The Mueller-Hofvenschioeld family comes from Sweden and Germany. They are mom Elizabeth, dad Axel, Henrik (age 5), and Freja (2). Both children attend House of Knowledge International Kindergarten. Elizabeth is a part-time student and full-time mom and Axel is the head of procurement at Daimler Greater China. They moved to Beijing for Axel’s work almost two years ago.
Best Place for a Special Occasion
We just celebrated our wedding anniversary at Brian McKenna’s The Courtyard.
Favorite Family Restaurants
Din Tai Fung for great dumplings, high chairs, kid-sized cutlery, a playroom and decent bathrooms; Baoyuan Jiaozi Wu for multi-coloured jiaozi; and Hatsune for tempura.
Family Ritual
Every Sunday, we have a big breakfast at home with croissants and pretzels from Michael’s
German Bakery, Nutella, and homemade strawberry jam.
Date Night
Atmosphere for great views and amazing cocktails or Capital M for a bit of decadence, good food, and wine.
Rainy Day Activities
Rain doesn’t affect our outdoor activities, but poor air quality does. We build a fortress out of our sofa, blankets, and pillows, or go to Indigo Mall for books and lunch.
Weekend Activities
Swimming at the local pool, monthly museum trips (e.g. Beijing Capital Museum), bike rides around Shunyi, and walking in the hutongs around Confucius Temple.
Best Autumn Activities
The Great Wall at Mutianyu or somewhere closer, like Fragrant Hills
Favorite Places to Shop
Hongqiao Market – you can get almost anything there. We also love Page One bookstore. For decent quality kids’ clothes that last more than three washes, we shop at H&M and Gap at Indigo Mall.
Best Places to Play
Outdoors: In our garden, Olympic Park, Ritan Park, or Chaoyang Park. Indoors: At home, a friend’s house, or a family-friendly museum like the Beijing Railway Museum.
New Discoveries
Obentos in Wangjing. They have super tasty bento box options and our kids love the salmon.
Photo by Mitchell Pe Masilun
This article originally appeared on p96 of the beijingkids November 2013 issue.
Check out the PDF version online at Issuu.com