GUIDE TO LIVING AND WORKING IN BEIJING

Introduction

As China's economy has exploded over the last decade or so, Beijing and Shanghai have competed for economic dominance. Of course Beijing is the country's capital, but Shanghai's port gives it the edge when it comes to international trade.

So far as the legal profession is concerned, there have been periods when each of the two cities have been the preferred location for international firms opening an office in the PRC for the first time. With the relaxation of the regulations governing international law firms in the Mainland, most of the keys players in the market now have offices in both cities.

Beijing now has an impressive array of international law firms present and there are plenty of opportunities for foreign qualified lawyers within them. However, fluent Mandarin language skills are almost always essential for such roles. Moreover, candidates usually need to have experience of working in the complex PRC market.

In the run up to the 2008 Olympic Games, which will be hosted by Beijing, the city has seen a surge of new construction as well as a beautification of the environment, which has involved the planting of literally thousands of trees. The construction work together with other ancillary matters connected to the Games has already provided legal work for some firms with the promise of more in the near future.

As one might expect, many of China's key state-owned institutions are based in the country's capital. As they look overseas for investment and capital raising opportunities, lawyers based in Beijing are in an ideal position to get involved in the deals. It is somewhat of a change of emphasis work-wise, but undoubtedly a profitable one for some of the bigger international practices.

Beijing is an expensive place to live. By way of comparison it is slightly cheaper than Hong Kong and slightly more expensive than Shanghai. However, salaries paid by international law firms reflect this and rates are therefore generally quite high.

Beijing is a huge city and has lots of options accommodation-wise. When deciding where to live it is important to bear in mind transport options, the location of your office and, if you have children, schools. The traffic in Beijing is usually extremely busy and while there are good bus, trolley and subway services they tend to be extremely crowded.

n your free time, Beijing has lots of simply awesome historical sites to visit, including the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace to name just three of the most famous. Shopping is excellent with a wide array of mega-malls as well interesting markets such as the famous Xioushui Silk Market on Jianguomenwaii Street. Beijing's nightlife has grown rapidly in line with the Government's greater openness over recent years and, while the selection of bars and clubs is not necessarily as extensive as in Shanghai, there are plenty of exciting venues to choose between.