Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
24:
Take a ride from Beijing Railway Station down near Chang'an Jie, directly north up
to Dongzhimennei Dajie, and then over to the expat enclave in Xindong Lu.
106:
A very handy bus, it can take you on a 13.1 kilometer journey from Dongzhimen
station all the way down the path of Line 5 to shopping area Chongwenmen, over to Temple
of Heaven Park, and finally to Beijing South Railway Station, where you can jump on an
express train to Tianjin. It's a scenic route, but it can be slow, so if time is short, it can be
quicker to take the subway to the train station.
107:
Get yourself from Dongzhimen to Houhai via Nanluogu Xiang.
113
This useful bus passes Jiaodaokou (just to the east of Nanluogu Xiang), Dongsishi-
tiao, the Workers' Stadium, Sanlitun, and then Guomao.
635:
After passing Gulou, this bus heads past Nanluogu Xiang, Gui Jie, and Dongzhi-
men, over to Chunxiu Lu (embassy area), Tuanjiehu, Chaoyang Park (a major location for
recreation and events), Ciyunsi (close to Yew Chung International School), and Kangjiagou
(close to one of the city's favorite shopping malls, Joy City).
915:
This will get you from Dongzhimen to Shunyi, taking you via Sanyuanqiao, Lido
Hotel, and 798 Art District.
Life in the northwest of Dongcheng is about really enjoying Beijing life at its most colorful.
Houses are houses, not apartments, shops are small, and there are plenty of rooftop bars and
restaurants to make the most of the warmer months. That said, it's not for everyone and it
does have its cons. It's dustier and dirtier; there are street noises that you'll find either en-
dearing or repelling; and in winter, if you're in a house, you feel every day of it. Living in
this neighborhood offers a quaint, romantic notion of Beijing, but you just might want to
get to know it before you commit.
Housing
The overwhelming style of housing in this part of town is the
sìhéyuàn
and other varieties
of single-story
hútòng
housing. There are apartments but these tend to be older-style
accommodations—walk-ups some people call them. That means they have six floors, in-
cluding the ground floor, and no elevator. If buildings are taller than this they usually do
have elevators. The quality of the interiors in this area varies greatly. It's not uncommon
to have a friend who's hit the jackpot—comparably lower rent, and furnishings by a land-
lord who's internationally savvy—while you look at place after place and find nothing but
