Beijing Expert

The second round of 2008 Olympics ticket is just about to start. According to Beijing Olympic official website, the tickets sale will start in the next two weeks. This time, the tickets will be sold as first come first serve. You can either order the tickets by going to tickets.beijing2008.com or order by phone, or going to the bank.

With millions foreigners and Chinese rushing into Beijing for the Olympics, Beijing hospitality availability becomes a big problem.  From some news I read a few days ago, most of the hotels are already booked full.  Where are you going to stay in Beijing for the 2008 Olympics?

I found a squidoo page online that suggests some really interesting alternative options for where to stay in Beijing during the Olympics.

2008 Hotel Frenzy
Are you coming to Beijing for the Olympic games? You might have a harder time booking a hotel than getting a pair of opening ceremony tickets. Hotels rates are going up to 600% during the olympics. And a good size of hotel rooms will be reserved for Olympic officials, athletes and families, Chinese officials, and a lot more Chinese who has good Guanxi. So how can an average Joe get his ass in a hotel?

Act early and think about alternatives!

If you book now you will have a better deal and better chance to get a room. However, only large hotels are taking reservations for next year. You might need to use you negotiation skills with smaller hotels.

Alternative ways to stay for cheaper price.

1. Homestay: A variety of organizations and individuals are getting willing families open up their home for travelers during the olympics. You can choose from a traditional court yard home or a modern apartment. Make sure the location is close to subway stations and bus stops.

2. Renting your own apartment: With the money you are paying for 10-15 days of stay in a hotel, you can rent a fully furnished apartment for 3 months. You can also save money by cooking dinner instead of going out to restaurants to eat every day.

3. House swap: Just as you want to come to see the olympics, some Chinese family or expat family might as well want to get out of China to avoid millions of tourists. You can post your information on listing website such as craiglist to find the willing families.

4. When all fails: When all fails you can try nearby cities and remote Beijing district. Beijing city is surrounded by vast rural area. You can stay in Miyun, Huairou, Shunyi districts. A bit far out but you can enjoy the beautiful scenery. Tian Jin and Tang Shan are only 2-3 hours away from Beijing. Trains and coach buses are abundant.

Good luck getting your rooms in Beijing. If you need help, you can email me. i am thinking about renting my apartment out as well.

So now the question is how to get flight tickets and tickets for the games!

Olympic Tickets are now available for applications, You have 30 days left before the ticket application deadline of June 30, 2007. Get the more information at

Beijing Olympic Official Website.

The 29th Beijing Olympic Game Torch design unveiled at Beijing time March 26. China based high-tech company Lenovo designed the Torch. The torch shape resembles a Chinese scroll decorated with Chinese traditional cloud pattern.

The Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay will traverse the longest distance.

2007.04.30 Update:  Lenovo will release a limited edition laptop computer featuring similar design.

Starting from Beijing on March 31, 2008, and will go along the following route: (more…)

New

1 National Stadium (NST)
2 National Aquatics Center (NAC)
3 National Indoor Stadium (NIS)
4 Beijing Shooting Range Hall (BSH)
5 Wukesong Indoor Stadium
6 Laoshan Velodrome (LSV)
7 Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park (SRC)
8 China Agricultural University Gymnasium (CAG)
9 Peking University Gymnasium (PKG)
10 Beijing Science and Technology University Gymnasium
11 Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium (BTG)
26 Tennis Center (more…)

(BEIJING, March 27) — On the occasion of the 500-day countdown to the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games, the Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) unveiled the Games’ medals.

BOCOG Executive Vice-President and chairman of the evaluation panel Jiang Xiaoyu attended the unveiling ceremony and delivered a speech at the Capital Museum on Tuesday.

The medals are designed with inspiration from “bi”, China’s ancient jade piece inscribed with dragon pattern. The medals, made of gold and jade, symbolize nobility and virtue and are embodiment of traditional Chinese values of ethics and honor.

The medals are 70mm in diameter and 6mm in thickness. On their obverse side, the medals adopt the standard design prescribed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) — a drawing that represents the winged goddess of victory Nike and Panathinaikos Arena, while on their reverse side, the medals are inlaid with jade with the Beijing Games emblem engraved in the metal centerpiece. (more…)

Feb. 11th, 2007 marks the first “Waiting in Line Day” for Beijing. (Official name “Polite Queueing Day”) This is an effort to improve Beijing locals’ manners as the 2008 Beijing Olympic is getting near. From now, each 11th day of the month will be the polite queuing day.

“The foreigners will have a good impression of the Chinese people if we behave well,” a local resident said.

My foreign friends all complained about being pushed when they walk on a busy Beijing Street or trying to get on a bus. But how far can this campaign go to actually improve anything. Metropolitan Cities has as many people as Beijing probably all have similar problems. I have been to New York, and people there are definitely less polite than the mid-west folks. I don’t blame them. It’s the social environment that changes the people.  I wish the best for the Beijing residents’ effort in becoming more polite and well-mannered.

Another Super Bowl, another winner. The Colts won. Good game, and they deserved the victory. Another exciting news is that NFL is going to have a pre-season game between the Patriots and the Seahawks in Beijing “Workers’ Stadium” on Aug 8, 2007. The date also marks the one year countdown to Beijing 2008 Olympics that will take place on August 8th, 2008.

The National Football League — America’s most popular sports attraction — has been selected by the city of Beijing to stage a game in the Chinese capital city that will serve as the kickoff of the one-year countdown to the opening of the XXIX Olympic Games in China.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced tonight that the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will play in the first NFL game in China — the world’s fastest growing market — when the teams meet in Beijing on Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007.

China has become a big consumer for foreign goods and services. China is the second largest market for luxury goods in the world after Japan. Of course NFL would want a piece of Chinese market. NFL has increased its penetrating effort for the Chinese market over the years, from Superbowl-only broadcast to season broadcast on CCTV, the national tv station.

In my opinion, it is going to be a very hard task for the NFL as American football is a very expensive sport to get into, the rules are very complicated, and the games are mostly played early Monday morning China time. As a big fan of the NFL, best wishes on getting to China.

Recently the Beijing Olympics committee has released a electronic map for the foreign tourists coming to Beijing in 2008.

The map features special columns on four topics including Olympic competition venues, Olympic-licensed stores, subway stations, and traditional housing in Beijing – Hutongs. One of the map’s highlights allows users to zoom in or out. More information and functions will be integrated into the map and users will be able to receive competition information, a basic introduction of the venues and weather information. You can find the map here.

Here at beijingExpert, we also provide you a printable English version of Beijing Map. Personally I think this map is much simpler and more useful than the dreadful Emap. You can find the attractions and venues much faster. Click for the full map.