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Everything You Need to Know about Beijing
.. .and More
 So,
you’re new to Beijing. Will you be living here for a while,
or are you just passing through? Perhaps you haven’t decided
yet. In any case, you must determine which visa best suits your
purpose, whether it be to travel, work, visit with a view to working,
or study; also how to apply, extend and change your visa. If you
have a job here, either at a Chinese work unit or foreign company,
you should know about the available medical services, how to go
about opening a bank account and the ramifications of renting
and buying accommodation. Then of course you’ll want a broad
view of the best places to eat, sleep, play and sightsee. You’re
here with spouse and offspring? So choices of schooling need to
be clarified, along with out-of-school amusements, the availability
of child minders (ayis), and the scope of places to go on family
outings. Perhaps you’d thought of getting a pet? If so, where
might you find a reliable vet to administer the necessary shots,
de-fleaing and de-worming procedures?
The more you think about it, the more there is to know about
getting the most out of life in Beijing. One short step to a pretty
fair idea would be to buy a copy of the recently updated Insider’s
Guide to Beijing 2005-2006.
This 704-page book, as its editor Adam Pillsbury says in his
foreword, is: “Not written for the casual tourist, it is
a guide for people who want to know how to obtain a Hong Kong-dollar
mortgage on a second-hand home, import an American muscle car
to China, or find a summer camp for their kids,” compiled
by “30 plus writers that include native Beijingers and foreign
residents; parents and singles; a World Bank consultant, an entrepreneur,
two rock musicians, a dancer, a conceptual artist and several
journalists.”
Other essential, day-to-day hints include where to shop -- for
anything from a fridge to a drum kit, where best to view contemporary
Chinese art in the coolest of settings, where to keep fit –
whether in the gym, on the ski slopes, or on horseback; where
to worship – whether you are a Jew, Protestant, Muslim or
Roman Catholic; and how to get an ADSL connection. Among more
specialized information is the procedure for starting your own
business, getting married and adopting a child. Each section of
hard facts has its “sidebar” of readable, supplementary
information, in the form of historical background and self-related
experiences by those that have trodden the path in question.
The endmost “Useful Info” section lists essentials
such as country codes, contact information for embassies and airlines
as well as emergency numbers, those for information, the time
of day and the weather (including the pollution index).
No expatriate’s bookshelf (or coffee table) should be without
the Insider’s Guide to Beijing. It is guaranteed to reveal
something about our beloved Beijing that you did not previously
know, whether you are a resident of 5 weeks or nine years. And
at just RMB60, it is surely the bargain of the year.
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