Clothing wise, China is pretty casual, no need to bring more formal clothes.

I left out a critical word in my original post.

Don't miss the Forbidden City (next to Tianemen Sq) and the Summer Palace. Both are outstanding.

Originally Posted by PTravel
Common misconception but not true. A prerequisite to being allowed to be a Beijing taxi driver is being a Beijing-ren. It's a geographically-protected occupation. Provincials cannot become Beijing drivers. That said, Beijing municipality is a huge place, and drivers familiar with one section or side of town or from the outlying municipal districts, may not be familiar with the details of other parts of the city. Newer drivers especially may be limited once they get off the major roads.

I recommend that passengers find a nearby big famous landmark (stadium, temple, park, etc.) to their destination on a map, and have Chinese characters for that as well as the address and phone number of the destination itself. This will at least enable the driver to get in the right neighborhood. Most drivers cannot reliably read/understand a map. Taxis have become so scarce at times that you have to take whatever driver you get regardless of talent or local knowledge, so the old methodology of waving the clueless or the newbies off, and waiting for a more knowledgeable driver is not so practical anymore.

Okay, then I withdraw "provincial" and substitute, "new and inexperienced." Too many times, we've had to either call for directions, give drivers directions ourselves, or abandon the taxi altogether and find another one with a driver who actually knows where things are.

That sounds like a very good idea.

Maybe they just need to have a BJ Hukou?

Sometimes taxi drivers all across China are confused....every city is huge, but if you have a general idea of where you're going it helps. Actually, most of the time I'm going to one of the new Holiday Inn's in SH they have no idea. I have to direct them all over the place - thankfully I can communicate. I have had an awful time in Guangzhou, because often I can't communicate. Anyways, definitely have the address and a nearby landmark, train station, metro stop, etc. And also have the phone number of the hotel so that you can call them if you need help.

That being said...If you're looking to go to someplace like the Forbidden City you'll have no problem. If you're looking to go to some super off-the-beaten path 包子 vendor off a tiny alley, I'd make sure that you know of a nearby landmark.

Off topic a little bit - I think I've realized why the taxi drivers are starting to become scarcer and scarcer. A friendly taxi driver a couple of weeks ago in Tianjin told me that he was going to go broke because of the inflation. I figured he made decent money, since cabs are usually full and there's not TOO much competition. Anyways, he told me that to start out you need to pay 300,000 RMB for the (cheap) car and the license. I think anyone what that kind of money to burn isn't going to become a taxi driver. And I'm guessing it's even higher in Beijing. Not sure how the taxi business really works, but if that's what they have to pay, it's not profitable at all to be a driver.

Only a small percentage of taxi drivers in Beijing own their cars, and I believe the Shanghai number is pretty close to zero. That having been said, I crunched the numbers once, and determined that the true cost of a Mutianyu trip was ~y300 (assuming a Sonota).

Shanghai taxi drivers officially needed an SH hukou as well until very recently (past year or so).

Despite this rule, many drivers were very obviously from other provinces. Not sure what the workaround was.

On rare occasion in Beijing, usually after 9-10 pm, I have gotten a driver that obviously was not the person on the ID display placard. Some conversation reveals that the driver is a relative or friend of the driver (local or non-local), illegally taking part of his shift due to driver illness or other preoccupation. I even once had a driver ID display of a female, with driver a male and I'm pretty sure there were no sex-change operations involved.

I have a weird habit of asking Beijing taxi drivers where they are from, and usually it is one of the outlying districts such as Daxing, Huairou, Tongzhou, etc. which are more affordable but doesn't favor intimate knowledge of the inner city. The really old-timers (find ID's with numbers under 30000) know most nooks and crannies, but anybody I get with a plate of 180000 or more....I know I'll have to tell him the way. For some reason, the "her" Beijing taxi drivers always seem to know where they are going. Go figure.

I can confirm this, unless rules have changed in past 3 mo...

For those who have been up the great wall does it get really cold up there? I was thinking about a day hike from Jiankou to Mutianyu. If its warm I was going to wear shorts for the hike.

I would wear shorts up there even if it was going to be cold (I doubt this will be the case) because hiking the wall is very strenuous.

I did a dayhike in Jan. It's cold in the AM but once the sun rises it's quite warm. If you keep moving shorts and T-shirt is fine. Keep a jacket and hat handy in a backpack.

For those who know, how many hours do you really need to show up at the airports (Beijing) for a domestic flight (to Xian) or an international flight back to the US. One of my tour guides mentioned I needed to be there three hours prior because of the security checks for Oct 1st?

Also is the Beijing airport open all day (I have a 6 am return flight and if I have to show up there at 3am I may as well check out the night before and go there after a night out)

Thanks.

1-T3 in BJ is open 24 hours, T2, i am not sure, but parts of it might close in the wee hours of the night.

2- Int. flights are a min. of 90 minutes at T2 & T3. Domestic, you are ok with 60 minutes once arriving at either of the security areas. But taxi logistics to the airport and luggage check in lines can vary... ( a lot ). having status or VIP status can cut short the check in time, & also the security lines. The VIP security lines are at both T2 & T3.

3- The Hilton near T3 is a good place to stay if you have a 6 am flight, & they have shuttle service to both T2 & T3. Also they can provide a breakfast box to go.

4- Crazy day at BJ airport will be Sept. 30th, the day prior to the National day of Oct. 1st. The other crazy "kettle" day will be friday Oct. 7th