Glückliche fürsorgliche Gastgeber Peking

During my wonderful month in BeBeijing, I had the pleasure of staying with Lucy, who proved to be an invaluable resource, lovely host and a kind friend. From teaching me how to navigate public transportation, facilitating my police registration and helping me obtain a SIM card, Lucy's assistance was indispensable. When I first met her at the airport, I immediately felt at ease and knew I was in capable hands. As a seasoned host with years of experience, Lucy possesses a wealth of knowledge and is always ready to lend a helping hand. Her 18th-floor apartment is comfortable, spacious and homely with convenient access to the nearby subway station. The proximity of the station offering access to routes 5 and 10 made exploring popular tourist destinations a breeze. Lucy supported me in improving my Chinese language skills, fostering a daily exchange of cultural insights. For anyone seeking an authentic Beijing-local living experience, staying with Lucy is a rare privilege and an ideal opportunity.

It has been a fantastic experience staying at Lucy's home. Admittedly, I have gotten way more out of this than originally expected from a homestay arrangement - hence my longer than usual review here.

Lucy is a phenomenal host and very experienced - apparently she has been hosting guests for ~20 years now. She is very friendly, and is always willing to go above and beyond to help. She offered to pick me up from the airport at a very nominal rate, which eased my into transition into China. She helped me with small things like booking tickets to major tourist locations whenever I struggled to do so given many such websites are in Mandarin only, or even ordering takeouts via the Meituan app. She also offered a public transportation card (subway+bus) that became my primary way to move around in my ~2 weeks there. The subway is super convenient: subway connectivity is probably one of the best in the world, and maps are clearly detailed at the stations, particularly helpful if you don't read Chinese. Lucy's home is a mere 10 mins stroll from the nearest subway station (Huixin Xijie Nankou). Download the "A Map" app, works so much better than Google Maps in China.

I also feel Lucy makes an excellent 'unofficial ambassador' for Beijing and China - she willingly engages and shares her perspectives on many different things about China. Sometimes, certain things we hear or read from the international media may not truly reflect realities on the ground. She even allowed me to tag along for her daily badminton games at a nearby badminton hall. Quite a delightful experience to have that opportunity and also to mingle with regular Chinese people. Most of my encounters with Chinese people have been friendly and respectful despite the language barrier.

You should definitely consider selecting this if 1) you are keen to learn more about Beijing, China and the Chinese people, by being close to-the-ground & having a lot more interaction with locals, 2) you are willing to slightly trade off the comforts of a luxury hotel to experience how regular Chinese people live in their homes.

Many thanks again Lucy! Will come back to visit again one day.