Loading...
Beijing Huijia Private School
Beijing, China
IB
Ages 5–18
Loading...
Beijing's academic and tech district, home to Tsinghua and Peking University. Quiet with moderate rents and a more local feel.
Monthly temperatures, rainfall, and sea conditions
Monthly family budget estimates (USD)
An academic family or young professional couple in a 2-bedroom apartment near a university, using metro, dining at local restaurants and university canteens.
A tech executive family in a 3-bedroom apartment in the Zhongguancun or Wudaokou area, children in a Haidian international school or cross-district commute, with a part-time ayi.
A senior academic, diplomat, or tech executive in a large modern apartment near the Zhongguancun CBD2, children at a top bilingual or international school, company car.
Haidian is Beijing's academic and tech district — home to Peking University, Tsinghua University, and Zhongguancun Science Park. Rents are lower than Sanlitun or Shunyi, and the large student population keeps dining and daily costs accessible. International schools are fewer here — most families use Chaoyang-district schools with a commute. All figures in USD; 1 USD is approximately 7.2 CNY.
Average monthly AQI (US EPA scale)
Yearly average AQI is 102. Best air quality May–Oct (best: Jul at 60). Jan–Dec air quality worsens due to heat, humidity, and dust (peak: Dec at 158). Families with children who have asthma or respiratory conditions should plan indoor activities during summer months.
Haidian is Beijing's intellectual engine. Peking University (PKU) and Tsinghua University — two of China's most prestigious universities and consistently among Asia's top institutions — both sit within the district, alongside more than 60 other universities and research institutes. The district's Zhongguancun Science Park is often called "China's Silicon Valley" — Lenovo, Baidu (originally), and hundreds of major Chinese tech companies were founded or based here. The resident demographic reflects this: highly educated, ambitious, often academic or tech-sector, and with a smaller but distinct international layer of researchers, postdoctoral scholars, and university-linked expat families.
Haidian's greatest natural asset is its proximity to the Fragrant Hills (Xiangshan) park complex on the district's western edge. This vast mountain park — 160 hectares of forested hills — is one of Beijing's most spectacular destinations in autumn, when the red maple leaves create a landscape that draws millions of visitors in October. Hiking trails range from gentle to strenuous, with a cable car for families with younger children. The nearby Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace) ruins and Yiheyuan (Summer Palace) — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — provide cultural-historical recreational destinations within the district.
Haidian is well-served by Beijing's metro network. Line 4 runs through the academic core (Haidian Huangzhuang, Zhongguancun, Renmin University stations), connecting south to Zhongshan Park, Tiananmen, and Xuanwumen. Line 10 and Line 13 provide east-west connections. The journey to Guomao CBD takes 40-50 minutes with one transfer — manageable for daily commuting. For Chaoyang-based international school commutes, expect 40-60 minutes each way, which is one of the main household logistics challenges for Haidian families with children in Chaoyang schools.
Haidian's daily life is shaped by the university ecosystem. Canteens across PKU, Tsinghua, and other campuses serve outstanding, extraordinarily cheap Chinese food — a PKU canteen meal costs under $1. The surrounding streets are dense with restaurants, cafes, printing shops, bookstores, and the kind of low-cost, high-quality services that spring up to serve large student populations. Zhongguancun's electronics market (now mostly shifted online but still has specialist shops) was once China's most famous technology marketplace.
Haidian's western position, butting up against the Western Hills and Fragrant Hills, gives it a marginal climate distinction from the eastern Beijing plains. Summer thunderstorms form over the mountains and sometimes miss the eastern districts entirely. Winter winds channelled through the mountain passes can make western Haidian feel colder and windier than central Beijing. On balance, the differences are small — the same continental pattern dominates.
