Here are some general travel tips which could be of help when traveling around Beijing .

• Beijing is a very safe city. However, tourists are often preyed upon by cheats and touts. Be especially cautious in the inner city, around Tiananmen Square , and on the tourist-crowded routes to the Great Wall.

• Do not follow any "art students". At best you end up in a shabby "art store" and get pressured to buy art.

• For tours to the Great Wall, be wary: the driver might just stop and set you off before your destination. Only pay afterwards if you are absolutely sure you are at the destination. Do not go for organized tours to the Great Wall in the 100-150 Yuan range that are advertised by people handing out flyers around the Forbidden City . Conveniently you are picked up from your hotel (so they know where to get back at you, in case you will not pay), you end up on a shopping tour through many Chinese art, Chinese medicine, etc. shops and afterwards you have to pay upfront to get back to the city. Of course, there are exceptions, and people showing letters of recommendation from their previous travels and pictures are usually ok.

• Be wary of fake money. You may observe Chinese people inspecting their money carefully, and with a reason: there are a lot of counterfeit bills in circulation. The most common are 100's and 50's. A few tips for identifying counterfeit bills:

• Be very careful if someone wants to give back the largest currency bill (50 and 100 Yuan) by the excuse of "no change". In an attempt to pass you a counterfeit bill they may tell you that they have lowered the price in your benefit. Or, they may ask you to contribute an additional sum in order to pass you the 100 Yuan.

• If they give you back all the change money plus the coins on top (though coins are rare in Beijing ) take your time to check each bill carefully.

• To check any 50 and 100 Yuan bill you get, do this: most importantly, check the paper. If its torn, thin or very slippery, ask for a different bill. Next, check the watermark, it should blur out softly. If there are hard visible corners in the watermark, reject the bill. Last, check the green "100" imprint on the lower left corner. It should be clearly painted on the bill so you can both feel and see a relief. If its missing or not feel able, reject the bill also. Rejecting bills is not considered impolite. If the coloring of a banknote is faded, it does not necessarily mean it is fake.

• Take care about meeting "students" who direct you to tea sampling shops. It is free to sample tea for locals, but for tourists...you should ask. In one incident, after sampling 5 types of tea with two "students", a group of tourists were confronted with a bill for 1260Yuan (126Euro). They even produced an English Menu with the extortionate prices for sampling.
  

• Legally, pedestrians have the right of way on zebra crossing, although just a few drivers will actually go the mile and stop for them. It is better to cross via an underpass or an overpass. There are now several self-service traffic lights; pedestrians wishing to cross the road push a green button, wait for the words ?? (please wait) to appear on the traffic light (for pedestrians), and cross when the lights turn green.

• Air pollution is a BIG problem. Car exhaust, coal burning, and dust storms from the Gobi desert combine to make some of the worst city air on the planet. You may want to bring extra Vitamin C and other antioxidants (grape seed extract, etc.). Don't be surprised if your throat and nose ache soon after arriving. 
   

• Drinking lots of the local green tea (hot) will help you resist sickness from the bad air. Green tea has antioxidants, some vitamin C, and the hot water helps to moisturize your throat. Winter is the worst time...cold air creates an inversion layer and traps the pollution in the city. 
   

• Bring a pack of your own tissues (or toilet paper) and small bar soap. Many public bathrooms do not have toilet paper, especially if you venture out to the countryside. Alternately, you may wish to purchase an alcohol-based hand sanitizer for quick clean-ups. Also, pre-packaged wet hand wipes are indispensable. 
   

• Try to use the bathroom before you leave for your destinations. Some establishments (even large grocery/department stores) will not have Western style toilets, and many a lady has been shocked and dismayed to find she doesn't know how to use non-elevated (sunken) toilets. 
   

• In dryer months (especially winter), be sure to bring or purchase a heavy moisturizer. Although most hotels will offer some generic brand, the quality varies greatly and you would do well to supply your own. It is advisable to purchase and drink several bottles of purified water a day.