Beijing, China Report of what it's like to live there - 12/11/25
Personal Youth Experiences from Beijing, China
Background:
1. Which age range are you: (13-15 or 16+)?
16.
2. How long have you lived in this city?
Four years (2021-2025).
Housing, Food, Pets:
1. What is your housing like (house or flat, in a compound, in city or suburbs, etc.)?
We lived in an apartment on a compound in the city, across from the US embassy. It was quite nice, the apartment had its own independent a/c system which was quite uncommon, especially in apartment buildings, and it was quiet but still centrally located. There were good restaurants within walking distance and public transport was close and convenient.
2. How’s the food? Do you like the local dishes, and can you find other kinds easily?
The food was great! The local dishes were varied and interesting with lots of quick breakfast options and small businesses. Additionally, Beijing has the advantage of being the capital city of China so there were a lot of different restaurants with food from all over China (Szechuan cuisine, Xinjiang cuisine, Guangzhou cuisine, etc.). Western restaurants, French and Italian in particular, were also quite popular, especially with locals who were used to eating Chinese food all the time. Other Asian food, such as Japanese and Korean food, was also widely available, although it was mainly sushi and Korean barbecue. All in all, Beijing is quite a food hub with lots of different cuisines and fancy-ness levels. Michelin-starred restaurants were quite numerous and surprisingly affordable, and there were a lot of popular ingredients that were either new that we hadn't heard of, or a lot cheaper than they would be in the West.
3. Do you have pets? If yes, what’s it like having a pet in this country—any unique pros or cons?
No. I do know, however, that there was a size limit for how big a dog could be in the downtown area.
Daily Life:
1. Do young people get together outside home or school? If so, where do they usually hang out? (parks, playgrounds, malls, sports, outdoor stuff, etc.)
That depends - people would usually hang around school, their compound, or go out in the city. They would usually hang out at the mall, restaurants, outdoor places, and just generally around school. Depending on where you lived, if you lived in the suburbs then you generally had limited options unless you took a DiDi (a very cheap Uber basically) to where you wanted to go.
2. How’s the Wi-Fi/internet where you live? Super fast, just okay, or always cutting out?
The Wi-Fi was okay. Data was super cheap, so it was pretty much unlimited. However, the Chinese government would randomly decide to mess with the internet so it was pretty unreliable how good the connection would be. Additionally, for basic streaming services and websites (Netflix, Amazon, etc.) you would need a VPN which didn't always work too well; for example, if a website noticed you were using a VPN and required you to turn it off to access the service you wanted but then you would be unable to access the website at all without VPN.
3. Is it important to know the local language?
Relatively - it is definitely a lot easier to get around and order at restaurants and I, personally, think it's beneficial for a lot of personal reasons as well, such as enriching your experience of the country and getting to know it on a different level. Also, if something happens, then it's definitely an important and useful skill to possess. But translation apps are pretty common, and you do almost everything online or via an app which will usually have an English language feature or be relatively easy to figure out (especially with some practice). I knew a lot of people who got through their daily lives without knowing any Chinese (including myself, though not for lack of wanting to learn the language). Knowing basic things such as thank you, goodbye, sorry, and no problem are essential, though. That's pretty much just basic courtesy to know.
Transportation:
1. What are the main ways that you get around to school, to your friends' homes, or to other activities?
School bus, public transport (mainly the metro although buses were also an option), or DiDi (the local version of Uber).
2. How long does it normally take to get places? (school, friends’ houses, hangout spots) Does it change with traffic, weather, or holidays?
Depends. My school was about 45 minutes away from my apartment with good traffic but the stop was right in front of my compound so it was pretty convenient. Otherwise, it really depended on where you wanted to go and when. Things were pretty convenient to get to off peak but once traffic became an issue, then going anywhere by car or bus could easily take an hour tops. The metro would just get super congested but lines weren't generally cancelled. Weather didn't affect things too much, although people didn't generally go out when it was raining so the streets would be a bit emptier then and it would take less time to drive places. When there were big public holidays, during the big end of year exam, or when a visiting or public official was out and about, though, then traffic could get pretty bad because there were either a lot of people out or there were roads that were randomly blocked off (which would not generally be known until you got to that road) which would cause a longer commute time.
3. At what age can you get a driver's license there? Are driving courses available?
18, I think. I was unaware of driving courses, although I think some people were able to get an electric scooter earlier than that.
Employment & Volunteer Opportunities:
1. Can you find work if you want to (babysitting, dogwalking, local jobs?)
Probably, although you could really only do that for other expats, other foreigners, because working locally as a foreigner, never mind as someone who doesn't speak Chinese, was pretty much impossible (although if you had contacts, then you could find somewhere to do work experience for school such as at another international school or international company).
2. Are there good volunteer opportunities, and is it easy to get involved?
Again, it depends. You needed to have contacts or a school that would provide a link to a volunteering opportunity, although outside of school it would not have been easy to find volunteering opportunities.
Schools:
1. Do you go to a local school or an international school? What’s it like there?
International school. Unless you know Chinese, there really isn't any other option. If you're young enough to be enrolled in a local school and just learn the language through exposure that might be different. But for the most part, foreigners went to international schools. The international schools were both very similar and very different. Most of them had a large amount of Chinese kids with foreign passports, although the Western Academy of Beijing, which is my old school, did very well with staying international, with a quota for how many students from a country could be enrolled at a time. The schools are generally pretty competitive, with a strong focus on academic achievement and a wide range of extracurricular activities which cover both sport and the arts. It's generally a relatively closed and close community, used to having people going in and out but largely staying among themselves. It's sort of a bubble, with a bit of inter-school interaction and competition, but not very much daily contact with anything or anyone outside of school other than for the local Chinese students.
2. What kind of curriculum(s) does your school have? (American, British, IB, AP, etc.)
The Western Academy of Beijing has the IB and the WAB Highschool Diploma curriculum, although it's really first and foremost an IB school. There was also Capstone and other more niche pathways but the most prevalent curriculums were those.
3. How does your school welcome new students? (Any events, buddy systems, or cool programs?)
There was a buddy system for new students, although the quality of that depended entirely on who was selected to be your buddy, so it could be pretty hit or miss. There were a lot of welcome events and info sessions, especially for parents. But, in general, because it's an international school they're used to having new students, so it's not too hard to integrate once you learn how to use Teams (which is the most important platform for the entire school).
4. Is college counseling available at your school, and if so, are students finding it helpful?
There were college fairs and and some info sessions, although that became more important in 11th and 12th grade so I don't know the full extent. However, there did seem to be a lot of support.
5. What sports and after-school activities are available? (Clubs, music, theater, etc.)
At WAB, there were a lot of sports like soccer, badminton, swimming, track and field and so on. There was also a play and a musical every year, an art club, choir, orchestra, and service clubs, most of which could be done at different levels with different amounts of involvement.
Expat Life:
1. Is this a good city for expat kids? Why or why not?
Mostly - it's very accessible and the expat community is very tight knit, it's just not very conducive to integration locally and the surveillance can get a bit much.
2. Have you noticed or experienced issues with prejudice (ethnic, racial, gender, religious)? How are LGBTQIA+ teens treated here?
Generally, people don't like Americans very much but my school at least was pretty good with topics like LGBTQIA+ teens, gender, and so on. There was a lot of support from the school and a lot of inclusivity, although the students were sometimes a bit lacking (as is so often the case with high-school kids).
3. What fun things are there to do around here? Any cool spots, hidden gems, or trips you’d recommend?
There are some cool museums, 798 is a cool art, museums, and shopping area, the Great Wall is always a cool excursion/hike, there are some good tours by a guy called Lars who founded a company called Beijing Postcards, the hutongs are interesting but people do actually live there so you have to respect that it's at least partially a residential area, and there are cooking classes offered at a place there called The Hutong which are really cool where you cook with a local chef who speaks English and other people taking the class.
Words of Wisdom:
1. What do you wish you had known about this city/country before moving here?
The surveillance it pretty harsh, with cameras everywhere and no subtlety about it, and the internet was more of a bother than first thought. It's really cool, though, as long as you go home every once in a while to take the pressure off and make sure that you really enjoy everything that the city and country in general have to offer you. And go with the flow, because a lot will go wrong and be more or less complicated than you thought. And, while not a requirement, having someone who knows Chinese is also helpful.
2. If you move here, you can leave behind your:
Expectation of privacy.
3. But don't forget your:
Wonder.
4. Anything else you want to share? (tips, funny stories, random advice—whatever!)
It's a great city! Try and experience it as much as possible, don't get stuck in the expat bubble - it's unique and interesting, so enjoy it while you can.
