Ni hao!
A little about public transportation in Beijing 北京. Our apartment is situated very central in this town. You have several ways to help you to get around the city as a tourist. The means of transportation I can put into five groups: 1. Taxi, 2. Subway, 3. Bus, 4. Rickshaw, 5 Boat and 6. Walk! Many times it´s the best to combine them to reach your destination. When I went to the Beijing Zoo and the Summer Palace I used this combination: Walk, Subway and Rickshaw for the Zoo and Boat to the Summer Palace, and finally home by Bus and Taxi. It took me and my two family guides 11 hours before reaching home. I think when you visit for a shorter period like a week or 10 days you must use the taxi a lot.
It is very cheap here and you will reach your destination very quick. Though you have to be aware of the language! If not they can charge you night fare prices during the day time as you can not read their equipment. A little warning of this and maybe they don´t always take the shortest way! So know your surroundings and the map! I go mostly with Liping, who is born and has lived here for 40 years. So I don´t have this problem. But anyway it is very cheap for westerners. In Stockholm I would pay 10 or 15 times more for the taxi ride anyway. So for me it´s ok paying 20 or 30 yuan for the same ride. My visit was for 30 days. So I had plenty of time to learn about how to get around in Beijing. Public transportation map in Beijing is from summer 2007. 
The very fast evolving Beijing Subway has four lines(two above ground, two underground), with several more being built in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics. There were 599 bus and trolleybus routes in Beijing as of 2004. Beijing has simplified its bus fare system from January 1st, 2007 as follows: Pay by cash - Lines 1-199(Mainly operated in inner city) 1 Yuan per single journey. Lines 200-299(Night services): 2 Yuan per journey. Lines 300-899(Mainly operated in outer city/suburb): 1 Yuan for the first 12 km and another 0.5 yuan for each additional 5 km. 
Lines 900-999(Mainly operated from city center to rural area): 1 Yuan per 10 km. Pay by prepaid Yikatong smartcard - Lines 1-499: 0.4 Yuan per single journey.
Lines 500-899: 0.4 Yuan for the first 12 km and another 0.2 Yuan for each additional 5 km.
Lines 900-999: 0.8 Yuan per 10 km. 3-day, 7-day and 14-day bus passes are available for travellers. Surcharges of air-conditioned buses have been cancelled. Subway tickets cost 3 Yuan for the 1, 2, 13, and 8T lines; 5 RMB for tickets allowing a transfer from Line 1/2 to 13, and 4 RMB for tickets allowing a transfer from Line 1/2 to 8T. There is no discount for smartcard users. Taxis are nearly ubiquitous, including a large number of unregistered taxis.
As of June 30th, 2006 all fares on legal taxies start at 10 Renmibi for the first 3 km (idling time is also a factor), and are 2.00 Renmibi per extra kilometer. Most taxis are a mixed fleet of new Hyundai Elantra and Volkswagen Jetta(Borla) cars. After 15 km, the base fare is increased by 50%(but only applied to the portion of the distance over 15 km, so that the passenger is not retroactively charged extra for the first 15 km). Between 11pm and 6am, the fee is increased by 20%, starting at 11 RMB and increasing at a rate of 2.4 RMB per km. Rides over 15 km and between 11pm and 6am apply both charges, for a total increase of 80%(120%*150%=180%). The Beijing subway system is very good and growing all the time. It´s a really quick and cheap way to get around in the town. 
Though it´s a long way to walk between the stations as Beijing is a very large city. The bus is a much better way to get around as the stations are closer and a little less to walk between. But still very long! Still though the busses cover all of central Beijing and the suburbs too! Together they both use electronic smart cards for payment. It´s a very good system. You fill you card with money and then use it all over Beijing. I now see Stockholm will also use smart cards, but in a different way. I think Beijing´s smart card is better for the local traveller. Stockholm has to learn from this! In Beijing you don´t need to pick up your card, and you can touch with your bag or clothes with card still in it´s pocket!
Zai jian!
Peter
A little about public transportation in Beijing 北京. Our apartment is situated very central in this town. You have several ways to help you to get around the city as a tourist. The means of transportation I can put into five groups: 1. Taxi, 2. Subway, 3. Bus, 4. Rickshaw, 5 Boat and 6. Walk! Many times it´s the best to combine them to reach your destination. When I went to the Beijing Zoo and the Summer Palace I used this combination: Walk, Subway and Rickshaw for the Zoo and Boat to the Summer Palace, and finally home by Bus and Taxi. It took me and my two family guides 11 hours before reaching home. I think when you visit for a shorter period like a week or 10 days you must use the taxi a lot.
It is very cheap here and you will reach your destination very quick. Though you have to be aware of the language! If not they can charge you night fare prices during the day time as you can not read their equipment. A little warning of this and maybe they don´t always take the shortest way! So know your surroundings and the map! I go mostly with Liping, who is born and has lived here for 40 years. So I don´t have this problem. But anyway it is very cheap for westerners. In Stockholm I would pay 10 or 15 times more for the taxi ride anyway. So for me it´s ok paying 20 or 30 yuan for the same ride. My visit was for 30 days. So I had plenty of time to learn about how to get around in Beijing. Public transportation map in Beijing is from summer 2007. 
The very fast evolving Beijing Subway has four lines(two above ground, two underground), with several more being built in preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics. There were 599 bus and trolleybus routes in Beijing as of 2004. Beijing has simplified its bus fare system from January 1st, 2007 as follows: Pay by cash - Lines 1-199(Mainly operated in inner city) 1 Yuan per single journey. Lines 200-299(Night services): 2 Yuan per journey. Lines 300-899(Mainly operated in outer city/suburb): 1 Yuan for the first 12 km and another 0.5 yuan for each additional 5 km. 
Lines 900-999(Mainly operated from city center to rural area): 1 Yuan per 10 km. Pay by prepaid Yikatong smartcard - Lines 1-499: 0.4 Yuan per single journey.Lines 500-899: 0.4 Yuan for the first 12 km and another 0.2 Yuan for each additional 5 km.
Lines 900-999: 0.8 Yuan per 10 km. 3-day, 7-day and 14-day bus passes are available for travellers. Surcharges of air-conditioned buses have been cancelled. Subway tickets cost 3 Yuan for the 1, 2, 13, and 8T lines; 5 RMB for tickets allowing a transfer from Line 1/2 to 13, and 4 RMB for tickets allowing a transfer from Line 1/2 to 8T. There is no discount for smartcard users. Taxis are nearly ubiquitous, including a large number of unregistered taxis.
As of June 30th, 2006 all fares on legal taxies start at 10 Renmibi for the first 3 km (idling time is also a factor), and are 2.00 Renmibi per extra kilometer. Most taxis are a mixed fleet of new Hyundai Elantra and Volkswagen Jetta(Borla) cars. After 15 km, the base fare is increased by 50%(but only applied to the portion of the distance over 15 km, so that the passenger is not retroactively charged extra for the first 15 km). Between 11pm and 6am, the fee is increased by 20%, starting at 11 RMB and increasing at a rate of 2.4 RMB per km. Rides over 15 km and between 11pm and 6am apply both charges, for a total increase of 80%(120%*150%=180%). The Beijing subway system is very good and growing all the time. It´s a really quick and cheap way to get around in the town. 
Though it´s a long way to walk between the stations as Beijing is a very large city. The bus is a much better way to get around as the stations are closer and a little less to walk between. But still very long! Still though the busses cover all of central Beijing and the suburbs too! Together they both use electronic smart cards for payment. It´s a very good system. You fill you card with money and then use it all over Beijing. I now see Stockholm will also use smart cards, but in a different way. I think Beijing´s smart card is better for the local traveller. Stockholm has to learn from this! In Beijing you don´t need to pick up your card, and you can touch with your bag or clothes with card still in it´s pocket!Zai jian!
Peter
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