As the capital city of China, Beijing has all of the usual big-city transportation options available: bikes, buses, taxis, and subways. However, It could be difficult to utilize any of these options if you don’t understand Chinese. Luckily, there are alternative methods to use when traveling around Beijing simply by using your phone and some savvy apps to make any destination in Beijing accessible.

Instead of desperately looking for a cab on the street, it can be more convenient to hail a cab on a mobile app called DiDi these days. Don’t worry about the language barriers as a new arrival, as DiDi also has a version for English speakers. Alternatively, if you prefer cycling around town, then don’t miss out on bike sharing. Bike sharing is a cheap and convenient answer to getting around the city and has become a large market in China over the past couple of years. Currently, Mobike rules the market and their app is incredibly accessible for any English speaker. Here are some steps to show you how to set up your DiDi and Mobike to get around Beijing.

How to set up DiDi English

Step 1: Install DiDi

Search for DiDi in the APP store and download it to your phone.

Step 2: Sign up on your phone

Open the DiDi app and fill in your mobile number. When you enter the “enter password” page, tap “sign in with verification code” to get the code sent to your phone. Enter the code and you can choose to set up your own password for login.

Step 3: Set language

Go to the “settings” and change the language to English.

Step 4: Set up payment

Click and enter “My wallet” page, choose “payment methods”. Follow the easy instructions and set up your payment method. This can either be through WeChat or your debit card.

Step 5: Call a DiDi car

Once you’ve completed the set up, you can now order a car through DiDi! There are four common car types on DiDi English: Express, Taxi, Premier, and Luxe cars.

Step 6: Request a car and wait for it

You can see the model and plate number of the car at the bottom, and the real-time location of the driver to manage your time. By tapping “message”, you can choose some pre-defined messages which are really helpful to avoid answering a phone call from the driver.

If you want to cancel, you can tap “cancel” and choose the reason for your cancelation. Note that you may cancel without paying a compensation fee within 3 minutes after the driver has accepted the order.

Step 7: Pay for the ride

The driver will send your fare to your DiDi account once you arrive at the destination. You’ll need to confirm the cost and choose a payment method to pay for the ride. But if you take a taxi, they will usually ask you to pay before you get out of the car.

How to Set Up Mobike

Step 1: Download the Mobike app

Mobike has its own English interface if your phone isn’t set in Chinese. You can also use Mobike mini program on WeChat by scanning the QR code to access.

Step 2: Sign up on your phone

Open your Mobike app and sign in with your phone number to get a verification code. Enter the code and login. You can also sign in with your WeChat account.

Step 3: Top up or pay via WeChat

Renting a Mobike costs RMB 1 per half hour. You can tap “My Wallet ” to purchase a Mobike card to save money, or top up your wallet. They will also often have promotions and discounts such as monthly passes that costs RMB 25.

Step 4: Rent a Mobike

Through the location sharing function on Mobike, you can locate all of the nearby bikes. Then scan the QR code on the bike when found, and it will unlock.

Step 5: Park and lock the bike

Once you arrive, park the bike at a proper location and simply lock it up. It will automatically stop the time on the app and you will be charged.

Note: As Mobike was sold to local lifestyle information and trading platform Meituan in 2018, you can also use Meituan to scan QR codes to access Mobike.

This article appeared in the beijingkids June 2019 Home & Relocation Guide issue.

When it comes to learning Mandarin as a foreign language, occasionally coming across a word that sounds like English can be either a relief, or more confusing. Some of these words are borrowed from English, and here we have six Chinese words about transportation and food which sound a lot like their English equivalents.

Transportation

Bus  巴士  bā shì
Usually people use bā shì instead of 公共汽车 (gōng gòng qì chē) when they’re talking about school buses, coach buses for tour groups, or city buses.
Example:
I take bus everyday.
我每天坐巴士。wǒ měitiān zuò bāshì.

Taxi 的士 dī shì
I don’t hear this word used that much in northern China, but it is used in some parts of southern China. Also among Singapore Chinese, they call a taxi déshì.  When people want to say “get/hail a taxi”, they say “dǎ dī” (打的).
Example:
Let’s take a taxi to the office today.
我们今天打的去办公室吧。Wǒmén jīntiān dǎdī qù bàngōngshì ba.

Motorbike 摩托车 mótuōchē
Motorbikes are common in China, and “motor” in Chinese is pronounced mótuō.
Example:
I’ll buy a motorbike.
我要买一辆摩托车。Wǒ yào mǎi yíliàng mótuōchē.

Food

Pizza 披萨 pī sà
Sometimes you might also hear people call it bǐ sà; both are right.
Example:
I want to order pizza for my lunch.
我午餐想吃披萨。Wǒ wǔcān xiǎngchī pīsà.

Salad 沙拉 shā lā
Organic produce has become increasingly popular in China in recent years. Salad is one of the most popular organic items.
Example:
I like salad.
我喜欢沙拉。Wǒ xǐhuān shā lā.

Chocolate 巧克力 qiǎokelì
People also call it zhūgǔlì, Cantonese usually uses the characters 朱古力.
Example:
Chocolate is my favorite snack.
巧克力是我的最爱。Qiǎokèlì shì wǒde zuìài.

Photos: pixabay.com

In an effort to further clean up the Beijing Subway, authorities are now imposing several new regulations that aim to crack down on “uncivilized” behavior.

The new regulations, which came into force on Wednesday, target behavior such as entering the subway without a ticket, occupying multiple seats, eating on the train (unless you’re an infant), and selling products or engaging in marketing activities, according to a document published by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.

Certain regulations that first came into effect in 2016 have also been updated and now not only include restrictions on smoking but also a ban on the use of e-cigarettes, using folding bikes or hoverboards, lying down, playing loud music, loitering, and taking advantage of the sweet sweet air conditioning (it will be interesting to see how they determine that one). Additionally, people who refuse security checks will be unable to enter the subway, according to China Daily.

Anyone caught lounging or ducking gates will be docked personal social credit points, which may result in the individual being banned from public transport and even prohibited from flying or taking trains. Luckily, perpetrators can earn back the state’s trust by devoting volunteering hours to the very service they sullied: the Beijing Subway! Fun.

For us foreigners, there’s still no word on how infringements will affect our score, or if we even have one at all. Either way, many are too busy dodging the police on our unregistered scooters above ground to be concerned with what’s happening down below.

Image: Weibo

The Jingkids International School Expo (JISE) 2019 will be held on February 23-24 at Kerry Hotel, Kerry Mall, and Kerry Sports.

In addition to an extensive weekend of amazing education-related activities, the Kerry Center is also full of other activities so that you can top it all off with a complete day full of family-friendly entertainment. We’ve rounded up some of our favorite restaurants and play spaces in neighboring areas, as well as information on how to get to the Kerry Center, to make your JISE jaunt a fun experience for the whole family.

Getting to JISE

By car:

You can park your car at Kerry Center parking lot and scan the QR code in the parking lot to pay the fee (RMB 8/hour).

By subway:

Jintaixizhao Station (Line 10), exit D (southwest)

Guomao Station Line 1, exit E2 (northwest)

Guomao Station Line 10, exit B

By taxi or Didi

Kerry Hotel address: 1 Guanghua Lu, Guomao, Chaoyang District 朝阳区光华路1号

Restaurants

Kerry’s Pantry

The Kerry Hotel’s bakery offers a variety of baked pastries, coffee, juices, fresh fruit, and salads to help you stay energized at JISE. Along with plenty of dining tables and chairs in the dining room, this makes it an ideal spot to take a load off.

Average price: RMB 59
Address: F1 Kerry Hotel
Contact: 8565 2788

Element Fresh

This is a well-known Western-style restaurant with characteristically light food, where guests can enjoy salads, pasta, wraps, smoothies, and sandwiches, as well as a smattering of Asian standards. A safe choice for both parents and kids.

Average price: RMB 128
Address: B1 Kerry Center Mall
Contact:  8529 8680

Wagas

Wagas provides daily sandwiches, pasta, salads, cakes, fresh fruit juice, and gourmet coffee. The industrial style of the decor fosters a business-oriented environment.

Average price: RMB 81
Address: F1 Kerry Center Mall
Contact: 8529 6512

RE

This Western restaurant features healthy meals like fresh vegetable dishes, seafood, and Costa Rican hand-brewed coffee. In addition to this, it is also a clothing store, a grocery store, and even a bike shop all rolled into one. A fantastic place to spend some relaxing minutes between visiting schools or lectures throughout the weekend.

Average Price: RMB 127
Address: B1 Kerry Center Mall
Contact: 6585 7717

IPPUDO

A Japanese restaurant offering authentic Japanese ramen with quality ingredients and traditional cooking methods. Its quiet environment means it is an ideal place for families to kick back and relax with a hot bowl of noodles or other classic Japanese comfort foods.

Average price: RMB 103
Address: B1 Kerry Center Mall
Contact: 8529 8771

Bellagio Cafe

Mixing Taiwanese cuisine with Guangdong, Sichuan, Hunan, and other local flavors has given this chain its own unique characteristics. Their Pineapple Fried Shrimp is the most popular dish with almost every table ordering it, and the sweet fruit flavor is also a hit with children. Bellagio offers child-friendly tableware.

Average Price: RMB 87
Address: B1 Kerry Center
Telephone: 8529 9883

Playgrounds

Kerry Hotel Adventure Park

The largest hotel children’s playground in Beijing is a wonderland with ocean balls, a role-playing town, a vertical slide, a small bridge, and other areas to explore. It is also worth mentioning that this adventure park is located next to the Pre-K exhibition area, so it is a good choice for you and your child to enjoy a high-quality playground experience.

Average price: RMB 395
Address: F1 Kerry Center Mall
Contact: 8565 2460

LECOOLICELINK

LECOOLICELINK international skating rink is the first rink built inside a mall in Beijing. There’s 1,450 square meters of ice, produced by a full set of environmentally-friendly ice making equipment from Canadian manufacturer CIMCO. The ice rink is open all year round, which offers children a good opportunity to learn how to skate indoors.

Monday to Thursday
RMB 30 /1.5 hours.
RMB 40 /1.5 hours from 6-10pm

Friday
RMB 30 /1.5 hours.
RMB 50 /1.5 hours

Saturday
RMB 50 /1.5 hours from 10am-10pm

Address: B2 Guomao Mall area
Contact: 6505 5776

In KIDS with LINE FRIENDS

In KIDS with LINE FRIENDS is a children’s indoor playground which features ball pits, slides and plenty of things to climb on. The Line Friends characters include Brown Bear, Cony Bunny, Jessica Cat, Leonard Frog, and Pangyo Panda, plus many other human and animal caricatures.  

Average price: RMB 399
Address: F3 Yintai Center
Contact: 8517 1506

Palace Cinema

Not far from the Guomao ice rink is the Baili Palace Cinema. The cinema is free for children under 1.3m, but there are no children’s seats, and an adult can only bring one child for free into the cinema. Children above 1.3m will need student tickets.

Average Price: RMB 61
Address: B1 North Area of Guomao Mall
Contact: 8535 1808

Photo: Courtesy of featured venues via Jingkids

The primary mode of transporting my children around Beijing is via a double stroller. I take our double stroller pretty much everywhere I take my children. My pregnant friend recently asked me if I thought she needed to buy a double stroller as well. “Well, it depends…” I began my response. And so it does. There are multiple “complex” variables that need to be considered.

What is the age difference between your children?
If there is something like a six-year age difference between your children, you almost certainly will not require a double stroller. However, if there is a much smaller age gap you may well find one useful. My daughters are just over 18 months apart, and so my oldest daughter was still very much of stroller age when her younger sister was born.

Do you already have a good quality stroller and a good quality baby-carrier?
If your children are close enough in age so that your oldest child is still of stroller age, you may be able to get away with having the oldest one in a stroller and the youngest one in a baby carrier. However, for this to work well, you will need a good quality stroller and a comfortable baby carrier. In my case, I had neither.

What’s your lifestyle like?
I’m quite adventurous, and I like to be out and about with my children. For our daylong outings, a dodgy stroller and a painfully uncomfortable baby-carrier will not cut it; my double stroller is essential. It acts as a portable bed, a changing table, a high chair and a safe haven in the midst of the crowds. I can hang my jumbo baby bag on the back and glide weightlessly along behind it.

What’s your oldest child’s behavior like?
Are they obedient? Do they follow your instructions, or are they a law unto themselves? Some toddlers are very compliant. These children are capable of holding the side of a stroller and responsibly walking beside it without becoming too distracted by the sights and sounds around them. However, not all toddlers are there yet. There are some little people who need to be saved from themselves, and fastened securely into a stroller.

What’s your oldest child’s attitude to walking?
Are they capable of walking faster than a snail? This might not be a problem if your aim in venturing outside is to meander around without a care in the world. In this case, you might well have the time to take half an hour to travel a distance that would ordinarily take five minutes. However, when you are already running late for an important engagement, and you spot the bus that comes once every 40 minutes approaching the bus stop—matching your pace to that of a preoccupied toddler might be inadequate.

So there you have it: a detailed answer to the question of whether or not you need a double stroller. In short… it depends.

Photo: thebump.com

Years ago, I was biking home in the hutong and got caught in traffic just as elementary school was being let out.  Throngs of parents and grandparents had arrived to pick up their kids in a variety of vehicles: motos, shiny new cars, and bicycles. I was right behind a yeye and his young grandson, who was teetering on a simple plastic pallet strapped to the back of a Flying Pigeon, no seatbelt, when suddenly the boy lost his balance and tumbled headfirst onto the concrete.

He was fine; he got right up without a single tear and plopped back on, but that image stuck with me. Now I cringe whenever I see some of the more “creative” child transport options in our fair city.  And where’s the best place to buy dangerously unregulated products? Taobao!

Baby’s First Bike Seat (RMB 73-85)

Although it seems more secure to have your child directly in your line of vision, we are less than reassured with this option. Especially for e-bikes, since it seems like there is only one load bearing spot.  But seriously, who needs stabilization when there are so many awesome colors to choose from?

Vroom Vroom Scooter Stroller (RMB 4999, or save RMB 1000 if you buy now)

Got to admit, I kind of love this one.  It’s the riding lawnmower of strollers.  Seems insane on the open road with such minimal protection for your precious cargo up front, but downright pleasant if you just want to zip around a nice spacious park with your girlfriends. Install a cup holder and you’ve got yourself a winner.

Family Triple Seater Bike (RMB 820)

Have a surly teenager?  We’re sure she’ll put aside angst for a lovely bike ride with the family on this tandem (or tri-tandem?) bike.  Seriously though, arguments will be virtually guaranteed as you all wrestle for control.  And the chances of you all toppling directly into oncoming traffic are probably less than causing other drivers to crash as they stare at your ridiculousness. Just make sure the heaviest person isn’t directly in the middle, as this embarrassment will likely snap in half.

Just a Stool & Strap (RMB 69)

We’ve saved the most egregious for last. How about just a straight up stool with a single strap on the bottom?   Just make sure not to make any sudden turns. We also suggest you opt for the option with a generic blue cartoon animal on it.  Safe driving!

photos: tmall.com, taobao.com/, item.taobao.com/, detail.tmall.com

With less than two weeks to go before leaving Beijing, I’m currently in the process of posting some of my personal belongings in the mail. After filling two large boxes with my stuff, I was a bit worried that the average Uber car wouldn’t have enough trunk space. Then I heard about Lanxiniu, an app that was described by a member of one of my WeChat groups as “the Uber of moving vans.”

Despite its Chinese-only interface, Lanxiniu (蓝犀牛 “blue rhinoceros”) is fairly intuitive to use. Here’s a quick walkthrough of the process:

Step 1: At the top of the main screen, choose the purpose of your trip: transporting goods (拉货 lā huò) or moving house (搬家 bānjiā).

Step 2: Choose your vehicle. There are two types of van available: the smaller xiǎo miàn (小面) or the larger Jīnbēi (金杯).

A xiǎo miàn can fit approximately 1.7m by 1m by 1.4m worth of stuff while a Jīnbēi can fit approximately 2.7m by 1.2m by 1m.

Step 3: Input your address by tapping 从 (cóng, “from”). The app will attempt to pinpoint your location, but in my case it was inaccurate.

Step 4: Input your destination by tapping 到 (dào, “to”).

For both the origin and the destination, the app will attempt to auto-complete the address when you start typing in Chinese characters or pinyin.

Step 5: Choose a time and date. The earliest available is “now” (现在 xiànzài), followed by “today” (今天 jīntiān), “tomorrow” (明天 míngtiān), and subsequent dates.

Step 6: Add special requests. You can type in the field or tap on one or more preset buttons, e.g. “trolley” (小推车 xiǎo tuī chē), “follow my car” (跟车 gēn chē), etc.

Step 7: Once you’ve clicked 确认下单 (quèrèn xià dān, “confirm order”), you’ll be prompted for your contact details. Enter your mobile number, followed by the four-digit verification code that will be texted to you.

Step 8: Pay. Accepted payment methods include cash (by the sender or receiver), WeChat Wallet, Alipay, and online banking with a domestic bank.

For a small van, the base fare is RMB 28 for the first 5km and RMB 3.5 for every subsequent kilometer. The van will wait for up to one hour for free; beyond that, it costs RMB 10 for each extra slice of 15 minutes that the driver has to wait. Night moves carry an additional RMB 25 fee regardless of distance or waiting time.

For a Jinbei, the base fare is RMB 48 for the first 5km and RMB 4.5 for every subsequent kilometer. The waiting policy is the same, but the night surcharge is RMB 35 rather than RMB 25.

That’s kind of it, really. Once payment is completed, the app will search for a driver – much like with Uber.

Here’s the rub: Lanxiniu didn’t work for me. An hour and a half and three calls to customer service later, I still didn’t have a driver. One of the customer service reps explained that most likely no one wanted to pick up my order because the destination was only 2km away. Classic.

That said, a friend said she didn’t have any issues using Lanxiniu to transport materials to a company event, and I originally found out about the app through a positive word-of-mouth recommendation on WeChat. It’s possible that those moving house or going greater distances will have better luck than I did.

As for me, I ended up having to call an Uber; as soon as I got in, the driver started berating me for making him lose money on such a short trip. Ah, the joys of living in Beijing.

Sijia Chen is a contributing editor at beijingkids and a freelance writer specializing in parenting, education, travel, environment, and culture. Her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, The Independent, Midnight Poutine, Rover Arts, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @sijiawrites or email her at sijiachen@beijing-kids.com.

Screenshots: Sijia Chen

Net Savings is a regular series in which we spotlight businesses and services that accept mobile payment methods like online banking, Alipay, WeChat Wallet, and Baidu Wallet to help you get the most out of life in Beijing.

Back in 2010, when I was still a student at Renmin University, buying train tickets was a pain in the tunbu. Not only was the pre-sale period for regular trains a paltry 10 days (meaning you could only purchase tickets 10 days before departure), but we had to line up for hours at a hole-in-the-wall ticket window ahead of major Chinese holidays.

What a difference five years make! The pre-sale period is now 60 days before departure on the official China Railway website and 58 days at railway stations and ticket outlets. With mobile payment methods like WeChat Wallet and Alipay, you don’t even have to leave the house anymore.

Last month, I used WeChat Wallet to buy train tickets for an upcoming wedding in Wuhan. The interface was a bit clunky – I couldn’t buy roundtrip tickets in a single transaction – but the tickets were painlessly delivered to my house the very next day.

First, go to “Wallet” under “Me” and select “Rail & Flights.”

The interface switches to Chinese here, but it’s nothing complicated. At the top, you’ve got your departure point (Beijing 北京) and your destination (Shanghai 上海). Choose a departure date, then tap the green button.

There are a number of ways to refine the search results at the bottom of the screen. By default, they’re ordered by departure time (出发时间, chufa shijian). You can also order the trains by travel time (耗时, haoshi). The third option, 筛选 (shaixuan) offers some nifty filtering options.

Tapping it brings up this menu. I recommend only looking at high-speed trains (that’s the option with the check mark next to it). G stands for gaotie, the fastest rail class.

The menu on the left-hand side also gives you the option of filtering the trains by departure time, arrival time, departure train station, and arrival train station. When you’re satisfied, click the green confirm (确定) button.

The next step is to select your seat type (second class, first class or business class). That is, if you want to pick up the tickets yourself.

But since we’re lazy, we’re going to select the home delivery option (送票上门, song piao shang men) right off the bat. The service costs an extra RMB 30 per passenger but it’s so worth it.

You’ll be taken to this screen, where you can change your seating type at the top (default is second-class). To add passengers, click on the green words with the + sign.

For each passenger, first enter the name and surname without any spaces (e.g. SijiaChen).

If you have kids, tap the second dropdown menu and select 儿童票 (ertong piao). Otherwise, leave it as “adult ticket” (成人票, chengren piao).

Under “ID Type” (证件类型, zhengjian leixing), make sure “Passport” is selected as in the above screenshot. Enter the passport number in the next field, followed by the date of birth and sex (男 for male, 女 for female).

Each passenger’s details will be automatically saved in case you buy plane or train tickets in the future.

You’ll be taken back to this screen. Now to enter an address; tap 配送地址 (peisong dizhi).

You can use any addresses already on file in WeChat Wallet or add a new one. Click “Done” on the top right.

Check out as usual using WeChat Wallet, then repeat the procedure to buy return tickets. Yes, it’s annoying, but think about how much more annoying it was five years ago and be grateful. The layout is pretty much exactly the same on Alipay, so I won’t go into that.

Ta-da! The tickets should arrive within three business days. Happy travels!

Sijia Chen is a contributing editor at beijingkids and a freelance writer who has covered travel, tech, culture, parenting, and the environment. Her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, The Independent, the Beijinger, Midnight Poutine, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @sijiawrites or email her at sijiachen@beijing-kids.com.

Photo and screenshots: Sijia Chen