What is it like to live in Beijing?

[GetmemyPassport]

Well what the title says really. We have 2 DC one 3 the other 1 and are considering a move to Beijing. We have been there before about 10 years ago so, we know a little bit about the place but really I was after a bit more info about living there.
TIA

Right now they have the worst air pollution they've ever recorded. We were going to move there a few years ago and were really excited but then began looking into the pollution figures. As there are no studies of young kids who are there for a few years and then might move on, we decided not to risk respiratory problems and pulled out of the opportunity. It was a massive decision and people I know have gone a different way. But do look into it, especially if there are any chesty tendencies in your kids.

Otherwise, people say life as an expat is pretty good.

Hi, I live in Beijing and have done for the last 2 and a bit years. I have 2 children 6 & 4. The pollution isn't great and it is the one thing i hate about being here but other than that, it is a pretty good life ( we should have only been here for 2 years and therefore should have left by now but have extended for another 2 years). The American Embassy monitor the pollution everyday and the schools follow this reading so on bad days the children don't play outside. We have air purifiers in every room in the house and on really bad days we just stay indoors. The bonus of compound living is that the clubhouse tends to have an indoor pool so that's always something to help get them out of the hosue! We live in one of the many expat compounds out in the suburbs but you can also live downtown in an apartment. It depends on the kind of lifestyle you're looking for. We wanted a garden because of the age of our children, so immediately discounted downtown. Also, a lot of the main international schools are based out in Shunyi so that was another factor. When we arrived my DS was 3.5 and i was able to put him in nursery 5 mornings a week so he could carry on his preschool education and my DD was also able to go a couple of mornings a week. The British School of Beijing and Dulwich College follow the Early Years Foundation Stage and English National Curriculum so if you're wanting to return to the UK in the future it is useful for continuity in education. BSB are flexible with the hours that preschoolers attend, but Dulwich only allow full time once the child turns 3.
Beijing will be extremely different to how it would have been 10 years and there are expat supermarkets etc all over the place now and you can generally get most things here now although food is generally more expensive here (some things you would need to bring with you eg teabags, bisto etc!)

What will your husband be doing? Will be working with an international company on an expat package? If you're funding it yourself you will probably struggle to get somewhere in one of the expat compounds as they are ridiculously expensive as are international school fees so that is definitely something to think about although are some cheaper bilingual schools downtown which are supposed to be good.

I hope this helps. I can write a whole lot more but it will be an essay. If you have any more specific questions then let me know! Or PM me but i'm not very good at remembering to check if i have any messages!!