Nathaniel and Sheree back in Australia

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When my wife and I first moved to Beijing we were told that the first year accommodation was in Yizhuang. So being the Internet junkie I am I immediately looked Yizhuang up on Google and I was only able to find the same three press releases repeated again and again on multiple sites. There were wonderful guides for places other districts like Wu Dao Kou but none for Yizhuang. Well 12 months on there still nothing so I figured I’d provide a small guide to Yizhuang.

The first think that you need to know about Yizuang is that most of the shops are centered around the two large supper markets. So if you can find your way to Merry Mart and Vanguard then you will be able to find almost 90% of the stuff in Yizhuang.

One final warning. Things in China change quickly. That means that by the time you read this guide half the stuff in Yizhuang may no longer exists or may have moved, etc. You have been warned.

Entertainment

• Ice Skating Rink (The snow flake) – The Ice skating rink is the best entertainment in Yizhuang. They have Ice skating, bowling, billiards, ping pong and the ever present Karaoke. If you haven’t meet any foreigners yet you might want to check out the Ice Hockey game which is on most Sunday nights between 6.30 and 10.
• Karaoke – There are a number of Karaoke bars located around Merry Mart on the upper levels.
• DVD stores – There are a number of DVD stores around Vanguard and Merry Mart. Everyone I knew in Yizhuang had their own favorit store but in the end it doesn’t really make a difference as long as you don’t buy them off the street vendors. DVD cost between 7 RMB and 20 RMB each. The reason why you don’t want to buy DVDs from the street vendors is because they seem to be the rejects from the stores. They generally don’t work and if they do work they are low quality and in Chinese.
• Internet Cafe – The Internet cafe is located on the second floor above Merry Mart. You’ll need to go round the back to climb the stairs and if you can find Sorrento’s pizza it’s right behind it. You’ll need either your passport or a photo copy of your passport to use a computer but the prices are cheap ~ 2 RMB and hour with a 10 RMB deposit.

Various Stores

• Hair Dressers – There are a number of hair dressers around and they are all ok. My recommendation is to go in and ask for a Toubu Anmo(head massage) which takes about 45 minutes and costs between 10 RMB and 20 RMB. It’s one of my favorite things in Beijing. That being said do not let them color or cut your hair unless you are really adventurous.
• Photocopy store – There is a photocopy store on the road between Vanguard and the Ice skating rink. They photocopy, they print and they even have Internet if you are desperate.
• Decathlon (The man on a horse) – This is a nice sports store and probably the only place where you’ll find a helmet if you are you want to ride safely. They have bikes (although they are on the pricey side) and lots of larger clothes if you don’t mind sport clothes.
• B&Q (Right next to Decathlon) – This is where you can buy sinks, curtains, etc. The most important thing about B&Q is that it’s the closest store that sells an air purification system (which I highly recommend).
• Post Office (The mail box) – You can post stuff back home from here and if you are sent a large package you might have to find the post office to pick it up. That being said many companies will handle mail services for you so if possible try to get things posted to your work address.
• Import Store – Sells a small selection of imported goods, they used to have a good selection of cheeses. Prices are more expensive than Jenny Lou’s but good for last minute pick-ups.
• Quility Products (shown on map as Import store near Merry Mart) – a small international store located inside the Green Town apartment complex.
• Tupperware – the same building as Vangard but behind, it has its own little shop front.

Supper markets

• Vanguard (The shopping basket near the snow flake) – A little bit small but still good. A great place to go if you just need to pick up some milk and eggs after grabbing a pizza or a coffee.
• Merry Mart (The shopping basket closet to the bottom of the screen) – Much larger than Vanguard and it even has a small import section. If you normally shop at Vanguard you should check this place out at least once.
• GW (Shopping basket north west of Vanguard) – Larger than Vanuard but smaller than Merry Mart. It’s all by itself so I never went here much.
• Jenny Lous (Not on the map) – The closest Jenny Lou’s (a large chain of import stores) is located in Jianwai SOHO which is the last stop on the BDA bus. When you get off the bus you’ll be able to see KFC and Grandma’s Kitchen in SOHO which is across the road. Go round the SOHO building and you’ll be able to see a Star Bucks. If you go towards the Star Bucks and walk around to the left you’ll be able to find Jenny Lous. There is also a Pacific Coffee round to the right if, like my wife, you prefer it to Star Bucks.

Food

• Dairy Queen – The Dairy Queen is inside Yoshinoya which is near Merry Mart.
• Sorrento’s pizza – Behind Merry Mart, upstairs. Good for a large group of people, serving western food at very reasonable prices.
• KFC (The Food icon near the man on a horse) – Normal KFC, although we found it strange that they sell a lot of fish for a chicken restaurant. You can get there on the BDA but if you jump on the BDA you are probably going to go all the way into the city so you might as well wait till you get there.
• Dominos – In the same mall as Vanguard. They deliver if you can figure out how to say your address in Chinese. They have discount pizza cards ’2 for the price of 1′ which make it much better value.
• Subway Sandwiches – located on the same block as the post office but little further South.
• My Favorite Chinese Restaurant – On the east side of the ice skating rink is a very good Chinese restaurant. The food isn’t that expensive and it’s really impressive. My favorite dish is rose beef which is really good.
• Oily Coffee – In the same mall as Vanguard. The drinks are good. The cakes are ok but the rest of the food we tried wasn’t very good. If you are a coffee junkie like my wife I suggest that you get a coffee discount card, as it will save you about 5 RMB per coffee.
• Cantonese – Right next to Oily Coffee. It would be just another Chinese restaurant except for the fact that they sell western food as well as Chinese food. A great place to go that will satisfy people both Eastern and Western cravings. We found that the burgers and the atmosphere here is good.

The list above above is far from complete, especially with new stores opening up every day. If you are interested in updating the map contact me and I’ll add you as a collaborator.

Nathaniel Brown