Int Sem 2: ICW 2.2---Psychological Maps Blog Post

Psychological Maps of Beijing (within the 4^th ring)

I was born in Haidian District, spent my childhood in Xicheng District. During the winter vacation of my 9^th grade, I moved to Haidian again next to my old neighborhood.

My primary school was near my home in Xicheng (and I live next door to my grandfather and grandmother, how does that sound?). My junior high school was a 10-15 minute drive from my Xicheng joint. I often take subway and bus transit after school. After I moved to Haidian, it took about 20-30 minutes to go to school.

High school was different from all previous school life. My high school locates in the center of The School Area (like the University Place in Manhattan), and it was the best high school in Haidian District.

As you may discovered, I have never lived in the eastern part of Beijing. However, I frequently visit places like Sanlitun for entertainment. As for the west side, I hang with my high school friends in Wudaokou, which is considered to be the inferior version of Sanlitun.

After I am here in New York, I noticed that the city was arranged in a grid, which proved to be fool-proof (well I lost my way the second day in New York…). However, the subway fare in Beijing is way cheaper than it is in New York--- 2 RMB for unlimited stops in one go. That is, if you get out of a subway station, you will have to pay 2 RMB again. If you are always below ground, even for multiple transits, there are no extra charges. 

All of my school memories are with the subway. So my map is based on the main subway lines within the 4th ring of Beijing.