Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Zhongguancun Z-Park (
www.zgc-cp.gov.cn
). Two important ones are the Life Science Park
(
www.lifesciencepark.com.cn
)
and Changping Science Park.
The district itself spans a massive 1,344 square kilometers (519 square miles) and is
home to 1,661,000 people. In the 10 years between the two national censuses this was a
jump of more than 1 million people.
For now, rent is still relatively cheap up in Changping—you can quite easily find a large
two-bedroom apartment for RMB2,000-4,500 per month. So if you're going to be up in
Haidian for study or business then you may also want to keep Changping in mind. Mak-
ing the trek down to places like Gulou, Sanlitun, or certainly Guomao is not going to be a
nightly event, and your Western lifestyle choices are going to be slim, but once the soon-
to-be completed north end of Line 8 is up and running, a trip to somewhere like Gulou or
Nanluogu Xiang will take possibly 40-50 minutes.
When you're not working or studying, there are lots of things to do. The city's first mu-
seum to open to the public, the Chinese Aviation Museum (
www.chn-am.com
)
, is here. This
is a muscly display of China's might. It has hundreds of planes on show as well as mis-
siles and other weapons of destruction. Of course Changping also has the classic tourist
sites, such as the Ming Tombs and the Jugongyuan Pass of the Great Wall, but there are less
touristy places to get some respite in. These include the beautiful and peaceful Silver Moun-
tain Pagoda Forest and Mount Mangshan National Forest. Head to either for fresh air and
hiking away from the crowds. Mount Mangshan is particularly picturesque. It's the largest
national park in Beijing and is situated on the east side of the Ming Tomb Reservoir, a short
taxi ride north of Nanshao subway station (Changping Line). In winter you can return to
the Ming Tomb area to ski in Beijing's largest ski field, Beijing Snow World Ski Park (Xue
Shijie).
The adventurous can also look to Changping for shooting or winter skiing. There
are two shooting options in the district, the North China International Shooting Range
(
www.bfshoot.com
)
and Aolin Shooting Gallery (Ao Lin She Ji,
www.aolinshoot.com
)
.
The North China International Shooting Range is a more serious venue. You can choose
your weapon, including anything from antique guns and sporting rifles to pistols and sniper
rifles. You pay by the bullet, and with some bullets going for RMB30 each, you'll want
to aim carefully. Aolin Shooting Gallery has a more recreational vibe, and in addition to
shooting it also has paintball, barbecues, and, for better or for worse, is a wedding venue.
Shotgun wedding anyone? Then, in winter, Jundushan Ski Resort (
www.bjski.com.cn
)
be-
comes one of Beijing's favorite playgrounds. It's not only one of the closest ski fields to the
inner city (about a 40-minute drive from downtown), it's also one of the biggest.
