dao le beijing.... now what?

[Guest joe_doufu]

Da jia hao. I just arrived in Beijing this week. I've lived in Taiwan in the past and am feeling more culture shocked than I thought I would. It's not quite the same here. I would appreciate anybody's suggestions about: what to eat, what to do for fun, where to hang out, etc.

Also, I'm looking for language exchange partners. I'm American, so I'm looking for Chinese people to meet and talk with. Contact me!

[wix]

Sorry, I can't give you much advice about living in Beijing (but I am sure Roddy and others can). I just wanted to say that when I came to live in a small city in China I also experienced some culture shock. This was despite the fact that I had lived in Taiwan, spoke Chinese and had been living in and travelling around Asia for several years!!! I think it's helpful to keep in mind that China has really only been opened up to the outside world for 25 years and has only experienced economic prosperity for an even shorter time. Remembering this helps to keep a lot of things in perspective.

[roddy]

The best advice I can give you is to read the main site (click on homepage in the header) and read everything, then buy all of the books I link to as part of the Amazon affiliates program. Of course, that's the best advice for me, rather than for you.

Advice would be easier if you let us know what kind of thing you want to eat / do. For language exchange, check out the classifieds in thatsbeijing.com, or pick up the magazine around town.

Roddy