I found it. Paradise. Right here in Beijing, within the 5th Ring Road.

Of course, my idea of paradise may differ just a little from yours. But if yours has anything to do with kids having fun in a safe outdoor space while you sip *insert beverage of choice* and eat barbecue fresh off the grill before retiring to a warm bed in the middle of the woods, then we’re in business. The WOOTA glamping business, to be precise!

WOOTA, which loosely translates to ”tall house,” is the site of Beijing’s premier glamping grounds. Situated just ten kilometers (or an under-45 minute drive) from the city center in a private park, WOOTA has everything you could need for spending a night in the outdoors, all set up and ready for your enjoyment. The glamping grounds feature twenty roomy, waterproof canvas tents furnished in rustic natural decor that comfortably sleep up to four, maybe five, people. Facilities include clean toilets, warm showers, a playground with sand, a giant outdoor trampoline, a sheltered stage, and a movie projector plus screen. There are a number of activities to keep the kids occupied, including: Ride-an-ATV, archery (for older kids), wood-chopping, a campfire, an outdoor foam party, movie screenings… The list goes on and on! Though, honestly, my kid spent 90% of his time just bouncing on the giant outdoor trampoline, which is well worth its weight in gold.

Even the WOOTA mascot can jump on the giant trampoline – it’s THAT big!

As for activities to keep parents occupied? Well, so long as our kids have something to do, we are likely content to just sit, chat, and enjoy the fresh air in a natural setting. During our visit, the parents around me seemed completely worry-free as their kids roamed and played freely. Alright, perhaps the near-endless supply of alcoholic beverages helped a bit, but one cannot deny that the magic of simply being outdoors was a huge factor in taking the edge off. But as laissez-faire as we were, parents always have the option to take part in activities with their offspring. Many of us rode ATVs with our younger children, while the bigger kids had the option to ride a smaller ATV on their own.

But the real magic of camping, and even glamping, was watching the sun go down and everything change color as the night was lit up by the romantic hue of firelight. And after all, what screams summer more than roasting s’mores and marshmallows over a campfire?

Well, how about a movie under the stars?

Renting a tent at WOOTA will set you back RMB 2,380 for the night, which includes dinner and breakfast, as well as access to all the aforementioned activities. It’s basically the cost and experience of a night’s stay in a 5-star hotel in Beijing, with one major difference: At WOOTA you’re right in the peaceful embrace of Mother Nature!

Tents are furnished with double mattresses, basic amenities and decorated in a rustic wood theme

Have I mentioned the personalized and excellent service the family that runs WOOTA provides? The husband and wife team were available almost 24/7 throughout our stay of two days and one night, despite having just had their first baby six months ago. Hunter, the husband, and manager spoke excellent English, and grilled our barbecue dinner himself. He also took some of the younger kids on ATV rides around the grounds. You can tell when someone enjoys and takes pride in his work, and it shows in every aspect of WOOTA’s glamping experience.

As a little parting souvenir to commemorate their stay, families are invited to build their own canvas folding chair with their name laser-cut into the wood frame. Assembling the chair turned out to be more of a challenge than most of us were prepared for, and the staff graciously allowed us to take the pieces home to assemble at our leisure. My tip would be to set aside at least two hours for this activity, which usually takes place on the second day.

As an added bonus, dogs are more than welcome at the WOOTA glamping grounds! The owners have their own rescue dogs on-site, which is just another reason to like them. After all, is said and done, WOOTA certainly lives up to the glamping hype. Whenever you need a quick getaway from the urban jungle, this glossy little slice of nature will be right here for you to recharge your batteries and refresh yourself.

To book one of these super cool glamping trips for your friends and family, add WeChat ID WOOTA01 from Woota for more info! Have fun!

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Images: Andrew Eitingon, Joas Fritz, Jenny Williams, Vivienne Tseng-Rush, Dazhongdianping

I love cycling. It’s fun. It’s good exercise. Second only to walking, it’s the best way to get to know the geography of a city and – depending where you’re going – it’s often faster than public transport or taxi. More importantly, with COVID cases rising yet again, it’s essential to stay active in a safe way, and cycling enables you to do just that by staying outdoors where the virus can’t spread as easily.

But best of all, cycling is empowering. Whether Beijing is the first foreign city you’ve lived in, or your tenth, you can probably appreciate how disempowering the process of moving somewhere new can be. As a newcomer like me, it’s so easy to feel like things are just happening to you: you’re getting lost. You’re getting ignored. You’re getting shouted at. You’re unable to exercise much choice about what to eat or drink or even breathe. Loss of agency like this is mostly temporary, but it can seriously affect your mood and outlook.

Yet cycling is a powerful way to, ahem, get back in the saddle – the second rubber meets road you’re in control, an active participant in the game of city living.

I’ve been getting around on two wheels for years now, so no matter how many well-intentioned friends and family flapped their hands and wailed about how dangerous and terrifying it would be, I never considered not getting a bike and cycling in Beijing. What I didn’t expect was how enjoyable it would prove.

Here’s why:

The infrastructure is great

Compared to many Western cities, the bike lanes in Beijing are gigantic (Chang’an Avenue, anyone?), and in great condition. Wide bike lanes mean easy overtaking, which is essential if you want to keep both the lycra set and 80-year-old cyclists happy. Narrow bike lanes on the other hand cause bottlenecking, which in turn puts pressure on people to ride fast, causing an unreasonable and potentially dangerous situation. Wide lanes also solve the problem of bike lanes being obstructed by the delivery trucks, scooters, and cars, hazard-lights merrily blinking, an irritating but unavoidable fact of cycling the world over.

The geography is in your favor

This is an obvious one: Beijing is as flat as a pancake. Whether you’re riding with a zillion gears, an Ofo, or on a fixie, you’re unlikely to break a sweat while riding around, unless you actually want to.

History provides a strong tailwind

Unlike in the West, as recently as ten or 15 years ago, cycling was pretty much the only way to get around in Beijing. Everybody rode. Everywhere. While this may no longer be the case, there are still far more cyclists in Beijing than Paris, and there is a historical and cultural acceptance of cycling as a normal thing to do. Furthermore, compared to every other place I’ve cycled, drivers here have a much lower sense of entitlement to the road. Truly.

Culture flows into everything

Is it the result of growing up with over a billion other people? The need to endlessly navigate around each other in confined spaces? Or is it the impact of ‘face’ which prevents petty outbursts of dissatisfaction? I don’t know. I just know that Beijingers move around public spaces in a surprisingly easygoing way. Road rules are mostly guidelines, and despite the frequent cutting-off and pulling-into-busy-traffic-without-even-pretending-to-look, most of the time people adjust to accommodate one another without a word. Don’t believe me? Ride the wrong way up a bike lane in Beijing and see what happens (nothing). Now try that again in London, New York, or Paris. Shannon Bufton from Serk relates this to a phenomena he calls “negotiated flow,” explaining, “when you come to an intersection, everything slows down because [road users]don’t know who should be first since there is no steadfast rule … you look everyone in the eye, and then you personally negotiate the space, which makes it very, very safe.” The added benefit of this system is, in his view, “if something goes wrong, by the time you’ve slowed down to that speed, it’s just not dangerous at all.”

In the West, personal space is sacrosanct and people are less willing to adjust their trajectories. The upshot is that if you’re alert and sensitive to your surroundings, riding in Beijing can be a relatively harmonious experience.

The author with her “disco bike”

Tips and Tricks for staying safe on Beijing streets

• Never wear headphones and ride: you need to hear what’s going on around you.
• Expect the unexpected. People will cut in front of you, step out randomly into the street, and stop abruptly. Be ready, and go with the flow.
• Be aware of the “turning right is at all times allowed rule” and always watch out for rogue cars when approaching junctions.
• Invest in a good anti-pollution mask for bad air days (but don’t forget that even on a bad day, it’s still healthier to cycle).
• Deck your bike with some bright LED front and rear lights for night riding, and if you’re feeling extra jazzy, wear a reflective vest.
• Wear a helmet. Seriously.

Disclaimer
I am an experienced urban cyclist, so my standard for what is “normal,” “scary,” or “unacceptable” may be different to others just starting out. Saying that, we should all learn sometime, and despite the perceived chaos Beijing makes for a great city to adopt a set of wheels. Now strap on your helmet and get exploring!

READ: Train Hopping in Southern China: A Guide to Exploring Sichuan’s Sights by Rail

Photos: Anna Pellegrin Hartley, Giphy

When rock climbing makes its debut as an Olympic sport in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, climbers from around the world will showcase their strength and skills on the vertical rock walls at the marquee event. As is to be expected, the sport’s inclusion into the Olympics has resulted in an increased interest in the sport, and more rock climbing centers opening in Beijing than ever before and rock climbing, which was previously regarded as a niche sport, has now become a popular outdoor pastime for people of all ages.

With the easing of the COVID-19 outbreak, indoor rock climbing centers and natural rock walls in Beijing have begun reopening, so we talked to Wang Guohua, the founder of Xiqi Tours & Outdoor Sports, and Li Zan, an international outdoor rock climbing guide and former head of the Peking University Eagle Society rock climbing club. They share insights on rock-climbing coaching, ice climbing, and give advice for enthusiasts new to the sport.

Wang wasn’t always involved in outdoor activities, having moved over to the industry after working in the automotive industry. “I started by bringing my two children to play in the outdoors. Later on, my friends would plead me to bring them outside more, to play with their kids. I then started to pay more attention to outdoor activities, specifically on issues of safety and how to appropriately manage outdoor activities.” Now, Wang is an outdoors first responder certified by Wilderness Medical Associates International (WMAI), a senior outdoor mountain climbing instructor certified by the Chinese Mountaineering Association.

Li Zan

Wang’s long-time collaborator and colleague Li Zan is a rock climbing and ice climbing instructor with more than 10 years of climbing experience and has served as the climbing captain of the Peking University Eagle Society. He also helped to translate the famous rock climbing documentary Alone on the Wall (2010). He has a pioneer rock-climbing ability of 5.13 and an ice climbing ability of WI6 and is also a national outdoor activities instructor and mountain climbing guide.

Recently, the two pros hosted a special indoor rock climbing session for kids, aimed at helping them to acquire a fundamental understanding of rock climbing. In the first part of the session, students were taught about the structure of rock walls and learned basic movements and rules of the sport. The instructors also taught exercise habits and taught basic safety guidelines to the kids.

During the second part of the session, Wang and Li went further, teaching movement, endurance, and strength training. They taught students about climbing weight, precise finger and hand movements, anaerobic endurance, and rest skills. Movement practice and flexibility training were also done throughout this part of the session.

In the third part of the session, line climbing sessions in various rock-climbing centers were conducted. Students were also asked to share their thoughts on whether indoor and outdoor rock climbing challenged their individual skill sets and whether the sessions helped in furthering their individual knowledge about the sport. The two instructors shared their personal rock-climbing stories and experiences as well as the anecdotes of famous rock-climbers.

If you and your kids are interested in learning more about rock climbing, the two experts stress the importance of finding a professional coach to help you get started, and say that if you engage with the sport without guidance, you are highly likely to get injured and maybe put off the sport forever. However, with the guidance of a professional coach, you can quickly master basic climbing techniques and rules.

It is recommended that you start with rock-climbing in indoor venues and then progress on to outdoor climbing. After learning basic technique and skills with your coach in an indoor rock-climbing center, you can go with your coach and climb outside. This will greatly reduce the fear of outdoor climbing and allow you to experience outdoor climbing with less worries and more fun.

Where to go rock climbing in Beijing

These gyms all provide equipment for hire should you not have your own climbing gear, and many will also organize the outdoor climbing trips. As always during COVID-19, it is best to call ahead.

• Rock Hour (岩时攀岩馆). RMB 120 per day. Bldg 74, 27 Xidawang Road, (near Pingleyuan Subway Station, exit B) Chaoyang District (137 1888 1250)
• ET Climbing Gym (ET攀岩馆). RMB 150 per day. Shunbai Road, Wanhe Art District (north gate), Chaoyang District (8479 2199)
• Hao Shi Climbing Gym (浩⽯石攀岩馆). RMB 100 per day. Unit 2, 7/F, Lantao Center, 5 Wanhong Road, Chaoyang District (6431 9881)
• Allin (Allin攀岩运动空间). RMB 120 per day. Unit 1, Bldg D, 768 Enterprise Zone, 5 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District (6060 3214)
• Everybody Climbing (⼈人攀岩). RMB 100 per day. Lize Sports Center, 6 Yupu Road, Changping District (186 1002 0094)
• Everybody Climbing (⼈人攀岩). RMB 100 per day. Huanlegu Center, Hong Tong Sports Centre, 5 Huagong Road, Chaoyang District (186 1002 0094)
• Yao Yan Climbing Gym (耀岩攀岩馆). RMB 60 per day. Bldg 3, 3 Anping Street, Shunyi District (136 0211 1387)

For more information about Xiqi Tours & Outdoor Sports, follow their official WeChat account: xiqibj.

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This article is an adapted translation of an article that was originally published on our sister site, jingkids.

Images: Pexels、熙祺探游户外运动提供