Greetings to all Chinese forum members!

I'm planning a trip to China in June. It will be the first one for me and i just can't describe how excited I am about it. I'll visit Beijing and Hongkong. My Hongkong plans are already made, but i still don't have everything fixed in Beijing. Would anyone please give me some advice where i could stay - i need an inexpensive hotel, really simple, like for backpackers. I'd also appreciate hints on where to shop for computer stuff: some reliable places, perhaps not the ultimately cheapest, but with good choice and good quality stuff.

Any advice, on these topics or any other you may deem important will be most sincerely appreciated. I dreamed to go to China for over 10 years, so this trip means a lot to me

Please write in English (or Russian, if you can, i know many people in china know Russian) but if you name some specific places or things please be so kind to provide Chinese names too - i'll then print them and carry with me just in case

Thank you all very much in advance!

Can't give you any advice unfortunately, but I'll keep an eye on this thread as I'm off to Chengdu later in the year.

Have a great trip!

Hi，wellcome.
I am in Tianjin, I can give some advise.
For stay, I'm afraid you may not able to find a good place while not expensive. It should be very easy to find a hotel but may not cheap. I suggest you just select one near by your most target. Like if you want to shop computer things, you may select a hotel inside zhongguancun(中关村） Huangzhuang（黄庄） Haidian（海淀） Beijing.
So the biggest market for computer things is in Zhongguancun. Any thing you want you can easily find out. The only thing may little trublled is there are too many people there, and too many shop there. You may difficuld to deside then:-). Good luck.
By the way, 95% of the shop in zhongguancun are reliable, price may very little diffence amoung them. In RMB about 10 Yuan maybe. They all give the properly warrentee, like memery for 3 months, harddisk for 1 year something. Normally, don't buy the thing without properly cover, and don't go with any person on the street while they may offer you some thing cheap, just go to the big building there. Most of the shop people can speak some english, especial for computer things.
Again, ask more shop for the things, if the price is much more cheap, then there is a risk.
Goodluck. Have a good travel in china!

welcome 2 BJ, i suggest u pickup a hotel in area Wu Dao Kou, here is near by Zhong Guan Cun and a lot of foreign student live here.

u should check this, i thought it is the inexpensive hotel. Two single bed USD36.

Pekinguni International Youth Hotel
No 150, Cheng Fu Road

Really helpful advice people. Keep up the great work. Next time I travel abroad I'll be sure to ask on our forum for advice beforehand.

And wchangsheng, "Two single bed USD36"!!! That's like £18 for two people per night. £9 per person. That's cheap!

My advice : Watch your language in Mainland China ,Hong Kong is all fine that we have Freedom of Speech.