Michael Wu and Stephanie Yu are both from China and work in investment. They are also active in early childhood education; Yu runs an art school for kids called Yosemite Art Center, while Wu manages a traditional Chinese culture club with friends, called Ding Li Club. The couple has been living in Beijing for eight years and their 3-year-old daughter Wu Yutong attends Jiade International Bilingual Kindergarten.
Family Ritual
Every two weeks, we make dumplings together at home.
Date Night
Wu Tong in Lido. It has a nice environment and we love the name, because it sounds similar to our daughter’s.
Favorite Neighborhood
Lido
New Discoveries
CJ Foodworld in Lido is a food complex that offers steak, pastries, coffee, and Korean dishes.
Favorite Way to Relax
Going to the hot springs at Block 8 or Shunjing Hot Springs and traveling.
Favorite Dessert
We all love the cheesecakes and pies from Pantry’s Best.
Favorite Family Restaurant
We often go to restaurants near Block 8 Hotsprings; there is a lot to choose from, including Haiku by Hatsune (Japanese), Yuanjing (Chinese), Qixiangju (Sichuanese), and the newly-opened Hui Ge (hotpot).
Favorite Places to Shop
Stephanie visits the Sci-Tech Outlets every two months for clothes; otherwise, she goes to Shin Kong Plaza and Solana. For Yutong, we usually go to Solana for Zara, H&M, Rookie, and
Mothercare. Sometimes, we shop on Taobao for convenience.
Favorite Day Trip
Jingshan Park. The view over the Forbidden City is amazing.
Weekend Activities
We normally spend Saturday morning at Yosemite Art Centre, where Yutong has dance and art classes. Then, we might arrange a field trip to Huairou District or the Great Wall, or enjoy some Chinese tea at Ding Li Club.
Best Places to Play
Outdoors, it would be Chaoyang Park, Honglingjin Park, or Tuanjiehu Park. If you have time to get out of the city, we recommend Huanghuacheng Great Wall.
Best Place for Special Occasions
Yosemite Art Center! We celebrated Yutong’s third birthday there; it has ample space for kids to play in and the facilities are suitable for events.
This article is excerpted from the beijingkids November 2012 issue. View it in PDF form here or contact distribution@beijing-kids.com to find out where you can pick up your free copy.