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

#Intrigue 99+ #spice 99+ #mystery 99+ #navigation 99+ #aviation 99+ #noodles 99+ #serenity 99+ #luggage 99+ #academia 99+ #Acoustics 99+

ivonneulme… · #Unsettling

Chinatown Hotel Mystery?

Chinatown Business Hotel

So I stayed at the Chinatown Business Hotel near Wangfujing. It was… interesting. The staff were super friendly, but the elevator smelled faintly of old ginger and something else I couldn't quite pla… more

Reply 1 Share · 6mos

anne-marie · 6mos

Old buildings in @Beijing have stories, that's for sure. I've stayed in places near Wangfujing that were...quirky, to say the least. Ginger smell in the elevator? Sounds like someone's been brewing something potent! The humming though... that's a bit much. Could be pipes, old wiring, anything really. But the abrupt stop when you investigated? Definitely adds to the intrigue. Maybe you should've just left it alone and gone to grab some street food instead. Less mysterious, definitely tastier.

estherflac… · #Acoustics

Echoes of History?

Great Hall of the People

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

Reply 1 Share · 3mos

amrei · 3mos

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.