General Information

Beijing, also known as Peking, is the capital and the second largest city of China. The total area of Beijing is approximately 16,800 sq km, and has over 7.23 million people, 3 million of which are temporary residents. The temporary residents are comprised of business persons, teachers and students. Beijing’s permanent residents are from all of the different ethnic groups found in China with the Han’s comprising over 96% of the population. Mandarin Chinese is the language spoken in Beijing, with Beijing’s dialect being the standard form of Mandarin.

Beijing has four definite seasons. Summer and winter are the two longest seasons with fall and spring being the shortest. The climate varies according to the season with autumn being the most pleasant time to visit. Autumn is usually clear with cool temperatures, while winter is dry and, at times, bitterly cold with temperatures dropping below 5 degrees F (-15 C). Spring is usually dry but very windy (protect eyes to keep out blowing debris), while the summer is rainy and hot with temperatures soaring above 100 degrees F (38 C).

Climate

There is clear distinction of the four seasons in Beijing. Spring and autumn are quite short. Spring is from the beginning of April to mid of May; Summer is from June to mid September; Autumn is from the end of September to mid October and Winter is from November to March of the next year. April and May usually has nice weather: around 20°C - 25°C average temperature and with mostly clear or sunny days.

Currency

The Chinese currency is called Renminbi (RMB) and the unit is called YUAN. You can find 100, 50, 10, 5, 2 and 1 yuan banknotes. Cash dispensers and money exchanges are available at the airport and hotels. (Note: Check symbols at the back of your card to make sure that you are using the right cash dispenser). You will need RMB for paying your taxi fare. Remember to get some small banknotes such as 10 yuan when changing money since taxi drivers may not have enough small changes. There is a limit on carrying RMB inbound and outbound. The current limit per traveler is RMB6,000.

Cash is most commonly used in China. Credit cards can be used at major hotels, restaurants or shopping malls. Cash advances on credit cards may be processed at main Bank of China branches but they are subjected to bank charges.