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So it turns out that not everything in Beijing is really in "walking distance" from your hotel as your tour

guide promised. Or that's how it feels now that you're halfway between Xizhimen and Sanlitun with only

twenty minutes left before the show. Suffice it to say that the maze of hutongs in which you are lost no

longer seem as charming as they did from the outside....

Learning Chinese? Our podcast for today is designed for absolute beginners to the Chinese language.

This means that even if you don't have any background in mandarin, you should be able to follow along

and pick up some of the basics of this fascinating language. So give us a listen and be sure to signup for

access to our premium features like transcripts, tests and extra audio recordings.