<p>Has anyone traveled to or lived in Beijing? One of my kids has “opportunity” (in quotes because it is actually a requirement to remain in the organization which I would rather not name) to go in 2008. This would be before the summer Olympics. Age of the kids would be about 10-14. Parents are not allowed to go. There will be chaperones, but right now it is not known who they will be, how many, etc. For those of you with first hand knowledge- What is the city like? What are hotels like? How safe is it? How readily available is medical care, especially in case of emergency? How comfortable would you feel having your kid there?</p>
<p>I have not been to Beijing, but have been to other parts of China. I would expect that just before the 2008 Olympics, Beijing will be the safest place in the world! The Chinese government will allow nothing less!</p>
<p>However, I hope you have a strong understanding of the organization making this requirement. Do you know other kids who have been in it? Are the organizers responsible? Your post indicates you may have concerns about the quantity and quality of chaperones. This issue may be more significant than the safety of Beijing.</p>
<p>The hotels range from fantastic - St. Regis Beijing - to 3rd world. Safety, as in most large China cities, should not be a problem. However, the air is absolutely terrible. The government has vowed to improve it before the Olympics, however, if your child has asthma or any respiratory problems I would think twice. </p>
<p>I am not familiar with the medical care options in Beijing - you need to look into western hospitals and insurance etc.</p>
<p>prefect: I’ve been to Beijing, and it’s a very safe city, especially for Westerners. My daughter has been there with a group and traveled there alone (at age 19), and did fine. </p>
<p>The hotels are very nice. We stayed in one that was relatively inexpensive, but it was comparable to any mid-level (cost-wise) hotel in any American city (complete with Western toilets-- always a plus!). And I know there are nicer, more expensive ones, but the less expensive were fine, too. </p>
<p>We didn’t have any need for medical care, but you’re in a major city in China, so it’s not like he would be in a remote area. Certainly, he’s in the best place if he needs medical care. </p>
<p>I actually didn’t like Beijing very much–not because it was unsafe–but I found it to be too similar to a big city anywhere-- crowded, incredible traffic jams, lots and lots of construction going on (mainly because of the upcoming 2008 Olympics), complete with a Starbucks on every [other] corner. They even have one at the Forbidden City, sadly. </p>
<p>While Beijing is certainly worth a visit if you’re going to China, it was sort of like what I imagine visiting NYC would be like for a first visit to America. Really nice trip, lots to see, but not truly representative of the country.</p>
<p>At any rate, Beijing has been working really hard to ready the city for 2008. He’ll be fine and will really enjoy himself. It’s very safe. I’d let my kid go in a heartbeat (after determining who the chaperones will be!).</p>
<p>I’d just like to add a note about the pollution. It’s bad in the summer months; after that, the winds from the Gobi Desert (at least, I <em>think</em> that’s the reason) send the pollution elsewhere. We were there in September, and it was absolutely beautiful-- clear, bright skies and no pollution. Very different from the summer months.</p>
<p>One day I picked up my daughter and a Chinese-American friend who has visited Beijing many times at a movie theater located next to an area that was under extensive construction. Because of the construction, a dumpster had been moved right onto the path to the parking lot, creating an intense smell of garbage. When the two kids came out of the cinema, my daughter’s friend turned to my daughter and said, “This smells just like Beijing.”</p>
<p>Take it for what it’s worth.</p>
<p>I used to live in Beijing. I echo Jack’s comments about pollution… to be honest, it plain sucks in summer. Last I heard, the Olympic committee had banned Beijing from holding the Olympic marathon and long distance races there, due to the fact that the air is so dirty. (That’s anecdotal, though.) The current plan is for the Chinese government to shut down all factories for a month prior to the Olympics, in a bid to clean the air. Good luck to them! </p>
<p>Beijing is very safe though, I never had any trouble there. Your kid will have to watch out for the culture shock though - people will be staring at him/her all the time, they will probably take photos and ask questions… it’s all very friendly and innocent, but it can take a bit of getting used to! </p>
<p>Regarding medical care - <em>definitely</em> take out medical and travel insurance (you probably have it anyway, but best to check!). There is a large non-Chinese population in Beijing, and there are Western-style hospitals with English-speaking doctors and nurses. If your kid is going with an organization, I doubt there would be any difficulties.</p>
<p>My husband traveled to Beijing at least 6 times a year for almost 10 years and still makes an occasional business trip there. He loves the place…very friendly to Westerners. As long as you have chaperones you trust, your kids will be fine.</p>
<p>Unlike the above posters, I am a kid who visited Beijing last summer for the very first time. I felt that it was a very nice place and very worthwhile to visit. It will really open your kid’s eyes. In my opinion it gives a much more honest view of life in a foreign Asian country than a visit to, say, Shanghai. Since it will be before the Olympics I’m sure it will be more shiny and spiffy than usual but Beijing is definitely not Shanghai–which I felt was much more young, hip, cosmopolitan, and accessible to tourists. I think your kid would love visiting China–I didn’t LOVE Beijing since it’s certainly not the cleanest, brightest place in the world (I wouldn’t LIVE there) but I did really enjoy my time there as a visitor…the sights are just great (Forbidden Palace, hutong district, Tiananmen Sq., etc.). And the food! Peking duck 
Let your kid go!!! Of course, only if you trust the organizers/etc. I went with my family so safety wasn’t really a concern. And do be advised that you can get served alcohol at a restaurant at a younger age (I was 16 and could easily have ordered a beer, and we were given complimentary bottles of vodka at one restaurant–don’t know if this matters for your 10-14 year olds). P.S. The weather sucked in July, it was humid and it rained–be prepared.</p>
<p>My oldest son lived there for two summers and had a great time cycling all over the place. My youngest goes this summer. Your young duaghter should be quite safe. Older kids should mind their manners at nightclubs and keep their wits about them. It is a totalitarian state. I would at least make sure the chaperones are very savvy travellers. </p>
<p>FWIW, my son said that the Beijing govt has ringed Beijing ( a huge city with 14 million) with cannons that will fire rain pellets into the cloud each night during the Olympics, washing the air clean. They have done this before on a smaller scale.</p>
<p>Probably too old for your D, but you might want to read ‘Oracle Bones’ which is a travel account of a Peace Corps volunteer turned ‘New Yorker’ journalist. Also, you might be interested in ‘One Man’s Bible’ by Gao Xingjian–the nobel prize winning Chinese author.</p>
<p>My daughter spent a month in Beijing this past fall. She lived with Chinese family in one of the new multi-story apartment buildings all over the city. She didn’t speak Chinese and they didn’t speak English, but they figured it somehow and had a blast with her Chinese “mom” and “dad”.</p>
<p>She never felt any concern about safety or anything like that beyond the normal precautions in any big city. She felt safer in Beijing than in Buenos Aires, where pick pockets are an issue. </p>
<p>One girl in her group tripped on the steps of her apartment building and broke a bone in her ankle. Medical care was no problem for the ankle or for quite a few of the students who picked Beijing as the city to get sick in. I don’t know if the easy medical care they got is typical or not – her group was using some of the facilities at a medical school in Beijing and many of the med students were acting as local guides showing my daughter and her friends the city.</p>
<p>Assuming the organization has a track record and good Chinese contacts, I wouldn’t be terribly concerned about that sort of stuff. My sense is that the Chinese government is interested in making foreign student visits positive experiences (but, since nobody talks about the Chinese government, that would difficult to confirm).</p>
<p>I wouldn’t have any significant concerns about the city. You didn’t mention how long the visit would be. Age 10-14 might be a little young for an extended stay (months). If we are only talking a week or two, then I wouldn’t be concerned about Beijing as much as I would be about the organization, the supervision, the accommodations, etc.</p>
<p>prefect, Sounds like a wonderful opportunity for a young person! </p>
<p>Beijing is very safe. Violent crime is extremely rare. It’s also a big, crowded dirty Asian city. Fascinating but not, in my opinion, long on charm.</p>
<p>There is a wide range of accommodation from basic to deluxe. The lower price levels (hostel-type) tend to be less clean, but still acceptable. It’s a life experience, after all.</p>
<p>I advise anyone traveling in China (or any other undeveloped Asian city) to invest in evaculation insurance. It’s very cheap and will assure that if you have a serious medical problem you can get air-lifted to Hong Kong. Personally, I wouldn’t want to take any chances on the hygiene at a Chinese hospital.</p>
<p>I’m also not particularly keen on flying Chinese domestic airlines. Millions do every year, but for me, their safety record is suspect.</p>
<p>Agree with momrath, both on the evacuation insurance and the domestic airlines. If you must fly domestic, China Eastern is what our CEO swears by. Something to do with the training and the China military…</p>
<p>The issue as I understand it with China hospitals is blood donation. The risk of AIDS is apparently one of those things where the government has perhaps not been as, umm, open to documentation as we might want.</p>
<p>My D spent six months working in China after her sophomore year in college. (She took a leave of absence for the fall and was in China from June through December.) </p>
<p>She lived outside Beijing for much of her time there, and went into Beijing often on weekends. </p>
<p>Yes, it is very safe compared to major American cities. D said that the penalties for crimes against tourists are stronger than for crimes against natives. The government really wants visitors to have a positive experience. </p>
<p>She did find the pollution an issue, however. She had to stop wearing contact lenses and had to clean her glasses regularly. She also used only bottled water. </p>
<p>She did not stay in hotels but lived in an apartment. I know she said Chinese public restroom facilities (outside of hotels and restaurants that cater to tourists) are another scene from what Americans are used to. (Carry your own TP.) But we also heard that Beijing is doing major modern restroom construction before the Olympics. </p>
<p>It would be good if some of the leaders of your child’s group would be fluent in Mandarin. </p>
<p>We did take out a supplemental insurance policy that would have provided transport out if needed.</p>
<p>In 2005, a group of six students from a famous Top Ten US university were chased and attacked by a riotous mob in Beijing–and then arrested–and then subjected to humiliating newspaper articles the following day. The students were juniors, semi-fluent and at the end of a six month exchangee program. They were held in a Chinese prison overnight. The students were leaving a mob-related nightclub when they were attacked, but they told their parents they were not drunk and they had done nothing to provoke either the attack or the arrest or the public humiliation.</p>
<p>It is a totalitarian state. Rich Americans are not always exempt from the brutality of that totalitarianism.</p>
<p>cheers:</p>
<p>While anything is possible, I think it unlikely that that a group of 10-14 year old American students will get themselves in a drunken brawl and arrested for intoxication in a Beijing bar.</p>
<p>As for American college students: they have been known to get in drunken bar brawls and thrown in the drunk tank by “totalitarian” police in the United States, too. I’m sure that they usually tell their parents they weren’t drunk and had done nothing to provoke either the attack or the arrest or the public humiliation.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about the younger kids either…the supervision would hopefully prevent any side trips to bars ;). But there are places Westerners shouldn’t go in Beijing…mobbed up bars/clubs and ‘houses of ill-repute’ for example. College kids should be prepared to do a little research and ask questions about places to avoid. Chaperones of younger kids would hopefully have these questions asked and answered before they leave the States.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t wander around parts of Houston late at night…so this is something that is not peculiar to Beijing, just a fact of life everywhere.</p>
<p>These kids, top East Asian scholars from a tippy top US university, spoke to their parents by cellphone while they were being attacked–pleading for help. The parents did not think the kids sounded drunk. They thought the kids sounded terrified. The Chinese police did not arrive for over an hour–even though other Chinese ran for help.</p>
<p>I agree however, that they were either naive or provocative. My son was familiar with the bar–which is how I learned that it was a mob bar. He also thought they had done something to provoke the attack–even unintentionally.</p>
<p>Beijing is a great city and a great experience for students. I highly recommend it. I have sent one son to spend two summers there and I will send another this summer–and I hope to visit myself this summer. However, Beijing is not ‘safe’ like Minneapolis is ‘safe’, like Florence is ‘safe’. It is the capital of a totalitarian state with a secret police force and all the rest.</p>
<p>No tourist–not even a 10 year old–should visit without some knowledge of that totalitarianism. That’s my opinion.</p>
<p>I’ve been there…it’s not unsafe (certainly safer then an american major city) however the kid should understand that they should be very careful crossing the street</p>
<p>the Chinese have been prepping for the 08 olympics in Beijing - which means things will just be that much more “in order” and perhaps cleaner then normal</p>
<p>all kids should be exposed to the world somehow - so even if you decide against this make sure you/they see the world eventually</p>
<p>Although I don’t think this situation applies to the OP’s child’s group, I’m with Cheers in cautioning teenagers and young adults (and old adults for that matter) not to expect third world law enforcement and judicial systems to function logically and consistently. </p>
<p>Whether it’s a totalitarian state like China or a messy democracy like Indonesia you just don’t want ANY encounter with the police or courts of law as there is no way to predict the outcome. Your Embassy can just do so much to help if you stray into dangerous territory. Sex, drugs and rock and roll are the most obvious red flags, but you should also avoid involvement in politics, demonstrations, rallies – anything that’s considered controversial.</p>
<p>To quote the other bard: The cops don’t need you and man they expect the same.</p>
<p>Rock n Roll is cool in China—There is a Hard Rock Cafe in Beijing.</p>