun West (中关村西区): Suzhoujie and Haidian Huangzhuang stations (地铁苏州街、海淀黄庄站)
• Yuan Dynasty City Wall Relics Park (元大都城墙遗址公园): Xitucheng station (地铁西土城站)
• Women’s Street (Nurenjie) (女人街): Liangmaqiao station (地铁亮马桥站)
• CBD stops: Hujialou, Jintaixizhao and Guomao stations (地铁呼家楼、金台夕照、国贸站)
• CCTV Tower (The Pants): Jintaixizhao station (地铁金台夕照站)

Line 13:

• Great Bell Temple (大钟寺): Dazhongsi station (地铁大钟寺站)
• Wangjing community (Koreatown in Beijing): Wangjing West station (地铁望京西站)

Batong Line:

• Baliqiao Bridge (old bridge) (八里桥): Baliqiao station (地铁八里桥站)
• Tongzhou (new suburban center) (通州城区): Tongzhou Beiyuan station (地铁通州北苑站)

Airport Express:
• Beijing Airport (PEK, 北京首都国际机场): T2 or T3 stations

OK, so you’ve just landed at Beijing’s Capital International Airport (PEK). Welcome to China! So, what’s next? Into Beijing you go.

Wait. There’s got to be a way for you to get from A to B — in this case, from Beijing Airport into “the Jing”, as they say.

Beijing Airport used to be a remote outpost — far beyond the reach of any ring road until 2002. Just recently, the airport itself has been boxed up — by a ring expressway network. New towns are planned north and east of the airport.

How times have changed.

Click the image for a bigger map (Airport transit network relative to central Beijing)
Click the image for a bigger map (Airport freeway network).Destination: Central Beijing (e.g. CBD & Wangfujing)
Route: Airport Freeway or 2nd Airport Freeway This is the path the great majority of you will take. Most of you probably aren’t heading to the Great Wall next to the reservoir in northern Beijing — yet; you’ve got, instead, a hotel room waiting for you. We hear you.If your destination is somewhere more CBD-ish or near eastern urban Beijing (around the eastern 4th Ring Road 四环), you might be better served with the new, sure-not-to-be-clogged-up 2nd Airport Freeway (机场第二高速). It’s actually supposed to be called the Airport East Freeway, geo-wise, but there you go anyways. This new freeway opened fresh on Summer Solstice 2008, which for those of you who prefer nitty-gritty figures actually turns out to be June 21, 2008.
If your destination is more a la central Beijing — Tian’anmen, Wangfujing, Chang’an Avenue — you’ll be served by the oldie-but-goldie Airport Freeway (机场高速). The Airport Freeway is a tad more crowded — the thing’s been there for about the best part of 16 years — but it’ll get to your destination in central Beijing. If you’re staying in the hotel cluster on the northeastern 3rd Ring Road, take the Airport Freeway; it’s closer to the whole cluster.Destination: The West, Northwest, or North (e.g. the Great Wall)
Route: Airport North Freeway (机场北线)If, however, your first destination, as a matter of fact, is the Great Wall next to the reservoir in northern rural Beijing, your ticket is the Airport North Freeway (机场北线) . The Airport North Freeway links you to the Jingcheng (Beijing-Chengde) Freeway, which heads into northern rural Beijing’s Huairou District. (Not a lot of five-star hotels there.)

If you’re heading further west, you’ll need to switch on over to the 6th Ring Road heading counterclockwise when the duo (Jingcheng Freeway and 6th Ring Road) meet. This is the direction for you if you happen to be going to western Beijing’s Mentougou District. No idea where that is? Tanzhe Temple — anyone? This is supposed to be the temple in Beijing that predated Beijing.

And if you’re living next to the Great Wall (as in the Commune by the Great Wall), you’ll take the same route, except that you’ll head onto the Badaling Freeway (八达岭高速) a bit after getting on the 6th Ring Road. The Badallineing Freeway is true to its name — this is the freeway that gets you to The Wall!Access to the Airport North Freeway is a bit complex at best.

If you’re coming in from Terminal 2, you’ll need to head via Terminal 1 to connection roads to the freeway. If you hail from Terminal 3 — you’ll need to reach Terminal 2 and 1 (in that order — to the shock of mathematicians) before you set flight on the Airport North Freeway. If you’re landing in Beijing’s Terminal 1, you’re all set. Just follow the signs for the Airport North Freeway. Life sure is easy for T1-ers.

Destination: The East or Northeast (e.g. Pinggu District)
Route: Airport South Freeway followed by Jingping or Jingcheng Freeways

So what if your arrival in the Chinese capital sees peach-picking in eastern Beijing’s Pinggu District as the first must-do item on the agenda? Or where should you head to (freeway-wise) if you long to see the Great Wall at Simatai (think: mountain + Great Wall on top)?

In this case, you’ll be served well by the Airport South Freeway (机场南线). Head further east until Litian Bridge. This is where you’ll have to make up your mind.

Continue, by all means, further east if you’re headed to peach-populated Pinggu District (does this thing sound too close to the Swiss penguin comic series Pingu? Then again, we digress.) You’ll be on the Jingping (Beijing-Pinggu) Freeway before long.

But make a turn onto the 6th Ring Road headed north and head onto the Jingcheng Freeway later if you’ll be making it into Miyun — and the Great Wall at Simatai. (Actually, there are about a million and one more great scenic spots in the northeast, but we’ll leave that for another day.)

Destination: The South (e.g. Daxing)
Route: Airport South Freeway (机场南线) followed by 6th Ring Road

Got an invitation to Panggezhuang, Daxing, aka Watermelon Heaven? Or what if you’ve been invited to that great big Beijing Economic Technological Development Area in Yizhuang (亦庄)? (This actually could happen to you — especially if FDI + biz = your trip to the Chinese capital.) All those wonders are in southern Beijing.

And you’ll need to get to these places. Right. It’s time to head onto the Airport South Freeway and head further east. Once again, before long, you’re confronted with this massive Litian Bridge.

The trick here is to turn right and head clockwise onto the ringway. Before long (a la a couple dozen kilometers or more), you’ll be in southern Beijing.

Zukunftsmusik: The Airport Express (轨道交通机场线)

Click the image for a bigger map.All right, we hear you. All you want to do is to get into Beijing — downtown Beijing — nothing more, nothing less.There is an incredibly easy way to reach central Beijing straight from the airport. (Note, however, that this will not get you to “outward” places such as the city suburbs. But that’ll be good for about 90+% of you anyways.) It’s called the Airport Express (轨道交通机场线), and by the time July 2008 rolls around, you’ll be able to take this express train into Beijing. This special, airport-optimized line of the Beijing Subway network will be reality pre-Olympics. Think of it as the airport-to/from-central-Beijing train.

Fares haven’t been finalized for the service — it’s not going to be cheap (RMB 25 or RMB 30 are on the table). But at the end of the day, it’ll be the only way into Beijing where you are absolutely guaranteed that you’ll be kept out of Beijing’s best road export: jams galore.The Airport Express will link central Beijing to Terminal 3 within just 16 minutes, and Terminal 2 from Dongzhimen (东直门), central Beijing is no more than 25 minutes away. The distance between Dongzhimen and Beijing Airport is 23 km by car. It presently costs RMB 16 for airport express bus and RMB 70 by taxi.

Trains leave pretty frequently (about 8 to 10 minutes is what we’re hearing, although we’re not too sure yet). Into Beijing, you get to change at Sanyuanqiao for Line 10 bound for Zhongguancun and the CBD or at Dongzhimen for the inner city loop line (Line 2) or the outer suburbs loop (Line 13).

There are 4 stops along the express rail link: Terminal 3, Terminal 2, Sanyuanqiao (三元桥) and Dongzhimen. Dongzhimen will be the final city terminus. The Infrastructure Powers That Be, fully recognizing the current transport mélange at Dongzhimen, are putting the touching pieces to the Dongzhimen Transport Hub. The Airport Express will come into the hub on Basement Level 4, with Lines 2 and 13 a few floors above. You’ll actually be able to follow the signs and complete the interchange without ever seeing a ray of light (sun or moon). After the Games, you’ll even be able to check in your bags from Dongzhimen.And when it opens, this will be one sweet service.

Now before you daydream your way into the Airport Express — get packin’! Come to Beijing! (I know, we have a sub-optimal visa policy, but if you’re prepared in full — we should be able to see you in the capital!)

Beijing’s Subway Line 8 is nearly reality. With a wait of less than a month to go — Line 8 is reality with Line 10 and the Airport Express — the new Subway lines will open up in early July 2008. (Note that they once said “late June 2008″, but they moved it back…)

Don’t, by any chance, discount Line 8. Without Line 8, you won’t be able to get to the Olympic venues. This line is about a million times more important than Lines 1 (running underneath Chang’an Avenue), 2 (running in circles inside central Beijing) or any other Subway line.

Line 8 — The Olympic Branch Line

When Beijing won the Olympics in 2001, the world was already watching. Beijing had to find somewhere to entertain the world in seven years’ time; in 2003, the Olympic Green was chosen as the place. Situated at the northernmost end of Beijing’s 25 km long north-south axis, this bit of Beijing is sandwiched between the northern 3rd Ring Road and the northern 5th Ring Road (part of the Forest Park, in fact, spill out over the 5th Ring Road) and is big — coming in at a handsome 1,159 acres.

So it soon dawned upon the Subway people that they had to serve the 1,159 Olympic Green. No sweat: The Subway Powers that Be cooked up Line 10, running a semi-arc from the Zhongguancun (中关村) tech hub in northwestern Beijing and went east into the Beijing CBD. The really smart thing was that they added an interchange halfway through the northern part of Line 10 — to link with the future Olympic line.

The Olympic line was originally designed to be part of Line 10 — and was supposed to be this tiny bit that jutted into the north. There wasn’t really much use for the line, apart from two months of Olympic fever in 2008. The 4 km-ish Line 8 has every potential to become a real Subway dragon, with all extensions in place.

Ah. Here’s the good bit. The Olympic line was renamed Line 8, stripped of its Olympic-only name, and became a separate line. The newly-renamed Line 8 then took a life of its own — with extensions further north and south to come long after the Games were finished.

Fellow riders will be pleased to know that the flat RMB 2 fee for all lines (except for the Airport Express) will work very well on Line 8.

Click the image for a bigger map.Getting To Line 8: Getting to Line 8 is not the easiest thing you’ll be able to do — the only direct way to Line 8 is if you’re taking Line 10. (Line 10 runs from Zhongguancun, the tech hub in northwestern Beijing, all the way through to the CBD in eastern urban Beijing, but does an arc more than a straight line service.)
Line 8 entrances look very different from other Subway entrances in Beijing From a few “big” places in Beijing, this is how you reach Line 8 in 2008:

• Tian’anmen Square ( 天安门): Take Line 1 eastbound to Pingguoyuan; change at Dongdan for Line 5. Take the Line 5 train northbound to Tiantongyuan North, and change again at Huixinxijie Nankou for Line 10. Take the Line 10 train to Bagou, and finally exit at Beitucheng (two stops). Change at Beitucheng for Line 8.
• Beijing Capital Airport (PEK) : When the Airport Express opens in early July 2008, exit at Sanyuanqiao (三元桥) and change to Line 10. Take the Line 10 train to Bagou (巴沟), and change at Beitucheng for Line 8.
• Beijing Railway Station: Take Line 2 for just a stop further west (to Chongwenmen). Then change at Chongwenmen for Line 5. At Chongwenmen, take the Line 5 train northbound to Tiantongyuan North, and change again at Huixinxijie Nankou for Line 10. Take the Line 10 train to Bagou, and finally exit at Beitucheng (two stops). Change at Beitucheng for Line 8.
• Temple of Heaven (tiantan,天坛): Take the Line 5 train northbound to Tiantongyuan North, and change again at Huixinxijie Nankou for Line 10. Take the Line 10 train to Bagou, and finally exit at Beitucheng (two stops). Change at Beitucheng for Line 8.Wangfujing (王府井): Follow the instructions for Tian’anmen Square.
• CBD (Chaoyang Guomao area): Take the Line 10 train to Bagou, and finally exit at Beitucheng. Change at Beitucheng for Line 8.
• Zhongguancun: Take the Line 10 train to Jinsong, and exit at Beitucheng. Change at Beitucheng for Line 8.

Stops And Sights

Here are some good sights near the main Line 8 stations:

• Beitucheng (北土城): Just west of Beitucheng is the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park (a.k.a.China Nationalities Museum 中华名族博物馆/园), where all of China’s 56 ethnic groups are showcased. You’ll get to see buildings representative of different ethnicities — a good chance to immerse yourself in a bit of Chinese history. See, the Han majority (at about 92%) doesn’t really tell the whole story about China — ethnic-wise. The remaining 55 have equally interesting stories to tell.

• Olympic Sports Center (奥林匹克体育中心) and Olympic Green (奥林匹克公园): These stops are close to the major venues, including the Bird’s Nest, aka the National Stadium, and the Water Cube, aka the National Aquatics Center. Exit at the first stop (Sports Center) for the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube; exit at the second (Olympic Green) for the National Indoor Stadium and other venues in the park.

Cliché already? If you must… the Bird’s Nest…• South Gate of Forest Park (森林公园南门) : Enter the Olympic Forest Park through its south gate here. We’re talking about a forest park covering over half of the entire area of the Olympic Green. Spanning 680 hectares (the whole Olympic Green is “just” 1,159 hectares), the Forest Park is huge — and is all green. There’s even a pedestrian-only bridge over the 5th Ring Road — they didn’t do “Green Olympics” just for the heck of it! All of these sights should be open by the time the Games are in Beijing.

Good Connections

The main transfer point on Line 8 is the massive interchange at Beitucheng. South of Beitucheng, the Olympic Green is no more.If you’re heading on to Line 8 from Line 10, follow the signs and enter a T-shaped interchange — down the stairs you go into the green Line 8 (distinguished from the (what must be) Mac OS X Aqua Line 10).

You’ll be pleased to know that Lines 8 and 10 all use central platforms — so use the full width of the entire platform, and don’t just crowd yourselves at the far ends of the platform.There is also good signage for those making their way back to Line 10. Unlike those heading to Line 8, you’ll have to pick your destination if you’re transferring back to Line 10.

Zukunftsmusik

Line 8 is, by all means, the measliest of all Subway lines as we have it right now. However, the whole line should come with a huge WATCH THIS SPACE line, as up to three extensions could see this being the line through all of Beijing.

In the first extension, Line 8 will expand further north to Huoying North and south through to Meishuguan East Street, near the Art Gallery. The northern extension will bring Subway services to Huilongguan, which is a massive community in the northern suburbs. Meanwhile, the southern extension will bring services to Houhai, not far from the Houhai Bar Street in central Beijing, and finally end near the Art Gallery — just northeast of the Forbidden City.

When that’s all said and done, Line 8 might make a further extension further south to somewhere near Nanyuan Airport. This, though, isn’t likely to start until 2015 at the very earliest. The southern link will bring services through to Qianmen in the heart of Beijing (just to the south of Tian’anmen), as well as Yongdingmen Gate, and finally all the way to Nanyuan Airport, which is the second largest airport in Beijing (although it’s measly if compared with Beijing Capital).

Finally, Line 8 is almost certain to head into eastern urban Changping, in northern suburban Beijing. This part is north of Huilongguan, and is to be a university area in the north. The northernmost extension still has no timetable, but is pretty much a near-done deal.

So there you have it — Line 8 of the Beijing Subway. Not really big when you take a look at it in 2008, but hey, this guy’s got room to grow!

Sichuan team bit beat Japan team and won the male 4×100 relay.

It’s official: China will enter into three days of mourning beginning Monday, May 19, 2008 through to Wednesday, May 21, 2008. Recreational facilities will be suspended as citizens from around the nation remember their compatriots hit by this recent tragic earthquake.

At 14:28 on Monday, sirens and horns will sound for three full minutes to remember the victims of this terrible tragedy. The Olympic Torch Relay has also been halted for three days, this, too, to remember the recent disaster. On Twitter, we also hear news that CRI (China Radio International) may be planning something of a very different nature — instead of their regular music and lively chat. Things will, indeed, look somber, even over the airwaves.

Yours truly will be observing the nationwide period of mourning, too. All Twitter accounts (@DavidFeng in particular) will have their icons changed to a black square to indicate the period of mourning, and the davidfeng.com website will also change so that a message of mourning and grief takes the place of the normal web site. New projects which are slated to start this time will be pushed back for at least three days, and reduced updates will be the norm as everyone around us remembers those who lost their lives in this recent tragedy.

Recently, the earthquake has been virtually the sole topic all around town, in particular in one of yours truly’s gigs (the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall), but also, more significantly, around Twitter. Of somewhat of an odder note is the fact that the quake has somewhat disappeared from the (more…)

Special times prompt special — well, special specials, pardon the pun. This week has been an extraordinary one, with the earthquake halfway through Monday shakings up.

First of all, a first-hand account about how things turned out in Beijing, at ground level. (The posts I quote were all written on Tuesday, a day after the quake.) As Kaiser Kuo recalls:

At 2:28 yesterday afternoon, I had stopped off at home in Beijing’s Central Business District after lunch and was writing an email to a VC friend of mine when I suddenly felt dizzy. For the first few seconds, I thought it was all in my head, but then there was the distinct sensation of physical movement. I asked my wife, “Is this an earthquake?” She was incredulous at first, but then found she almost lost her footing and held a wall for support. “It is an earthquake,” she said. I looked out the window toward the new office towers going up south of my building, and could have sworn I saw them swaying. We talked for a couple of seconds about what we should do–whether we should get under a doorway, or get downstairs. Then it all stopped, about 35 seconds afterward.

Nearly immediately after the quake, I myself got a flood of messages, all from people I knew, who were concerned with how things were in Beijing. As I wrote on my blog in the form of a letter to all my friends: (more…)

Summary

Virtually every trip to Beijing, I’m confronted with the question: should I stay in Zhongguancun, CBD, or somewhere in between? This post outlines three strategies and specific hotels to consider in each strategy.

But first, some context for first-time visitors to Beijing

Beijing is extremely spread out. To put it in terms that Americans can understand, Beijing is like Los Angeles and Orange County in scale. You would not stay in downtown LA, drive to a morning meeting in Irvine, then drive to meet someone for lunch in Santa Monica! But in fact, if you don’t plan properly, and you don’t take the ever present traffic jam into account, you can set yourself up for missed meetings and literally hours in the car. I know…I’ve done it.

Zhongguancun or Chaoyang, or somewhere in between?

The issue for tech entrepreneurs is: most of software and technology companies are based in Zhongguancun, within the Haidian District, to the northwest of Tiananmen Square. Western multinationals, service providers, and many other businesses are headquartered in CBD (Central Business District) or other parts of Chaoyang District , southwest of Tiananmen Square. Don’t know where anything is in Beijing? See the map below:

Subway Line 10 Map

Click the image to see a full size image

As you can see on this map, Zhongguancun is in the Northwest, and CBD is in the Southeast. We pointed out in our post “Getting to Know Subway Line 10 ” that Line 10 is perfect for people who need to get from CBD to Zhongguancun. Once Beijing Metro Line 10 is operational, getting from Zhongguancun to CBD will be direct, transfer-free and presumably very fast.

Currently, the most direct way to get from CBD to Zhongguancun is by taxi taking the 3rd Ring Road. However, this can easily be a 60 minute drive or more during traffic.

Strategy 1: Stay in a Zhongguancun Hotel

I personally like to stay in a Zhongguancun hotel because I like geeks more than I like investment bankers! I feel surrounded by the brainpower of China’s best and brightest. Because I’m from Silicon Valley, it is the place in China where I feel most at home. Its also cheaper than Chaoyang where all the international hotels are.

Zhongguancun Hotels over RMB700 (over $100) per night

I’m familiar with three hotels: Jade Palace Hotel, Park Plaza Beijing Science Park (formerly known as Tianhong Plaza), and Empark Grand Hotel. I’ve stayed at Jade Palace, had meetings at Park (Tianhong) Plaza, and had clients stay at Empark Grand.

Jade Palace - 北京翠宫饭店

CNReviews Review: (coming soon)

Website: http://www.jadepalace.com.cn/

Price as of 5/10/2008: Standard Room RMB720, Deluxe Room RMB920 at Ctrip.com.

Park Plaza Beijing Science Park - 北京丽亭华苑酒店

Website: http://www.parkplaza.com/beijingcn_sciencepark/

http://www.parkplaza-bj.com/

Price as of 5/10/2008: Superior Room RMB668, Deluxe Room RMB718, Administration Room RMB858 at Ctrip.com. Have no idea what “Administration Room” means.

地址：中国北京市海淀区知春路25号
全球免费订房电话：10-800-610-8886 (中国北方) 10-800-261-8888 (中国南方)
酒店预订部电话：+86-10-8235-6699 传真：+86-10-8235-6683
邮箱：beijing@parkplaza-bj.com

Empark Grand Hotel - 北京世纪金源大饭店

Website:
http://www.empark.com.cn/english/bj01/

Price as of 5/10/2008: Superior Room (Twin bed) RMB780, Superior Room (Queen bed) RMB850 at Ctrip.com.

Other hotels to consider include:

Shangri-La Hotel - not as convenient location, I have not been there

Zhongguancun hotels between RMB400 and RMB 700

Its easy to spend money like a foreigner but hard to save money like a local. When I’m traveling on my own dime and not trying to maintain mianzi by spending money on lodging, I try to step it down a notch. But its not as easy. The one budget Zhongguancun hotel I stayed at I can’t recommend, so I asked Winser Zhao of SinoHotelReservations.com for advice. If you like these recommendations, please give Winser a try because he has very competitive rates vs. Elong and Ctrip, and provides personal service. I am trying him out this trip. He recommended the following:

Sariz International Hotel

Website: site is flagged as having malware by Google so I won’t link there.

Address: No.19 Zhongguancun street, Haidian district, Beijing

Rate: RMB618/night(service fee included, breakfast excluded)

Breakfast: RMB58 / person

Comments from Winser: opened in 2007,quite new. 6 km from Shangdi (where UpTake office is). ADSL for free. Strongly recommended.

Friendship Hotel

Website: www.bjfriendshiphotel.com/en/

Address: No,1,Zhongguancun South street, Haidian, Beijing

Room Type: Standard Room (Yibin Building)

Rate: RMB628/night(service fee included, breakfast excluded)

Breakfast: RMB40/person

Comments from Winser: outside is quite old, but the inside is nice. ADSL is not free.

Xiamen Commercial Hotel

Website:

Address: No.46 Zhichun Rd, Haidian district, Beijing

Comments: Whole new decoration. Only one minutes walk to line 13 subway station. Opened business from 1st Jan 2007. 8 floors, 84 room totaly. 28 square metres in standard room.

Room types (all with pure-wood floor):

• standard room: 398RMB/night(service fee and single breakfast included)
• business single room: (with LCD PC upper 5th floor): 460RMB/night(service fee and single breakfast included)
• suite room (king-sized bed): 560RMB/night (service fee and single breakfast included)

Note: all rooms offer free ADSL

Elliott: I walked by this hotel last time I was in Beijing. It is right across from Microsoft Research Asia and right next to Line 13 Zhichunlu Station. I asked Winser to find the information. He is not familiar with this nor have I stayed here.

Other options:

Yanshan Hotel - I have not been there.

Dear CNReviews Reader: Do you have any other Zhongguancun Hotel options to recommend?

Strategy 2: Stay in CBD, Guomao (World Trade Center area), Chaoyang

The second strategy is staying in CBD or elsewhere in Chaoyang. We’ll cover that in another post.

Strategy 3: Stay in-between

The third strategy is stay in between. One approach I’ve taken is stay somewhere on Line 2 and then transfer to Line 13 at Xizhimen station. Another approach would be to stay near Line 5. The arrival of Line 10 will make this even easier and will likely be the best option of all.

Other Beijing Neighborhoods

Ctrip lists a number of districts, but unless you already know the city, it is not all that helpful:

• Tiananmen Square Wanfujing Area
• Qianmen Chongwenmen Business Area
• Gongzhufen Wanshoulu Business Area
• Yansha Business Area
• Xizhimen and Beijing Exhibition Center Area
• Xidan Station Financial Street Area
• Beijing International Airport Area
• Yonanmen / South Railway Station Area
• Two rings of east / Worker’s Stadium Area
• West Railway Station Area
• International Exhibility Center Area
• Asia Game Village / Olympic Village Business Area
• Jinsong / Panjiayuan Area
• Madian Area
• Shangdi / Zhongguancun Area
• Houhai Area
• Yizhuang Area
• Wangjing Area
• Beijing Railway Station / Jianguomen / China World Trade Center Area

Having been to Beijing between 5-10 times now, I know where about 50% of these areas are. But the English language information on all these Websites still leaves much to be desired.

Any other Zhongguancun Hotels to recommend?

It’s on with the program. If you didn’t blink, you’ll know where we are — we just introduced Beijing’s Subway Line 10 last week. This shiny new Subway line will do an arc from Zhongguancun, Beijing’s tech hub, through to the CBD in eastern urban Beijing, when it opens in June 2008.

Last week, we went into painstaking detail about where Line 10 will run through. This week, we’ll dip into other topics — including how stations are designed, the new ticket barriers, and what the future holds for Line 10.

Yes, that’s right, ladies and gents. Please get ready for your arrival. (more…)

Beijing’s Subway Line 10, slated to open in June 2008, looks at first to be an arc line — the only arc line of its type when it opens. Having just been spoilt by a glitzy new Line 5 in October 2007, Beijingers are probably too deep into deciphering the new Mozart Line (as your Beijingologist calls it after the opening ceremony was accompanied by Mozart at every station) to note that three new lines — Lines 8 and 10, as well as the Airport Express — will be reality in just less than two months’ time. (As I always say — “please get ready for your arrival!”)

Click the image for a bigger map.

Line 10, at first, looks to be this odd arc running from northwestern urban Beijing through to the CBD. It looks a bit half-done, to be honest; it’s either an amalgamation of two lines or half a loop. But don’t let that throw you off: Line 10, when it opens, will be absolutely crucial to the Chinese capital. You’ll find yourself taking the new line more often than you think.

Don’t believe me? Hop along for a quick test drive.

What Line 10 Means To Beijing

Line 10 doesn’t exactly travel through new territory at first glance. Subway services already serve the southeastern part of the Zhongguancun region, as well as Shaoyaoju (a residential quarter not far from the University of International Business and Economics), and there’s a subway line underneath Chang’an Avenue. At first, there’s not that much excitement.

But wait — Line 10’s there for a reason. To get from the CBD to Zhongguancun right now, it’s a ride on three lines. With Line 10, you’ll just need to hop in from Guomao station and stay on the train until Zhongguancun, exiting at Haidian Huangzhuang station for Zhongguancun Avenue — that “big street” through China’s Silicon Valley (as they call it).

Line 10 doesn’t just add new spots served by the subway (much of the eastern 3rd Ring Road, as well as northern urban Beijing), it actually does a great job of joining existing lines and adding in a host of shortcuts and transfer stations. No doubt about it: once you’re on Line 10, you’ll wonder how the heck you made it through x-million transfer stations before the new line.

Who’ll Use Line 10 The Most

So who’ll use Line 10 the most? Off the top of our heads, we can think of quite a number of people…

• Line 10 will be big with commuters in the CBD, thanks to its unique geographical location — right underneath the eastern 3rd Ring Road and at the heart of the Guomao region.

• Line 10 will also be big with people headed to Zhongguancun. Up till now, they had to — in essence — “make do” with more-than-mediocre stops at Zhichunlu or Wudaokou — which is in the eastern part of Zhongguancun, away from the high-tech malls.

• Finally, Line 10 will be big with Olympians. This line links directly to Line 8, also known as the Olympic Branch Line. You’ll see a lot of Olympians headed on Line 10 come August 2008.

Good Connections

When Line 10 opens in June 2008, the new subway line will already link to 5 existing (or new!) lines: Lines 1, 5, 8, 13 (twice) and the Airport Express. When Line 4 (going through the heart of Zhongguancun) is reality by late 2009, we’ll have Line 10 linking up to 6 lines.

And the good thing is that two stations have already been built as “instant transfer” stations, where there’s, in essence, no need to walk into a super-long passageway (if you’ve ever changed from Line 1 to Line 2 at Fuxingmen station in central Beijing, you know what we mean!) If you’re transferring to Line 5 at Huixinxijie Nankou station, or if you’ll be headed to Line 4 at Haidian Huangzhuang station beginning autumn 2009, you’ll benefit from those “instant transfer” stations.

Other stations are quite a walk if you’re going from one line to the other — but they’ll be shorter than the average Swiss dog walk, with the longest transfer passageway — the one at Guomao between Lines 1 and 10 — no longer than 70 meters. Those of you with sprinty, long legs (like yours truly) will most likely be able to finish the walk in about a minute.

Due to the rather odd way the Beijing Subway network is laid out, Line 10 will miss transfers with Line 2 and the Batong Line. You’ll have to transfer via Lines 1, 5 or 13 to reach Line 2, and a quick trip on Line 1 at Guomao (heading east) is required before you’re on the Batong Line bound for eastern suburban Beijing.

Core Areas of Note — 1: Guomao and CBD

Line 10 starts very close to the Beijing CBD — its third stop from the present southernmost terminus, Jinsong, is smack in the center of the CBD, at Guomao. Unlike Line 1, which runs across the CBD in a west-east manner, Line 10 does the job north-south, delving deeper into the heartland of the CBD.

When it opens in June, there will be — for the first time — a subway station south of Guomao Bridge. (Presently, all exits are to the north of the mega-overpass.) This could come in hand for those who work at the Motorola Tower, or the China Merchants Tower, as all of these are to the southeast.

Line 10 will also link up (as previously mentioned) with Line 1 at Guomao. Due to the challenging conditions that made up the Line 10 bit of Guomao station, however, it’ll be quite a walk — about 70 meters. The technical details behind this: they had to dodge the hidden “poles” that were put in place when Guomao and Dabeiyao bridges were built. For the average guy on the street (or in the Subway), it amounted to as something as straightforward (or as difficult) as sticking in an extra Subway station without upsetting the existing Line 1 station or two bridges above ground. Not an easy task!

When the core part of the CBD opens (with Taiwan Center as the new centerpiece) after the Games, there will be direct links into the new buildings from the Line 10 part of the station, a bit like the direct link from the Line 1 bit into the China World Trade Center complex.

Core Areas of Note — 2: Eastern 3rd Ring Road, Hotel Area

Hotels and the eastern part of the 3rd Ring Road are in some kind of love affair. The Jinxin Hotel and the Kempinski up north near Liangmaqiao (near the Sanlitun embassy area), of course, starts the whole eastern part of the ring road off in Hotel Mode, and this is continue further south by the Kunlun Hotel and the Great Wall Sheraton. Hotels take a break at the National Agricultural Exhibition Center, but continue with the Zhaolong Hotel just minutes away from Sanlitun and the Bar Street. Further south are glitzier hotels a la the Jingguang Centre (one of those super-tall hotels), and — of course — the cluster around Guomao.

The eastern part of Line 10 as it stands, then, will probably be full of expats and incoming laowais (”me no like that term”… as I say…). Out-squashing them, however, will most likely be the local citizenry, especially around Guomao, as the eastern part of Line 10 is also home to what must be a million offices. Offices are particularly concentrated around the Sanyuan Bridge area (where the 3rd Ring Road meets the Airport Freeway) and the Guomao area (where the beltway runs through the heart of Beijing’s CBD).

Line 10 has two stops in the heart of the CBD — Jintaixizhao, which will also connect to the CCTV tower (a Rem Koolhaas creation), and Guomao further south. The CBD is also well served by Yong’anli and Dawanglu stations on Line 1.

Core Areas of Note — 3: Olympic Green

Line 10 just misses the Olympic Green, situated north of Beitucheng Crossing in northern urban Beijing (along the north-south axis), but it conveniently links to Line 8 at the Beitucheng transfer station.

The Olympic Green, then, is served until around 2011 by what is often termed the Olympic Branch Line of Line 10, which, in essence, is actually Line 8. This bit of the subway, however, will continue after 2008: the Olympic Village, in fact, has been sold out to the citizens (the average people in the street), thereby “recycling” the very village!

Further plans tell of the construction of commercial towers along the northern bit of the Olympic Green, just north of the National Convention Center (which is where the media will be situated during Summer Olympics). In “just a bit”, time-wise, we can expect the area around the Bird’s Nest to be a new commercial district. By now, you’re forced to concede that the guys who designed the Olympic extension were thinking for the long term — beyond the Olympics!

Core Areas of Note — 4: Zhongguancun

Heading further counterclockwise (or west), Line 10 finally ends up in the Zhongguancun area. Zhichunlu is the first stop in the region, as Line 10 links with Line 13, which runs close to the eastern Zhongguancun artery — Zhongguancun East Road. A stop further west, in Zhichunli, is more residential than high-tech, but the icing on the cake is Haidian Huangzhuang station.

The saying goes that “the best is yet to come”, and for Haidian Huangzhuang and for Zhongguancun as a whole, this is certainly the case. When Line 4 of the Beijing Subway opens in late September 2009, this very station will become a transfer station with Line 4. Line 4 is that bit more special — and more Zhongguancun, so to speak — because it runs right underneath Zhongguancun Avenue, past the heart of the tech hub, and even outside of the east gate of Peking University!

Next week, we’ll continue and finish our look at Line 10, by going into a few Line 10 stations. Stay tuned!

Everything seems cool when it starts to rain. But when it rains nonstop for 24 hours, things get a bit different.

Here’s a look at our nation’s capital in rain. It sure is refreshing, but remember this has gone a bit too far. Beijing was soaked in rain for 24 hours straight (and counting), with rainstorm-level downpours in the suburbs away from the city center.

The rain seemed pretty refreshing, indeed, but it also wrecked havoc for the traffic. Travel delays were common as taxis, full of people in them, were all the rage. You had to get moving without being soaked, and being on four motorized wheels was the only way out. Traffic jams, once again, were not out of the ordinary.

The Beijing Subway, too, was hit, although this time, it wasn’t a case of soaked-in trouble; nope, it was more a technical glitch. Line 2’s new control center was a bit too new (they shifted control of the inner loop line to a new centralized facility), so tech glitches held up clockwise traffic on Line 2. It, in fact, started right when yours truly hopped into Hepingmen subway station, taking a train further west (clockwise) to Xuanwumen and points beyond. (We’re talking about the part of Beijing that’s just south of Chang’an Avenue!)

11:04. The train rolled in Hepingmen station. The doors opened — and stayed open. About 4 to 5 minutes later, a counterclockwise train rolled in. Doors opened. Three sharp beeps. Doors closed. Train drives off. Our train: “mouth” (door) still wide open.

It took about another 4 to 5 minutes for the second counterclockwise train to roll in. This time, I made up my mind. I switched on over immediately to the train going the wrong way around — changing, in the process, my plans for lunch so that I’d do pizza instead of Yoshinoya veggie rice bowls.

The chaos went on for a full 30 minutes on the clockwise part of Line 2. Thank heavens I escaped onto Line 5, where I got my pizza.

And that was the thing. When I went out of the pizza restaurant (after being stuffed chock-full of delicious pizza), the rain stopped. Out went an instant tweet. The rain stopped.

The rain. Yes, indeed. Not just “natural” rain. “Artificial” rain, too. In a city where the whole of the winter was nearly all dry, this bit of precipitation was more than welcome.