Beijing is the home of AustCham Beijing. When coming to Beijing make sure that you contact the Chamber for preferential room rates at member hotels or for other information.
Fast Facts: Area: 16,800 sq km (6552 sq mi) Population:12 million Country: People's Republic of China People: 95% Han Chinese Main language: Mandarin (putonghua) Time zone: GMT/UTC plus 8 hours Telephone area code: 010
Beijing City
King Wu was the first to declare Beijing the capital city in 1057 BC. Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, has an area of 16,800 square kilometers and a population of nearly 13 million. Renowned in the world as an ancient capital with a brilliant culture, Beijing has a history of more than 3,000 years and has been the capital of the Jin - 1115 to 1234, Yuan - 1271 to 1368, Ming - 1368 to 1644 and Qing - 1644 to 1911 dynasties over 700 years. The rise and fall of the dynasties left behind a host of cultural relics and ruins. The city now possesses 2,600 temples, 51 historic sites and 24 key units under the state preservation program. Beijing is a hub of transportation and communication in China. Hotels, multi-fare restaurants and services of international standards are available here for local and overseas tourists to Beijing. The Capital International Airport is 30 kilometers northeast of the city center.
Beijing City is an independently administered municipal district. She is situated in the northeastern part of China at an elevation of 43.5m above sea level. The climate in Beijing is of the continental type, with cold and dry winters and hot summers. January is the coldest month (-4 Celsius), while July the warmest (26 Celsius).
Hotel Information
Of the many hotels in Beijing the Chamber suggests that one stay at our Member Hotels:
Grand Hyatt Beijing www.hyattintl.com T: +86 10 85181234
China World Hotel www.shangri-la.com T: +86 10 65052266
Great Wall Sheraton Hotel www.sheraton.com T: +86 10 65905566
Kempinski Hotel Beijing www.kempinski.com T: +86 10 64653388
Shangri-La Hotel Beijing www.shangri-la.com T: +86 10 68412211
Kerry Centre Hotel, Beijing www.shangri-la.com T: +86 10 65618833
Swissotel Beijing Hong Kong Macau Center www.swissotel.com T: +86 10 65532288
Hilton Hotel Beijing www.hilton.com T: +86 10 64662288
Banking
Here are the direct links to all majors banks in Beijing.
Banking hours and days vary from bank to bank in Beijing. However, most Chinese banks are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. or 5 p.m., and have branches that are open on Saturdays and Sundays.
The services offered by the small number of branches set up by international banks in China are quite limited under current government regulations. Only two foreign banks in China have ATMs (there are no drive-in ATMs in Beijing):
Bank of China Cash withdrawals can be made at Bank of China ATMs located at various branches and major department stores and shopping centers around the city, including the China World Trade Center, the Sci-Tech Department Store, the Lufthansa Department Store, and the Sun Dong An Department Store. ATM machines are also located at the airport. A RMB25 fee is charged for each transaction. Bank of China ATMs accept major international bank cards, including: Cirrus, Plus, Amex, Visa, Visa Interlink, and MasterCard.
ABN AMRO Bank Rm 3306 Jingguang Centre Hujialou, Chaoyangqu Beijing 100020, China Tel: +86-10 6501-9597; 6501-3388; 6501-2055 Fax: +86-10 6501-5110
Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd Room 1530, China World Tower, CWTC 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie Beijing 100004, China Tel: +86-10 6505-1602/3 Fax: +86-10 6505 1604
Bangkok Bank Room 1401 24 Jianguomenwai Dajie Beijing 100022, China Tel: +86-10 6515-8909; 6515-0241
Bank Austria AG - Beijing Rep Ofc Room 708, Landmark Tower 8 Dongsanhuan Bei Lu Beijing 100004, China Tel: +86-10 6501-3546 Fax: +86-10 6501-3547
Bank of America NT & SA Room 2722-2723, China World Tower, CWTC 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie Beijing 100004, China Tel: +86-10 6505-3508/9 Fax: +86-10 6505-3509
Bank of China 8 Yabao Lu Chaoyangqu Beijing 100020, China Tel: +86-10 6519-9114; 6519-9432 Fax: +86-10 6519-9368
Bank of China - Head Ofc 410 Fuchengmennei Dajie Beijing 100818, China Tel: +86-10 6601-6688; 6601-4422; 6601-4094 Fax: +86-10 6601-6869
Bank of East Asia Ltd Room 316-317, Guangdong Regency Hotel 2 Wangfuging Dajie Beijing 100006, China Tel: +86-10 6513-4243 Fax: +86-10 6513-4245 Bank of New York Room 220, Landmark Tower 8 Dongsanhuan Bei Lu Beijing 100004, China Tel: +86-10 6506-6548 Fax: +86-10 6506-6943
Bank of Tokyo Ltd 2/F, Beijing Forture Bldg 5 Dongsanhuan Bei Lu Chaoyangqu Beijing 100004, China Tel: +86-10 6591-93701 Fax: +86-10 6591-9373
Banque Nationale de Paris Room 3527-3531, China World Tower, CWTC 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie Beijing 100004, China Tel: +86-10 6505-3685/7; 6505-2288 ext. 3527 Fax: +86-10 6505-3688 Barclays Bank PLC Room 1211, SCITECH Tower 22 Jianguomenwai Dajie Beijing 100004, China Tel: +86-10 6512-2288 ext. 1211 Fax: +86-10 6512-7889
Bayerische Vereinsbank Unit 1010, Landmark Tower 8 Dongsanhuan Bei Lu Beijing 100004, China Tel: +86-10 6501-2105/6 Fax: +86-10 6501-2110
Citibank N A 18/F, Room 1, CITIC Bldg 19 Jianguomenwai Dajie Beijing 100004, China Tel: +86-10 6500-4425 Fax: +86-10 6512-7930
Commonwealth Bank of Australia Room 2910, China World Tower 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie Beijing 100004, China Tel: +86-10 6505-5350 to 52 Fax: +86-10 6505-5354
Credit Lyonnais Suite 1803, CITIC Bldg 19 Jianguomenwai Dajie Beijing 100004, China Tel: +86-10 6500-4562; 6500-8444 Fax: +86-10 6500-4479
Dresdner Bank AG Room C402, Beijing Lufthansa Centre 50 Liangmaqiao Lu Beijing 100016, China Tel: +86-10 6463-1302; 6463-1007 Fax: +86-10 6463-1003
ING Bank Room 1510, Landmark Bldg 8 Dongsanhuan Bei Lu Beijing 100004, China Tel: +86-10 6501-1955 Fax: +86-10 6501-1957
Standard Chartered Bank 14/F, Hong Kong Macau Centre 2 Chaoyangmen Beidajie Beijing 100027, China Tel: +86-10 6501-1578/9 Fax: +86-10 6501-1577
Swiss Bank Corp. Room 3623-3624, China World Tower, CWTC 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie Beijing 100004, China Tel: +86-10 6505-2213-5 Fax: +86-10 6505-1179
Union Bank of Switzerland Suite 1610, China World Trade Tower, CWTC 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie Beijing 100004, China Tel: +86-10 6505-2283-5 Fax: +86-10 6505-2286
Medical
Hospitals
AEA International Building C, BITIC Leasing Center No. 1 Xingfu Sancun North Road Chaoyang District, Beijing Tel: +86-10 6462-9112 Fax: +86-10 6462-9111 Emergency Room Tel: +86-10 6462-9100 Location: a 5-min. drive or 15- to 20-min. walk from the Lufthansa Shopping Center, Kempinski Hotel, Great Wall Sheraton, Kunlun, and Zhaolong hotels
Beijing United Family Hospital No. 2 Jiangtai Lu Chaoyang District, Beijing 100016 Tel: +86-10 6433-3960 Fax: +86-10 6433-3963 Location: A 5-min. drive, or 15-min. walk, from the Holiday Inn Lido and Harbor Plaza hotels
Pharmacies
Watsons For a limited selection of over-the-counter drugs, such as aspirin, cold remedies, and first-aid creams. They have stores in the following locations: Main Floor, Holiday Inn Lido Hotel Jichang Lu, Jiangtai Lu Chaoyang District Tel: +86-10 6437-6688 ext. 1277 Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., 7 days a week
Full Link Plaza 18 Chaoyangmenwai Dajie Tel: +86-10 6588-1775 Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., 7 days a week Location: 10-min. walk from the Swissotel, or 15-min. drive from the Jianguo, China World, and International Club hotels
Australian Success Stories
"Talk of the Trade ~ Australia-China Success Stories" - In the 30th anniversary year, it is timely to take pride in the great and celebrated advances in the Australia-China bilateral trading relationship. From its humble beginnings with Federal Government sponsored sheep shearing demonstrations at the biannual Canton Fair, Australian exports and expertise are winning hotly contested supply contracts and are enjoying business collaboration for the development of China’s key new industries and operational systems. Here are three big reasons to celebrate…
Northwest Shelf Australia LNG – Guangdong LNG Supply Contract Publicly announced in August 2002 and formalised as recently as 18th October this year, Australia LNG (ALNG) has been contracted as the liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplier for the initial phase of its Guangdong LNG terminal. The contract oversees ALNG’s supply of 3.3 million tonnes of LNG per year and is Australia's largest ever export contract valued at about $A 25 billion over the contract period of 25 years. The deal will single-handedly boost Australia’s exports to China by a meteoric 15% and it positions Australia as a key partner in China’s rapidly growing energy industry.
ALNG is backed by the six equal joint venture participants in the North West Shelf Gas Project (NWSGP). partners. Australia's Woodside Energy Ltd. is the operator of the project. Other partners include BHP Billiton, Chevron, BP, Royal Dutch/Shell and Japan Australia LNG (MIMI). The gas will be sourced from Australia's North West Shelf (NWS) gas fields, liquefied onshore by chilling to -162 degrees celcius and it will then be shipped to a new import terminal to be built near Shenzhen. Once received, the LNG will be regassified and piped throughout Guangdong province and Hong Kong, for use in power generation and gas reticulation systems which will satisfy residential and industrial demand for clean energy.
The deal, which is a boon for the Australian energy industry, will lead to the development of new infrastructure on the Burrup Peninsula in Western Australia, creating thousands of new jobs. It is also estimated that Australian taxpayers will receive an additional A$50 million a year in royalty payments. The contract underscores Australia’s reputation as a reliable, competitive and stable supplier of high quality LNG to the region. Being awarded LNG supply against very tough international competition also means that there is potential for the relationship to be extended and diversified, as demand for clean gas expands and future supply must also be put in place.
Rio Tinto – HISmelt Plant In April 2002, Rio Tinto announced its plans to develop a landmark A$400 million (US$208 million) HIsmelt plant at Kwinana in Western Australia. The HIsmelt process is a revolutionary new direct iron-smelting technology and is the culmination of research and development conducted by Rio Tinto over the last 20 years. The Federal and Western Australian governments worked cooperatively to ensure that this new technology was developed in Australia rather than overseas.
The HIsmelt technology produces iron and steel using cheaper and lower quality raw materials. The plant will therefore substantially increase global demand for Australia’s reserves of iron ore by consuming the unsaleable higher phosphorous fines found in vast quantities in the Pilbara. It will also encourage a cleaner steel industry as it does not require coke ovens and sinter plants and produces less greenhouse gas per tonne of hot metal. There is also potential for further economically viable development such as the construction of a steel plant at Kwinana. This could bring the total investment in the new HIsmelt project to A$1.2 billion (US$625 million).
The HIsmelt expansion project will operate as a joint venture between Rio Tinto and Chinese steelmaker Shougang Corporation, as well as US Steelmaker Nucor Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation. The plant is expected be commissioned in late 2004 and reach full production in the first half of 2006. Through Rio Tinto’s joint venture partners, there is a very substantial opportunity for Australia’s HIsmelt technology to become widely adopted in China.
Thales ATM Australia’s leading air traffic control system developer – Thales Air Traffic Management (Thales ATM, previously known as Airsys ATM) – outbid a host of international rivals to secure a landmark A$200 million contract with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in September 2001. The contract is for the supply and installation of an integrated ATM system which will service China’s major air routes. The new systems will include over 200 air traffic control workstations and will provide China with the capacity and advanced functionalities to allow the controllers to safely handle China’s ever more crowded airspace. Installation of these new systems is planned to be completed by 2004.
This project, known as NESACC (Northern, Eastern and Southern Area Control Centres covering Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou), is the cornerstone of CAAC’s plan to concentrate and upgrade the air traffic management systems covering Chinese airspace to support the nation’s economic development into the first half of the new century. This win was Australia’s largest-ever technology deal with China and it is a coup for Australian high technology exports in particular since NESACC’s main development work will be done in Thales ATM’s plant in Melbourne. A number of Australian companies will contribute to the project by supplying consoles and computer hardware and software and most of the training for the controllers and engineers of the new system will be conducted in Australia. The deal also lays the foundation for an increase in technology trade between the two countries
With NESACC, China will be perfectly equipped to handle the peak of air traffic when the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will take place. It is noteworthy that Thales ATM also equipped Australia/Sydney and Greece/Athens, before the Olympics games.
Beijing AustChina Technology Limited Beijing AustChina Technology Limited is a Beijing based company representing Australian and New Zealand high technology software and hardware products, has stated that in 2003 they have been successful in selling a very important and strategic computer monitoring software system to the Beijing International Commercial Airport. The software was originally introduced into China 2 years ago, is from a North Sydney software house.
The software is installed on mainly networked PC systems and medium to large mainframe computer sub systems especially where high volume, real time transaction processing is required, the user profile includes Banks, Stock Exchanges, Insurance companies, Telecommunications companies.
The software monitors CPU's, Memory, Hard Drives, Databases, Network & Internet interfaces and continually monitors each device and anticipates problems arising. It can trigger an alarm prior to problem or trigger an event which can automatically clear a problem prior to it becoming an issue. The product ensures non-stop computing which is critical to the airports operation.
Over a year ago the airport computer systems "crashed" causing chaos at the airport therefore the management looked around for a solution. Beijing AustChina Technology responded and eventually, after about a year of searching and testing, was given the contract against giants such as IBM, HP and Computer Associates.
The product has pedigree of being installed in the top 4 banks in the world, the 7 top Telecommunications companies, top 4 Stock Exchanges, top 5 Oil Companies and 3 of the top 5 computer manufacturers including IBM, Dell and HP.
This sale was the first of 8 departments at the airport. The first department has already been installed and is running live. This system has also been invited to present and demonstrate the product to the Shanghai Airport authorities.
This product demonstrates the expertise of Australian IT and its flexible application in markets like China.
“Aussie invested Evolution Fitness opens Second CBD Fitness Center” People familiar with the fitness centre or gym market in Beijing will almost certainly be familiar with Evolution Fitness – an ANZAC (Australian, New Zealand and Chinese) owned and managed joint-venture fitness center established in mid-2001 with an investment of approx. A$1 million.
At 2,300 square metres, it was one of the first large scale fitness centers to be established in Beijing, setting the trend for larger, more affordable centers. Located in the heart of the CBD area, and just a stone’s throw from China World Hotel and the Jianwai SOHO complex, the centre features a high ceilinged heated indoor 25m pool, rows of cardio machines, an extensive free weights area, a juice bar / coffee shop, sports therapy, sauna, steam and spa, a spinning studio, personal instruction, a boxing circuit and over 50 free group exercise classes per week.
According to Evolution Director and AustCham Board Member, Edward Smith, “When we first set up, the only real alternative, was small, tired, little boutique gyms within the big hotels, and membership rates were very steep. We wanted to offer something that was managed by experienced professionals, larger scale, and therefore more affordable.”
And members have joined up in droves, with the club now boasting some 40 staff and 1800 members.
Evolution’s success has stemmed from its preparedness to lead rather than follow. They were the first joint venture centre, and the first large-scale independent centre in the CBD area. They have been leaders in recruiting non-Chinese fitness instructors from Australia to offer personal training and to lead fitness classes and train Chinese staff. They were also pioneers of free group exercise classes, and introduced a host of new classes, such as belly dancing, aquarobics, and group cycling (or spinning, as it is known in the industry).
They have also invested back into the industry, working with groups such as the China Aerobics Association to help grow the industry and provide high quality training to new instructors across the country. They also sponsor community events such as film festivals, charity fundraisers, sports teams, and triathlon events.
“The benefits have been immense”, says Smith. “People can see that we are making a serious and long-term commitment to this market, and that we’re not some fly-by-night franchisee. We invest heavily in training our staff, and people really do notice. Our clients are a who’s who of Fortune 500 companies – from HP and Motorola, to Coke, GE, Ford and some of the faster growing Chinese companies. The bulk of them are very discerning “white collar” Chinese workers in the 25-35 age bracket. They get paid well, and are keen consumers of brands, so quality and reputation are important to them.”
Smith is bullish about the future market for the fitness industry in China. While competition is quite intense, there is an ever-increasing pool of young Chinese who have higher levels of disposable income, and who want to stay in shape. “Body image and the confidence that comes with being in-shape are certainly not concepts which are lost on the Chinese. The comfortable, trendy and collegial / club-like atmosphere also appeals to the young and upwardly mobile.”
With the rapid growth of Beijing’s CBD area, Evolution opened its second CBD centre in late April in the Blue Castle residential and office complex. Located just North of the massive Xiandai Cheng / SOHO office and residential complex, Smith is confident this will be another winning centre. The new 5-level centre will is slightly larger at 3,000 square metres, again with an indoor 25m pool, and full gym facilities. “The new centre is even more luxurious and club-like. It has good street frontage and a massive glass facade with lots of sunlight”.
Evolving into a chain is clearly part of the plan. “We want to grow with the market. Chinese people have ever more leisure time, so we are educating them about the benefits of working-out”. And with a harsh winter, affordable indoor fitness centers are a logical choice. “The growth is coming from people who are first-generation gym-goers. Many have never had a gym membership before, so we have to induct them carefully and make sure that they quickly feel welcome and comfortable in a new environment. Advertising in China is expensive, so we rely on positive feedback from members to bring us many new customers.”
And with the Olympics in 2008 looming ever closer, the sporting focus in Beijing is already building rapidly.
