Ditan Park 地坛公园
This serene park features hundred-year old cypress and gingko trees, making it a prime destination for locals looking to hide from the heat. Family-friendly activities are concentrated at the northern end and include a go-kart track, inflatable castle, merry-go-round, fishing stream for toddlers, and a goldfish pond. Green thumbs should check out Ditan’s enormous peonies, which are currently in bloom at the eastern end of the park.
RMB 2, RMB 1 (students), free for kids under 1.2m. Daily 6am-9pm. West Gate, 2 Andingmenwai Dajie, Dongcheng District (6421 4657) www.dtpark.com东城区安定门外大街2号地坛公园西门
Qingnianhu Park 青年湖公园
Located west of Ditan Park, Qingnianhu Park (literally “Lake of Youngsters”) is named after the teenage volunteers who helped dig up the park’s artificial lake in 1958. Qingnianhu Park Water World is the main attraction here, with its water slides, man-made waterfalls, and shallow pools for kids. At the time of print, the water park was undergoing renovations, but is slated to re-open sometime this month. Visitors can also rent a motorboat for up to six people, play golf at Beijing Youth Lake International Golf Club, or shoot some hoops at the basketball court.
Free. Daily 6am-9pm. Ande Beili Jie, Andingmenwai Dajie, Dongcheng District (8411 6321 ext 8000) www.qingnianhu.com 西城区安定门外大街安德北里街
Liuyin Park 柳荫公园
Just north of Qingnianhu Park, there’s a small but well-maintained park called Liuyin Park (literally “Shade of Willow Trees”). Irreverent
touches pepper the grounds, including pig-shaped benches and worried-looking frog sculptures. A “wild duck island” (野鸭岛) in the middle of the pond means that youngsters can spot waterfowl in the summer. For something a bit different, dine at Linhuxuan Restaurant
on the lakeshore. This restaurant specializes in guanfu cai (官府菜), a type of Beijing imperial cuisine developed in the kitchens of government officials.
Liuyin Park
Free. Daily 6am-9pm. 8 Huangsi Dajie, Andingmenwai Dajie, Dongcheng District (8413 1357/1660) 西城区安定门外黄寺大街8号
Linhuxuan Restaurant 临湖轩
Daily 11am-2pm, 5-9.30pm. Liuyin Park Lakeside, 8 Huangsi Dajie, Andingmenwai Dajie, Dongcheng District (8412 2679) 东城区安定门外黄寺大街8号柳荫公园湖畔
Photo by Sophie Zhu
This article originally appeared on p55-56 of the beijingkids June 2013 issue.
Check out the PDF version online at Issuu.com