City guide Beijing
- Annual Events Chinese New Year Temple Fairs (Ditan Park) Spring Festival and the National Day holiday week, when trains and sight tickets sell out…
- Art Galleries UCCA Center for Contemporary Art UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, 798 Art District, 4 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang. Tuesday…
- Attractive Tax System for Digital Nomads None; rigorous tax enforcement for stays exceeding 183 days No. Visa-free entry (up to 30 days for eligible passports through 31 December 2026) and a…
- Banking for Expats Bank of China, ICBC, or digital wallets (Alipay/WeChat) linked to international cards Link a foreign Visa or Mastercard to Alipay and WeChat Pay. Capital Airport Terminal 3 has…
- Bar/Nightlife Area Sanlitun (Dirty Bar Street alternatives) and Gongti (Stadium) clubs Sanlitun, and the clubs on the east side of Workers Stadium.
- Best Area to Stay for Digital Nomads Sanlitun or CBD (Guomao) for international amenities and networking Sanlitun or Guomao in Chaoyang, for cafes, embassies, coworking and the metro. Servcorp's…
- Best Area to Stay for Tourists Dongcheng (near Forbidden City) or Houhai (Hutong areas) Dongcheng, within walking distance of the Forbidden City, Jingshan and the hutongs.
- Best Beach Nearby Aranya (Beidaihe), approx. 2 hours via High-Speed Rail Beidaihe East Beach and the Aranya resort in Qinhuangdao, Hebei. Beijing Railway Station…
- Best Cafe for Work Soloist Coffee Co (Dashilar) or Metal Hands (Wudaoying Hutong) The small coffee shops in Wudaoying Hutong, Dongcheng, next to the Lama Temple.
- Best Coworking Space WeWork (Taikoo Li Sanlitun) - approx. 2,200 CNY/month; naked Hub (various locations) Servcorp, level 26, Fortune Financial Center, 5 Middle Dongsanhuan Road, Chaoyang (Jintai…
- Best Dessert Spots Fu Rong (Hutong bakeries) or Berry Beans Candied hawthorn sticks (bingtang hulu) from street carts in the cold months.
- Best Food Delivery App Meituan Waimai or Ele.me Order inside WeChat or Alipay. A foreign card linked to WeChat can pay for delivery.
- Best Hospital United Family Hospital (UFH) - High-end international standard, 24/7 ER Beijing United Family Hospital, 2 Jiangtai Road, Chaoyang, with a 24-hour emergency line…
- Best Local Dish to Try Peking Duck at Dadong or Suyu (approx. 200-400 CNY per duck) Peking duck at Da Dong (the duck about ¥298) or Siji Minfu (a whole duck about ¥238), in…
- Best Taxi/Ride App Didi Chuxing (English version available in-app) DiDi, in English, including the mini-program inside Alipay or WeChat. A metered taxi is…
- Bike/Scooter Rental Meituan Bikes or HelloBike (integrated into Alipay/WeChat) - ~1.5 CNY per 15 min Meituan Bike, HelloBike and DiDi Qingju, unlocked in Alipay or WeChat. In the six central…
- Birdwatching Locations Wild Duck Lake (Yeyahu) National Wetland Park Songshan Forest Tourist Area in Yanqing lists a birdwatching platform. The reserve is…
- Bonfire-Friendly Spots Strictly regulated; only permitted in designated suburban campsites near Miyun Reservoir Open fires are banned in the forest reserves during the autumn fire season. Baihuashan in…
- Budget Accommodation Peking Youth Hostel (approx. 150 CNY/night), Leo Hostel (Qianmen area) Pagoda Light, beside the 13th-century Baita Temple in Xicheng, a backpacker hostel with a…
- Cashless Friendly Extremely high; QR code payments used for everything from street food to luxury malls Yes. Stalls and shops expect an Alipay or WeChat QR code, and a foreign card on its own is…
- Casino & Gaming Halls Illegal in mainland China; requires travel to Macau None in the city. Beijing's gambling ordinance bans gambling in the municipality, and…
- City Beijing, Hebei Province, China Beijing, a provincial-level municipality and the capital of China. Hebei surrounds it…
- Community Centers The Beijing Center for Chinese Studies The Hutong, a courtyard centre, for cooking classes, tea, talks and rooftop events in…
- Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) Rules Yes, China has comprehensive CFC regulations Yes. Undistributed profits of a controlled foreign company in a jurisdiction with an…
- Cooking Classes The Hutong (Cultural center offering dumpling and wok classes) The Hutong, a courtyard cultural centre, runs English-language Chinese cooking classes…
- Corporate Tax 25% (Standard rate; 15% for High-Tech Enterprises) 25% standard corporate income tax. Qualified high-tech enterprises pay 15%.
- Cultural Districts Nanluoguxiang and the Shichahai Hutongs Nanluoguxiang and the Shichahai hutongs in Dongcheng.
- Currency & Banking 1 USD ≈ 7.23 CNY, 1 EUR ≈ 7.82 CNY; Mobile payments dominate via Alipay and WeChat Pay Renminbi (CNY). ECB reference rates on 19 October 2026 were 1 USD = 6.6807 CNY and 1 EUR =…
- Cycling/Walking Paths The Liangma River walkway (The 'Seines' of Beijing) The city is flat, with bike lanes on the main roads. The hutongs inside the Second Ring…
- Dividend Withholding Tax 10% (can be reduced by tax treaties) 10% on dividends paid to a non-resident enterprise with no establishment in China, unless…
- E-commerce/Online Store JD.com (fastest delivery), Taobao, Pinduoduo Pay with Alipay or WeChat Pay. A foreign Visa or Mastercard can be linked, with an…
- Gaming Lounges Wangyu Internet Cafe (High-end chains found in malls) none
- Grocery Delivery Hema (Freshippo) - 30-minute delivery from app none
- Gyms & Fitness Centers Trainyard (Hotel JEN) or Tera Wellness (multiple locations) none
- Highest Income Tax Bracket 45% 45% on annual comprehensive income above ¥960,000 for residents.
- Highway Access G1 (Jingha), G4 (Jinggang'ao), and 6 Ring Road systems Six ring roads: the 2nd follows the old walls, and the 5th and 6th are national…
- Historic Buildings Drum and Bell Towers (Gulou) The Drum Tower and Bell Tower at the north end of the old central axis, in the Gulou…
- Historical Sites The Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) and Ming Tombs The Summer Palace in Haidian and the Ming Tombs in Changping. Sections of the Great Wall…
- Internet Speed Average 150 Mbps (Fiber); VPN required for international sites (ExpressVPN/Astrill) Ookla medians for Beijing in September 2026 were 193 Mbps on fixed broadband and 195 Mbps…
- Language Classes That's Mandarin or Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) Hutong School in Sanlitun runs intensive, HSK and business Chinese. Standard Mandarin is…
full-depth rewrite. City (municipality, not Hebei); Population (21.80 million, end-2025); Internet Speed (Ookla September 2026; blocked sites, no VPN brands); Currency & Banking (ECB 6.6807 / 7.4991 on 19 Oct 2026); SIM Card (passport halls, Trip.com Unicom Nihao US$42.10); Banking for Expats (Alipay/WeChat foreign cards, Capital Airport T3 desk); Accommodation and Short Term Rentals (Airbnb does not operate); Budget Accommodation (Pagoda Light); Best Coworking Space (Servcorp ¥1,030, WeWork dedicated from ¥1,650); Best Cafe for Work (Wudaoying Hutong); Networking Events and Social Events for Expats (Sanlitun, Guomao, Workers Stadium); Best Taxi/Ride App (DiDi plus ¥13 / ¥2.3 taxi); Bike/Scooter Rental (¥1.88 per 60 minutes); Best Beach Nearby (Beidaihe G9897, 1h 40min); Top Regional Airline and Top International Airline (Air China at PEK; Daxing is the second airport); Highway Access (ring roads, G95, G1); Main Train/Transit Hub and Public Transport Passes and Regional Travel (Beijing South, day passes, Tianjin ¥54.5, Badaling from ¥29); Best Hospital (United Family, 2 Jiangtai Road); Best Food Delivery App and E-commerce/Online Store (Alipay/WeChat, SF Express); Best Local Dish to Try (Da Dong about ¥298, Siji Minfu about ¥238); Vegan/Vegetarian Options (King's Joy); Best Dessert Spots (bingtang hulu); Affordable Shopping Spots and Local Markets (Panjiayuan); Local Brewery (Great Leap at 6 Doujiao Hutong; Jing-A Xinchenli and Daxing Airport, Xingfucun not reconfirmed); Street Food Stalls (Guijie); Popular International Cuisine (Sanlitun, Kavkaz); Must-See Landmarks (Forbidden City ¥60/¥40); Museums, Street Art and Art Galleries (UCCA, 4 Jiuxianqiao Road); Music Scene (opera houses and NCPA, not Blue Note or School Bar); Annual Events (Spring Festival and National Day); National Parks Nearby, Birdwatching Locations and Bonfire-Friendly Spots (Songshan paused, Baihuashan fire closure); Cycling/Walking Paths (bike lanes and hutongs, not Liangma); Language Classes (Hutong School); Libraries & Study Spots (National Library; Bookworm dropped); Community Centers and Cooking Classes (The Hutong); Casino & Gaming Halls (municipal ban); Studio Purchase Price (City Center), Studio Purchase Price (Outside City), 1-Bedroom Purchase Price (City Center), 1-Bedroom Purchase Price (Outside City), 2-Bedroom Purchase Price (City Center) and 2-Bedroom Purchase Price (Outside City) (June 2026 Dongcheng ¥100,070/m² and Pinggu ¥19,920/m²); Tax System, Highest Income Tax Bracket, VAT, Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) Rules, Property Tax and Property Transaction Tax (PwC July 2026 and the Beijing deed-tax notice); Attractive Tax System for Digital Nomads (no work on visa-free entry). Yoga & Wellness Centers, Gyms & Fitness Centers, Laundry Services, Grocery Delivery, Wine Bars, Table Tennis Spots and Gaming Lounges cleared because the old venues were not reconfirmed (https://www.beijing.gov.cn/renwen/bjgk/rk/202603/t20260327_4567645.html).