A Chinese friend of mine told me there's no bargaining to be done in the big stores.

Not true.

I went to a store in Oriental Plaza, Wangfujing Street (you can't miss it!) and managed to get 30% off a pair of (REAL) Gortex boots.

So just remember, you can try to get a discount, even in the big/brand stores.

Enjoy!

I’d like to recommend Peking Downtown Backpackers. I stayed there in May 2005 and it is cheap, clean and friendly. It is situated in a beautiful, quiet Hutong a little way from the city centre but nothing a short bus ride won’t fix. The staff speak reasonable English and there’s breakfast thrown in for the price too. (I can recommend the Chinese breakfast, the dumplings are great!) They do excellent Great Wall Trips for a good price. 24hour hot water. They can say it a lot better than I can (they have loads going on!), so check out their website at http://greatwalladventure.com/Beijing-hostel.htm
Also of note lining the Hutong are tiny cafes, restaurants and the fabulous Passby Bar is 5 minutes walk away. Also the hostel is very close to the Bell and Drum Towers.

Definitely worth a look.

Enjoy!

Join the likes of George Bush (!) and take time out to do something a little different in Beijing. This Tea House is fabulous, located at 3 Qianmen Avenue: here’s their website giving details of prices, performances etc. www.laosheteahouse.com

You can choose how close to the stage you sit and throughout the show your table is filled with traditional Chinese snacks. A rather talented tea-pouring waiter is constantly on hand to make sure your cup is never empty (from a great height!).

The evening show, which I went to, is a mix of music, opera, magic, stand-up and dance: it was a really brilliant experience. They even have a screen up with introductions in English to the different performances. We paid 100RMB and got a table 3 rows from the front with excellent views and the theatre is very small and atmospheric.

It’s a great experience, so do something different, visit this tea house!

Enjoy!