There are 10 districts and eight counties in the Beijing municipality proper. Within each district are distinctive "areas". Most areas of interest are the downtown area located in eastern Chaoyang and central Dongcheng district. Districts/areas highlights include:
Probably the most commercial and residential concentrated area in Beijing, Chaoyang offers a lot to see for the visitor. Chaoyang Park, Sanlitun, and the Jianguomen and Ritan area (business/embassy district) are found within this district.
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This is a beautiful park, neighboured by many popular bars, pubs, restaurants, shops and residential high-rises. And if you are looking to buy western food ingredients, well, Jenny Lous is right there.
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Located south of the city, this is an established area with boutiques, and shops selling everything from eyeglasses to sporting goods. Not as flashy as the other areas, Chongwen is still worth a visit since the Temple of Heaven is located there. There are many traditional Chinese handicrafts and other unique knick-knacks in this area and bargaining is accepted.
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A tourist central, boasting Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, and Maos Mausoleum. Major hotels, such as the Beijing Hotel and the Grand Hyatt, surround this area. Serious shopping can be done in the neighboring Wangfujing area.
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Located southwest of Beijing, this is mainly an industrial area with several cultural and historical sites worth visiting such as, the China Space Museum, Fengtai Park, and Marco Polo Bridge.
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Known also as the school district, this northwestern part of the city hosts Beijing University and Tsinghua University, China's equivalent to Harvard and Yale. Because of the young student population, this area has a reputation for being hip, artsy and on the cutting edge. Also designated as a high-tech zone, this is where the aspiring Microsofts and Internet start-ups are found. There are plenty of cheap, but good, restaurants and casual bars catered to the student crowd.
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A wide mix of international faces can be seen here: tourists, businesspeople and local Chinese. The main street, Jianguomenwai, is a mad hustle of people, cars, and rickshaws, and vendors selling everything from CDs to high-end clothing. Major hotels and office buildings are found here, including the massive China World Hotel. Tourists can try their hand at bargaining at the Silk Market. Just a few blocks away, one can find peace and quiet in Ritan Park, the graceful tree-lined streets of the embassy area.
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Sanlitun is a loosely designated area of bars and pubs with Sanlitun Bar Street as its heart. Sanlitun Bar Street is Beijings premier people-watching spot. On a warm sunny day, people sit at the sidewalk patios and chill out over drinks. There are also numerous funky shops selling everything from clothing, framed prints, to Tibetan handcrafts. At night, the decadent side of Sanlitun is revealed and clubs with people come to life.
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Located in Dongcheng, this is Beijing's shopping street and a showcase of Beijing's economic progress to modernity. It is crowded all the time with shoppers and tourists alike. Partially closed to cars, pedestrians have free rein over the wide sprawling streets. Stop off at the Beijing Foreign Language Bookstore, go shopping at Sun Dong An Plaza, Beijings mammoth-like shopping mall, or dine on deep fried scorpion among other culinary delights at the Wangfujing Night Market. If the idea of chomping on insects is not terribly attractive, upscale dining is available at the several four and five star hotels in the area.
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Like Wangfujing, this area is also known for shopping. But a little unlike Wangfujing, Xidan is a place where local Chinese shop. So generally speaking, shoppers will find better prices here. Browse in the small shops and stalls for bargains on clothing, shoes and CDs. Several shopping centers such as, Parksons and Xidan Department Store can be found here
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