Playing Outside
The 2010 Temple Fair Circuit
Beijing is gearing up for Spring Festival, China’s biggest holiday, and come February 14, 2010, it’ll be time to celebrate in lao Beijing fashion. Do as the locals do: Bundle up and head to the temple fairs around town.
The tradition of temple fairs extends back a thousand years, and nowadays you’ll find a cornucopia of regional foods, arts and crafts, and traditional performances on display in Beijing. Go back in time to the Qing dynasty, play traditional games, eat fancy treats or get tech-savvy – there’s more to Chinese New Year than the fireworks exploding throughout the city.
Beijing’s Carnival: Chaoyang Park Dubbed the “International Spring Festival Carnival,” this modern, multicultural temple fair has become a favorite of many Chaoyang residents since it was first held in 2002. As its name indicates, the fair features performers from all over the world.
Travel for Two
The Travelers
Kitty and Ivan Ho
The Destination
Aswan, Abu Simbel, Luxor, Giza, Hurghada, Cairo
The Plan
Kitty and Ivan sent their son, 3-year-old Jovian, off to Hong Kong to stay with Ivan’s parents, so they could enjoy a little getaway from their busy work schedule. They signed up for a package tour to Egypt, departing from Hong Kong. The itinerary was well-planned by the agent, who took care of everything from the plane tickets and transportation to the hotel. The 10-day package from Wing On Travel (www.wingontravel.com) came to approximately RMB 10,000 per person.
Fair-Hop Like It's 2009
Ring in the Year of the Ox at Beijing’s best temple fairs
Beijing is gearing up for Spring Festival, China’s biggest holiday, and come January 26, 2009, it’ll be time to celebrate in lao Beijing fashion. Do as the locals do: Bundle up and head to the temple fairs around town.
The tradition of temple fairs extends back a thousand years, and nowadays you’ll find a cornucopia of regional foods, arts and crafts, and traditional performances on display in Beijing. Go back in time to the Qing dynasty, play traditional games, eat fancy treats or get tech-savvy – there’s more to Chinese New Year than the fireworks exploding throughout the city.
Dancing on Ice
Figure skating for beginners
It’s Tuesday afternoon and a dozen kids are zipping around the Le Cool ice skating rink at Guomao shopping mall. One of them is 10-year-old Wang Zichen, who is practicing a one-and-and-half revolution jump-spin that she just learned a few weeks ago. Her tall, slim body moves to music in a graceful curve – arms spread like wings, feet gliding in rhythm, her purple skirt fluttering in the breeze.
Instructor Hu Xiao’ou is sternly correcting Zichen’s poses, but he can hardly conceal his pride in her. “Zichen was a shy kid when she first came here to learn skating six years ago,” says Hu with a smile, “but now she is an excellent public performer and expresses herself freely through music and movement.”
Let’s Get Cookin’
Young cooks fire up the woks
Want to whet your children’s appetite? Are your young ones budding chefs? Do you want to be off kitchen duty for good? Let young cooks touch, feel, smell and discover more about the food they’re eating at the kids’ cooking classes at The Hutong, located in Jiudaowan Zhongxiang hutong near Beixinqiao subway stop.
Have Kid, Will Hike - Family-friendly treks just two hours away
Living in the second biggest city in China need not mean sacrificing an escape to nature. Families with young children can find plenty of ideal spots for easy hiking within a two-hour drive of Beijing. With some planning, you can organize your own trip to the woods, but it may be easier to connect with other families with hiking experience or to contact Beijing Hikers (www.beijinghikers.com), whose group tours include pick-up and drop-off, English-speaking guides, and lunch and refreshments. Huijie Sun, a hike leader with the organization since 2003, recommends traveling less than two hours for hikes so that young ones don’t become too antsy. Autumn and spring are the best seasons for hiking, but many hikers happily trek through rainstorms and chilly days with just a few more layers of clothing. If you’re taking small children along, stay away from bushy trails; the hiking parks detailed below are always a good bet. For families who want to hit the trail independently, research directions carefully and take a knowledgeable guide, as trailheads can be hard to find. Families can contact Beijing Hikers to find an experienced driver or consult the organization’s forthcoming Hiking in Beijing, scheduled for publication later this year.
Get On Your High Horse
Saddling up in Chaoyang Nothing best takes advantage of those lingering days of summer like a quiet horseback ride through the wilderness. And though Ascot it is not, Beijing nevertheless has its fair share of equestrian options for kids and adults.
Casting Off
A nautical oasis near Beijing
As far as recreational activities are concerned, Beijing is a city that serves its expats well. But when Rick Pointon upped sticks and moved to Beijing from London, he was disheartened to find there was nowhere within commutable distance from the capital where he could indulge his passion for sailing. A committed mariner since his teens, Rick knew that there was plenty of suitable coastline but was frustrated to find none of it nearby was being utilized for sailing. So rather than waste hours on trains and planes going back and forth to Qingdao, he concocted a plan to build a sailing center of his own.
Moving to the Kindermusik
A boogie down for the barely walking
At first glance into Beijing’s Kindermusik program, you can’t be sure if you’ve wandered into a children’s band, a dance class, or a small miracle – 11 babies, and not one of them crying.
Practiced in over 66 countries, the Kindermusik program is aimed at children ages 7 and younger and combines music and movement to help develop a variety of skills: singing, rhyming, object identification, sound imitation, listening and coordination. The Beijing program was started in September 2006 by Canadian Sarah Peel Li, a licensed Kindermusik educator. “We never make up what we’re doing,” she says. “There is always a real reason behind what we are doing in each class.”
Taking Flight
Spread your wings with the Rainbow Model Aircraft Club
Rainbow Radio-controlled Model Shop and Club may not look much from the outside, but ever since it opened in 1997, it has been a haven for many RC aircraft lovers. Not only can you find various types of model aircraft and radios here, but you can also learn how to build, fly and repair your model plane with other RC plane enthusiasts in Beijing.
Zhao Jianliang, co-founder of the Rainbow RC Model Club, has been a fan of radio-controlled model vehicles since he was a child. “Flying model aircrafts is a wonderful hobby,” says Zhao, “it gets me out of the city every weekend. Plus, it combines knowledge of physics, mechanics, even chemistry, and it also gives me an opportunity to learn about aerodynamics.”
