Beijing - Post Report Question and Answers
English-language newspapers and TV available? Cost?
English language Chinese newspapers widely available and cheap. - Jun 2013
The China Daily has an English version, but it is a very light read. Unless you're affiliated with the embassy and therefore are authorized to have an AFN dish and decoder, I don't think English-language TV is available. - Aug 2011
Global Times is the communist party's newspaper, costs 30 cents and runs a lot of local interest articles, some of which are pretty controversial. It's important to note that the party isn't the government, there are many factions and the Global Times is left-leaning. China Daily is the official government newspaper, staid, dry and conservative. GDP is the big story, every day, inexorably marching to the moon and stratosphere in a great harmonious society, and by the way, won't you visit Wenzhou too? Here's a dry profile about how they manufacture butane lighters. You can obviously tell which I like better. Some free-to-air satellite channels are available, although I think having a dish is technically illegal (there are tons of them everywhere, so this isn't enforced if it is). Programming comes mostly from the Philippines. I don't have a TV so I don't really care. The Chinese government has an English-language TV station called CCTV 9. It is very special. I don't own a TV so I don't get to experience how special it is. CCTV 9 is legendary in expat circles. Hope you packed your Pepto. - Jan 2011
China Daily, but it's a joke. Imported newsmags are expensive. I get my news from the internet or not at all. - Apr 2010
You can have subscriptions for most newspapers and magazines, although sometimes they disappear and sometimes they arrive with pages ripped out. Some satellites are available (although illegal). - Jan 2010
