Who said Beijing Sucks?

[zhouhaochen]

哥门儿: everybody is entiteled to their opinion, but I think, BEIJING RULES.

I spent the last 8 years of my life trying to come back here and am loving it.

No offence to Shanghai, but well....

However, I would appreciate it, if the party could switch of the wind when it is less than -5C in case any party members are on this site. Much appreciated同志们。

[doraemon]

Out of all the Chinese cities I've been to, I can safely say that Beijing is by far the best of them all (well, in my opinion that is). A lot of westerners seem to dislike northern cities because they're dirty and polluted, relatively poorer and etc...and I have to admit, cities like Taiyuan and Zhengzhou aren't exactly as great as some of the richer, cleaner southern cities like Shenzhen, Guangzhou etc.

Most foreigners I've asked said they like Shanghai (for its high-tech modernity, liveliness, nightlife, being dubbed the "Paris of the east" etc.) and Suzhou, Hangzhou (for they're famous picturesque scenery) but barely anyone mentions Beijing.

Beijing to me, although not as modern and attractive as Shanghai, possesses a sort of majesty and magnificence unparalleled by any other city in China. It's unbelievably wide, clean roads, the spectacular Tiananmen Square and simply the balanced combination of old and new makes it so memorable for me. I like the fact that Beijing doesn't have too many tall and contiguous skyscrapers unlike Shanghai and the fact that the city from a birds-eye-view looks like it's been divided into squares makes it seem very tidy and spacious.

Beijing also best reflects the essence of the old and new China and being the capital city, it makes me feel really proud to be Chinese.

Beijing rocks!!!!!!!!

[zhouhaochen]

here we go:mrgreen:. Any more love for Beijing?

[gougou]

but barely anyone mentions Beijing.

Have you ever been to Beijing? There are thousands of us that are here precisely because they love the city.

It's definitely my favorite, mostly for the combination of old and modern-day culture, but I'm starting to like Shanghai better ever since I don't have bi-weekly business trips going there anymore...

[roddy]

but barely anyone mentions Beijing.

Shhh. Nothing to see here. Move along. 京城无银三百两。

[rob07]

Beijing used to be pretty sweet. But just a couple of hours ago a thief was spotted digging up 10 or 12 kilograms of a mysterious white shiny metallic substance that had apparently been buried under Tiananmen for millennia. Now it is as if the very soul of the city has been lost.

[anonymoose]

I'm not very familiar with Beijing. I have been a few times, but only stayed for a few days each time. From a cultural historical point of view, Beijing beats Shanghai no question. But I always found Beijing quite tiring to get around, as it is so spread out. Perhaps it is better now that the metro has been expanded, but from that point of view, I think Shanghai wins. Shanghai is more compact, and over the last 3 years or so, the metro has expanded from 3 lines to about 10 lines now, with more due to open within the next year or two, making Shanghai very navigable. Another thing I like about Shanghai (and I this is definitely a personal preference as I know others would count it as a negative) is the local dialect. One of the main reasons for me coming to China was to learn Chinese, and being in an environment where I can also learn another dialect is really a "two for the price of one" offer. Also, I hate cold weather. Shanghai is not exactly warm in the winter, but at least it rarely snows. I've not spent a winter in Beijing, but I have been in Dalian over winter, and it's not an experience I care to repeat.

And also, another good thing about Shanghai is its proximity to other nice cities such as Hangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing, and numerous water towns such as Jiaxing, Shaoxing, Zhouzhuang, Xitang, etc.

[adrianlondon]

I only spent 6 days in Shanghai (compared to 5 months in Beijing) but I didn't really get on with the city. Each time I go back to China for a holiday I always go to Beijing.

[nothing02]

Just happened across this and wanted to toss in my 2 cents. Who said Beijing sucks? I did. What authority do I have? None. It's my subjective opinion that this city is overall a miserable crap heap and a bad place to try and learn Chinese. If you're around a whole bunch of other foreigners all the time, maybe Beijing is tolerable... you won't notice how locals ignore your attempts to speak their language, avoid you in general as if you were the plague itself (I guess because they're anxious about having to speak English with you), and talk about you in their language behind your back (believing of course that you cannot understand them because you do not look like them). Do I even need to mention how the most interesting parts of the city have been destroyed in the past few years and replaced with ridiculous fake tourist attractions (has anyone seen the "traditional" street with the "traditional" street car at Qianmen)? And about the Mandarin spoken by Beijing people, I actually think Shanghai people are easier to understand, even though they speak their own dialect as a native language. Again, I guess that's subjective.

I have traveled all over China and have found some of the warmest, most hospitable people I have ever met in this country... unfortunately none of them seem to live in Beijing. I don't think anyone could fail to notice the difference in people's attitudes between Beijing and cities like Dalian, Lanzhou, even Shanghai. There is an utter lack of warmth and humanity in Beijingers' attitudes toward foreigners. This is not a Chinese attitude, it's a Beijing attitude. And it sucks.

[zhouhaochen]

alright, everyone is entiteled to their opinion.

I strongly disagree with all the points above, with the exception of Qianmen Traditional Street (前门古街）which indeed is a bit or a ridiculous idea.

[joshuawbb]

I don't have much knowledge of Beijing so I can't speak for it; so far I have been to Xiamen, Fuzhou, Zhangzhou, Shenzhen and Guangzhou in the south. I live and study in Xiamen at the moment, and think it's a lovely place.

I'm a town-bred person and would feel choked in a huge city like Beijing. But just to make a few points, Xiamen is a small and fairly compact city (you can go virtually anywhere in the city for under 20Y for within the city area, or 20Y to 35Y for the island outskirts), with clean air and environment, and with a lot of beautiful ocean scenery. We also have Gulangyu here. Not to go off topic and advertise the place, just saying that you can certainly find foreign food and outlets here, and not in too small supply. If you really need something as specific as one particular foreign restaurant or item, then I guess stay where you're comfortable, but don't knock other cities until you've tried them. I personally don't care much for foreign outlets and food, I prefer normal Chinese things, unless there's a clear advantage with finding something from home. I just like things from home when I feel a bit nostalgic or whatnot.

As for coffee, Xiamen might as well be China's coffee city. There are no Starbucks outlets here (glad of that, didn't like them much anyway), but a huge number of family/small group owned cafes and a domestic chain-cafe or two. Around the university area there are no less than 8 of them within 10-15 minutes of each other, often in clusters. The coffee in each one is wonderful, each one has a unique design (generally except the 02Sun bookstore cafes) and I know a lot of the working staff as friends. Each cafe usually cooks a variety of foreign-style food, and many are fans of spaghetti bolognaise. I've simply lost count of the amount of cafes on Gulangyu.

There are several shops selling quite a lot of foreign general goods, usually from around Asia or the US, and also plenty of imported alcohol. Xiamen might have Minnan-hua and a local accent, but my teaching has always been in Standard Mandarin, with the exception of a teacher or two, and I don't mind either way. I think exposure to various accents has its advantages. To be honest, I'm preparing for the HSK and feel perfectly comfortable learning here regardless of the accent, and I can still easily understand people.

Sorry if I'm going off topic, I don't mean to sound like an advertisement. I guess I wouldn't know since I haven't visited Beijing and Shanghai, but I think they're often too overrated.

[cui ruide]

I'm a Beijinger. The locals are sometimes gruff, but generally very warm and friendly. The foreigners generally are just more interesting. There's always something to do or see or hear.

Kunming for the vibe and weather (and coffee!!) is my number 2, but I think I'd get a little bored.

I feel like I'd like to check out Xining--got a cool vibe on a trip--but not masochistic enough. ;p