It is geographically situated in the northwestern part of Beijing city, in a band between the northwestern Third Ring Road and the northwestern Fourth Ring Road. Zhongguancun is very well known in China, and is often referred to as "China's Silicon Valley".
Zhongguancun has long existed since 1950's and only became a household name in the early 1980s. The first person who envisioned the future for Zhongguancun was Chen Chunxian, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), who came up with the idea for a Silicon Valley in China after he visited the U.S. as part of a government-sponsored trip. The location of the Chinese Academy of Sciences within Zhongguancun reinforced, and perhaps was in part responsible for the technological growth in this area.
Throughout the 1980s and still today, Zhongguancun was known as "electronics avenue," because of its connections to information technology and the preponderance of stores along a central, crowded street.
Zhongguancun was officially recognized by the central government of China in 1988. It was given the wordy name "Beijing High-Technology Industry Development Experimental Zone."
The current designation Zhongguancun refers commonly to the original site. However, officially (as of 1999) Zhongguancun has become the "Zhongguancun Science & Technology Zone." It is a zone with seven parks, including Haidian Park, Fengtai Park, Changping Park, Electronics City (in Chaoyang), Yizhuang Park, Desheng Park, and Jianxiang Park.
The original Zhongguancun is now known as the Haidian Park of the Zhongguancun Zone. The area and environs, however, remain the same.
zhongguancun electronics shopping market offers an incredible range of options to people interested in buying equipment ranging from MP3 players, mobile phones, cameras, computers and anything that hangs off them.
For those who have shopped at Plantip Plaza in Bangkok you will find Plantip Plaza reduced to a mere convenience store in comparison to Zhongguancun. The market is enormous! The market is more like a series of large multi storey shopping centres in one compact area.
Not only can you shop in the famous Ke Mao Da Shi, but you have options like PC Mall across the road, Zhongguancun e-Plaza, TOP Electronics City, and the nearby Zhonghai Electronics Market, Silicon Valley Computer City. You will find that there are both old and new sections to this enormous ‘silicon valley’ area, but both house a range of products.
As you shop be sure to know your prices and the exact model you want to buy. Many shops will allow you to come back for free service and advice if you talk to them about this before buying, but this does not happen in all cases.
Take your time in examining and testing products and discussing them. Be willing to go away for further research before committing to any purchase. Word on the street has it that Silicon Valley Computer City actually offers lower prices than the other electronics shopping areas to compensate for it being a little further away.
This famous electronics shopping area can be found just south of the North Fourth Ring Road, south of Haidian District and south of Peking University.
To access the market area by public transport take the subway to Wudaokou Station or tell any taxi driver that you wish to go to Zhong Guan Cun, Ke Mao Dashi.
