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Tips of Beijing (Hospital, Currency Exchange)

by Harry ·

Beijing International SOS Clinic
Hours: Daily 24 hours
Address: Suite 105, Wing 1, Kunsha Building, No 16 Xinyuanli, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100027
( 北京市朝阳区新源里16号琨莎中心一座105室 100027 )
Phone: +86 (0)10 6462 9112; 6462 9100 (24 hours )
Web Address: http://www.internationalsos.com

International Medical Center (IMC)
Hours: Daily 24 hours
Address: S106, 1/F Lufthansa Center, 50 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Phone: +86 (0)10 6465 1561, 6465 1562, 6465 1563
Web Address: http://www.imcclinics.com

Beijing United Family Hospital and Clinics
Hours: Clinic Monday to Thursday 12:30pm to 7:30pm; Friday 10:30am to 5:30pm; Saturday 9:00am to 5:00pm. 24 hour emergency care
Phone: +86 (0)10 6433 3960, emergency 64332345
Web Address: http://www.unitedfamilyhospitals.com

Beijing Chaoyang Diabetes Hospital
Address: No.1 Tianshuiyuan East Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100025 P.R.China
Phone: +86 (0)10 6585 6666
Website: http://www.bcdh.cn/
If you are diabetic, or suspect that you might be, you should visit Beijing Chaoyang Diabetes Hospital. The hospital was opened in July 2004 and is the brainchild of Dr. Wang Zhili. Dr. Wang completed his postgraduate study in London, and is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. The hospital’s up-to-date equipment includes an X-ray department, fundus photography department, and a CTS scanner. The hospital aims to raise the standard of diabetes treatment and control throughout China. It departs from the traditional method of automatically dispensing oral medicines for type II diabetes, instead opting to support the body with insulin whilst at the same time implementing a regime of exercise and diet to help the body recover as much natural function as possible. In this way some patients are ultimately able to control the disease without long-term use of drugs or insulin.
 
Unlike most Chinese hospitals, waiting times are not too long. If you require a blood glucose test it is well worth making the trip rather than queuing half the day in an ordinary general hospital. The hospital offers the most modern treatment methods in China. The staff are friendly and enthusiastic, and while English speaking staff are usually available, it might be best to bring a Chinese friend along if possible. In the event that a hospital stay is needed, in-patient charges are very reasonable.

Currency Exchange and General Money Tips
If you are planning a trip to Beijing (or anywhere in China) then you will undoubtedly need some cash since not nearly as many places accept credit cards in China as in Europe and North America. My tip for currency exchange is that you should wait until you are in Beijing to change your money.  I have always found a much better exchange rate in Beijing than in Canada or the US. For example, the best rate I could find to exchange Canadian dollars for RMB in Montreal was 6.2 to 1, while at the same time in Beijing it was 6.8 to 1.

My preferred bank for currency exchange in China is the Bank of China.  They are relatively quick with the paper work and there is almost always someone on staff who can speak English.  For current up-to-date exchange rates click here.

It is a good idea to have at least 200 RMB with you before you arrive in Beijing since taxis cannot exchange money. A taxi ride from the airport to the city can cost anywhere from 80-120 RMB depending on your destination in Beijing. I once asked a taxi driver about foreign  exchange.  He said the standard procedure for dealing with foreign currency is to take it as if it were RMB, so if your taxi fare ran up to 100RMB, and you gave the driver a 100 Dollar American bill, he wouldn’t give you any change. The reason for this policy is that they are not familiar with the currency, and therefore cannot be sure if it is real or not.  Always have at least 200 RMB with you before you arrive, so that you do not end up paying 800RMB for a 100RMB ride.

Also note that banks close at 5PM.  There are 24 hour self service ATMs and a few 24 hour banks, but these are few and far between. No currency exchange services are available on weekends or national holidays.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, June 5th, 2008 at 11:23 and is filed under 2 | Shopping in China. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

9 Responses to “Tips of Beijing (Hospital, Currency Exchange)”

  1.   Tips of Beijing (Hospital, Currency Exchange) by diabetes.MEDtrials.info Says:
    June 5th, 2008 at 19:39

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    December 5th, 2008 at 06:53

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  9. Harry Says:
    March 14th, 2010 at 17:28

    thanks for your comments. sure, you can. :)

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