Beijing, China was the destination for my first international trip as a wheelchair user, all the way back in April 2014. Since then, I visited China’s capital city numerous times (primarily to enjoy Peking duck), and each trip has exposed me to new experiences.
Wheelchair accessibility in Beijing is very poor. As a result, this page is not a true wheelchair travel guide, but a collection of notes from my trips to Beijing. The city’s accessibility landscape has been different each time I have visited, so I warn you not to treat ANY information source you find as definitive, including this one. While a few things have remained constant, I can’t speak with any certainty about what you will find in Beijing on any given trip. I do believe that things are improving, but many senseless barriers remain.
Public Transportation
Beijing’s subway system is the busiest in the world, with more than 3 billion trips taken each year. The network consists of 18 lines and 344 stations. A large city bus network also exists in the city.
On each of my trips to Beijing, I have used public transportation for most of my travel around the city, and used it exclusively on my [...]