Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ishitiao subway station (exit C); Alexander Health Club in MOMA; and the very affordable
East Gate Plaza Fitness Center, on Dongzhong Jie around the corner from Ginza Mall,
which has its own basketball and squash courts. There are plenty of local Chinese gyms,
too, and if you're happy with these, you'll be able to keep in shape for around RMB500,
give or take, per year.
Despite the Forbidden City being the official center of the city, to an expat living in this
area, this feels like the city center. Almost everything is within an easy distance, and work
and play can usually be juggled without spending too much time on the road.
Housing
Housing in this sector of Dongcheng is generally reliable and quite diverse, although it's
also relatively expensive. Local communities, such as Min'an Xiaoqu and those around
Douban Hutong and Nanmencang Hutong, range from around RMB4,500 for a one-bed-
room up to RMB8,000 for a three-bedroom. Mid-tier apartments, such as East Lake,
Season's Park, MOMA, and Beijing INN, are expat hot spots and are family friendly. Rents
here average RMB6,000/month up to RMB28,000/month. For Western-style luxury ac-
commodations, options include Embassy House, NAGA, and the newer Dangdai MOMA
(complete with its own full-scale public cinema complex), which will easily set you
back RMB38,000-plus a month. If you'd like to buy, properties go for around
RMB30,000-50,000 per square meter. So that's about RMB1,500,000 (US$237,000) for
a 50-square-meter (538-square-foot) studio up to RMB5,800,000 (US$917,400) for a
128-square-meter (1,378-square-foot), two-bedroom apartment. Apartments in the MOMA
complexes average around RMB40,000 to RMB50,000 per square meter, with apartments
ranging from around 80 square meters to about 350 square meters in size.
Education
Given its proximity to the diplomatic areas, it's no surprise that this area is scattered with
several educational facilities. For youngsters, there's the Gymboree music and play cen-
ter in Ginza Mall. MOMA Kids International Kindergarten takes kids up to six years old,
whether you live in MOMA or not (although it's cheaper if you do). MOMA is also the
place for kids, aged 8-12, to do Zumba classes, courtesy of ZumbAtomic. Ivy Academy
