Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chaoyang is the largest urban district in Beijing, sprawling over a massive 455 square kilo-
meters (176 square miles). It spans the eastern side of the city from north to south, very
roughly filling the area between the Second Ring Road and the Fifth Ring Road. Start-
ing from the north and going clockwise, it shares borders with Shunyi, Tongzhou, Daxing,
Fengtai, Dongcheng, Haidian, and Changping districts. While it's true to say that the farther
east you go toward Shunyi or Tongzhou the less dense Chaoyang becomes, take a trip out
on the Batong Line (an aboveground “subway” line extending east from Line 1) and you'll
be shocked by how humanity's footprint seems to have no end.
While the populations in districts such as Dongcheng and Xicheng have grown relatively
gradually in recent years, Chaoyang's population has been blooming. Between the last two
censuses (2000 and 2010), it jumped by more than 1 million people, from 2,289,756 to
3,545,000. Granted, it does have more room than the other two for such expansion, and un-
like the traditional
sìhéyuàn
complexes that enjoy some level of protection in Dongcheng
and Xicheng, it has been open season on all such low-density structures out here. Any that
did exist have for the most part been torn down and replaced by tightly grouped housing
complexes or, the friendlier term, communities.
Being such a commercial and densely built up part of the city, Chaoyang can sometimes
feel like an endless sea of concrete. Thankfully, it has several important parks that offer
some respite from the rush and squeeze. These include Ritan Park, Chaoyang Park, and the
Olympic Forest Park. If you have any of these within easy distance to home or work, life
may feel a little more natural.
The CBD is usually pinpointed as the area immediately around Guomao, but we'll stretch
the boundary just a little to take in the major areas that are all within a walkable distance
from this point. Living right at Guomao would be an intense lifestyle indeed. Some people
do it, living in such places as Jianwai SOHO or at the Park Hyatt Residences—basketballer
