How to use the subway in Beijing

Here we are, our RTW trip has begun! And we started with a very exotic country: China. Arriving completely exhausted and quite jetlagged in Beijing, we immediately grasped the scale of Chinese excess! There are certainly crowds here, and we’ve already shared our first impressions of China with you. For this first article 100% about the Middle Kingdom, we’d like to tell you about what impressed us the most from the first minutes on Chinese soil: the subway! Here’s a little survival guide for taking the Beijing subway :).

First contact with Chinese public transportation

Whether due to the Olympic Games or simply a desire to open up to tourism, our first surprise was to find that all stop names are indicated in English below their sweet little Chinese names. This was surprising because we expected to face the same problem as in Moscow, having to play a game of comparing symbols to find our way. But that wasn’t the case at all—almost too easy, I tell you!

Well, let’s not exaggerate, we added a bit of challenge by taking the subway at a rather busy time with our backpacks to reach our Couchsurfing host’s apartment. Fortunately, it wasn’t rush hour, but we’ll get back to that—another story worth telling!

Let me explain that white people are not common in China. Add large backpacks to that, all on a subway line serving a non-touristy, working-class neighborhood, and you’ll have a picture of the questioning and amused looks that fell upon us the day we arrived!

Beijing subway in numbers

Well, that’s not all. Let’s take a quick overview of this cutting-edge transportation system.

• It transports more than 10 million passengers daily! Yes, it’s one of the busiest subways in the world :).
• It operates from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., and a train arrives every 5 minutes on average. During rush hours, trains run every 4 or even 1.5 minutes!
• The Beijing subway has 27 lines with over 400 stations and a network spanning 800 km! We’ll tell you a bit more about these lines at the end of the article.

The frenzy of security checks

The first step when you enter the city’s underground network is to go through a security check of your bags, a bit like at the airport! All bags go through the scanner. However, it’s amazing because this step works like clockwork. Barely 5 seconds lost! People rush around in all directions, and bags fly along the conveyor belt at an incredible speed! Let’s be honest, I don’t really have the impression that this control is ultra-strict. It’s not uncommon for the person behind the control screens to be taking a nap… But hey, what can you do? In Beijing, they go through the motions!

Beijing subway tickets

As for transportation tickets, it’s incredibly simple. Depending on your itinerary in Beijing, you either buy a ticket for a single trip or purchase a prepaid rechargeable card, the Yikatong card.

Ticket and Yikatong card

If you think you’ll take the subway 3-4 times, opt for individual tickets. Otherwise, the Yikatong card is perfect, and you can use it to take all types of transportation during your visit to Beijing (subway, bus, taxi, train, and bike-sharing). You’ll typically get a 50% discount on bus trips.

You can do like the Chinese, namely pay contactless by scanning QR codes with WeChat Pay and Alipay apps (national applications). But if you want to avoid downloading Chinese apps and buy good old tickets (or the Yikatong card) from a vending machine/counter, it’s possible and available at any station (just like recharging the card). Using the automatic machines is easier than you might think—you can select English as the language ;). To use the card, it’s like in France: you scan it when entering and exiting the subway, that’s it.

Logistically, it’s simple. If you take a single ticket, you’ll receive a small plastic card that you’ll need to present for the small gates to open. At the end of your journey, you’ll need to return the card by putting it in the machine, which will trigger the exit gate to open. Note for single tickets: it’s not uncommon for machines to be out of change, and they don’t accept 1 yuan bills or folded or damaged bills. In our opinion, it’s better to get the rechargeable card—you’ll have more peace of mind. The Yikatong costs 20 yuan (deposit) with a minimum initial recharge of 20 yuan, about 2.5 euros.

Fares

Regarding fares, the base price for a subway ticket is 3 yuan (0.4 euros), which corresponds to a simple journey along one line for a distance of less than 6 km. Then, prices increase based on distance:

• 4 yuan for 6-12 km;
• 5 yuan for 12-22 km;
• 6 yuan for 22-32 km;
• 7 yuan for 32-52 km;
• 9 yuan for 52-72 km;
• +2 yuan per additional 20 km.

Beijing subway lines

With its 27 lines, the Beijing network is ultra-well developed and very easy to use. In fact, we strongly recommend only taking the subway, because buses in Beijing are absolute chaos! There are over 800 bus lines, and having a map of the entire network is impossible. Plus, stop names and schedules are only in Chinese. In short, the choice is clear!

To find your way, each line has a specific number and color, as in most major European cities. It’s super easy to navigate, much more so than in the streets! There’s a good chance you’ll take Line 1, one of the oldest in the network, which crosses Beijing from east to west. It passes by the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. To go to the Great Wall of China, the subway won’t be enough—you’ll need to take a train. Fun fact: you’ll notice there are no Lines 3 (under construction), 12, or 18 :).

People in the subway

The Beijing subway wouldn’t be what it is without the Beijingers! One thing is certain: you’ll rarely be alone in your car. However, don’t expect to have lengthy discussions with locals on the subway. Here, it’s obvious: everyone has their eyes glued to their smartphone or tablet! It’s amazing: we thought we were smartphone addicts, but we’ve clearly found our masters in this regard!

Beyond that, you’ll need to prepare to elbow your way through! While Chinese people are certainly very courteous in everyday life, in the subway, it’s clearly the survival of the fittest that reigns. Whether it’s accessing the ticket machine, placing your bag on the security check conveyor belt, or on the platforms, you may well wait a long time if you expect someone to give you space. So, try to know where you’re going, and once you know, go for it confidently!

P.S.: If you suddenly feel the urge to burp or spit, don’t hold back! Beijingers are quite the specialists in this area. It’s not uncommon to have a nice, elegant little grandma burp right in your face… You’ve been warned! We were quite surprised at first, but you get used to it quickly!

The law of the platforms

We told you earlier: on the platforms, you shouldn’t hesitate to assert yourself. But be careful, there are still some fairly strict theoretical rules! You’ll find floor markings indicating the location of the cars, as well as the areas where you should wait. Before the subway arrives, it’s impressive how everyone respects these markings and lines up in single file.

However, once the subway is at the platform, it’s clearly the survival of the fittest that takes over. People push, get pushed, and hope to enter the subway without losing a shoe or an arm along the way ;).

If you were raised with Swiss manners like us, and your mom always told you to wait until people have exited before boarding a bus or subway, then it’s officially over: you’ll remain forever on the platforms!

Once the doors open, there’s no mercy—everyone squeezes inside! Those who need to exit will just have to figure it out! You can imagine that you need to be on your toes when it’s your turn to exit!

Rush hours in Beijing

When visiting Beijing and taking the subway, avoid rush hours as much as possible, roughly between 7-9 a.m. and 5-7 p.m. Although… the spectacle is definitely worth seeing at least once!

In fact, the subways arrive at the station completely packed, with people literally pressed against the windows. When the doors open, the rush hour warriors painfully extract themselves from the train, while new travelers try as best they can to make room inside. It’s not the Hunger Games but rather the Subway Games!

To survive, there’s no choice!

But how do they manage to get in, you ask? Well, it’s simple: during rush hours, there are employees at each door who enforce the rules. They determine whether one more person has space or not. If the attendant believes more people can fit in, they take charge of pushing passengers into the subway to make room. Needless to say, they don’t mess around when pushing. Then, they push the unfortunate souls who are near the doors so that the doors can close. If they think the doors won’t be able to close, they won’t hesitate to pull a passenger out of the subway, by force if necessary! The scene is truly surreal and needless to say, the journey itself is not the most comfortable…

Luckily, we’re relatively tall compared to the Chinese. I think it’s the first time I’ve ever said that! So, we have a bit of air. It’s probably not good to be 4’7″ during rush hour! The funny part is that at certain stations, it’s not just on the platforms that it’s chaotic. Sometimes, you even have to queue to enter the subway station! Well, that day, we played it smart and were content to film from the outside! However, we leave our apartment every morning at the same time as our host. And so it’s during rush hour that we reach the center of Beijing… Phew! Well, at least the contact with locals is as close as can be ;)!

So? Still want to complain about rush hour in your subway ;)? We’ll see you in the article about visiting Beijing for the continuation of our adventures in the Middle Kingdom! Are you following us?

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