Beijing

Guides visits, relocation, work, and daily life in Beijing: attractions, neighborhoods, rent, visas, transport, food, and the local app ecosystem. Use when planning a Beijing trip, itinerary, or Great Wall day, choosing where to stay or live, renting an apartment, setting up WeChat Pay, Alipay, a SIM, banking, or a VPN before arrival, when apps stop working behind the Firewall or AQI wrecks outdoor plans, getting a Z visa or work permit, comparing tech salaries, teaching English, filing expat income tax, launching a WFOE or startup, picking schools or hospitals, having a baby, learning Mandarin, or wrapping up and leaving China. Not for the rest of China — pair with the china skill for other cities.

User preferences and memory live in ~/Clawic/data/beijing/ (see setup.md on first use, memory-template.md for the file format). If you have data at an old location (~/beijing/ or ~/clawic/beijing/), move it to ~/Clawic/data/beijing/.

Configuration

User-dependent variables. Defaults apply until the user states a preference; store them in ~/Clawic/data/beijing/config.yaml.

Variable	Type	Default	Effect
role	visitor | resident | tech-worker | student | founder	inferred per query	Locks routing (Core Rule 1) to that track; skips the role question
home_district	text	none	Anchors commute math, dining picks, and neighborhood comparisons to where the user lives or stays
budget_tier	budget | mid | premium	mid	Filters lodging, restaurant, and neighborhood recommendations to the matching price band
dietary	list	none	Applies food-practical.md filters (vegetarian, halal, allergies) to every food suggestion
mandarin_level	none | basic | conversational | fluent	none	Scales translation workarounds; at conversational+ drop phrase tables and pinyin from answers
aqi_alert	number (AQI)	150	Threshold that triggers indoor-backup suggestions in any outdoor plan (Core Rule 8)
home_currency	ISO code	none (falls back to ~/Clawic/profile.yaml)	Adds a converted figure next to every ¥ amount

Preference areas to record as the user reveals them:

• travel style — pace (packed vs relaxed), crowd tolerance, guided vs independent; affects itinerary density and Great Wall section choice
• food — spice tolerance, street-food adventurousness, cuisine leanings; affects which food file leads
• transport — subway-first vs DiDi-first vs bike, walking tolerance; affects every route suggestion
• compliance posture — how conservatively to treat gray areas (VPN, remote work on dependent visas); affects safety.md/visas.md framing
• cadence — trip dates or arrival date; affects which seasonal and holiday warnings get volunteered

When To Use

• Trip planning: attractions, itineraries, lodging, day trips, scam avoidance
• Relocation: neighborhood choice, rent, schools, healthcare, PSB registration
• Career: tech salaries, jobs and teaching, work permits (Z visa, A/B/C tiers), WFOE setup, startups
• Daily-life setup: WeChat/Alipay, SIM, banking, transport, AQI strategy
• Long-arc residency: expat taxes, having a baby, learning Mandarin, exiting China cleanly
• Not for other Chinese cities: payment/app setup transfers to Shanghai or Shenzhen; neighborhood, rent, and hukou specifics do not — route to the china skill.

Quick Reference

Topic	File
Visitors
Attractions (must-see vs skip)	visitor-attractions.md
Itineraries (1/3/7 days)	visitor-itineraries.md
Where to stay	visitor-lodging.md
Tips & day trips	visitor-tips.md
Neighborhoods
Quick comparison	neighborhoods-index.md
Chaoyang, CBD, Sanlitun	neighborhoods-downtown.md
Haidian, Zhongguancun	neighborhoods-tech.md
Dongcheng, Xicheng (Historic)	neighborhoods-historic.md
Shunyi, Changping, Tongzhou	neighborhoods-suburban.md
Choosing guide	neighborhoods-choosing.md
Food
Overview & dining scene	food-overview.md
Beijing & Northern Chinese	food-local.md
International & fine dining	food-international.md
Best areas for dining	food-areas.md
Dietary, alcohol, practicalities	food-practical.md
Practical
Moving & settling	resident.md
Leaving China (exit checklist, pension refund)	leaving.md
Transport (subway, DiDi, bikes)	transport.md
Cost of living	cost.md
Safety & laws	safety.md
Weather & AQI tips	climate.md
Local services (banking, SIM)	local.md
Career
Tech industry & salaries	tech.md
Jobs beyond tech (teaching, labor law)	jobs.md
Expat income tax (IIT, six-year rule)	taxes.md
Business setup & WFOE	business.md
Visas (Z, X, M, residence permit)	visas.md
Startups & funding	startup.md
Lifestyle
Culture & customs	culture.md
Healthcare & insurance	healthcare.md
Schools & education	education.md
Kids, ayi, having a baby	family.md
Learning Mandarin	mandarin.md
Expat lifestyle & social	lifestyle.md
Driving & car ownership	driving.md
Anything else / unclear	Ask role + timeline first, then load the closest file above

Core Rules

1. Route by Role AND Timeline

Same question, different file: "where should I stay" → visitor-lodging.md for a week, neighborhoods-choosing.md for a move. Ask which before answering (skip the question when role is set in config or obvious from context). If the user is already inside China without a VPN, only suggest solutions that work behind the Firewall — app-store links, Google Docs, and gmail-verification flows are dead ends.

2. Pre-Arrival Sequence (order matters, each step gates the next)

1. Install and TEST a VPN — cannot be downloaded once inside China.
2. Set up WeChat + Alipay, verify with passport; link Visa/Mastercard (supported since 2023). Alipay "Tour Pass" alternative: load from foreign card, 90-day validity, ¥10,000 cap.
3. Save every address (hotel, meetings) as Chinese characters — drivers cannot read pinyin.
4. Book Forbidden City ~10 days ahead; it sells out. If they arrive with only step 0 done, triage in this order — payment before maps. Details: visitor-tips.md, local.md.

3. Payments: Mobile-First, Cash-Last

Set up BOTH WeChat Pay and Alipay — vendor coverage differs and some merchants take only one. Carry ¥500-1,000 cash as backup: legal tender, but small vendors often cannot make change. Foreign cards work only at international hotels and malls. A dead phone = no payment, no DiDi, no ticket: a power bank is financial equipment here.

4. Language Baseline

Assume zero English outside international hotels and Sanlitun: taxi drivers, government offices, hospitals (non-VIP), and most restaurants operate Chinese-only. Default toolkit: Amap or DiDi in English mode + camera translation + addresses saved in characters. Survival phrases and Beijing-accent notes: culture.md.

5. Current Data (Feb 2026)

Canonical detail lives in the aux files; this table is the summary. When quoting, state the date — rents and salaries drift.

Item	Range	Canonical file
1BR rent, CBD/Guomao	¥10,000-18,000/mo	neighborhoods-index.md
1BR rent, Sanlitun	¥9,000-15,000/mo	neighborhoods-index.md
1BR rent, Zhongguancun	¥6,000-10,000/mo	neighborhoods-index.md
Senior SWE (5-8 yrs)	¥50,000-80,000/mo	tech.md
Subway single ride	¥3-10 (distance-based)	transport.md
Taxi flagfall	¥13	visitor-tips.md
Hotpot dinner for two	¥150-300	food-overview.md
International school	¥200,000-350,000/yr (bilingual from ¥100,000)	education.md
IIT effective rate at ¥720,000/yr gross	≈18% (worked example)	taxes.md

6. Registration Is a Hard Deadline

All foreigners register with the local PSB within 24 hours of arrival. Hotels do it automatically; private residences and many Airbnb hosts do NOT — then it is on you. Re-register within 24 hours after every address change and after each visa renewal. Skipping it surfaces later at visa renewal: fines, delays, possible deportation. See visas.md, safety.md.

7. Transport Default: Subway + DiDi

Subway for anything near a line (¥3-10, English signage, add 3-5 min at each entry for X-ray security); DiDi for the rest. Flagging street taxis rarely works — drivers take jobs via DiDi. Worked example, Great Wall day: DiDi to Mutianyu ≈ ¥300 round trip split among passengers vs ¥200-300/person on a tour — a group of 3+ should DiDi. Driving is a trap: license plates are allocated by lottery with years-long odds (driving.md).

8. Weather and AQI Gate the Plan

• AQI >150 → mask outdoors; >200 → move the day's plan indoors (museums, malls, hotpot), N95 if you must go out. Check daily; canonical thresholds in visitor-tips.md.
• Bad-air season = winter heating season (mid-Nov to mid-Mar). Best months: Sep-Oct.
• Never plan around Oct 1-7 (Golden Week) or Chinese New Year: peak crowds, closures, surge prices.
• Winter -10°C, summer 35°C+: itineraries need seasonal restructuring, not just packing changes (climate.md).

9. Neighborhood Matching

Profile	Best areas	Why
Young professionals	Sanlitun, CBD, Guomao	Nightlife, expat scene, walkable
Expat families	Shunyi, Chaoyang Park area	International schools, space; Shunyi = car required
Tech workers	Zhongguancun, Wudaokou, Haidian	Commute to tech campuses
Students	Wudaokou	PKU/Tsinghua, cheap, Korean food
Budget-conscious	Tongzhou, Changping	Half the rent, 40-60 min commute
History/culture	Dongcheng, Xicheng hutongs	Character; check heating/plumbing before signing
Default (unsure, mid budget)	Dongzhimen/Sanyuanqiao	Central, Airport Express, moderate rent

Hukou & Work Permit Context

• Hukou (户口) is household registration for Chinese citizens; Beijing hukou is among the hardest to obtain and gates local schooling and property. Foreigners are outside the hukou system — their equivalent gate is the work permit tier.
• Work permit tiers: A (top talent — points score 85+, or qualifying achievement), B (professional — degree + 2 yrs experience typical), C (temporary/intern). Tier determines renewal ease and family visas. Points come from salary, education, experience, HSK level: visas.md.
• Practical consequence: a B-tier offer letter with salary near the bottom of market range weakens renewals — negotiate salary partly as an immigration asset.

Output Gates

Before answering, check:

• Did I identify role (tourist/resident/worker/student/founder) and timeline?
• Are my numbers from the canonical file, quoted with their date?
• Does my advice work behind the Firewall if the user is already in China?
• Did I flag the 24h registration whenever the user mentions arriving or moving?
• Did I apply config.yaml values (dietary, budget_tier, aqi_alert, home_currency) instead of the defaults they override?

Traps

Trap	Why it fails	Do instead
Arriving without VPN	Cannot download one inside China; cut off from Google/WhatsApp day 1	Install + test before boarding
Only one payment app	Some vendors take WeChat only, others Alipay only	Set up both, link cards to both
Skipping PSB registration	Surfaces at visa renewal as fines/delays	Register within 24h; confirm your landlord/host actually did it
Relying on street taxis	Drivers take DiDi jobs; empty cabs pass you by	DiDi app in English mode
Buying a car	Plates by lottery, years of waiting; unrestricted driving impossible	Subway + DiDi; plate math in driving.md
Underestimating AQI	200+ days cluster in winter; no mask = sick, plans ruined	N95s in bag, purifier at home, indoor backup plans
Treating cash as primary	Vendors can't make change; queues form behind you	Cash is backup only (¥500-1,000)
Booking Badaling	Most crowded Wall section; 2h+ cable queues on holidays	Mutianyu (first visit), Jinshanling (photos), Simatai (night)
Golden Week travel	Oct 1-7: attraction quotas sell out, hotel prices surge	Shift trip by one week either side
Assuming English menus/staff	Chinese-only outside expat zones	Camera translation, picture menus, saved phrases
Working on an M/tourist visa "temporarily"	Deportation + entry ban when caught; schools get raided	Z visa + work permit before day one (jobs.md, visas.md)
Leaving without the work-permit cancellation certificate	Blocks any future China work permit; unobtainable once the employer moves on	Exit checklist in leaving.md, 2-3 buffer weeks before the flight

Legal Awareness

Rule	Reality
VPN	Gray zone: personal use tolerated, selling/promoting illegal
Working on wrong visa	Z visa + work permit or nothing; violation = deportation + entry ban
Drugs	Zero tolerance; any amount is a serious criminal matter
Photography	No military, police, or government buildings
Political speech	Criticizing Party/government carries real risk — including on WeChat, which is monitored
LGBTQ+	Not illegal, no legal recognition; discretion advised

Full guidance and red-flag scenarios: safety.md.

Related Skills

More Clawic skills, get them at https://clawic.com/skills/beijing (install if the user confirms):

• china — travel across the rest of China; Beijing hands off there for any other city or region
• travel — general trip planning and itinerary structuring beyond one city
• chinese — writing natural Chinese; this skill covers survival language only

Feedback

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Part of Clawic, the verified skill library. Get this skill: https://clawic.com/skills/beijing.