Kai Yang Qiao
I live in an apartment complex near Kai Yang Qiao (qiao means bridge) in the south of Beijing. Here is a handy map. My room is well equipped by Chinese standards - it has a shower, fridge, washing machine and western style toilet and it's all pretty modern. I've never seen any other foreigners around this area so I think I'm the only one, hence all the stares when I go to the local shop!
With such a large population many people live in apartments like this - young families, professionals, old people - and a lot of them are really nicely decorated inside, unlike the outside which can often look a bit run down. For the benefit of the community, lots of outdoor spaces are provided, such as parks, fountains, pagodas, and adult exercise equipment which is great fun. In the evenings people gather outside and you can often see people exercising in the garden or playing with their small dogs or children. (I think there's a rule where only small dogs are allowed in central Beijing, so they are always small and cute - the children are also small and cute).
To get to the subway station I take the bus, which costs 1 kwai (about 10p), or if I'm late/being lazy I get a taxi or small motorised cart (10-15 kwai which is £1 - £1.50). So I can get to the centre of Beijing in half an hour. In all, it's a pretty nice area for 1800 yuan a month (about £180), though with my new job it will soon be time to move up north...Anyway, you can see some pictures of my apartment here.