This was one of the first Starbucks your blogger noticed outside central Beijing. Shunyi is Shunyi — you know, that bit with the big airport in the Jing — until you realize that it’s also home to loads of expats as well. (By the way, the airport is supposed to belong to Chaoyang District. Strictly speaking. Trust us…)

Shunyi is a funny mix of three different parts: the airport (which, again, is — strictly speaking — supposed to belong to Chaoyang); old Shunyi; and new Shunyi, as in, the Shunyi New City. Oh and we — once again — forgot the fourth bit, right next to China National Highways 101 and 111, and within striking distance of the airport.

Expats live in this bit of Shunyi which is close to Beijing Airport. Incredibly enough, they’re spared of the aural cacophony of the planes taking off or landing, despite being just miles from PEK. In this part of town, there’s a huge bit of Shunyi known as Pinnacle Plaza, which is basically full of fast food joints — Subway, Domino’s Pizza — and a Starbucks. (If you’re more for Costa Coffee, try Euro Plaza, basically a stone’s throw from Pinnacle Plaza.)

The Starbucks in this bit of town is a bit on the huge side. It’s often full of people during the day time, but come into the place around evening time on a Monday evening and it’s incredibly devoid of people. Along with the offer from the baristas to convert your “for here” tea to a “to-go” tea (for free, did we hear?) comes the pleasure of uninterrupted wifi access.

Right around the corner, of course, is the Subway joint. It’s a mix of the arrangement seen only at SOGO Xuanwumen: a sandwich joint right next to Starbucks. Zero commute. If you’re coming back from the countryside and want the wifi without the jams that make up central Beijing, Pinnacle Plaza has a Starbucks that might be worth checking out.

Wifi: Free; password needed, given upon purchase
Signal: Good
VPN support: Good
Transit links: None yet, although Pinnacle Plaza is expected to be a 15-20 minute walk from the China International Exhibition Center station on Line 15

Starbucks Pinnacle Plaza (星巴克 - 荣祥广场, 顺义)
Shunyi, Beijing, China