【Epoch Times News, November 23, 2024】Beijing’s high rent has always been a nightmare for out-of-town workers. In order to reduce expenses, they think every day about finding the cheapest place to stay. Therefore, the well-equipped Beijing Daxing International Airport has become the “zero-cost bathing center” that out-of-town workers talk about. It is at the top of the search list for overnight rest areas.
In the past, places like Jindingxuan and McDonald’s, which operate 24 hours a day, as well as bathing centers that offer food and lodging, have become temporary shelters for many drifters in Beijing. The overnight cost at these places is mostly under 200 yuan (RMB), which is not too high.
However, with the economic downturn, budget-conscious drifters have started looking for even more cost-effective temporary accommodation. As a result, Daxing Airport has become the newest shelter for drifters.
According to a report from “Sanlian Life Lab,” the airport not only has complete overnight facilities, but also offers everything from reclining chairs, massage chairs, to activity sofas that can be turned into single beds. The airport’s rest area is even a free bathing center. Tired visitors can easily find a place to sleep, and there is free hot water to drink when thirsty. Near the international arrivals area, there are even free shower rooms and hair dryers. In addition, there are plenty of seats, free air conditioning, charging ports everywhere, eliminating the need to search for 24-hour restaurants.
There are hardworking people at 3 am still editing PowerPoint presentations on reclining chairs, middle-aged people with tired faces taking their children out, and novice drifters carrying large and small bags, looking lost and unsure where to go.
Initially, the drifters staying overnight at Daxing Airport were mainly frequent business travelers. Because the bosses are stingy and always want to save on airfare, not only do they only buy tickets to Daxing Airport for employees, they also specifically choose the early 6 am flights. In order not to miss the flight, everyone has to arrive at the airport at 3 am to wait for departure.
Daxing Airport also has a rest area with a lawn covered with fake grass, where many maze walls set up relatively private spaces. Some outdoor enthusiasts even bring moisture-proof mats, tents, sleeping bags, and other camping equipment, turning this place into an indoor camping area where they set up camp, drink coffee, read, and chat.
Apart from accommodation, the restaurants inside the airport also cover a large part of the must-eat list in Beijing. For some people, the first stop when visiting Beijing is to have a taste of local delicacies in the terminal building of Daxing Airport. Many drifters without travel plans also frequent the dining area outside the security gates of the airport, treating Daxing Airport as a temporary hourly room to catch their breath.
In addition, many people coming to Beijing for civil service exams or postgraduate exams, in order to save on accommodation expenses, choose to land in Beijing a day or two before the exam, staying and eating at the airport until the day of the exam before leaving.
Ning, a 23-year-old, participated in a national civil service exam tour last year. Before coming to Beijing, she did a lot of research and found that there was a free library in the terminal building of Daxing Airport where she could review for the exam.
She said, “Staying in a hotel during a trip inevitably wastes time checking in and on transportation, so it’s much better to study at the airport in one go. Watching drifters coming and going, I silently told myself: if you want to stay here, you have to be prepared for a tough battle.”
Not only Daxing Airport, but airports across the country, such as Shanghai Pudong Airport, Chengdu Shuangliu Airport, and Guangzhou Baiyun Airport, have also become overnight bases exclusively for workers.