As long, long time ago, I also attended summer camps (to give my parents a break).  I attended girl scouts camps, YMCA camps, educational day camps, and one year I even went all the way to Sweden to attend a Chinese culture camp organized by Taiwan’s overseas division.

In the beginning, camps were literally camps. We had tents, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, huge backpacks, flashlights, flasks, pocket knives, and everything else in the camping checklist from our trusted scout handbook.  Then, as I grew older, suddenly we had these day camps where I still had to rise dreadfully early and travel to the middle of nowhere to explore nature and make friendship bracelets–all to ensure that I was properly socialized during my summer break.

The last summer camp I attended was the Chinese culture camp, and despite my initial revulsion for it (I was in middle school by then), the traditional dances, martial arts, and top spin training all turned out to be pretty fun in the end.  So, why was it my last then?  I became more independent and began traveling with friends (instead of family), so the ultimate goal of my going away and getting out of everyone’s hair was still met.

Nowadays, summer camps are even more complex than before.  I have been in the education scene long enough to realize that it’s definitely not about tents and campfires anymore, but now we want to know if the camps are for fun, enrichment, enhancement, or just pure revision.  Which camp is right for your child? I have no idea.  All I can do is roundup all the available summer camps and let you decide what is the best fit for your child!

Imagine Survival Summer Camp, Jun 13-Aug 19
Ages 7-14.  Imagine’s Summer Survival Camp is a real outdoors camping experience where children will learn to make fires, build rafts, cross rivers, make traps and tools, cook fish, and build shelters.

• RMB 3,500. Campers do not stay overnight. Daily transportation included. Imagine (info@imagine-china.com, 5739 4933).

AEA US Embassy Camp, Jun 16-Aug 15
Ages 4-12. The American Employees Association Summer Camp is an American-style day camp with weekly themes, hosted by AEA (affiliated with the US embassy).  Each year, the themes are changed to incorporate current trends and children’s interests.  The daily program is filled with fun, songs, games, and activities which are related to the weekly themes.

• Early bird discounts till May 31. The camp will be hosted at Beijing City International School from Jun 16-Jul 4 and then from Jul 7-Aug 15 at 3e (info@aeabeijing.net, 8531 3349)

Enhancement

DDC Ocean Exploration Camp, Jun 20-Aug 26Grades 2-7. DDC Ocean Exploration Camp is led by ocean experts from New England Aquarium USA.

• RMB 5,800.  Hosted at the Beijing Aquarium (dd-learning.com, 8049 0079).

DDC Talented Youth Program – MIT STEM, Jun 27-Aug 5Grades 4-7. DDC Education Centre offers a tailored educational program dedicated to the development of highly talented children. With award-winning teams of instructors from the United States, it offers systematic STEAM courses to students aged between 7 and 14. Courses include web design, 3D printing and computer programming. They give priority to the development of students’ science spirit and comprehensive ability, and emphasize the mixture of social value, humanities and the arts, Information Technology & STEAM.

• Registration deadline August 1.  RMB 5,800 per week (contact@dd-learning.com, 8049 0079)

Keystone Academy’s Marine Science STEAM Program, Jul 18-29 Grades 3-7. The Marine Science STEAM Program for summer students is a small step that combines the school’s missions of promoting environmental stewardship and thoughtful bilingual immersion education. Students’ learning in the program will be inquiry-based: they will work with our teachers to observe closely, ask good questions, investigate actively, and find answers to their own questions–all in the context of studying ocean life in both Chinese and English. Students will be challenged to examine the connections between human life and millions of lives in the ocean. In doing so, they will achieve an understanding of the importance of environmental conservation.

• Registration deadline May 1. RMB 10,900. Contact: complete application at keystoneacademy.cn

DDC Integrated Art Summer Camp, Jun 20-Jul 1, Jul 11-Jul 22Grades 2-7. A joint effort between DDC and educational experts from the US, Integrated Art summer camp is an organic and evolving approach to teaching by integrating music, language, and visual arts.  It builds communication, problem solving, collaboration, shared experiences, and allows the student to actively ponder and experiment to display comprehension employing a variety of art forms.  Students will awaken their critical eye and develop ownership of thought and creativity with evidential reasoning via hands on and minds on learning.

• RMB 5,800. DDC Education Centre (contact@dd-learning.com 8049 0079).

DDC Talented Youth Program – US STEAM Summer Camp, Jun 27-Aug 5Grades 5-8. DDC Education Centre invites you to have a touch of the prestigious US STEAM summer camp at British School of Beijing Shunyi! Whether you want to know how to become a doctor, how to create water on Mars, you’ll learn how through the various projects in this camp.

• Registration deadline August 1.  RMB 5,800 per week. British School of Beijing Shunyi (contact@dd-learning.com (8049 0079).

Enrichment

CISB Enrichment Camp, Jun 27-Aug 5
Ages 6-15. Canadian International School of Beijing will be hosting two enrichment classes where children can develop their English or Chinese skills, play sports and participate in cultural activities, such as playing a Chinese instrument and going learning Kungfu.

• Registration Deadline May 27th.  RMB 7,900/2 weeks.  Canadian International School of Beijing (summeradmissions@cis-beijing.com)

Beijing Mandarin School Summer Camp, Jun 13-Aug 26Ages 6-13. Beijing Mandarin School was founded nine years ago, and has successfully been running Mandarin classes ever since to expats of different native languages.  Their children’s summer camp is divided into three different age groups with varying learning targets.  Each group begins their day with Chinese lessons, indoor Chinese culture activities, sports, followed by a half-day excursion.  The camp also offers whole-day travel adventures on the weekend.

• RMB 1,250/week (3 hr Chinese class), RMB 1,850/week (half-day), RMB 2,880/week (full day).  Registration fee RMB 280. Price includes orientation, assessment test, books, t-shirt, study materials, and a learning certificate. Lunch can be added for an extra RMB 200/week, and the price of transportation is negotiable. Beijing Mandarin School ( info@beijingmandarinschool.com, 6508 1026).

Imagine’s Summer Knight School, Jun 13-Aug 19
Ages 7-13. Now in its third season, Imagine’s popular Summer Knight School Camp teaches kids aged 7-13 how to wield a sword, fire a bow and arrow, ride a horse, build a trebuchet, design a shield, make chainmail, travel to a castle, slay a dragon, and much more! Run by a team of English-speaking, experienced outdoor education professionals.

• RMB 4000/week. RMB 800 deposit required upon registration. Campers do not stay overnight. Price includes transportation, equipment, and supplies. Requires own lunch. Imagine (info@imagine-china.com, 5739 4933).

Chinese Cultural Summer Camps, Jun 20-24, Jun 27-Jul 1, Jul 4-8Ages 6-14, China Culture Center hosts a five day bilingual summer camp with both indoor hands-on activities and outdoor tours exploring the city’s authentic Chinese culture and structures.

• RMB 3,200 per child for 5 days. China Culture Center (info@chinaculturecenter.org, 6432 9341)

Atelier Summer Camps, Jun 27-Jul 26
Ages 5-12. Atelier Art School will be running funny, creative, and inspiring artistic summer camps for one thematic week.  The themes include a Cubism Workshop where children will make collages, draw a cubist self-portrait, and a cardboard sculpture of a music instrument; Hokusai and Japan where children will discover Japanese engraving, learn about daily life in the 18th century, and realize a wonderful book inspired by Japanese art; Egyptian Civilization where children will learn about Egypt, build a model pyramid, make their own papyrus and write hieroglyphs on it; Africa where children will discover Africa as a continent, its different cultures and habits while engraving savannah animals, making patterns like the clothes of Zulus folk, and African mask collages; The Little Prince wherein children will discover the novel by Saint Exupery and learn new techniques by building a helix plane from the 40s, understand the work of the illustrator and how to use water colors, and finally build imaginary planets using papier-mache; Around the World in Eighty Days wherein children will discover various cultures and civilizations by following the story in Jules Verne’s novel and making their own travel book with a map, pictures of the characters, and learn how to make pop-up books, different paper textures, and stamps.

• RMB 1,500/week, session. Morning session for 5-8 year olds. Afternoon session for 9-12 year olds. Note that the Sanlitun campus sessions begin on Jun 27 and end on Aug 26, while the Shunyi campus begins on Jun 13 and ends on Jul 22. See their website for a detailed schedule of when each theme is taught. (contact@atelier.cn.com, 132 4018 490, 6416 1614).

Hyde Education Summer Enrichment Program, Jul 11-Aug 12Grades 1-9. Hyde Academy has scheduled a series of fun, hands on, academic summer enrichment programs in math, science, language arts, and humanities for students in grades 1- 9. Take a tour of the universe from the inside out with our exciting introductory physics course.  Use math to explore the world around us through a variety of inquiry-based problems and projects. Fancy yourself as the next Sherlock Holmes? Sign up for our Crime Scene Investigation program.  Other course titles include: Public Speaking, Archaeology, Geography: Mapping our World, and Vocabulary and the Art of Writing.

• RMB 2,250 (half day), RMB 4,275 (full day) per week. Hyde Academy  (registration@hyde-education.com, 8046-3886).

Beijing Playhouse Summer Theater Camps, Jun 27-Aug 6Ages 6-14. At Beijing Playhouse’s two-week long summer camps, children will get to perform Peter Pan, Aladdin, and Rapunzel with acting, song, and dance. Aspiring actors, singers, dancers, and musicians are all welcome. Some English proficiency is required. All who audition will be cast. Parents are invited to the final performance.

• Audition dates May 7, May 21, June 4. RMB 8,000 (broadway@beijingplayhouse.com)

That’s Mandarin! Chinese Summer Camp, Jun 13-26, Jun 27-Jul 10, Jul 11-24, Jul 25-Aug 7, Aug 8-21 Ages 5-17. That’s Mandarin offers several different camp options to suit any family!  There are morning camps, day camps, and full day camps.  For older children, there are also homestay camps, and if you’d like in on the fun—family camps! Camps can be two week long or four week long. The full-length program includes intensive Chinese classes with cartoon class, reading and writing, and topic based oral lessons.  Each week has three days of cultural activities, including traditional Chinese calligraphy, opera mask painting, cooking classes, Chinese knot making, and mahjong. Fieldtrips and excursions are also available for Beijing, such as the Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Confucius Temple, and Beihai Park.

• For Beijing camps, contact: info@thatsmandarin.com (5218 6432). For the Shanghai camps, contact: info.shanghai@thatsmandarin.com (6452 0017).

Sports

Imagine’s Watersports Summer Camps, Jun 13-Aug 19
Ages 6.5-15.  Now in its third season, Imagine’s popular Watersports Camp in Shunyi teaches kids aged 6.5-15 all kinds of watersports skills, from sailing and kayaking to rafting and paddling. Learn how to balance on the paddle board, play games on rafts, navigate the boat, using knowledge about the wind and work towards your ‘Learn to Sail Level 1’ Certificate. Taught by certified trainers who learned abroad.

• RMB 4000/week. Campers do not stay overnight. Transportation included. (info@imagine-china.com, 5793 4933)

SBJ Summer Camps, June 13-Jul 27 Ages 5-15. Sports Beijing will be hosting its weekly sports camps at at ISB’s air-conditioned Fusion Dome.  The choices are basketball, gymnastics, and soccer in the mornings; multi-sports (flag fotball, dodge ball, ultimate frisbee, etc.) in the afternoon. Tennis is now also offered in cooperation with Fusion Tennis Center. Water activities, such as water fights and pool time, can be expected, as well as fun games such as capture the flag and obstacle courses.

• Early bird specials through May 31, with sibling and multiple week discounts also available. Price includes lunch, camp t-shirts, and transportation. (contact info@sportsbj.com)

Flips & Kicks Plus Summer Camp, Jun 27-Jul 1, Jul 4-Jul 8 Ages 4-12. Flips & Kicks Plus offers a multi-sports Summer Camp where children can try fun sports, such as: Gymnnastics, Martial Arts, Track & Field, Football, Ping Pong, Basketball etc.

• RMB 1,980 (half day-1 block). RMB 3,080 (full day-1 block). Price includes water and a fruit snack. Please bring your own water bottle. Lunch can be provided for an additional fee. (info@flipsandkicksplus.com, 13718462044)

ClubFootball, Jul 5-Aug 24
Ages 4.5-16. ClubFootball has been around since 2001, hosting football classes and camps that promote coordination and teamwork. This summer, their coaches will have week long summer classes for players of all skill levels, or minimal three-day intensive workshops, depending on your child’s schedule.

• RMB 800-1,500/week. Camps will be held in Chaoyang Park, Olympic Forest Park, Zhongguancun, Wangjing, Lido and Shunyi (contact coaching@wanguoqunxing.com, 5130 6893)

Photo: Pixabay

Teenagers are difficult to place for the summer outside travel plans since all they probably want to do is spend time with their friends (who are either traveling or visiting home), or remain glued to their computer/game console/mobile device/social media.  What they should be doing is reading to prevent summer brain drain, but that can get boring, so we’ve rounded up a number of Beijing summer camps for you to sign up your teen!

The camps are all for kids between age 13-19, or grades 7-12.  We begin with enhancement (to prevent summer brain drain and perhaps return to school more knowledgeable than before), then move on to enrichment (where the real juice is), and finish up with sports (to get them moving).

Enhancement

CISB Scholastic Assessment Test/SAT, Jul 18-Aug 5
Grades 9-11. The Canadian International School of Beijing’s SAT course trains prospective SAT testers in vocabulary, grammar, reading, writing, and mathematics for an improved result.

• Registration deadline May 27. Discounts for CISB, ISNS, CCSC students. Fee includes tuition, materials, snacks, and lunches (possible transportation). For more details, contact: summeradmissions@cis-beijing.com.

CISB Intensive English Course, Jul 18-Aug 5
Grades 6-8. The Canadian International School of Beijing’s Intensive English Course is meant for SAT applicants to hone their foundational English skills and writing skills. The course will focus on sentence structure, grammar, vocabulary, strategic reading, and creative writing.

• Registration deadline May 27. Discounts for CISB, ISNS, CCSC students. Fee includes tuition, materials, snacks, and lunches (possible transportation). For more details, contact: summeradmissions@cis-beijing.com.

Keystone Summer Archway English Immersion, Jul 11-29
Grades 6-10. The English Immersion programme at Keystone Academy is designed for non-native English speaking students interested or currently enrolled in a local private school, or going abroad. They will learn how to perform at a high level in an international or American-style independent school learning environment. During this three-week programme, students will develop a strong proficiency in their academic English ability, while also honing their study skills and being introduced to many key concepts in the arts, sciences, and humanities. By participating in activity-based learning opportunities both in and outside the classroom, students will be well prepared for Keystone Academy and its peer institutions, and also develop and strengthen a genuine interest in learning as a personal quality.

• Registration deadline May 10. RMB 15,900. Contact: (5825 6008)

Harrow Beijing’s Summer School, Jul 26-Aug 5
Ages 13-15. Harrow Beijing’s inaugural summer program last two weeks at a time, providing outside students an opportunity to experience international school education.  The program is designed to improve students’ language proficiency, understand Harrow Beijing’s expectations and provide project-based learning experiences to students.

• RMB 14,000 (lunch included). Assessment required (RMB 50). Contact: harrowsaturdays@harrowbeijing.cn (6444 8900 6851)

Global P.R.E.P Boarding School Transition, Jul 10-16
Grades 6-9. Global P.R.E.P. is run by Metta Dael, international Admissions Director from Northfield Mount Hermon, and Martha Neubert, a Northfield Mount Hermon humanities teacher. This programme is designed to help new international students prepare for their boarding school experience through cross-cultural understanding and special academy programmes. It is open to students who have already received acceptances to boarding schools and who are focused on preparing as well as possible, socially and academically.

• Registration deadline May 15.  RMB 10,500 with 50% deposit.  Contact registration@hyde-education.com (8046 3886).

Enrichment

Chinese Cultural Summer Camps, Jun 20-24, Jun 27-Jul 1, Jul 4-8
Ages 6-14, China Culture Center hosts a five day bilingual summer camp with both indoor hands-on activities and outdoor tours exploring Beijing and its authentic Chinese culture.

• RMB 3,200 per child (5 days).  For more information, contact info@chinaculturecenter.org (6432 9341).

That’s Mandarin! Chinese Summer Camp, Jun 13-26, Jun 27-Jul 10, Jul 11-24, Jul 25-Aug 7, Aug 8-21
Ages 5-17. That’s Mandarin offers several different camp options to suit any family!  There are morning camps, day camps, and full day camps.  For older children, there are also homestay camps, and if you’d like in on the fun—family camps! Camps can be two week long or four week long. The full-length program includes intensive Chinese classes with cartoon class, reading and writing, and topic based oral lessons.  Each week has three days of cultural activities, including traditional Chinese calligraphy, opera mask painting, cooking classes, Chinese knot making, and mahjong. Fieldtrips and excursions are also available for Beijing, such as the Great Wall, Ming Tombs, Confucius Temple, and Beihai Park.

• For Beijing camps, contact: info@thatsmandarin.com (5218 6432). For the Shanghai camps, contact: info.shanghai@thatsmandarin.com (6452 0017).

Keystone Academy’s Marine Science STEAM Program, Jul 18-29
Grades 3-7. The Marine Science STEAM Program for summer students is a small step that combines the school’s missions of promoting environmental stewardship and thoughtful bilingual immersion education. Students’ learning in the program will be inquiry-based: they will work with our teachers to observe closely, ask good questions, investigate actively, and find answers to their own questions–all in the context of studying ocean life in both Chinese and English. Students will be challenged to examine the connections between human life and millions of lives in the ocean. In doing so, they will achieve an understanding of the importance of environmental conservation.

• Registration deadline May 1. RMB 10,900. Contact: complete application at keystoneacademy.cn

Harrow Beijing’s English and Drama Summer Camp, Jun 26-Aug 5
Ages 13-15. Harrow Beijing’s two week summer camp will give children a taste of the international school experience with the aim of improving students’ language proficiency. The aim of this program is to encourage students to improve their language competency and take part in a drama performance. All teachers in this program are experienced Harrow International School Beijing teachers. They will use the Cambridge University English framework to help improve each student’s English level as they participate in drama activities.

• Registration deadline April 30.  RMB 14,000. Contact: harrowsaturdays@harrowbeijing.cn (6444 8900 6851).

DDC Talented Youth Program – MIT STEM, Jun 27-Aug 5
Grades 4-7. DDC Education Centre offers a tailored educational program dedicated to the development of highly talented children. With award-winning teams of instructors from the United States, it offers systematic STEAM courses to students aged between 7 and 14. Courses include web design, 3D printing and computer programming. They give priority to the development of students’ science spirit and comprehensive ability, and emphasize the mixture of social value, humanities and the arts, Information Technology & STEAM.

• Registration deadline August 1.  RMB 5,800 per week. Contact: contact@dd-learning.com (8049 0079).

DDC Talented Youth Program – US STEAM Summer Camp, Jun 27-Aug 5
Grades 5-8.
DDC Education Centre invites you to have a touch of the prestigious US STEAM summer camp at British School of Beijing Shunyi! Whether you want to know how to become a doctor, how to create water on Mars… you’ll learn how through the various projects in this camp.

• Registration deadline August 1.  RMB 5,800 per week. Contact: contact@dd-learning.com (8049 0079).

DDC Ocean Exploration Camp, Jun 20-Aug 26
Grades 2-7. DDC Ocean Exploration Camp is led by ocean experts from New England Aquarium USA.

• RMB 5,800.  Hosted at the Beijing Aquarium. Contact: dd-learning.com (8049 0079).

DDC Integrated Art Summer Camp, Jun 20-Jul 1, Jul 11-Jul 22
Grades 2-7. A joint effort between DDC and educational experts from the US, Integrated Art summer camp is an organic and evolving approach to teaching by integrating music, language, and visual arts.  It builds communication, problem solving, collaboration, shared experiences, and allows the student to actively ponder and experiment to display comprehension employing a variety of art forms.  Students will awaken their critical eye and develop ownership of thought and creativity with evidential reasoning via hands on and minds on learning.

• RMB 5,800. Contact: contact@dd-learning.com (8049 0079).

Beijing Playhouse Summer Theater Camps, Jun 27-Aug 6
Ages 6-14. At Beijing Playhouse’s two-week long summer camps, children will get to perform Peter Pan, Aladdin, and Rapunzel with acting, song, and dance. Aspiring actors, singers, dancers, and musicians are all welcome. Some English proficiency is required. All who audition will be cast. Parents are invited to the final performance.

• Audition dates May 7, May 21, June 4. RMB 8,000. Contact: broadway@beijingplayhouse.com.

Hyde Education Summer Enrichment Program, Jul 11-Aug 12
Grades 1-9. Hyde Academy has scheduled a series of fun, hands on, academic summer enrichment programs in math, science, language arts, and humanities for students in grades 1- 9. Take a tour of the universe from the inside out with our exciting introductory physics course.  Use math to explore the world around us through a variety of inquiry-based problems and projects. Fancy yourself as the next Sherlock Holmes? Sign up for our Crime Scene Investigation program.  Other course titles include: Public Speaking, Archaeology, Geography: Mapping our World, and Vocabulary and the Art of Writing.

• RMB 2,250 (half day), RMB 4,275 (full day) per week. Contact registration@hyde-education.com (8046-3886).

Sports

BSC Sailing Camps, Jun 12-Aug 26
Ages 8-16. Beijing Sailing Center will be hosting single and double week sailing classes.  The program provides an adventurous, intellectual and educational experience, while honing your child’s leadership and communication skills.  Last summer they hosted over 500 children and their parents coming. The center is both convenient to Beijing (a 2 hour train ride trip) and all the accommodation, transportation, a meal, activities, chaperones, and entertainments are covered.

• RMB 13,400 (2 weeks), RMB 6,700 (1 week). Contact: sailing@beijingsailing.com (400 180 0107).

DCB Sports and Fun Summer Camps, Jun 20-Aug 5
Ages 4-15 Dulwich Community Programs (DCP) will host football, tennis, swimming and non-sports camps throughout the summer in collaboration with Rising Stars Tennis Academy, Firepower Swimming Club, and Beijing Kickers.

• Registration deadline June 15. RMB 1,500-3,000 per week. Contact DCP: dcp@dulwich-beijing.cn (6454 9150, 6454 9019).

O’le Climbing Summer Camp, Jun 20-24, Jul 4-8, Aug 1-5, 8-12, 15-18
Ages 15-19. O’le Climbing will be offering indoor and outdoor adventure summer camps for students during the summer holiday. Various activities are ready for this summer from indoor rock climbing to outdoor camping trip, all activities lead by professional and qualified instructors.

• RMB 4,500 (includes equipment and admission, transportation, food for two camp days). Contact: oleclimbing@gmail.com (150 0137 1016).

Sports Beijing ISB Dome Summer Camp, Jun 13-Jul 22Ages 5-16. Sports Beijing will be offering a wide variety of full-day activities and half-day activities both in the morning and afternoon!  The morning sports will include basketball, soccer, gymnastics, and tennis, and the afternoon activities will include a multi-sport program and tennis. The multisport afternoon will offer many fun activities for the kids, like kickball, dodge ball, juggling, and much more. This is a time to let loose, compete, and learn new things.

• RMB 2,600 half day per week (includes lunch for full day and t-shirt for half day). Discounts for siblings and additional weeks.

CK Martial Hearts Shaolin Temple Experience, Jul 10-24, Aug 7-Aug 21 Ages 14+ (14-17 when training together with a parent). CK Martial Hearts, in association with Shaolin Temple International Liaisons Office, offers 7 and 14-day programs at Henan’s Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts with genuine Shaolin warrior monks.  The program includes daily taichi and qigong classes, kung fu classes inside the temple, a guided tour of the temple, as well as an optional sightseeing excursion.

• RMB 5,188 (7 days), RMB 8,888 (14 days). Includes transportation to the Shaolin Temple from Beijing, three Chinese meals per day, hostel accommodation, total of 7 hrs of instruction per day, Chinese speaking expat guide, optional sightseeing tour, and a complimentary training outfit.  Contact: train@theshaolintemple.cn

ClubFootball, Jul 5-Aug 24Ages 4.5-16. ClubFootball has been around since 2001, hosting football classes and camps that promote coordination and teamwork. This summer, their coaches will have week long summer classes for players of all skill levels, or minimal three-day intensive workshops, depending on your child’s schedule.

• RMB 800-1,500/week. Camps will be held in Chaoyang Park, Olympic Forest Park, Zhongguancun, Wangjing, Lido and Shunyi (contact coaching@wanguoqunxing.com, 5130 6893)

Photo: Pixabay, and courtesy of Beijing Playhouse, BSC Sailing Camps, CISB, China Culture Center, DCB, DDC, Harrow Beijing, Hyde Education, ISB, Keystone, O’le Climbing Summer Camp, CK Martial Hearts, and That’s Mandarin!

Memberships and Subscriptions
The long-running Hutong has it all: cooking classes (more on those below), tea tours, cultural experience, events, and more. A general membership costs RMB 200 per year and entitles the holder to 10-25 percent discounts on all Hutong programs and events. After the year is up, the membership can be extended for only RMB 100. If there’s an enthusiastic home cook in your life, consider the culinary membership (RMB 1,500 per year) for up to two people, which includes any six cooking classes. ‘

Several international culture centers also offer memberships. I’m a member of the excellent French Cultural Center’s Médiathèque, a lending library of books, periodicals, and DVDs with a children’s corner. I initially joined the library to keep up my French but have found that the Médiathèque offers a clean, quiet space to work as well. Regular membership costs RMB 240 per year (RMB 120 for students and teachers) or RMB 100 per quarter.

The Cervantes Institute also has a lending library with Spanish-language books and materials. Membership costs RMB 210 per year (half price for students, retirees, and children).

Sidecar Tours
Founded by Frenchman Gael Thoreau, Beijing Sideways specializes in tours of Beijing and the Great Wall by motorcycle sidecar. Options include two-hour, four-hour, and one-day tours of Beijing; a two-hour night tour of Beijing; a one-day tour of the Wild Great Wall; and the deluxe two-day (or 1.5-day) tour with an overnight stay at the Great Wall and a Beijing city tour.

Each motorcycle can take up to two passengers; assuming two people per bike, the two-hour city tour costs RMB 1,100 for the first passenger and RMB 600 for the second while a four-hour city tour costs RMB 1,400 for the first passenger and RMB 900 for the second.

Cooking Classes
Food is one of the best ways to access a country’s culture and history. What better way to spend a frigid winter afternoon than making and eating your own Chinese dishes with friends and family?

The Hutong has a variety of cooking classes featuring Chinese regional cuisines such as Sichuan, Yunnan, and Shanxi as well as specific dishes like xiaolongbao, hand-pulled noodles, and dumplings (RMB 300 per person, RMB 260 for members).

Black Sesame Kitchen also offers lunchtime cooking classes every Wednesday and Sunday from 11am-2pm (RMB 300 per person) out of its hutong location near the Forbidden City.

Closer to town, China Culture Center has a class on dumpling-making and hand-pulled noodles, with private events available for 1-20 people. Regular classes cost RMB 250 for adults and RMB 180 for kids under 12.

Dive the Great Wall
I’m hopelessly biased when it comes to scuba diving. Not only is SinoScuba founder Steven Schwankert a former colleague, he’s also a friend and my dive instructor. My sister and I first dived with him in July of 2013, an experience that eventually led me to Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines for further PADI training. Last July, Steven certified me as a Rescue Diver in Puerto Galera, Philippines.

However, Beijing residents don’t need to go far to suit up. Every year, Steven leads scuba diving trips to a submerged section of the Great Wall at the Panjiakou Reservoir. Sure, you won’t see exotic fish or enjoy 60m visibility, but you’ll be joining an exclusive club of people who can say they’ve dived the Great Wall. Prices and dates will be available by the end of the month.

Offbeat Fitness Classes
Crossfit Slash is best-known for, well, CrossFit, but it also offers a rapidly-expanding array of fitness classes from its studio, including aerial silks, poledancing, Irish dancing, aerial hoop, bellydance, and burlesque. RMB 180 per class.

Led by the rock-hard Alona Vostrikova, Alone Pilates offers two unusual fitness classes apart from its signature Pilates: a hula-hoop class focusing on sculpting the butt and “Pilates cardio ballet,” a ballet-inspired class using a barre. Call for prices.

Today happens to be my boyfriend’s birthday; because he’s a foodie, we’ll be celebrating with a home-cooked dinner tonight and a private cooking class at The Hutong on Sunday with friends.

Sijia Chen is a contributing editor at beijingkids and a freelance writer specializing in parenting, education, travel, environment, and culture. Her work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, The Independent, Midnight Poutine, Rover Arts, and more. Follow her on Twitter at @sijiawrites or email her at sijiachen@beijing-kids.com.

Photos: Creative Commons image courtesy of kris krug on Flickr