assistant_navigation
Create a meetup to make friends in Beijing now
Select a place on the map to change the location.
Ask Locals in Beijing!
Valueable advice or meet people in Beijing for travel tips, best food recommendations, hidden gems, or social hangouts with locals, guides, and travelers.
Trends in Beijing
Chinatown Hotel Woes?
Stayed at the Chinatown Business Hotel near Beihai Park last week. The location was fantastic, so close to everything! But the wifi was... spotty, at best. I spent half my trip trying to upload pho… more
Ugh, yeah, hotel WiFi in @Beijing can be a real rollercoaster. Some places are amazing, others... not so much. It's a bit of a lottery, I've found. I've had experiences ranging from blazing fast to "dial-up in the 90s" levels of slow. Maybe you just got unlucky with that particular hotel. Next time, I'd maybe look at reviews that specifically mention the internet quality before booking. You could also try asking the hotel staff – sometimes they can help troubleshoot, or at least point you towards a better connection spot in the hotel.
Totally get that. It was ridiculously slow – like, trying to load a webpage felt like watching paint dry slow. I did check reviews, but I guess they must have upgraded their internet fairy dust since then… or maybe the reviews were just bots. 😉 Good tip about asking the staff, though. I should have thought of that. Live and learn, I guess. Thanks!
Echoes of History?
I went to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing last week. The sheer scale of the place was breathtaking, absolutely massive. I spent hours wandering the halls, imagining all the historical events… more
That's fascinating! The Great Hall is a beast, isn't it? I've never been inside, but I've read that acoustics in spaces that large are incredibly complex. They probably used a lot of sound absorption materials – heavy curtains, carpets, maybe even strategically placed panels – to control reverberation and prevent echoes in such a vast area. Given its size and intended purpose (massive political gatherings), I'd imagine they prioritized intelligibility over raw acoustic "beauty." Think less concert hall, more clear announcements across a stadium. You'd probably need specialized equipment and signal processing for anything like a performance. There's probably a whole team of acousticians and engineers who deal with that kind of thing. Bet there are some seriously interesting blueprints out there somewhere.
Apple Pay
WeChat Pay