Tine De Kesel works for OSK Public Relations consulting and has been living in China for eight years. She and her husband Junyi Zhang married in both Belgium and China and now have a daughter named Zoë, who turned 1 this year. Zhang, who speaks English and German as well as Chinese, runs a soccer school called Coerver. We caught up with this multilingual family to find out their most-loved Beijing spots.
Favorite Places to Shop
We hardly shop in China due to the high prices, but if we do it’s in Sanlitun and Tai Koo Li to pick up small pieces of jewelry or clothing. For Zoë we go to Solana.
Favorite Winter Activity
We like to go home to Belgium for Christmas. In Beijing, we enjoy going for a walk, meeting friends for coffee, and letting the little ones play together.
Favorite Family Restaurant
Let’s Burger in Tai Koo Li is very family-friendly.
Favorite Dessert/Snack
Anything with cheese. We buy different cheeses at Jenny Lou’s or indulge in cheesecake from April Gourmet.
New Discoveries
Xian Bar at EAST Beijing and Indigo Mall
Favorite Neighborhoods
We love Sanlitun and Lido, but for Zoë we prefer Shunyi.
Family Ritual
We have lunch with Junyi’s parents every weekend in Shunyi.
Date Night
We usually see a movie at Megabox in Sanlitun, get a massage at Dragonfly, or have a nice dinner at Hatsune or Grange Grill at The Westin Chaoyang Beijing.
photo by Sui
This article originally appeared on p96 of the beijingkids December 2013 issue.
Check out the PDF version online at Issuu.com