Beijing, China Travel Guide
About Getting Around Attractions Hotels Eats & Nightlife Essentials & Practicals
Accessibility in Beijing
Wheelchair access in Beijing
Beijing is handicap accessible in the city center; that is, at the tourist attractions and the main roads surrounding Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City within the 2nd Ring Road. Many of the more challenging areas have been remade, particularly southeast of Qianmen. We can thank the 2008 Olympics for Beijing’s increased accessibility.
A couple of things that may be challenging in terms of getting around in a wheelchair within the 2nd Ring Road are tunnels and fences. To cross the main roads to access Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and the expansive, outdoor Wangfujing Shopping Center, you have to cross the streets such as Chang’an via a tunnel or ride along in the bike lanes on the streets to cross. Or, you have to wheel up a block to find pedestrian crosswalks on the streets.
Wheeling in Beijing
If you’re in a wheelchair, you can ride along in the bike lane and cross the street in the bike lanes. In the major intersections such as Chang’an and Wangfujing, traffic cops are there to help with the flow of traffic. I used the bike lanes most of the time and the traffic cops helped along. There are lines in the streets in the bike lanes indicating the stopping point for bikes. You can just straddle up to the line with the other bikes and cross the street when it’s a green light or when the traffic cop says to go. The bike lane makes getting around Bejing fairly easy, actually. It is a daunting prospect at first when you see the multitude of bikes but you get used to it.
There are areas – a whole lot – that pose a challenge to disabled tourists. For instance, on Xi’anmen,which runs just west of Jingshanqian at the top of the Forbidden City, sidewalks and curbs are older; thus, weather-worn and uneven. Di’anmendong, which is north of Beihai Lake and runs parallel to Xi’anmen, has the same obstacles as well. More establishments on these streets have stairs.
Tourist attractions accessible with ramps at entrances. For the most part, the area surrounding the main attractions within thd 2nd Ring Road is accessible.
Streets, Sidewalks, Curbs, Buildings
Some of the main roads surrounding Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Wanfujing and the Beijing Bookstore are Qianmen Dong Dajie (runs east and west), Qianmen (runs north and south from Qianmen Dong Dajie), Xi Chang’an (runs east and west north of Qianmen) and the parallel streets running alongside Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. The sidewalks along these streets are smooth and very wide. Some have flat brick-like designs, some large slabs of concrete. But, they are smooth and easy to wheel over. The curbs have gradual ramps and brail and a lot of restaurants have ramps at the entrances.
The sidewalks and roads around the Olympic Green area, which is located in the northern part of Beijing along the 4th Ring Road, are extremely wheelchair friendly. The main street that cuts through, east and west and happens to be part of the 4th Ring Road, between the Olympic Sports Center and the National Stadium is BeiSiHuan Zhong Lu. Here, the sidewalks are flat, smooth and the curbs have ramps. It couldn’t be easier to get around on the sidewalks. There are however, bridges to cross this main street. You must cross this street towards the center of the Olympic Green. If you’re south of BeiSiHuan Zhong, look for the Olympic Village sign. There, you can cross the street. There are still many buildings, ATMS and stores with steps at the entrances. For example, the China Construction Bank ATM on the south side of Chang’an near Tiananmen Square has a few steps. However, the China Construction Bank branch and ATM in the mini plaza next to the Bejing Books Building on Chang’an has a ramp and is accessible.
Some trendy restaurants have awkward ramps – sometimes steep. For instance, the most famous Peking duck restaurant, Hepingmen Quanduje Roast Duck restaurant on Qianmen has a ramp but the ramp is a bit steep. There are a couple of doormen to help out. The ultra trendy Bellagio Restaurant, a Taiwanese restaurant on Xiaoyun Lu in Chaoyan District, has a couple of steps to enter.
Sometimes you still have to look around to find a ramp or handicap entrance. Some handicap entrances are right in front of your eyes and you might miss them!