It feels like nowadays whenever anyone talks about taking their family out for a day of fun it’s always to Universal Studios. Now, I’m not arguing that a day at Universal Studios isn’t fun, but if you’re looking for something other than a day at the park (which Beijing has plenty of), there are a few other places that have been flying under the radar that will entertain your family.

Let’s start with Beijing’s original amusement park: Happy Valley.

While it doesn’t offer the same quality of shows and rides as Universal Studios, Happy Valley was around for years before Universal Studios opened, entertaining Beijing’s thrill seekers.

Open daily from 9am until 10pm, Happy Valley has plenty of roller coasters. If you go on a weekday, you can ride some of the roller coasters in a matter of minutes.

Find it:
Happy Valley 欢乐谷和垡头
Wuji Beilu, Dongsihuan Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区东四环路小武基北路

But if roller coasters aren’t your thing and you’d rather take some fun photos instead, a trip to Madame Tussauds could be just the thing. The world-famous wax museum opened in Beijing a few years ago and it’s home to Chinese and Western celebrity wax figures alike. It’s been a while since the Beijing location had an unvailing of a new celebrity statue, but sipping tea with Audrey Hepburn, getting sexy with Marilyn Monroe, finally getting that date night photo with David Beckham, and going hand to hand with Jackie Chan make for a fun afternoon and great photos to post on Instagram and WeChat Moments.

Find it:
8 Qianmen Dajie, Dongcheng District
东城区前门大街8号

If you’re having serious travel withdrawal, perhaps a day at Beijing’s World Park could be just the thing. It’s been over a decade since I’ve visited World Park, but nothing has changed.

Open daily from 9am to 10pm, it’s essentially mini versions of the most popular landmarks around the world. If you do make the trip to Fengtai District to visit this place, be sure to rent a cart once you’re inside because the park is pretty large, and on a hot summer day it can get super exhausting, super fast.

There are no rides at World Park (unless you count the ducky boats that will require an additional fee), but what makes this place cool is their shows. During the day, but especially in the evening, World Park has a variety of cultural performances from around the world. If you’re a true world traveler and have seen the real thing, these shows won’t wow you, but if you’ve yet to venture around the world, these are a fun peek into the post-Covid travel that will surely be a part of your life.

Find it:
158 Fengbao Lu, Huaxiang, Fengtai District
丰台区花乡丰葆路158号

Images: Dianping, Mina Yan

Corgis are absolutely adorable. There’s zero argument there. Everything about them, from their short stubby legs to their big chonky butts, just makes you want to squish them with cuddles all day long.

But how much would you pay to pet one?

There are plenty of pet cafes in Beijing, but Jingkids has always been a bit hesitant to write about them since not all of them look like they care about their animals’ well being.  But Corgivengers in Solana, no doubt owned by a Marvel superfan, seems like it’s different.

First of all, the place has a huge space and isn’t located in a 20 square foot shop in the basement of a Soho building. These pups are clean, happy, and throughout the day (every day) you can see staff members taking them out for group walks around Solana, where they never fail to draw crowds of admirers.

Corgivengers has all sorts of corgi-themed swag, from mugs to corgi butt pillows, to plushy toys made to look like the dogs in the cafe.

Tickets aren’t cheap, though, and they tend to go up during the holidays. On a regular day they charge between RMB 100 and RMB 200 to pet some pups.

Prices:
RMB 128 per person, per hour (includes two tickets you can use to exchange for coffee, cakes, or doggie treats)
RMB 158 per person for unlimited petting time (includes two tickets you can use to exchange for coffee, cakes, or doggie treats)
RMB 198 per person for unlimited petting time with unlimited entries on that day, meaning you can leave and grab a snack or go to the bathroom and then come back for more corgi petting (includes two tickets you can use to exchange for coffee, cakes, or doggie treats)

Kids under 14 must be accompanied by an adult, and staff don’t recommend parents bring children under two years of age.

Personally, I’ve only admired the corgis’ fluffiness from the outside. Somehow the idea of paying to pet corgis when my neighbor also has a corgi that lets me pet him for free doesn’t sit quite right with me. But I totally get the appeal! Puppies make us happy, and spending time petting adorable dogs can be super therapeutic.

Find it:

Corgivengers
1/F A107 Solana Mall
蓝色港湾1层A07
Tel: 18611096918

Images: Mina Yan, dinaping, pexels

Are you an “army” of BTS? A “blink” of Blackpink? Or perhaps an “NCTzen” of NCT? For the uninitiated, these are the names of some of the world’s biggest K-pop – or Korean pop music – idol groups. Names that flow through the cafeterias, classrooms, and hallways of just about every school. And their influence on teenagers’ lives, from daily routines to behaviors and even financial decisions, cannot be overstated.

BTS, currently the most celebrated K-pop idol boy group, has taken home an astounding ten Billboard awards over the past four years. Meanwhile, BLACKPINK – also from South Korea – has garnered more than 1.6 billion YouTube views since releasing their music video, “DDU-DUDDU-DU,” three years ago. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as the genre is saturated with innumerable acts, and a constant stream of programming continuously pumps out new groups and new fans that, in turn, create new “fandoms.”

But what does it mean to be part of a fandom? And just how deep can a teen fall into it?

Fandoms can be fun!

The primary reason many teenagers begin their journey in K-pop culture is simply for fun. Oftentimes, joining a fandom is the result of innocuously clicking on a YouTube video or following the recommendation of a friend, and then developing a crush on the idol. Ideally, an innocent bond forms and the fan gets to attend events where they have the opportunity to meet new, like-minded teens.

Fandom as an entrepreneurial endeavor

An often-overlooked advantage of joining a fandom is that participants actually stand to develop some pretty incredible organizing skills on their fan journey! One of my friends, 15-year-old Dora H. – who’s currently studying in the US – is a fan of a popular Chinese boy band. To celebrate one member’s birthday, she contacted two other fans online and put together a three-day event, hosted at a café in Sanlitun. While some might balk at the idea of throwing a birthday party for a celebrity, the process allowed Dora to develop some important life skills such as making agreements with the café, promoting the event, and creating unique merchandise to be given out to attendees.

The event was a huge success, attracting numerous fans whom the girls had never met before. By contributing to the fan community, then seeing her efforts appreciated by others, it gave Dora – and countless other youths who organize similar events for their fandom – a unique sense of belonging, the kind that makes you feel like you’re contributing to a greater community; something larger than yourself. Similarly, another friend of mine who attends Harrow International School Beijing (HISB) made more than RMB 800 by selling merchandise she designed for her favorite idol group.

Likewise, because the idols are “decorated” by their companies, i.e. creating a persona that’s all but flawless, teenage fans are thus motivated to be better people in their own right.

And yet, while there are a ton of benefits, we can’t overlook the flip side, for there are some darker corners lurking in any fandom…

Fandoms require a lot of dedication, sometimes at the expense of other priorities

For students, myself included, time is scarce. And unfortunately, it requires a lot of time and effort to follow all the news about an idol, watch all of their performances, recognize all the members in a group – which sometimes get into the double-digits –  and remember everyone’s “character.” This is time that could have been spent studying or doing other, perhaps arguably more meaningful things.

Fandoms aren’t cheap

Another overlooked downside is the cost involved. Given that serious competition can develop between different fandoms, both eager to prove their idol group is the greatest, fans will sometimes spend insane amounts of money to buy multiple copies of their albums to drive up sales numbers, not to mention other merchandise and products that are endorsed by their idols.

When fandoms enter the public sphere

There’s a litany of other minor, but annoying issues that impact the public as well. For instance, fans will commonly wait at airports for their idol’s arrival, resulting in astonishingly massive crowds. As a fan myself, I totally understand this behavior as I too have been motivated by the desire to see my idol. However, there’s no denying that it poses a serious inconvenience for airport staff and travelers.

When big business exploits fandoms

Lastly, one of this year’s hottest idol producing programs, Youth With You (青春有你), was sponsored by a beverage company. While it’s not uncommon for companies to sponsor such programming, what launched this particular sponsorship into controversy was the fact that one way to vote for a participant was to buy the sponsor’s products. One can of their drink equaled one vote. As a result, many fans bought enormous quantities of the drink, only to dump it all out and use the vote. The insidious product advertising that slipped into this fandom truly belies the positive image that pop idol culture tries to sell.

As teenagers, we are both consciously and unconsciously looking for role models to emulate. We need these fandoms, but what we don’t need are the obsessive behaviors that burn through our wallets, and create problems for others. So let’s try to keep that fan fever in check.

Are you a pop idol fan? Tell us about your favorite in the comments below!

KEEP READING: Let’s Get Physical! Dance Your Way to a Fitter You This Summer

Images: Dora H, BLACKPINK，BTS&GOT7 via Instagram

Some days it’s hard to say Baby Shark without adding doo do do do do to the end. Whether you love or hate Baby Shark, you can’t deny that it’s insanely catchy and stays in your head for days. Now the campy song that somehow turned into an Internet sensation is making waves again with a brand new version of its addicting tunes.

South Korean education brand PinkFong has released Wash Your Hands to teach kids (and grown-ups) how to keep those pesky germs away. Click the image below to watch the new Baby Shark video.

Photos: PinkFong

We are enchanted to announce that Youku, Alibaba’s video streaming service will soon be hosting a magical kingdom of Disney content available on your tablet, internet TV, and handheld devices.

It was reported by Variety on Sunday that after a deal inked by Youku and Buena Vista International, that there would be a 1,000 episodes of Disney content, along with films ranging from “Frozen,” the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, and “Mulan.” This deal will provide the Youku video streaming platform with the most extensive authorized Disney animation collection in China.

We all know that when it comes to providing family friendly content, it doesn’t get much better than Disney. Also, having access to thousands of hours of this material conveniently and without the use of a VPN will be an even more enticing aspect for many expats with children who can’t get enough “Ducktales.”

In the past, Disney has faced a number of challenges trying to get their digital television media into the Chinese streaming market. In 2016, they even attempted to launch their own DisneyLife online content platform, which it also started with Alibaba, but was crushed by Chinese regulators after five months. So let’s wish upon a star that this collaboration doesn’t result in a similar outcome.

Photo: cdn.vox-cdn.com

Beihai park on a Sunday on a blue-sky spring day is teeming with smiling people. Bringing my kids out to take in the sights was a must, but the surprise of this particular Sunday was the glinting wink off the bells of brass instruments: the waterside saxophone club.

After having taken a boat out on the water and enjoying the swirling feeling of floating free in the middle of this dense city, we took a walk along the water. Little did we know we would be tramping into the territory of the Beijing Saxophone Club—or at least, an equivalent—in which several people of all ages were polishing and warming up their saxophones.

Technically, a saxophone is not a brass instrument; it’s a woodwind instrument. I know that. They’re played with a reed mouthpiece, like a clarinet or an oboe. Nevertheless, these instruments are often mistaken as brass instruments as a result of being made of the stuff. They shine! They gleam! And reflecting the sunshine on this Sunday morning was particularly glamorous.

These instruments—which have always struck me as dancing golden seahorses on stages under lights—seemed perfectly placed alongside of the sparkling water. They lay in the cases or dangled off of the neck straps of the participants, and no one seemed to mind playing overtop of each other as they warmed up.

A small gathering of musicians stopped to speak for awhile, each cradling a brassy seahorse, er, saxophone, and the youngest member, a boy of about ten years old (whose mother was standing behind him very studiously keeping time) was the only member of the group seemingly invested in playing anything musical. He peeped out a Chinese folk tune with a pleasing melody without much effort whatsoever, garnering him a small crowd of admirers and applause.

My kids couldn’t get enough. I had to drag them away from the experience, assuring them there would be the award of lunch imminently, which proved the only possible means of drawing them away from these shiny attention grabbers in the hands of so many diverse people.

The way Chinese people use public park space has always inspired me, but I am continually surprised by variations on this theme. A single saxophone player in a park? I’ve seen many. But a group all gathered for socializing and practicing, even if it’s cacophonous, musically? Yes, that’s the way it’s done here. Way to go, China!

Photos: Frank Lindecke (Flickr) and courtesy of Ember Swift

This past Saturday was the annual Kermesse at the LFIP, the French International School of Beijing. “Kermesse” means “fair” (the near-equivalent of “carnival” in English). Located at their new campus in Shunyi, the fair was also a chance for families to get a good look at the grounds and experience the new environment that the kids have just recently moved into (early May). And a successful fair it was!

They had booths set up everywhere with games or food, drinks or gifts to purchase. There were also information booths about various companies. The kids games were particularly excellent for all ages.

During the early afternoon, the school’s Wushu (武术) team did a demonstration for the crowd. Alongside of the demo, kids were playing soccer and families were lounging under tents in lawn chairs.

On one side of the event, families came to sell their belongings. A mini-flea market was set up and people were selling toys, books, clothing, even bicycles. It was the perfect forum for families scheduled to leave Beijing in the next month who needed to get rid of items before shipping out. And we found some treasures!

The canteen was open and many families enjoyed lunch there while kids could get their faces painted or do crafts in the adjoining room. My daughter especially loved her face-painting and begged for it not to be washed off that evening in the bath. Sadly, most of it had already rubbed off by then.

Overall, the Kermesse was a relaxed and sunny event for all. People enjoyed themselves. The kids ran around freely and happily and enjoyed the playground. We adults lounged in the shade and did a lot of laughing. For this mom, it was a great way to experience my daughter’s world for an afternoon. I’m so glad we went.

Last year, when some friends of mine left, I was welcomed into the world of private tutoring via the students they left behind. These students needed a qualified English and music teacher, and they live in the compound beside mine. I reluctantly offered to take them on, but I have no regrets. Almost a year later, I have become “part of the family” to the degree that I was invited to attend a birthday celebration for the family’s grandmother. Little did I realize it would include a live performance by a trained Peking opera professional.

Truthfully, the world of private tutoring for international students was not one I was familiar with. But, since embarking on this part-time work, these kinds of incredible moments have not been irregular. I have met some very interesting people and been invited to attend some extremely remarkable events.

On this particular night, my students’ grandmother turned seventy. I teach both children in this family, and I arrived to teach my classes only to be told that I should sit down and make myself comfortable. Both kids were excited for their “secret.” Soon, other neighbors from downstairs arrived along with their family’s tutor–another foreigner.

When all were seated, a Chinese flute player came into the room and sat down and started playing an exquisite melody. After a few musical phrases, in walked a Peking opera singer/actor dressed in full costume and extravagant make-up. Stunning. She performed for approximately thirty minutes and then gave the guest of honor (the grandmother) a few tips on opera stances.

Following this, we were all treated to a lavish dinner.

This had all been a surprise to the family’s grandmother and all evening she was flushed with the excitement of something so special. As I sat at the table as both teacher and guest, I had yet another flash of the frequent “only in China” thought.

I mean, “Where else would Peking Opera show up in a living room?”

Photos: Courtesy of Ember Swift

Beneath its rather swashbuckling name, liar’s dice (known in Chinese as chuiniu, literally “to brag” or “to boast”) is actually a very simple game to learn. Originating in Spain, liar’s dice spread to mainland China via Hong Kong and is now one of the country’s most popular games. More recently, liar’s dice was introduced to many Westerners through Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man’s Chest.

Ages: Approximately 10 and up Type of game: Dice Number of players: Two and up

Basic Rules At its core, liar’s dice is a bluffing and bidding game. You can use either standard dice or poker dice, which substitutes numbered dots for playing card representations.

Each player gets five six-sided dice, with cups used for concealment. Every round, each player rolls the dice under the cups and looks at his/her hand while keeping it hidden from other players. The first player then starts the bidding by giving a quantity and a face value for all the dice on the table. For example: five 2s, seven 3s, four 5s, and so on. The 1s are usually wild.

Each player then has two choices during his/her turn: make a higher bid or challenge the previous bid. Raising the bid means increasing the quantity, face value, or both. For example, if the first player says “five 2s,” then the following player cannot say “four 2s.”

If the current player decided to challenge the previous bid, everyone must reveal their dice. If the bid is equal to or less than the number of the dice of the same value, the bidder wins. If the bid is greater than the number on the table, the challenger wins.

The loser of the challenge has to take one die out of play and gets the first turn on the next round.

For a simple illustrated guide, visit this Instructables page.

Game over: The game ends when only one player remains. There are no ties in liar’s dice; however, an elimination round goes into effect if each of the remaining players has one die left. Instead of bidding on the number of a face value, bids are placed on the sum of the face value itself (in a two-player game, that’s the value of one die + value of the other die).

For more Chinese games like Go, San Guo Sha, and Dou Dizhu, enter “Chinese Game Spotlight” in our search box.

Photo by banspy (Flickr)