Drifting on the Beijing subway

In every bigger city in the world there is a subway system and in general they are not that different from each other. But it still needs some getting used to, to find your way around. In most cases it's a rather cheap, fast and easy way to get around town because it's pretty much independent of weather and traffic conditions. When you travel to Beijing you'll see that the subway system is, unlike some other cities, quite modern, clean and easy to use. When you go on one of the Beijing tours you can experience travelling by bus and being on the road. Taking the subway offers different opportunities and another view of Beijing. If you haven't travelled by subway you've missed one part of the Beijing experience. One of the hardest parts might be getting the ticket because the machines are quite easy to use but there is no English version. All lines have different numbers and different colors, so if you know the name of your stop in Chinese characters it's not difficult to use. On the top part of the touch screen you can find all lines, line 2 being the most important one, going in a circle around the center of the city. If you click on it the screen it will show you all stops of this line. By clicking on your stop it tells you the price and you can insert the money. To pay you can either use 1 ¥ coins or 5, 10 or 20 ¥ bills. But pay attention, some machines don't give change so you have to insert the exact amount. If you don't have any change or only 1 ¥ bills you can also get a ticket at the ticket booth. The tickets are only valid for a short period of time after you buy them, so you shouldn't buy more than you need exactly at that time. Another option instead of the single tickets is a rechargeable ticket card which you can also get at the ticket booth. You have to pay a 20 ¥ deposit for the card and then you can put the amount of money you need on it (10 ¥, 20 ¥, 30 ¥…). When exiting the subway the machine will show how much is left on your card. One thing that might come unexpected is the security check before entering the gate and the number of police officers. Your bags will be scanned or for smaller handbags and during busy times you can present it opened to the officer. To enter the gate you need to hold your card against the machine to open the barrier. Once you're at the gate you just need to find the right direction but there are maps with all the stops in characters and English names. Usually the trains for one line are on one gate right opposite each other going to opposite directions. On the train you'll find maps above all doors indicating all stops and the transfer lines. Those maps are in English and Chinese and so are the announcements for the next stop. When you exit the subway you first need to decide which exit to take. There are up to four different ones, A, B, C and D, indicating the direction, e. g. south-west. If you take the wrong exit you might have to cross the road to get where you want, but in general the exits are not that far from each other. To get out you need your card again, if it's a single trip card you need to insert it, the rechargeable cards only need to be swiped again at the barrier. At rush hour times, for example on a Friday afternoon, it can happen that at the crowded stations in the center of the city one entrance is closed and only serves as an exit so you need to go to another entrance to get in. That way there is a one way system underground to bring some order into the crowded place. Not only in Beijing but also in other cities, if you travel to Shanghai or Xi'an for example, you'll see how many people can actually fit into the subway trains. At busy times they are really packed with people and even if it looks full, you'll still find a way to fit in. from China Travel Blog http://blog.chinatraveldepot.com

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