Lufthansa Area: Guide to Living Here

The Lufthansa Area is one of Beijing's oldest and most well-known international commercial zones, near to Chaoyang Park and Sanlitun, between East Second Ring and Third Ring Roads (because there's not a clear line drawn about what constitutes "Lufthansa Area" and what doesn't, some Beijing residents include Chaoyang Park and Sanlitun as parts of Lufthansa Area). Due to the area's history as an international focal point in Beijing, it is today home to a burgeoning expatriate population.

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The Lufthansa Area sprung up quickly as a commercial zone following the construction in 1992 of the Lufthansa Center (a building complex containing offices, apartments, a hotel, and a shopping center), and today is fast becoming the new embassy area - Germany, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, and the United States have all moved their embassies to Lufthansa in recent years, to name just a few. As the embassies have moved here, even more expatriate residents of Beijing have followed.

The Liangmaqiao and Sanyuanqiao Line 10 subway stations lie in Lufthansa Area and make it easy to get in and get out, and as Sanyuanqiao Station is one of the two city stops of the Airport Express Train, Lufthansa makes for a particularly convenient place of residence for individuals needing to commute frequently between Beijing and other cities and countries.

Living Arrangements

With the exception of a handful of villas (such as King's Garden), housing in Lufthansa is almost entirely comprised of apartment complexes. These range from the luxurious to the modest. Prices throughout the Lufthansa Area are some of the steepest in Beijing.

As in most of the residential areas popular with expatriates, the majority apartment buildings in Lufthansa have been constructed over the last ten years, and are of modern construction and built to Western standards.

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Most apartment complexes in the Lufthansa Area include:

Central, government-mandated parks and green space
Exercise facilities and fitness gyms (not always open, however)
Convenience stores and shops
Guardhouses with regular patrols

With rents stretching from ¥9,000 monthly at the low end to over ¥100,000 per month at the high end, living in Lufthansa is anything but cheap. You can expect to pay ¥18,000 to ¥40,000 a month for most accommodations here.

Local Amenities

An area popular with expatriates, Lufthansa offers a number of amenities for its Western residents, including:

Western supermarkets, including BHG, Carrefour, and Wal-Mart
Western and other non-Chinese dining options, such as the Kunlun Hotel Restaurant, Flo Brasserie, Westin Steak House, and French, Italian, Japanese, South Korean, and Thai food. Fast food options include KFC, McDonald's, and Pizza Hut
Popular cafés the Skyline Café, Four Seasons Garden Café, Run Café, Beijing Bistro, Va Va Voom, Cindy's, Nasca Café, Costa Coffee, and Starbucks
The Jinyuan Yansha Shopping Mall, known to locals as the "Great Mall of China" for its sheer size, with 1,000+ shops and stores, a skating rink, and an extremely large food court. Brands sold here include Cartier, Givenchy, Ermenegildo Zegna, WMF, Hugo Boss, Nike, Adidas, Reebok, PUMA, Lancel, Canali, Zileri, Pal, Montegrappa, Trussardi, Gabor, Samsonite, and a great many more
The Lufthansa Center, from which the Lufthansa Area takes its name, consists of the Kempinski Hotel Beijing, an office and apartment complex, and YouYi Shopping City, Beijing's first Western-style department store. YouYi features a number of name brand Western goods - such as Gucci, Rolex, Calvin Klein, Estee Lauder, Hugo Boss, and Clinique, as well as plenty of top shelf electronics. Widely known as the most expensively-priced shopping in Beijing, the customer service is also some of the best in the city, and all salespersons on hand speak at least one foreign language. YouYi also features international shipping of goods, and tailors for making custom clothing

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Next to Lufthansa Center lies Beijing International Medical Center, the clinic is equipped to deal with most medical emergencies, and features English-speaking staff (as well as Arabic, Farsi, and Japanese).While good in a pinch, the reputation of Beijing United in nearby Lido is somewhat better

Because Lufthansa is both a prime spot for international commerce in Beijing and the new home of many of Beijing's embassies, the area has grown to serve its expatriate community and make life here as comfortable as possible for Western residents in Beijing.

Education

Lufthansa features a number of international schools to serve its international families:

3e International School
Beanstalk International Bilingual School (BIBS)
Beijing World Youth Academy (BWYA)

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Canadian International School (CIS)
The Children's House Montessori Kindergarten
Deutsche Botschaftsschule Peking (DSP) - the German School of Beijing
Hen Shin'nyugaku - Japanese School of Beijing (JSB)

In addition, Lufthansa lies close by to both Lido and Chaoyang Park, which offer additional schooling options.

Main article: International Schools in Beijing: The School Guide

Location

Because of its multiple subway stations, proximity to the Airport Express, and location between Second and Third Ring Roads, the Lufthansa Area is often considered one of the more convenient locations to live in in Beijing, while still being rather quieter and more spacious than downtown and other more congested parts of the city.

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Lufthansa is a 10 minute taxi ride from the heart of downtown (barring traffic), and it's easy to get around Beijing by either car or rail from here.

Verdict

With a variety of dining and shopping options, a plentitude of schooling options (second only to Shunyi), modern and luxurious residential accommodations, and a very convenient location, the Lufthansa Area is one of the top destinations for Westerners in Beijing for whom budget is less of a concern than quality of life.

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The high prices of Lufthansa being perhaps its only downside, the area features lots of just about everything an expatriate or expatriate family living in Beijing could look for. If you're not afraid of higher prices and want a comfortable, convenient place to live, with easy access to high class restaurants, luxury shopping, and many of the city's international schools, Lufthansa may just be the choice for you.

Ready to begin browsing for an apartment in Beijing's Lufthansa Area? You can head here to start now: