I'm a Canadian expat living in Beijing, China, trying to learn Chinese and teach university students the English language. This newsletter is a companion to my YouTube channel wherein I post my own language learning efforts and travel videos.
What's it like to take the bus in Beijing?
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Heya, New video up on the vlog that I thought would interest some people: what's it like to take a regular bus in Beijing? May sound odd, but these types of videos I think serve a purpose in that if someone was thinking of coming to Beijing and wanted to be prepared, then these types of videos can help. Granted, they won't help you set up WeChat or Alipay, but in this video in particular I explain a little bit about how the bus system works. Two important takeaways: 1) Some bus routes have two types of bus: one is "normal", the other is "fast". For instance, in this video I take the 345快 and then transfer to the 300快, that just means these "快" (kuai) buses don't make as many stops. 2) And more importantly, my bit of advice for those coming to China (or moving to any other country to be honest): make sure the bank gets your name right! Correct order, correct spelling, make sure it's all done before you leave because if it doesn't match your passport, then you'll have a tough time connecting the rest of your services through WeChat and Alipay. Hope that helps! Video is here. Steve |
Steven's Language Vlog
I'm a Canadian expat living in Beijing, China, trying to learn Chinese and teach university students the English language. This newsletter is a companion to my YouTube channel wherein I post my own language learning efforts and travel videos.
There's no doubt that Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City are the two most iconic locations in Beijing. As someone who's lived here for over ten years, you'd think that I've been a few times. You'd be right. It seems that the girlfriend and I have made it somewhat of an annual trek to visit the square for an afternoon. However, given the trouble securing an appointment and then going through all of the security, let alone all the walking, once a year is enough. Most people will visit the...
Hey there! Just letting you know we have a new podcast episode up. SLV | Episode 59 | China's Golden Week, The AI Bandwagon, and How Are My Chinese Classes Going? Listen now Episode 59 brings us China’s on its Golden Week break, seven days of no work… but two need to be made up. Why is it like this and what is there to do? Would you dare go anywhere if you know 10,000 other people were doing the same? Tiananmen, the Great Wall, or even Hangzhou's West Lake will ALL be crowded. On the AI...
Heya, Finally had some time to wander around the neighbourhood this past week (given that it's National Day (国庆节) break n all) and see if there was anything good. I guess all I can say is that it's a quiet, suburban neighbourhood. Not much going on. Truth be told, I was looking for a place to eat on Saturday night but didn't want to go to a place that had people drinking. Why? Because then the inevitable conversation of "Hello foreigner! Where are you from?!" would ensue and... it just wasn't...