Hello Mark
I read your post here , I am familiar with Beijing and other cities in China , hope I can give you some suggestions
1, if you mean Beijing , Wangfujiu and Xiushui street is a better choice , (Shangxiajiu and Beijing road is a good choice in Guangzhou ) but that depends on what kind of things you want to buy , because there are many places you can buy sepcial things in Beijing , if you can tell me more clear about your favorite things , I will tell you more later .
2,As you know , the traffic in Beijing is usually busy , I suggest you to find the hotel which is not far from the airport and the downtown ,it must be convenient for you to see the scene and buy the things you like . so you can tell me when will you come , I will try my best to help you find the one you like .
3/4/5/6 three ways : Taxi, light train and bus . This depends on where you want to live , and the light train usually needs half hour into downtown . If there is no busy traffic , Taxi and bus usually needs less than one hour. Yes, please don't worry about the taxi ,they all have standard calculagraph. The price is usually about 120-140 RMB (downtown, the nearer ,the cheaper )
7/ I am not sure when will you come to China , if you come to China during Chinese National Day (October 1st-8th ) , you would better take a flight , because I am afraid you can not buy the train ticket at that time .
Anyway , Mark , hope my answer can help you . If you needs more help , I would love to do my best to help you . Good Luck !:heart: