Another favorite of foreigners is Maliandao Tea City in the southern part of the city. Maliandao is a hub of thousands of tea merchants from every corner of China and the world. In addition to small shops, it includes a kind of tea museum, displaying more than 30 types of tea, as well as tea sets and other paraphenalia.

"Here you can find all types of Chinese tea, from Puer to green tea, from black to jasmine tea, even flower and herb teas preferred by young ladies," said Fujian native Fan Li.

Buying tea and bargaining with the shopkeepers is an art enjoyed by many connoisseurs, both foreign and domestic, according to Fan.

Fan's shop allows customers to sample tea for free, and some shop assistants can assist them in simple English. "We are still learning, and sometimes learn from our foreign customers, who stay in Beijing and can speak Chinese," says Fan.

Accommodations

Both luxury hotels and budget accommodations are flourishing in Beijing. In addition, homestay offers another option for foreign visitors eager to experience 'real life' in the city.

According to the Beijing Tourism Bureau, Beijing boasts 46 five-star hotels, with 22,300 rooms and 33,000 beds, and 116 four-star hotels, with 34,500 rooms and 57,500 beds.

Also, some 200 moderate or budget hotels are available to visitors, compared to almost none four years ago.

In addition, 598 households have been selected for "homestay" accommodations during the Olympics, offering 726 rooms with 1,000 beds. Many of these showcase renovated homes in the Beijing's ancient hutong.

"My home is centuries old, but it has clean toilets, computers, televisions and a refrigerator," says Wang Zhixi, owner of an Olympic homestay. Her siheyuan (courtyard home) in Dajinsi Hutong near the Shichahai lake area is handy to one of Beijing's burgeoning new bar and nightlife districts.

Wang and her husband, who both claim descent from Qing Dynasty nobility, have decorated their home with traditional Chinese paintings. They are currently entertaining a German couple, who rent a room for 500 yuan per night.

Yuan Xiaoqing's sprawling nine-bedroom home overlooking the Fragrant Hills is a far cry from the average Beijing flat. Yuan's home features a spacious rooftop garden with rose bushes, grape vines, fruit trees, and a willow.

Yuan and her family have been offering homestays to overseas guests for three years and have received visitors from Europe, Canada and the United States, most of them high school or college students. Recently the family applied to become part of the Olympic homestay program, but organizers said the house was too far from the downtown area.

Many commercial operators in Beijing offer to match travelers with households willing to rent them a room. Jacob Cooke, manager of Beijing Homestay Agency, has directed many guests to Yuan's home and said the agency has a database of 30 to 40 families willing to provide homestay services.