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November '99 Issue 72 |
| CONTENTS
New Line Links East & West (Well, Almost)
Imperial Exhibits Tell Grand Tales
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New
Line Links East & West (Well, Almost) Anyone who ever tried to catch a taxi on Changan Avenue or Wangfujing will appreciate the importance of the brand new underground subway train stations recently opened in Beijing. Beijing was the first city in China to have a subway. Although often crowded, it is often the fastest way to get around the center city area. There are two lines. There is the circle line that runs underneath the Second Ring Road, and the just-completed Fubaxian extension connecting Pinguoyuan in east Beijing with Sihuidong in the west. Well, nearly. There's still a missing link between Xidan and Tiananmenxi. The new subway operates 6.30am-9.30pm, three fewer hours than the 5.30am-11.30 pm regular ditie. But the growing travel advantage is apparent: The ditie means avoiding city center traffic jams through 2 yuan tickets. The disadvantage: Squeamish passengers or those who savor their personal space may not enjoy cramming into trains. "The new subway is only running on a trial basis," explained a Beijing Ditie Corporation spokesman. "A lot of adjustment work needs to be done. But if everything goes according to plan, the whole thing should be up and running before June 2000." The 7.57 billion yuan (US $810 million) extension plan began construction in June 1992. The new 53-kilometer stretch was first supposed to open in 1996. But financial problems slowed construction. "To greet the 50th anniversary of China, the deadline for the new subway was shifted to the earlier date of September 28, 1999," said the spokesman. "In fact, the new subway had originally been planned for completion in 2001. As it was so squeezed for time, a lot of the work didn't make deadline, like the toilets and some of the elevators." Beijing's first phase of subway began construction on July 1, 1964. It went into operation on September 15, 1981. The concept of disabled people having equal rights also appears to have eluded 21st century scientific socialist capitalist capital city metropolis planners. "Disabled people can be escorted by their family member or friend if they want to take the subway," the spokesman suggested. "Then they can take the elevator, get on or off the train with comparative ease." A new ticket pricing system offers hours of endless fun for all the family. It works like this: Mostly, nothing costs a penny more. But if you travel along the Fubaxian (Fuxingmen to Sihuidong) line, and have to change trains at Jianguomen, that's 2 yuan extra. Changing trains now means extra exercise too. Previously, passengers just walked through the connecting subway passage. Not anymore. Improvements to the ditie have closed that gate. Instead, passengers must stroll back upstairs and purchase a second ticket and then they can continue their journey. Further ditie plans include an aboveground train from Sihuidong to Tongxian County, to be called Batongxian. "Due to financial difficulties, that plan can't be carried out right now," the spokesman said. Tiananmenxi What to Eat? Nothing precisely in the area. What to See & Do?
Ming and Qing Dynasty Emperors conducted sacrifices to the god of harvests at Zhongshan Park. An altar, built in 1421, is north Tiananmen, just next to the entrance of the Forbidden City. In 1925, the coffin of Dr. Sun Yat-sen (Sun Zhongshan in Mandarin) was laid here. It was renamed Zhongshan in 1928 in his memory. Classical music is also performed in Zhongshan Concert Hall.
What to Eat? Nothing here. Better walk to Qianmen. What to See & Do? The Working People's Cultural Palace was formerly the Imperial Ancestral Temple where emperors paid tribute to their forefathers. It was built in 1544. Grand shows like Turandot are performed here. Built in 1959, the Museum of Chinese History (8.30am-4pm, closed Mondays) holds more than 60,000 antiques, historic documents and pictures. Some English information. The Museum of Chinese Revolutionary History (8.30am-4.30pm) formally opened in 1961. The museum has 120,000 relics, pictures and documents on the Chinese revolution from the May 4 Movement in 1919 to Liberation in 1949, especially after the founding of the Chinese Communist Party. WANGFUJING What to Eat?
What to See & Do? Shop till you drop. And then shop some more at Jin Jie (Gold Street). Oriental Plaza is the pride of official and unofficial Beijing. To see, there are two musical performing fountains. There's a curious statue outside Number One Department Store to Zhang Binghui, a shop assistant who could assess the weight of candy without even a machine. Long-stay expats like going to northwest Wangfujing's foreign languages bookstore. The Capital Theater stages top drama. DONGDAN
Snow Restaurant serves Shanghai fare at 68 Dongdanbei Dajie. There's also a half-decent Muslim snack restaurant Qing Yue Lou right by the northeast exit. For a break, we recommend Lu Xi'an Zong, an expensive Taiwanese chain tea/drinks house. What to See & Do? Dongdan Park is south, Dahua Cinema north. Yin Jie (silver street) boasts specialty shops. A sports center southwest exit offers: Swimming 10 am-10 pm: 30 yuan/person; Basketball, indoor: 10 yuan/person/hour, outdoor: 5 yuan/person/hour. Nott open 3-7 pm, Mon-Fri; Tennis 8am-10pm:100 yuan/hour Mon-Fri, 130 yuan/hour Sat, Sun; Badminton, before12 noon: 25 yuan, after: 30 yuan. Not open to public 3-7 pm. Tel: 6512-9377.
What to Eat? Anywhere you like. Options abound. What to See & Do? Scitech shopping center is one of the better ones in the city. Peking Opera can be seen at the Chang An Grand Theater. Open 9am-4.30pm Wednesday to Sunday, the Ancient Observatory by the southwest exit is worth seeing if only as it commands an excellent view of the rising cityscape. Back in 1442, when the observatory was built, astronomers were not the dewy-eyed boffins of today. Chinese stargazers and Jesuit missionaries instead worked on more practical issues -- successful navigation of the high seas, predicting political developments, eclipses and so on.
What to Eat? Dongdaqiao Lu has a great many options including Bleu Marine, Hunan, Sichuan and Yunnan cuisine. South Jianguomenwai has the pricey but popular Asian Star Thai restaurant. What to See & Do? Whether in the mood for queueing up in a humiliating scrabble for a visa or protesting barbaric hegemonic militarism, the leafy embassy district north of the Silk Market is the place for you. There are other embassy districts in Beijing, but few as picturesque. The ditie-friendly Guiyou Shopping Center is also somewhat useful, a department store with a supermarket on the first floor. Under threat of losing its cramped bazaar charm by moving into a modern warehouse, the Silk Market at Xiushui Jie is well worth a visit, with much more than just silk.
What to Eat? Basement 2 of Guo Mao (China World Trade Center) has a western food hall. The shopping mall boasts cafes, gourmet food halls, international restaurants and fast food. What to See & Do? An underpass connecting the ditie and the center is under construction. Level 1 of the shopping mall is a fashion hub, with international and local labels. Basement 1 offers furniture and household items, casual and sportswear, children's toys, cosmetics, flowers, photography, audio/visual equipment, bookstores, jewelry, pharmacies and a supermarket. Entertainment on Basement 2 includes a 1,400-square-meter indoor ice-skating rink. The center also offers banking, insurance, travel, printing, telecommunications and airline services. DAWANGLU, SIHUI & SIHUIDONG What to See, Do or Eat? Frankly, forget it. These three stops are important to urban planners and frustrated commuters, but tourists and expats can comfortably give them a wide berth. A further stop linking Bawangfen to Tongzhouqu (formerly Tongxian County) is under consideration and will alleviate traffic pressure, allowing residents an express route into the city. Downtown and central city dwellers slowly losing their homes to skyscrapers and advanced scientific socialist urban planning may well end up in one of these dormitory suburban stops. A crack Beijing This Month investigative editorial team visited all three stations and found one supermarket. If anyone knows anything remotely interesting or useful to readers about these new ditie stations, please telephone 6715-2373. |
Cover Story
Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City of
course. Your guidebook has all that. The Great Hall of the People is the venue for the
powerful National People's Congress. Visiting heads of state and other dignitaries meet
Chinese leaders here.
Tiananmendong
Whatever you want. Suggestions: Wanfujing
Quanjude Roast Duck restaurant at 3 Shuaifuyuan Hutong; Dong Lai Shun Restaurant at 198
Wangfujing; Banpo Beer Hut at 26 Wangfujing Dajie and Shuaifuyuan Restaurant at 20
Shuaifuyuan Hutong.
What to Eat?
JIANGUOMEN
YONG'ANLI
GUOMAO