I'm working/studying in Beijing atm, and have met Ian couple of times : to talk about bitcoin, to discover real chinese food (delicious traditionnal hotpot) and hype expat lair : he's the guy! With him and his Chinese wife, you won't feel like a tourist, especially when Chineses will try to scam you 
Life is pretty cheap in Beijing, compared to good old west Europe: subway trip is about 0.2, complete decent meal for 4-5, acommodation varies due to chinese standards (hard bed, small bathroom, not uber-clean rooms). If you're ok with fake stuff (clothes, sunglasses, bags), you can cut nice deals. My chinese is too poor to negociate anything serious tho (electronics, GPU, etc.).
I highly recommend OP to every bitcoin lover planning to fly to Beijing!
Life is pretty cheap in Beijing, compared to good old west Europe: subway trip is about 0.2, complete decent meal for 4-5, acommodation varies due to chinese standards (hard bed, small bathroom, not uber-clean rooms). If you're ok with fake stuff (clothes, sunglasses, bags), you can cut nice deals. My chinese is too poor to negociate anything serious tho (electronics, GPU, etc.).
I highly recommend OP to every bitcoin lover planning to fly to Beijing!