Is Weigongcun the New Wudaokou?

Weigongcun is an area that flies under the radar of most expatriates in Beijing. It’s a quiet, unassuming northwestern suburb that sits right beside the Third Ring Road. If you’re a really old Beijing-hand, you might have known it as a Uygur neighborhood, but it shows little trace of that now. Much of the ethnic enclave was razed in 2000. More recently the area has taken on a new face, and alongside its sizable student population is a growing selection of Western eateries.

The area is chock full of students, predominantly from Renmin University, Beijing Foreign Studies University and Beijing Institute of Technology. These three main schools carry student populations in excess of 60,000 – on par with the numbers for the Wudaokou triumvirate: Beijing University, Tsinghua University, and Beijing Language and Culture University.

Weigongcun Lu and Zhonguancun Nandajie serve as the epicenter for Weigongcun’s student numbers, and in the past year development has been remarkably fast here, even by Beijing standards. Within the span of nine months, four new establishments – two cafes and two pizza bars – have opened their doors, all within 1km of each other.

Melissa Marechal, 21, is a Belgian student studying Mandarin at BFSU. She says the change from when she first arrived in September last year is noticeable. “When I first got here, there were only about two café options. Now there are several great places for me to hang out or study within a ten minute walk. It’s really cool because the trek out to Wudaokou is a good 30 minutes by subway and it’s time consuming to always be going out there.”

The momentum Weigongcun is gaining comes at a point when Wudaokou has just about reached saturation point for cafés and similar businesses. When Mr. Liu, owner of West Pizza Pub, scouted around for venues to open his pizza parlor, he saw a great deal of potential in the vicinity, eventually choosing a spot right next to Renmin University.

“It’s a much more desirable, profitable location. Wudaokou is a very competitive market with high rents. Targeting the collegiate customer doesn’t necessarily mean Wudaokou. Here, there is a lot of untapped potential.” He adds that “business has been doing well” since he opened last September.

Growth has been helped by the opening of subway Line 4 late last year, that conveniently gave the district Renmin University and Weigongcun stations. If it keeps this growth pattern, Weigongcun and Wudaokou may one day share more in common than a three-syllable name starting with W.

Weigongcun’s Best Student Haunts

Daylight Donuts
This Oklahoma donut joint is certainly a solution for those sugar cravings. There’s jam and cream filled donuts on hand in addition to choices of chocolate, strawberry or banana icing, sprinkles and long johns— “always fresh” the company promises. At RMB 6 for the basic sugar glazed to RMB 9 for fancier donuts, it’s a great and affordable slice of Americana.
Daily 7am-10pm. Building 1, Courtyard 8, Weigongcun Lu (opposite the Beijing Institute of Technology), Haidian district. (6845 8292) 海淀区魏公村路8号 院1号楼

Let’s Coffee
No relation to Let’s Burger or Let’s Seafood, this new two-storey café is bright and airy, with a vaguely country house-style charm - floral-patterned couches, rustic decorations, and there’s even a piano if the mood happens to strike you. The coffee is reasonably priced: a Honey Macchiato is RMB 26 and a Black will set you back RMB 18. They also have steaks, pizza and Chinese set meals. Just make sure you settle your bill yourself downstairs at the counter, beside the small store area where they sell little knick knacks and Korean stationery.
Daily 8am – 12 midnight. 18-12 Zhongguancun Nandajie, Haidian District (6213 6081) 海淀区中关村南大街18-12

Old Bike Cafe
Old London and China memorabilia adorn the wall of this coffee shop and cafe. The burgers (RMB 15) here are a cheap draw with the student crowd. Old Bike does a mediocre mish mash of Western food, but as it’s British-owned, it features a number of English dishes such as shepherd’s pie, stew, baked jackets (that’s baked potatoes for you, Americans), and fish and chips. Food and service can be inconsistent but the extra large cups of steaming coffee are worth every penny.
Daily 9am-11pm. 3/F, 5 Weigongcun Lu, Haidian District., Haidian District(5982 4407)海淀区海淀区魏公村路5号3层

PBD Pizza Bar
PBD offers American-sized pizza portions at hard to beat prices, starting at RMB 25 for a small. It clearly caters to the student population as evidenced by the graffiti scrawled on every possible inch of wall and the dirt-cheap drinks (RMB 15 for draft Heineken and Carlsberg, RMB 25 for standard mixed drinks.) Other options include respectable sandwiches, salads, and sides such as wings, fries, and onion rings.
Daily 10am-12 midnight. 15 Xisanhuan Beilu, Haidian District (Next to BFSU West Campus Gate) (135 2027 3177) 海淀区西三环北路15号(外国语大学北外宾馆北)

Sculpting in Time
No lengthy introduction is needed to this popular and enduring chain of cafés. However, most people don’t know that the original branch sits here at the south gate of Beijing Institute of Technology. Their Americano (RMB 18) comes with one free refill and they serve up decent Western breakfasts (RMB 28-35). Visit their website www.sitcoffee.com for print-out coupons on several items on the menu.
Daily 8.30am-1am. 7 Weigongcun Lu, Haidian District.(6894 6825) 海淀区魏公村路7号北京理工大学南门

Stairway to Love Café
Walk up the long stairway to this dimly lit café and you’re met with an ambiance well suited for a romantic rendezvous. Partitions and opaque curtains separate the sofas set amongst the dark wooden tables, and there are several secluded rooms in the back. The stand out on the menu at this café is the extensive drink selection. The many varieties of coffee, tea, milkshakes, sherbet, and fresh juice all start at RMB 25.
Daily 8am– 1am. 13 Xisanhuan Beilu, Haidian District. (8881 4020) 海淀区西三环北路13号

The West Pizza Pub
It’s the ultimate frat house hang out—sports and movies play from a TV in the corner while collegiate-style banners hang from ceilings. There are more than a dozen varieties of pizzas served here like BBQ Chicken, Brooklyn Beef Ball, Hawaiian, and a Napoleon Seafood (RMB 35-50 small, RMB 65-90 medium, RMB 90-120 large). Play a game of foosball or darts between bites of pizza, or even beer pong, which the owner encourages. You can use the draft Tsingtao for that (RMB 10 for a pitcher), half priced everyday 9pm onwards, or you can enjoy a bottled Budweiser (RMB 15) and Corona (RMB 20) on the large rooftop terrace.
Daily 11am-11pm. 58 Minzudaxue Xilu, (West gate of Renmin University in the courtyard of the Youth Holiday hotel), Haidian District (6893 7218) 海淀区民族大学西路58号（青年假日酒店旁大木门内小院）