Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
shabby, squatter-friendly abodes. So if you plan to move here, shop around and have pa-
tience.
The apartments north of the Second Ring Road are taller, slightly more modern. On this
side expats are thin on the ground, and Western comforts less obvious. Cut off by a thick
border composed of a road, a murky river, and a subway line, and stripped of its old
hútòng,
it feels very different on this side of the line than the other.
If you want to live in this part of town, you're looking at spending upwards of
RMB3,000 for a one-bedroom apartment, RMB6,000-8,000 for a two-bedroom, and
RMB10,000-plus for anything more.
Sìhéyuàn,
especially the restored ones, can easily go
for RMB15,000 or more per month. It will be possible to find a cheaper place, but you'll
probably need to be open-minded and easy going to accept the conditions and quirks.
There are not as many obvious complexes in this area, so finding an apartment typically
involves days spent riding around on the back of a real estate agent's scooter as he or she
takes you to an oddball array of homes.
If you are keen on moving into an established, secure community complex, there are
a few to consider. Heping Xincheng (Heping New Town), just north of the Second Ring
Road on Minwang Nan Hutong, has decent apartments for reasonable rents. A two-bed-
room place will go for around RMB8,000 a month. There's also a veterinarian in the com-
plex and nearby cafés and restaurants, and Lama Temple subway station is just two minutes'
walk.
On the south side of the river, close to Lama Temple subway station, Yong He Villas can
give a refined sense of
hútòng
life. The villas are modern and cosy, and come with a private
outdoor area, which is great for kids. They are a little pricey, however (about RMB19,000
for a three-bedroom apartment), and don't have the facilities that similarly priced, large
apartment complexes offer, such as a gym or pool.
One much-loved complex in the area is Noble Quadrangle (
官书院
, Gu
ā
n Sh
ū
Yuàn).
Despite its name, it's not a fancy serviced apartment block. It's actually very unpretentious
but has good security and generally very solid apartments. The people who can manage to
get an apartment here often say it's the best nook in town.
Purchase prices are similar here to the Dongzhimen region, but fewer properties dip
below the RMB30,000 per square meter range. A 72-square-meter apartment, built in the
1980s, could set you back around RMB2,550,000 (US$403,000).
