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Hi Lea, I don't know if we'd be much help but .... my sister and I arrived in Beijing a few days ago from Hong Kong ( via Cambodia -Ìý expat New Zealanders). The weather is slightly cooler here, so it might be a good idea to bring thermals, gloves and scarves. We've found the locals to beÌý very helpful and accommodating, we are momentarily based in Chaoyang - our lack of knowledge with any of the Chinese languages is sadly telling, thankfully we are adept at miming AND we use language translation apps on our cellphones - (we are currently learning Mandarin). Many of the younger Chinese (30s to late 20s and under) that we have encountered do speak more than one language, more often than not - one of the other languages is English. I'm Polynesian and love China, I haven't yet experienced any real xenophobic attitudes ( I've been in other parts of China for a while, only recently came to Beijing).

Hey! Thanks for the info, I'll make sure to bring my winter survival kit with me haha. I just started learning Mandarin as well, and I'm a bit scared of getting lost as soon as I step out of the airplane (unlikely, but I wouldn't be surprised if it happened).