Relocating to Beijing? Here are 9 things you should know before you move

Relocating to Beijing? Here are 9 things you should know before you move

Beijing is the capital of the People's Republic of China, one of the four municipalities directly under the central government, the second largest city in China, and the center of politics, transportation and culture. Beijing is located at the northern end of the North China Plain, partially connected to Tianjin in the southeast and surrounded by Hebei Province in the rest of the city. With a history of more than 3,000 years as a city and more than 850 years as a capital, Beijing is the city with the most World Heritage Sites in the world. The first recorded name of the city was “Ji” (蓟). Beijing is a city of Chinese culture since the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and is home to many scenic spots and humanistic landscapes. With its ancient yet stylish new look, Beijing is welcoming more than 147 million travelers each year.   If you’re planning on relocating to Beijing this guide will provide some essential tips to get you started before you arrive.

 Area

    The city covers an area of 16,410.54 square kilometers (2007, 28th largest provincial administrative area in China, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Land and Resources). The urban area is 1,368.32 square kilometers, with a built-up area of 1,254.2 square kilometers (No. 1 city in China). The mountainous area is 10,317.5 square kilometers, accounting for 62% of the city's area; the plain area is 6,390.3 square kilometers, accounting for 38% of the city's area.

    Elevation

    The average elevation of the city is 43.5 meters above sea level. The altitude of Beijing's plains ranges from 20-60 meters, while the mountains are generally 1,000-1,500 meters above sea level. Dongling Mountain is the highest peak in Beijing at 2,403 meters.

    Population

    The city has a resident population of 17.95 million (2009, 600,000 more than at the end of the previous year, 26th in China's provincial-level administrative regions), with a citywide population density of 1,069 people per square kilometer (4th in China's provincial-level administrative regions, after Macau, Hong Kong and Shanghai). Among them, the foreign population is 5,092,000, accounting for 29% of the resident population. Among the resident population, the urban population is 14.918 million, accounting for 85% of the resident population. The city's resident population had a birth rate of 8.06 per thousand, a death rate of 4.56 per thousand, and a natural growth rate of 3.5 per thousand. At the end of the year, the city's household population was 12.458 million, an increase of 159,000 from the end of the previous year. Beijing's foreign and floating population exceeded 100 million, ranking first in the country.

    Ethnicity

    Beijing is the first city in China to gather 56 ethnic groups, of which 480,384 are ethnic minorities, accounting for 3.84% of the city's total population (2008)[2]. 95.69% of the city's population is Han Chinese, and in addition to Han Chinese, there are more than 10,000 people of Manchu, Mongolian and Hui ethnicity.

    Religion

    There are more than 500,000 religious believers among Beijing residents, accounting for about 4% of the city. [2] The main religions practiced are Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Christianity, with Buddhism, Taoism, and Islam having had a large impact on Beijing's history, culture, and art. There are more than 100 places of religious activity in Beijing.

Beijing Financial Street is located in Xicheng District, Beijing, China, covering an area of 2.59 square kilometers, and is the first large-scale overall development of Beijing Financial Street Financial Industry Functional Zone in Beijing. 1992, Xicheng District reported to the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government for approval of the official start of the construction of the Financial Street.

There are 64 key commercial buildings in the core block of Beijing Financial Street, with 1886 financial institutions of various types, 885 legal entities and 175 headquarters-type organizations. It is home to the “one committee, one line and two chambers” of the national financial administration, 15 financial industry associations such as the China Securities and Investment Funds Association (CSIFA), the four major asset management companies in China, large state-owned commercial banks, and the headquarters of large joint-stock banks.

Sanlitun is located in the west-central Chaoyang District of Beijing. It was named after the three miles from the inner city. It is now known as Sanlitun Bar Street. Sanlitun Bar Street is one of the most “bustling” entertainment streets in Beijing's nightlife, frequented by foreigners living in the area, as well as domestic celebrities and big spenders.

In February 2023, Sanlitun Bar Street in Beijing's Chaoyang District will be closed, and will soon be upgraded with building hazard abatement work, and will continue to be branded as a bar street in the future.

Taikoo Li Sanlitun, formerly known as Sanlitun Village, is located at 19 Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing. The South Zone was opened in 2008, the North Zone in the second half of 2010 and the West Zone on December 3, 2021 [7-8 The West End will open on December 3, 2021 [7-8].

Taikoo Li Sanlitun is divided into three zones: the South Zone, the North Zone and the West Zone, with a site area of approximately 61,014 square meters and a total gross floor area of approximately 20,925 square meters. It consists of 30 relatively independent single buildings, integrating shopping, dining, hospitality, culture and entertainment, and is a modern architectural complex designed and constructed under the concepts of vitality, trendiness, openness, cultural exchanges, and art [9].

In 2019, Taikoo Li Sanlitun was named a national five-star shopping center [1]; on January 10, 2022, Taikoo Li Sanlitun was selected as one of the “first national tourism and leisure neighborhoods” [2].

XiuShuiJie is located in the extension line of ChangAnJie, close to the international CBD business circle, with a prominent geographical location and convenient transportation, it is the most influential international tourist shopping mall in China with the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.

The old Xiushui Street Market was established spontaneously in 1978, at first it was just a few stores scattered in the middle of a piece of embassies and diplomatic apartments, at that time, there were not many households in the neighborhood, and the consumer market was not favored. Who would have thought that years later, it would become a “folk trade center” where overseas tourists would go to observe and shop? Some economists have even called it “the 21st century Qingming Shanghe Tu, cut with the scissors of reform and opening up”. “The Great Wall, the Forbidden City, roast duck and Xiushui Street, together with the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and roast duck, have become a landmark for many domestic and foreign tourists visiting Beijing.

In August 2020, Xiushui Street announced the launch of a commercial restructuring project, teaming up with professional strategic consulting firms and design organizations to re-engineer the commercial positioning and internal and external spatial planning to create Xiushui Street 3.0. [14] Xiushui Street 3.0 is dedicated to showcasing Chinese characteristics, Chinese brands, and Chinese culture, and to displaying the great achievements and rich fruits of China's design and China's ingenuity in the past 44 years of reform and opening up.

Wangfujing Street is located in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, with a total length of 1,818 meters, divided into four sections from south to north: the section from East Chang'an Street to Dongdansan Sanjie is 280 meters long; the section from Dongdansan Sanjie to Jinyu Hutong is 548 meters long; the section from Jinyu Hutong to Dengshikou Street is 344 meters long; and the section from Dengshikou Street to Wusi Street is 646 meters long. The length of the section from Dengshikou Street to Wusi Street is 646 meters. The section from Dongdan Sanjie to Dengshikou Street is the famous commercial pedestrian street “Wangfujing Pedestrian Street” [1-2].

Wangfujing Street is a commercial street with a long history of several hundred years, and enjoys the reputation of “Golden Street” in Beijing.

Solana Beijing is a shopping park full of bright sunshine, quiet lakes, elegant buildings and romantic trails, a European-style business town located on the northwest shore of Chaoyang Park, the largest city park in Asia.

SOLANA  Business District has visited shopping centers all over the world, introduced the globally popular “LifestyleShoppingCenter” business, and combined it with Beijing's consumer trends to create China's first LifestyleShoppingPark. It is not only a fashion vane to connect with the international trend, but also a shopping paradise and gathering space to enjoy the sunshine and lake.

SERVICED APARTMENTS IN Beijing

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Individuals relocating to Beijing can find an abundance of activities, history, educational offerings, and a vibrant cultural scene. For those looking to relocate to Boston, be sure to head to our website for our full range of Beijing serviced apartments, they’re comfortable, convenient, and make diving into Boston life easy.