I spend one full week in Beijing in October 2016. And here are some general observations:
- Internet- I’ve used ExpressVPN – with VPN, everything works- a bit slow- but quite ok to navigate. What works without VPN- browsing with Chrome, google translator occasionally, WhatsApp, Wechat, Kakaotalk, Bing, and Yahoo.
- Safety- Beijing is pretty safe- you can’t have guns in China- right? There was a security person in each public bus that I have used, and in each street where I wandered around.
- Public transport – Practically free I would say! I have my 5 star rating for Beijing transport. The city is awesomely well connected. The bus fare is almost always CNY 1 (US $0.12). Subway/MRT –CNY 3. In fact, public transport in Beijing seems to be much better than what I have seen in cities like LA/SF. In Seattle, USA the minimum bus fare was US$ 2.5.
- Girls are very beautiful – they have very nice dressing style. They wear clean and fashionable cloths, even in daily life. They seem to be curious about other cultures.
- Roads- there are 6 lane roads with a massive divider. Flyover on the flyover. I have seen many areas with 7-8 flyovers- all swirling around nearby. Separate track for pedestrians, bicycles.
- Wealthy people- man! Beijing roads are full of BMW, Mercedes.
- Air quality- I didn’t see any issue during my stay – the air quality was pretty much fine. Autumn was in full swing – loved my stay!
- Cleanliness- Beijing is a big city. The areas I visited were mostly tourist attractions – and they are super clean.
- Crowed – Beijing is crowded, no doubt! But it’s pretty safe to be anywhere in the city- any time- men or women.
- People- they are sweet, helping.
- Language – younger generation are very good at reading, writing and can speak much better English. May be they didn’t get enough chances to practice speaking skills (and listening), so as a foreigner, speak slowly with them. Most likely you are going to find your ways.
- Tourism- there are too many things to see, do, eat. in Beijing- even a month may not be sufficient to explore Beijing.
In summary, I would recommend Beijing to any traveller.
With love!