New traffic restrictions will be introduced this Saturday (Jan 30) in and around Sanlitun in an attempt to end the perpetual traffic jam at the intersection of Gongti Beilu and Sanlitun Lu, directly in front of Taikoo Li.

Sanlitun Bar Street will remain open to two-way traffic, but with numerous restrictions on turns onto it and at nearby Changhong Qiao.

Bear with us as we try to explain in words:

The easiest of the changes to explain is the new u-turn restriction at the Third Ring: vehicles traveling east on Gongti Beilu (towards the Third Ring) will now be prohibited from making u-turns at the Changhong Qiao Third Ring Road intersection.

Now for the intersection in front of Taikoo Li:

• First, automobiles traveling east on Gongti Beilu (towards the Third Ring) will be prohibited from making left turns onto Bar Street.
• Second, cars traveling west on Gongti Beilu (away from the Third Ring) will not be allowed to turn left onto Sanlitun Nanlu, which runs south from that intersection past The Bookworm and Courtyard Four towards Chaoyang Hospital and Chaoyang Beilu.
• Third, vehicles traveling north on Sanlitun Nanlu (past The Bookworm and towards Taikoo Li) will not be permitted to go straight onto Sanlitun Bar Street, nor may they turn left. Vehicles at that intersection may only turn right.
• Fourth, vehicles traveling south on Sanlitun Bar Street (past Taikoo Li and towards The Bookworm) will not be permitted to go straight onto Sanlitun Nanlu, nor may they turn left. Vehicles at that intersection may only turn right.

In brief, that means that the only way to reach Sanlitun Bar Street and head north on it by car is to approach from the Third Ring Road, then turn right onto it.

This is all being done to relieve congestion on the already maddening intersection, but one thing’s for sure: it’ll be a nightmare this weekend as everyone and their gege attempts to navigate the intersection the old way, only to find her or himself routed in a direction they care not to go. We shudder to think what all the over-privileged tuhao in their magenta Lamborghinis will do when sad sack traffic cops attempt to tell them they can no longer go that way.

Longer term, we’re wondering if these changes will fix the problem. First of all, it means that there will be a lot of taxi and passenger alighting on the south side of Gongti Beilu, especially on the southeast corner of the intersection. It forces cars wishing to park at either Taikoo Li South, Taikoo Li North, or Yashow to approach from the east, namely the Third Ring Road. And it diverts all embassy and other traffic north towards the Agricultural Exhibition Center for anyone exiting Sanlitun by car.

Bear in mind that an earlier effort to divert all traffic on Sanlitun Bar Street to the north from 6pm to midnight was scrapped after people began ignoring the signs and heading south, even though there’s a police substation right at the northwest corner of the intersection that could have enforced it. We support all efforts to reduce traffic congestion in Beijing, but we’ll remain skeptical until we see this one work.

Bicycle and foot traffic are not affected by the new regulations.

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on January 28, 2016

Photo: thebeijinger.com

My parents’ visit this time around presented a new challenge to test my problem-solving skills: they were bringing my bicycle over from Holland, but we were concerned that the box wouldn’t be able to fit into a regular taxi. Thankfully a good friend suggested I download the ’58 Daojia Suyun’ app, pictured below, which would hopefully solve all the logistical nightmares that apparently transpire when taking on a task past getting dressed in China.

The app allows you to book a van of any choice (choices listed below). Doing this definitely requires knowledge of Chinese characters, so make sure you’ve got someone around who can help you if you’re not sure what you’re doing.

After choosing the type of van (I went with the 小型平板 xiaoxing pingban option at RMB 43) you have to enter the set-off point and the destination, along with your name and phone number (if you’re going to drive with your freight) or the receiver’s name and phone number. Don’t forget to edit the time on the top (circled) as you can book for now, or up to five days in advance.

After going through the steps, and selecting whether to pay the driver in cash at the beginning of the trip or the end, you will receive a confirmation over text when you do have a confirmed booking.

The day before my parents were set to arrive, I called to confirm with the driver. To my surprise he kept saying that the booking had been cancelled (which I certainly hadn’t done, and he hadn’t either), and I had to get a friend to help convey to him that we wanted to uncancel the booking and have him pick us up at the airport with the bicycle-in-a-box anyway.

Many confirmations later, he said he would come and get us but was very confused about where to wait. Approximately four phone calls later we found him in the basement of the parking lot, sporting what definitely was not the type of van we booked. Thankfully the box fit regardless.

As we did not have a booking through the app anymore, we had to haggle a little bit (the driver conveniently waited until we had loaded up the van to express his unwillingness to actually take us anywhere) and ended up paying RMB 200 for him to take us and the box to Yonghegong area instead of the RMB 142 estimated by the app. Not bad. Next time we will have to work within the app, and see how that goes.

Basically, to round up my experience, don’t use this app if:

• Your meeting point might not be clear. Airports specifically come to mind. 
• You don’t speak Chinese.
• You have huge things to move during the day but live within the Second Ring Road (due to traffic restrictions).

If you do speak Chinese, and are moving house, 58 Daojia Suyun is a great option as the vans are pretty cheap and you can haggle with the driver to have him help you move things too.

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on October 20, 2015.

Photos: Margaux Shreurs

If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em? After trying unsuccessfully for more than a year to shut down or otherwise reduce the use of car-booking apps Didi Dache and Uber, two of Beijing’s largest cab companies are joining the fray by introducing their own app and on-demand car service, demonstrating they are totally missing the point as to why the other apps and the services to which they are linked are popular. 

Shouqi Yueche, named for the Beijing Shou Qi taxi company, gives "riders access to 500 cars that were previously officially licensed taxis but had struggled to find curb-side customers as more people book cabs online," reported The Financial Times. What the hell does that mean? You can’t book any old Shou Qi taxi, you have to use one of these 500? Again, that’s not the point.

The cars being used for the new service are black Nissan Sentras and Buick GL8s. Flagfall is RMB 16, plus RMB 2.8 per kilometer, and RMB 0.5 per minute of waiting time. The Shou Qi Group stated that the cars will have Wi-Fi, phone chargers, tissues, and in case of inclement weather, umbrellas.

Maybe these cars weren’t making money because they weren’t clean, or didn’t know where they were going, or didn’t pick up passengers when people attempted to hail them on the street. Is there a shortage of passengers in Beijing? Absolutely not. If taxis actually picked up passengers instead of just giving them the wave off as they search for someone who looks like they’re going to the airport, then maybe the apps wouldn’t be so popular.

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on September 21, 2015.

A RMB 1,500 license plate and a foul mouth may have cost a foreigner his privilege of living and working in China.

Don’t fall into the same trap: get a license and register your scooter properly. Here’s how.

Electric scooters: the good news is that under Beijing traffic law, electric scooters are classified as bicycles, in part to encourage the use of these no/low-emission vehicles. Therefore, no license is required to ride one, and they can be registered for RMB 10 at just about any local police station, the same place where you register your visa and residency. Bring your passport and the fa piao (official receipt, received at purchase), which should have the vehicle’s serial number on it. If you are buying a second-hand scooter, make sure you get the original purchase fa piao at the time of transfer. You can visit online ScooterAdviser for scooters of high quality on great discounts if you don’t have the time to go look in a physical store.

Gasoline/Petrol Scooters: What you are buying is considered a motorcycle under Beijing vehicular law. That requires a motorcycle license to ride it legally for the driver, and proper registration to take it on the road.

Getting a Motorcycle Driver’s License. There are three categories of license, according to our regular Forum contributor Richard Thwaites, aka Biker, who currently owns three legal scooters: “F” – rare for someone to get this, but it does exist. It is for the <50cc bikes, with a maximum speed of 50 km/h;  “E” – the most common motorcycle license. This allows you to drive any two-wheeled gas-powered motorcycle, of any displacement; and “D” – common. This allows you to also drive a three-wheeled motorcycle (i.e., the sidecar type). The “D” type includes the “E” and “F” categories. A “D” license, therefore, allows you to drive any two-wheeled or three-wheeled, gas powered motorcycle.

Both a written and practical driving test are required to obtain these licenses if you do not have a current overseas motorcycle license. With a current license, depending on the country of issue, you will most likely only take the written test, which can be done in Chinese or English. To be eligible for a motorcycle license, you must be able to provide the following:

• Passport (with visa valid for at least three months)
• Residence Permit (valid beyond six months)
• Copy of overseas driver’s license (if you have one)
• Translation of overseas driver’s license (with translator’s signature and stamp, again, if you have one)
• 4, 1 x 1″ photos with white background
• Driver’s Physical Exam Certificate from an authorized hospital in Beijing (you will need a photo for this too)
• Driver’s License Application Form

The Foreign Affairs Department of Beijing Motor Vehicle Administration is located near the southeast corner of the Fourth Ring Road. You’ll have to get 90 percent of the written test correct in order to pass.

Registering a Gasoline/Petrol Scooter: One important thing to note is that the Beijing Motor Vehicle Administration no longer issues plates for motorcycles, which means they are in relatively short supply, which means that getting one is a bit of a deal in itself. There are two kinds of plates: “‘A’ plated bikes can go anywhere (a few exceptions). ‘B’ plated bikes are restricted to staying outside the Fourth Ring Road,” writes Thwaites in his superb FAQ on the subject.

Although A plates would seem preferable, they have a current market value of RMB 50,000-60,000. B plates cost about RMB 1,500. However, the maximum fine is RMB 200 for a B plate used inside the Fourth Ring Road, so maybe B is where it’s at right now.

For new scooters, the shop should help to register your new vehicle. For used bikes, consider using an agent. “Trust me – you want an agent. The agent deals with all of the paperwork to get your bike properly registered, plated and insured. I have bought many new bikes in Beijing, and I once tagged along with the agent to see exactly what he did. Money well spent, as if I tried to navigate myself through the endless bureaucracy I would probably still be trying to get my bike registered,” Thwaites writes. The plate plus the agent’s service fee will be about RMB 2,500.

With or without an agent, you will need the following documents, according to Thwaites: “Your motorcycle driving license; the “blue book,” a wallet-sized folder that has the bikes picture in it, as well as the registration information (e.g., VIN, Engine number, address, etc). You will probably need to show this blue book to purchase gas at a gas station; the wallet-sized insurance card; a larger “green book” which is a listing of the vehicle’s ownership history; the original fapiao (needed for transfer of registration); and a document that certifies the bike meet the new C-3 emission standards.

When Riding: Carry with you your passport or at least a copy (foreigners in China are required by law to carry their passport with them at all times); the motorcycle license; the blue book; and the insurance card.

Suddenly, riding a bicycle or taking the subway doesn’t sound so bad, does it? Get legal.

Special thanks to Richard Thwaites and Badr Benjelloun for their contributions to this article.This article has been modified and first appeared on thebeijinger on December 12.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia commons

From September 3-5, China will celebrate War of Aggression Victory Day, marking the 70th anniversary of the end of what everyone else calls World War II. The country will have three days of holiday during that period. And with that holiday come a whole bunch of temporary restrictions.

Owners of motorbikes and scooters of any kind, and Taobao addicts, may wish to pay particular attention to the information below:

• Tiananmen Gate, the building, is already closed to the public, and will be until after the holiday.
• Beginning Monday, August 10, only gas-powered motorcycles and scooters registered with the police will be permitted to buy fuel.
• Beginning Monday, August 10, all electric bikes without proper license plates and registration will be seized.
• From August 17, identity, license, and registration will be conducted on drivers.
• From August 17, any automobile without proper entry permit for Beijing will be seized.
• From August 20, automobile use in the city will be restricted to on the odd-even license plate ending basis.
• From August 20, motorbikes and motor scooters with 京B license plates will not be permitted within the Fifth Ring Road.
• From August 20, delivery vehicles, including tricycles and vans, will not permitted between the hours of 6am and midnight. In other words, don’t plan on moving house or ordering anything that requires delivery between August 20 and September 3.
• On August 22 and 23, Tiananmen Square and the Wangfujing area will be closed to the public.
• On September 2 and 3, Tiananmen Square, Wangfujing, and Qianmen will be closed to the public.
• As we previously noted, Beijing’s two major airports, Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) and Nanyuan Airport, will be closed from 9.30am to 12.30pm on September 3.
• Primary schools in Beijing will not begin classes until September 7. For international schools, please check with your school for relevant scheduling information.
• High schools in Beijing will not begin classes until at least September 7. For international schools, please check with your school for relevant scheduling information.
• China’s stock markets will be closed September 3-6.

Enjoy the holiday! Or, take our advice and go to Japan.

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on August 6, 2015

A support center established to provide information and comfort to families of missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 passengers will close Tuesday in Beijing, as almost 14 months later, no sign of the palne has been found.

Opened by the governments of China and Malaysia, along with Malaysia Airlines, the Shunyi center was a clearinghouse for those related to the 152 Chinese passengers. With few developments in the search, which remains focused in the southern Indian Ocean west of western Australia, the governments and airline will use other methods to notify families should there be updates.

An unopened Malaysia Airlines moist towelette found on a beach in Western Australia in March, 200 kilometers northwest of Perth, could not be conclusively linked to the missing plane. "It is unlikely, however, that such a common item with no unique identifier could be conclusively linked with MH370," the Joint Agency Coordination Center, which is in charge of the search, told the Xinhua News Agency.

In January, Malaysian Airlines declared that the plane’s disappearance was an "accident" and presumed that all passengers and crew are dead. The declaration allowed families of the missing who wished to do so to begin conducting funerals for their loved ones, and filing life insurance and compensation claims.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Almost 14 months after the plane vanished with 239 people on board, searchers have not found a single piece of wreckage, a single drop of oil, or a solitary life jacket.

One hundred fifty-two of the passengers were Chinese, most of them local. A number of Beijing-based expatriates were also aboard, including most members of a French family, a couple traveling without their children, and a businessman on his final flight to Beijing before completing a move Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysian and Australian officials have been searching for wreckage in the southern Indian Ocean, about 1,800 kilometers west of Perth, Australia. Satellite pings indicate the plane may have taken this course and continued until it ran out of fuel or was forced down.

The plane’s disappearance has become the greatest aviation mystery of the 21st century, and will remain so until its wreckage is discovered and its deviation from the flight plan explained.

Photo: New York Daily News

Full Coverage: The Disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on April 28, 2015.

According to brief statement in today’s Beijing News, a decision has been reached on Beijing’s new distance-based subway prices: Tickets will start at RMB 2 or 3, with the average overall fare to run between RMB 4.3 and RMB 4.4 – a price hike that more than doubles the fare yet keeps it lower than similar cities in China like Shanghai and Guangzhou.

It also appears they are concurrently launching a discount plan for frequent commuters that spend more than RMB 100 a month on public transport: fares above RMB 100 will be discounted at 20 percent, while fares in excess of RMB 150 will be discounted at 50%. Discounts will stop after total monthly expenditure reaches RMB 400.

Presuming the average subway commuter is traveling both to and from work 20 days a month, this should mean monthly commuting costs would average around RMB 150, or about USD 24 –  almost five times lower than a monthly pass on the New York City subway system.

This morning’s Beijing News added that there will be a live discussion at 2:30pm today (Tuesday Oct 28) to settle the final as-to-yet undetermined portion of the pricing: whether the initial price will be RMB 2 (for the first 3km) or RMB 3 (for the first 6km).

No word yet on what the maximum fare will be, nor the distances at which the rates will go up, nor a timeline for implementation (which is not unusual as they like to announce these things slowly in bits and pieces, Chinese Water Torture style).

Previous announcements indicate the fare hike is likely to be implemented before the end of 2014. We’ll keep you posted as the details continue to be leaked out, a bit at a time.

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on October 27, 2014

Table: Global Times

Photo: The Beijinger

Families of passengers still missing aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 are falling short in their efforts to raise USD 5 million to fund private investigation into the aircraft’s disappearance and reward sources who might come forward with more information.

A crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo has so far raised over USD 80,000 and may reach its target of USD 100,000 when it closes on July 8, but that number has been revised down from the earlier USD 5 million figure, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Registered in Kowloon, Hong Kong, and representing families and loved ones of the missing passengers including former Beijing resident and beijingkids contributor Sarah Bajc, MH370 Is Missing With 239 People On Board, Help The Families Find The Truth’s video states "The investigation has failed," and later "We must find the truth."

Bajc appears in the video holding a sign that says, "My name is Sarah Bajc. My life partner Philip Wood sat in 11c on MH370. I am on the Governance Committee for Reward MH370. Please Donate!"

Also appearing in the video is Ghyslain Wattrelos, whose wife Laurence, son Hadrien, and daughter Ambre, are among the 239 missing passengers and crew. Hadrien and Ambre both attended the Lycee Francais International de Pekin, as did Hadrien’s friend Zhao Yan, who was also on board MH370.

An unidentified member of the group’s governance committee expressed frustration over the relatively low number of donations,especially in view of the success of other campaigns, in an update to the MH370 page. "Esther the wonder pig has raised CAD 450,000 in the last 4 weeks to build a sanctuary from over 7,500 contributors. Yet, our campaign to find 239 missing humans with 239 grieving families is failing to gain traction and or wide spread [sic]support," the post reads.

An earlier campaign, "Ready to Believe: MH370 Comfort Campaign," started by a Washington, DC-based group called Spark & Hustle closed after almost two months without raising a single dollar.

Malaysia Airlines MH370 dropped from radar on March 8 during a scheduled flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, with 239 passengers and crew aboard. No verified communication or objects from the plane have been received or found since then. Along with 154 Chinese passengers, a number of members of Beijing’s international community remain missing.

A full list of non-Chinese passengers categorized by nationality is here. A full list of passengers including Chinese names can be found here.

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on Jul 1, 2014.

Photos courtesy of thebeijinger.com

Line 7 of the Beijing Subway, running east-to-west, south of Line 1 and linking the Beijing West Railway Station, Shuangjing and the Happy Valley Amusement Park, is currently undergoing testing and will open formally before the end of the year, Chinese news reports indicate.

The line will cut a long swath across the south side of the city, hopefully relieving congestion on Line 1 and Line 10.

Starting in the west at the Beijing West Railway Station, the rail runs eastward in a relatively straight line past Shuangjing and eastward to Baiziwan before cutting southwest towards Happy Valley and into Tongzhou and beyond.

Remarkable about this line is that it’s the first to built with entriely domestic materials, the capacity of each eight-carriage train will be 30 percent higher than any existing line. Other Beijing lines have have used significant overseas sourcing for cars, tracks or materials, or have been joint ventures with the Hong Kong MTR.

The carriages will also have environmentally-friendly features such as long-lasting LED lighting and a total weight approximately one ton lighter than cars on other lines, meaning less energy usage overall.

The 24-kilometer line will take 40 minutes to travel from end to end and along the way will have interchanges with existing Lines 10, 5, 4 and 9, as well as connections to future Lines 16, 8 and 14.

Given that it is the first to use completely China-sourced materials, we’re wondering if it can also withstand 100 air bombings like Line 1 …

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on May 29, 2014

Photo courtesy of wikipedia