Zongzi is a Chinese snack made of glutinous rice stuffed with different fillings and wrapped in bamboo, reed, or other large leaves. They are traditionally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival, which falls on June 2 this year. Making zongzi is a family event in which everyone helps out, so learn how to make them with Chinese Cooking Adventure.

If the holiday weekend sees you over-indulging in too much of the sticky stuff, get out to a Heyrobics workout. These sessions are fast, fun, and a fabulous way to get fit. Are your kids interested in mixed martial arts (MMA)? Sign them up for the Black Tiger Fight Club summer camp.

If you’ve yet to make decision about your children’s schooling for this fall, Harrow Beijing is having open mornings every Wednesday and Friday.

Zongzi Art Cooking Class
Learn how to make sticky rice cakes and take them home with you after class. Registration required. RMB 100. 10am-noon or 2-4pm. 88 Shunhuang Lu, Shunyi District (186 1092 7120, cookingadventure@163.com)

Get Fit for the Summer
For a total body workout, join those Swedes in pink at Heyrobics for a fun-filled fitness session. All classes are accompanied with music and huge amount of energy from the enthusiastic instructors. Intensity levels vary, but all moves are simple to follow, effective, and fun. Each session is aimed at training the whole body with a warm-up, cardio, strength, and agility training. This week’s classes are at 8.45am on Friday, May 30 on the River Garden Lawn and 9am on Saturday, May 31 at the Swedish School.

Heyrobics also offers a Core class focusing on core strength. This week’s Core class is 8.45am on Thursday, May 29 at River Garden. For a complete list of times, see the Heyrobics website.

Harrow Weekly Open Mornings
Harrow International School Beijing is now offering weekly open houses every Wednesday and Friday at 9.15am. The tour starts at 9.30am, followed by a Q&A session. To reserve your spot, register by contacting Admissions at 6444 8900 ext 6900 or admissions@harrowbeijing.cn.

MMA Summer Camp
Black Tiger Fight Club is holding its first kids’ summer camp. The mixed martial arts (MMA) camp will include kickboxing, jiujitsu, and wrestling. As well as learning the various techniques and exercises, the kids will have fun and get fit at the same time. All classes are conducted in English by international Muay Thai and MMA coaches. Suitable for ages 8-13, the summer camp will run from June 23- 27 from 11am-3pm. RMB 2,500 per person (lunch included). To sign up, call 139 1071 2576 or email info@blacktigerclub.com.

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Photos: Courtesy of Black Tiger and Heyrobics, Allen Timonthy Chang 2005 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Once a week, my friend and I go to kickboxing classes at Black Tiger Fight Club in Liangma Qiao. We like the no-frills nature of this location; the “changing room” is just a curtained-off area and you don’t have to buy expensive gloves – you can just borrow them at the club.

When we had our first class, I really liked that it wasn’t a big deal that we were beginners and the other students were advanced. The teacher was very friendly and considerate; he gave us other exercises to do and explained the important things to us.

What’s a typical lesson? First, we warm up with jump rope and stretching. We’re usually pretty tired by the time that’s over, but then the real training begins. We split off into pairs and concentrate on a specific kick or punch; depending on our level, the trainer gives each group different tips and exercises. (To be honest, most of the time he ends up helping my friend and I.) Then, we practice what we learn on the punching bag and finish off with sit-ups, push-ups, and other exercises. In the end, everyone is totally exhausted – in a good way.

Black Tiger has a range of different classes, like kids’ classes, women’s classes, MMA (mixed martial arts) classes, and fitness classes. One gym is located at Riviera Plaza and the other one on Xiaoyun Lu. The first lesson is free, if you want to try kickboxing without making a commitment.

You can pay for three months (RMB 2,800) or six months (RMB 4,500) at a time, but since my friend and I just go once a week, we bought the punch card for RMB 1,200. It gives us access to 10 classes whenever we want, so it’s very practical because we haven’t got much time and just want to go to a class in the evening.

When we started doing kickboxing, my friend and I were in the women’s class, which focused more on the abdominal muscles. But then Black Tiger changed its class schedules, so now we’re in the men’s class, which involves more arm muscle exercises like push-ups.

I think kickboxing is always very fun and it’s perfect for keeping your body fit. I remember the first time we went, it was very hard for me to finish all the sit-ups and push-ups; now, it’s still exhausting – but I can make it.

For more information, call 136 1071 2576 or email info@blacktigerclub.com.

beijingkids intern Josefine Rein (15) is a Grade 9 student at the German Embassy School. She’s from Braunschweig (Germany) and has been living in Beijing for two years. She plays basketball and football, and likes hanging around with friends.

Photo by Claudio Gennari via Flickr