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Wife with two kids; getting around.

Last activity 27 October 2015 by seemchef

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litmus

Hello all, first post so bare with me!

My wife and I will be moving over the Beijing in the coming months, we have a 2.5yr old and when we arrive will have our second child who will then be around 3 months old.

I'm moving with work and so my day to day will be pretty structured. However my wife's will change drastically, she is very excited and though we know there will be challenging days, we know that there will be amazing days more often.

My question is with two young kids, how easy is it manoeuvring about town? We are looking at the Chaoyang Park area so that there is lots of space for the little ones to run around. But outside of the park, is it huge walks to get anywhere else? My wife loves walking everywhere, but we only have one child right now which makes it slightly easier!

Any advice would be great, even if that is a different area to live, or how best to navigate the busy Beijing streets!

Thanks for the great forum.

jonnymac22

Hey there! Im Jon, pleasure to meet you! Ive been living here in Beijing off and on with my wife while we work to get her visa back to the US. We're all the way in the Fengtai district, which is a bit far from the central hub, but none the less it is about the same as anywhere else.

The easiest forms of travel you can find are the mass transit systems. Buses and subways are super easy to take, once you learn the routes. Ive been here for a few months, and already know the local bus and subways next to my home, and where they go. Lucky for you and your family, there is many subway stops and inner city bus lines that will pretty much take you wherever you want to go!

Most buses only cost 1-2 yuan a ride for short distances, subways usually around 5-6. The best thing would be to buy a metrocard that you can use on both, and can be refilled at select stations. Usually I travel outside the home 4-5 times a week, and 100 yuan usually lasts me about 3 weeks (again, I live farther, so it will las a lot longer for you). Also, all buses and subways have special seating for mothers with children, and most locals will give up thier seat for you.

All in all, it should not be too difficult. Taxi's are always an option, but not helpful unless you speak Mandarin and dont mind paying between 20-50 a ride! lol ANyway, if you have any more questions, or are willing to meet me and my wife, let us know! I'm here till October, and we'd be glad to help anyone around Beijing :)

seemchef

Hello there, I am living in China for 7 years in different cities including Shanghai and right now in Beijing, I living in Shunyi, it's a best place to live in Beijing, lots of international schools and high luxury villas, very clean environment and lots of green, you can find all details about shunyi in Internet , wish you happy days,

Seemchef

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