Dylan Schiemann

I don’t think anything could have prepared me for Beijing. In the US, we’re led to believe that China is a communist state, a.l.a. the former Soviet Union, but the people of China are capitalists to the extreme!

Kevin and Shinling, our local hosts, were a lot of fun to hang out with, but I started by immediately getting on the subway and heading to Dongsishitao (read “dong si shi tao”).

I immediately learned a few things:

• Seemingly long complex words in Chinese are a lot like words in Chemistry… once you know how they are typically divided, they are a lot easier to pronounce
• Most people in Beijing not only do not speak English, and some don’t understand the phonetic spelling of words using our numerals.
• Cell phones use our numerals, and require phoentic entry to auto-complete into Chinese characters (the same is true for Korea and Japan as well)
• Many services in Beijing are cheap: subways rides are 2 Yuan (approximately 28 cents), but buying a single-ride ticket is a real challenge if you don’t know what to buy
• Security is tight… all bags are X-Rayed before entering the subway
• The people in Beijing are much more casual than in Seoul

So, why did I head to Dongsishitao? To meet with my friend Eric, founder of Verican. He took me out to dinner at, of all things, a Mexican restaurant in Beijing’s equivalent of Scottsdale or Beverly Hills. I saw BMWs, Bentleys, and Ferraris. Margaritas were shockingly expensive (70 Yuan, or about $10). Dinner and drinks were fun, and I met a number of great people. We walked around trying to find an interesting bar in this interesting district:

That said, the smoke was a bit much for me, so I ended up taking a taxi back to my hotel. 30 minute cab ride: about $7. Gratuities are not only not expected, but generally considered to be rude or offensive when offered (which is also the case in Korea and Japan). At hotels and other places, you are charged a service fee which covers the gratuity.