We are in Beijing!
Beijing is a huge city: more than 21 million people live here. That is more people than live in the whole of the Netherlands!
- The Forbidden City was the palace of the emperors. An old story says it has 9,999 and a half rooms. People who counted found about 8,700. Still a lot of rooms to clean!
- The Great Wall is only about an hour and a half by car from the city centre. You can walk on it!
- Peking duck comes from Beijing. You wrap the crispy duck in a thin pancake with sauce and cucumber. Yum.
北 = north, 京 = capital. So Beijing means "northern capital".
Pay with a smile
In many Beijing supermarkets you do not need money, a card or even a phone. At the self checkout, a grown-up looks into a small camera, the machine recognises their face, and the shopping is paid. People call it "smile to pay".
It only works for grown-ups with their own account, so kids still need Mum or Dad to buy the sweets. Sorry!
"scan face". 脸 (liǎn) means face and 笑 (xiào) means smile.
A long day at school
Children in China have long school days, and they do some things you might not expect. Here is what a day at a Beijing primary school can look like (every school is a little different):
- Arrive at school. On Monday the whole school watches the flag being raised.
- Lessons start: Chinese, maths, English, music, sport...
- Everybody goes outside for morning exercises together. Hundreds of kids doing the same moves!
- Eye exercises: kids close their eyes and massage around them to give their eyes a rest.
- Lunch at school. 🍚
- Nap time! Many kids put their head on their desk and sleep for a while. It is called 午休 (wǔxiū).
- Afternoon lessons.
- Clubs and after-school activities: football, calligraphy, drawing, chess.
- Home time, and then... homework.
What is for lunch?
School lunch is warm and there is a lot of it. A typical tray has rice, a meat dish, a vegetable dish, soup and some fruit.
One app for everything: WeChat
In China almost everybody uses WeChat (微信, Wēixìn). It is a bit like WhatsApp, a bank card, a taxi app and a ticket office all in one.
For parents: how to set up WeChat Pay with your own bank card
- Install WeChat and sign up with your phone number. Do this at home, before you fly.
- Go to Me → Services → Wallet → Cards and tap Add a card.
- Enter your Visa or Mastercard details.
- Verify your identity with your passport details. Use your name exactly as it is written in your passport.
- Pay: scan the shop's QR code, or open Services → Money and let the cashier scan your code.
Good to know: small payments with a foreign card are free, larger ones can cost a small fee. Menu names sometimes change a little after app updates. Alipay works in a similar way, and it is handy to have both.
Come to China with us!
Would you like to see all this for real? We can help you plan a trip to China and make your Chinese come alive.
👨👩👧 Younger children
Travel together with your family. You can stay with a Chinese host family, keep having lessons with Marina, and practise your Chinese in real life.
🧑🎓 Teenagers
Ready for an adventure on your own? Teens can travel without their parents and stay with a trusted host family that we know.
We can help with
Many nationalities can now visit China without a visa for a short stay. Rules change, so always check the latest rules for your passport.
Plan your China adventure
Tell us your ages, dates and wishes, and we will think along with you.
Not travelling yet? Start with online lessons, taught live from Beijing.