Beijing? Brothers and Other(s questions I have)

[Axiom]

As I mentioned elsewhere I finally got my plane ticket to China, and for the type of work I am looking for, I thought Beijing would be teh place for me. But I realize I know very little about the city. So I thought I'd start a thread about Beijing to learn about other peoples experiences as well, as maybe get to know some people since it would be nice to know someone in the country I am going too!

One of my frist questions is the fact I hear so much about the bad air pollution in Beijing. For those who are there, what do you think of the cities air?

[mustfocus]

Hey Axiom,

Haze in any of the major chinese cities can be pretty nasty.  The problem is that it's very fine particulate matter and can be from pollution to dust from the Gobi.  when the count gets too high, good luck looking beyond 20-30 feet.  It's usually worse during the summer when things are dryer and there are more winds to whip things around.  Just before the Beijing Olympics, the city had put into place some things to deal with the pollution aspect (most notably restrictions on driving), but I don't know if they continued it much beyond 2008.

One of the things you can do is carry arround some facemasks (Rated N95 or better) for those days when the pollution is bad.  Also pay attention to reports of "Blue Sky Days" as those are the good air days...

Hope that helps.

[Paul Todd]

That would be me then    Baoding is reinventing itself as a "Special green technology zone" in reality that means we manufacture wind turbines,solar panels and the like on a grand scale! They tell me it's the first carbon neutral city in China too.
My wife and I travel to Beijing fairly regularly to do business or visit family and to tell you the truth either the pollution is not as bad as it's made out to be or I've been in China too long. Yes there are bad days but it's not as bad as say Athens in Greece. Like Scott says "Some people get really bothered by it, and others don't seem to mind.  You'll have to judge for yourself".
Beijing is like many capitol city's around the world it's big, dirty, noisy, but also buzzing and full of opportunities. I would suggest subscribing to the "Beijinger" newsletter, it's free and every week they will send you a list of events happening in the city. Here's the link
http://www.thebeijinger.com/newsletter
If your planning on living in the city try to rent an apartment near a subway station it makes getting around much easier, haha saying that, it is pretty crowded at times 

[mustfocus]

Interesting... I stayed in Baoding for a week (this was before I knew anyone here).... most of the days were hazy for me, even when I went out into the countryside... Scariest part was when I passed the nuclear plant...because of the haze, you couldn't see very far....then out of the gloom you see this giant stack (think the Simpsons) looming out at you.

[john1964]

I found the air in Beijing to be very smoggy until i arrived in Handan, one third of the population of Beijing but four times worst, I suffered with the air in Handan but  Beijing was  OK, I will wear a mask next time i am there.

[Paul Todd]

Nuclear power plant in Baoding????haha I must be missing something! There are plants in Ningdao, Ling'ao , Qinshan, Fangjiashan, Fuqing, Sanmen,Haiyang ,Taishan and Xianning, but not sunny Baoding thank goodness. They were planning to build 27 more on the coastline but after the Japanese experience all construction is on hold. Giant stack...I know of only one and that's at a plant that has now closed down, they take pollution seriously here. "The times they are a changing" as they say. Well ,Dylan even played in Beijing last week!

[Axiom]

Wow, so much good info here I am not sure where to start...

mustfocus and john1964: where do you get those facemasks? Are they available anywhere?

 sameldrum1: Well, considering I know NOTHING of the Chinese language, and I my field of knowledge is graphic design, flash animation and programming, and a bit of knowledge in programming languages (ActionScript 3, Python) I am pretty certain I am going to have to stick to the cities at least for the first year, even though I am not a huge fan of cities either. Being from Wisconsin in the United States, that means I really enjoy colder winters than hot summers so that part I dont mind.

Paul Todd: Once again Paul thanks again for the great info. Actually I am subscribed to the Beijinger already via your suggestion! Since I got my computer up and running again, I have been checking it every day for possible work (no luck so far though). I dont want to find a place to live until I find work

[Irishman]

The air quality varies a lot in Beijing depending on the weather. One time I was there it was so bad it felt and smelt like my mouth was wrapped around a car exhaust pipe. Clothes stank to high heaven and visibility was poor.

Overall its very poor compared to western cities though it seems the authorities are making some efforts to clean it up.
A useful site to see air quality over different parts of China, including Beijing is http://www.amfic.eu/bulletin/index.php , PM10 pollution is particularly nasty.

[mustfocus]

Paul Todd: If go from the train station in Baoding and head towards Dingzhou, after 10-20 km out, you pass what appears to be a cooling tower for a nuclear power plant.  Not sure what else to call it.

Axiom: If you're still in the US, you should be able to get them at any drug store.  They're just surgical masks with different ratings.  Failing that, Costco should have them or Home Depot as well (most likely near where they keep saws and other tools).

Also, if you're looking at somewhere to live, you might consider Tianjin.  It's an hour south of Beijing by train.  Haven't been there myself, but I find that if you're closer to water, that's either much better (better air) or much worse depending on the direction the wind blows.  And I've heard good things about there.

[Pineau]

I spent some time in September in Beijing. It rained almost every day and at night I could actually clearly see the moon. Never saw a blue sky mainly because of the cloud cover. I enjoyed it though. The climate is bearable at that time of year.

I have also been there in mid summer and it can get really hot and sticky but not as bad as my native Oklahoma.  The air is really hazy in June. Be prepared to be drenched in your own sweat.

Tons of friendly people on the sidewalks and in the malls. Be careful because there is a scam behind a lot of the  friendly faces.  If you meet a pair named Sherry and Amanda ,,,,  RUN LIKE HELL!
American food is not hard to find. Just ask a local. A lot of folks speak limited English and most are friendly enough to give you directions to your destination.

There are subways that will get you to most of the big business districts. Taxis are hard to flag down during any time of day. It is just a matter of luck.  I never tried the bus because I could not read the bus schedules.

There is plenty to do to keep you entertained and lots of tourist attractions.

Stay away from the Pearl Market unless you are curious and like giving away your money. Everything I purchased there has made its way to the trash bin in just a few months.

I  stayed near the forbidden city and transportation was good there. I walked to my destination most of the time.

If you can afford it get a local translator to help you out and get you settled. You can find a lot of local help here at this website. Just type in the city of intrest to get a list of local folks to assist you. http://www.localyte.com/travel-guides/China?&sq=beijing&x=7&y=11

[john1964]

I too spent some time in Beijing in September and we had a few days very smoggy but the rest were very sunny with blue skies.

[Pineau]

Wow. What days were you there?  I have the same photos and I was standing in the same area as whoever took the shot of the two ladies. Maybe I was standing behind them!

Never mind, I just checked. We wer both there on the same day. Your photo was taken at 9:30 am and min was taken in the afternoon.  It's a small world after all,,,,  Gerry

[john1964]

Ha ha Gerry, The pic of MinYing and her friend was on the exact same day as yours was taken, I will go through my videos of that day and see if i can see you, I was at the wall on the 20th, A couple of days earlier,,Small world, you got that right,,John.

[sara]

   i am in beijing since Aug 2010. i would like to help you if you need. living in beijing is safe and comfortable. there are different food include chinese and west.
  have a good trip
Sara

[Axiom]

Wow I didn't know I'd get cool pics as well (even the pollution filled ones).

Again mustfocus: Thanks for the advice.. I'll grab some and make sure to bring them along. I'll keep Tanjin in mind, but like I said a lot depends on where I end up workwise.

Irishman: Do you have another link to that site? or what brower you can get it open with? I tried IE and Firfox and both timed out sadly

Pineau: Lot of good info here, not sure who Sherry and Amanda are.. but now I kind of want to hear the story Not sure what Pearl Market is but I will keep a wary out for it, thanks.  Double thanks for the travel guides site. Once my move (out of where I live and into a frinds house) is over and I start my final move (to China). I will definately be contacting some of these people for as much info I can get (so I dont pester everyone here constantly).

Sara: I would be honored for any assistance. this is a huge leap in my life and I want to make sure I land 'relatively' safely. So I will take any assistnace offered!

Again, I can't offer enough thanks to everyone for your help!