The New in Beijing

If there’s one thing that remains constant in Bêij∫ng, it’s that nothing ever remains the same. Returning visitors cry, “"Where am I? And what have you done with the real Beijing" Blame the imminent Olympics for the current accelerated rate of change, and go as soon as you can.

GETTING TO KNOW BÊIJING

Perhaps a better indicator of the state of the economy than unverifiable figures
provided by the government, the toll on the Airport Expressway has fallen from ¥15 ($1.90)to ¥10 ($1.25)because it was too expensive (according to taxi drivers). The Fourth Ring Road is complete, and taxi drivers taking you to hotels along D∂ng Chángin Ji and Jiànguó Mén Nèi/Wài Dàji√ will now wisely take it south from the Airport Expressway.

But don’t use it to drive around the city—it runs closer in on the east and west sides than it does on the north or south. An even further-flung Fifth Ring Road is under construction. The metro system has the new light-rail Line 13, which makes a
northern arc from X∫ Zhí Mén to D∂ng Zhí Mén and provides an alternative method of reaching the Summer Palace (with a short taxi ride) and some other rural sights.

Fares have risen to ¥3 (35¢) on the original two lines, and a ticket, huànchéng piào, allowing you to start from or switch to Line 13, is ¥5 (65¢) Proper machinereadable tickets are on their way, after which it will cost ¥2 (25¢) for the first three stops on any line, and ¥1 (10¢) for every three stops after that. Vast
new rail/metro/light-rail/bus interchanges are under construction at D∂ng Zhí Mén and X∫ Zhí Mén.

On the frontiers of hygiene, the nightmarish old public toilets are closing for good, at least in downtown areas, and are to be replaced by new or portable units with flush or chemical appliances.

WHERE TO STAY

Competition is heating up in the five-star market with the arrival of several familiar names from the West, and more of the top-rank Asian brands. Grand Hyatt
Bêij∫ng nabbed Bêij∫ng’s best address, in the vast Oriental Plaza complex at the junction of Wángfûjîng and D∂ng Cháng’≈n Ji√. (Hyatt’s top brand, Park Hyatt, is also on the way.) The Marco Polo in X∫ D≈n is as comfortable as any other five-star, and as well-placed for public transport, shopping, and major sights. Its intimate, beautifully designed public spaces make it the nearest thing to a boutique hotel in Bêij∫ng, although it remains largely undiscovered. Renaissance Bêij∫ng, just off the northeast Third Ring Road and handy for the Airport Expressway, offers small-scale elegance. Guests flying out on Air China can use the
lobby check-in.

China World Hotel has just had a substantial top-to-bottom refurbishment. (Several Chinese-run hotels, including the KΔnlún and Prime, not included in this volume, have had such lavish revamps that they might make the next edition.) The Palace Hotel has had a major refurbishment and in September 2003 rebranded itself The Peninsula Palace Bêij∫ng, finally revealing its connections to famous properties in Hong Kong,Bangkok, New York, and elsewhere.

Converted hútòng courtyards(sìhéyuàn) are the most interesting mid-range options. The latest addition, Héjìng Fû B∫nguân, is the former residence of a Qiánlóng emperor’s daughter in D∂ng Chéng. Budget options in Bêij∫ng were once restricted to a cluster of dire hotels on the South Third Ring Road. The arrival of Youth Hostel International has changed that. Simple but clean lodgings are now ubiquitous.

The best choices are Far East Youth Hostel and F√iy∫ng B∫nguân in the south, as well as the brand-new G∂ngtî Youth Hostel in Cháoyáng. Several of the old imperial-era brothels in the hútòng south of Qián Mén have been reinvented as hotels, and you may feel more of a frisson staying herethan in the average budget digs. Shânx∫ Xiàng Dì’èr B∫nguân and Qián Mén Chángg∂ng Jiûdiàn are the best restored of these.