I vividly remember last year when I took my daughter to Disney on Ice, which returns to Beijing this month. I really thought she would not remember it, but to this day she still talks about the spectacle. I would say worth the money then. My daughter dressed up as Elsa – like around 200 other girls. We got some light-up toys from one of the vendors on the street, and entered the arena. I had never taken her to such a grand place so it immediately made an impression.

When the lights dimmed we were amazed by many songs and dances from our favorite Disney movies. Some of the movies I’d even forgotten, but I could still sing along to the hits. I had to purchase some of the golden oldies like Aladdin and watch them with my daughter later.

The show is a two hour spectacle at the Mercedes-Benz Arena next to the Zoo. Over 50 Disney characters will be featured in the show, including stars from Frozen, The Lion King, Zootopia, Beauty and the Beast and Finding Nemo.

Some amazing songs will be featured to sing along to like  “Hakuna Matata,” “You’ve Got a Friend in Me,” “Let It Go,” “At Last I See the Light” and “A Whole New World.” I for one can’t wait to blast my vocal cords and impress my 4-year-old daughter with my Disney knowledge. For more information check this.

Photos: courtesy of Disney On Ice

On a sunny Sunday when the air was great. My husband, daughter, and I ventured out  to investigate the snow park at workers stadium. I was warned the payment information would all be in Chinese so I was prepared to not understand a thing. We would just pay and see where it would lead us.

It was quite a spectacle by the ticket booth with a grandfather screaming and some parents pushing. But I got to the front and got my hand on an information pamphlet written in both English and Chinese. My daughter is four years old so was admitted for free, the adults paid RMB 50 each, and RMB 50 to rent a donut sleigh. We got a card and had to top it up with a deposit of RMB 300. Any money remaining in the card when we were finished we would get back at the end of our snow day. Descending down the stairs, our daughter saw the greatest amount of snow she has seen yet. She felt like Elsa from Frozen.

We took the donut sleigh down the slope and at first I thought we could only go down once since it was stated on the informational sheet. It must have been a translation mistake though since nobody scanned our card and the three of us went down the slope plenty of times.

Exploring the vast snow area we found at a smaller sleigh hill, different sections with activities you have to pay for, like snow scooters to ride on, and blow up balls you can walk in. There are booths with typical Chinese street food and drinks. We took our own drinks and snacks, wishing we had taken some plastic bags to sit on so we could have avoided getting our butts wet during snack time.

The snow is getting pretty hard in some areas so I had to be careful not to slip and slide too much. I also wished we had brought a rain suit or a water proof snow suit for our daughter to wear over her outfit since her pants got pretty wet from rolling around in the snow. We spend a great 3 hours at the snow park, the sun keeping us warm and energized.

When we left we returned the card and received RMB 150 back from the ticket booth, meaning we had spent  a total of RMB 150 for a afternoon in the snow park. An icy good deal.

Skiing World Worker’s Stadium South Gate, Chaoyang District

Pauline van Hasselt has been working for beijingkids since October 2016. Born in Wassenaar, The Netherlands, she moved with her husband and her 3 year-old daughter to Beijing in June of 2016. Prior she lived in the Netherlands, Belgium, Paraguay, Texas, and London, studying and working as a chef. Pauline enjoys biking around Beijing, finding markets and new restaurants, reading crime and fantasy books in bed, and most importantly, turning her house into a home for her family.

Every family can appreciate the magic of Disney. Their entertainment is absolutely kid friendly, with bright colors and plenty of silly action, yet not too childish in sarcasm, so adults can enjoy it too.

In the past few years of Disney laughs, my personal favorite has been Olaf’s “Summer” parody. I snicker every time I hear the line, “The hot and the cold are both so intense, put ‘em together. It just makes sense!”

Or

“Winter’s a good time to stay in and cuddle, but put me in summer and I’ll be a…. Happy Snowman!”

As with the movies, parents and kids will be thrilled by the theatrics, dance, and song of Disney on Ice! This 120-minute program packs eight classic stories, including Finding Nemo 2, Frozen, The Lion King, Snow White, Aladdin, Toy Story, Rapunzel, and The Little Mermaid.

Of course, Mickey and Minnie will make their own special appearances, and children will even have the opportunity to interact within this fantasy realm made larger than life!

“In The Wonderful World of Disney On Ice, we’ve created a beautiful moment where an audience member gets to release a lantern with Rapunzel and Flynn at the beginning of “I See the Light,” says Director Patty Vincent. “It’s breathtaking to watch, and then Rapunzel and Flynn skate a beautiful duet with the lanterns glowing above them.”

In addition to this moment, the choreographer incorporated moments to encourage the audience to stomp along with Woody and join in a wave with Nimo.

Disney on Ice started in 1981 and never skimps on pomp when it comes to their costumes. The producers behind the show, Field Entertainment, have skated across six continents in 75 countries, with an approximate of thirty million fans enjoying the spectacle each year.

And lucky you! Our friends at Disney on Ice are having a lucky draw for beijingkids readers!

Repost this article on to your moments (on WeChat) to enter for a chance to win one of five tickets to the English version of the performance, showing at 10.30am on Sunday October 16 at Capital Indoor Stadium,  Haidian District. The more likes you get on the post from your friends, the more entries you get into the giveaway. Just make sure to screenshot the proof of all those likes and send the picture in to the official beijingkids WeChat account.

The giveaway deadline is at midnight on Thursday, October 13. Don’t find yourself turning into a sad pumpkin without an entry when the proverbial hour strikes.

Personally, I’m not leaving our family’s viewing up to luck, and I’ve decided to go ahead and purchase our own glimpse of Princess Elsa this Sunday. Tickets range from RMB 180 to 380, with a family discount package available.

Along with the English version, which is perfect for the expat or the bilingual family, Mandarin language show times are also available.

Shows will be taking place at the Beijing Capital Arena, Zhongguancun South Ave 56, Haidian District.

Go to http://en.damai.cn/event/tickets_106012/ or call 1010 3721 or 400 610 3721 to get your seats before they’re all snatched up.

Photos: Courtesy of Disney on Ice! 

My daughter and princess dolls. My daughter and Frozen. My daughter and anything related to princesses. This is the story in this house. There was a time when Playdoh reigned, but since she turned three-and-a-half, Playdoh is only a tool to make food for princesses, or make princess crowns, or princess hair, etc. This mom is going a bit princess crazy! But when my daughter wanted to use Playdoh to create something for the princess in a slightly more creative way, I was all for it.

It started with these basic lumps. She was flattening and squishing them onto her doll in such a way that seemed almost like the Playdoh was a tool to smother plastic. I watched her, amused. I asked what she was doing and she looked at me as if to say ‘isn’t it obvious’? She was making clothes for the doll, she explained, with a sigh. Duh.

She managed to make some Playdoh stay on the doll’s top half, but the skirt was another struggle. She was trying desperately to attach a thick slab of green Playdoh to no avail.

Eventually, I suggested she cut it into “fabric” and my daughter’s eyes lit up like she had just discovered hidden treasure. She watched me cut the Playdoh into a rectangle as I explained to her that this is how clothing is made, in flat sections that then get sewn together in patterns. We created “pleats” with our fingers after we attached it to her waist and this made her even more excited.

What surprised me was my daughter’s insistence that the dress be two separate colors. She pointed to the orange Playdoh and so we made another square and attached it to the green. When the skirt was finished, she looked at me with a very adult expression that reads: “See? I told you so.”

And she was right. It was possible to make clothing out of Playdoh. Who knew? Elsa finally looks a little cooler out of her pale blue ice queen princess uniform. And this mom was happy to spend some constructive time with her little 4-year-old princess.

Photos: Courtesy of Ember Swift

As I speak to my friend on Skype back in Montreal, she tells me it hasn’t snowed there for over a month. I respond, proudly, that the snow has stayed on the ground here in Beijing for exactly four days and counting. Hurray!

With the exception of one winter away to birth my son, this is my seventh winter in Beijing and it marks the first time I have seen snow remain on the ground for more than one day. I love to wake to the bright reflection of light off of white coming through the windows. It brings a freshness to the normally grey Beijing winter and combats those early winter blues—at least for me.

The kids are also thrilled. Ever since Frozen’s popularization of the melodic question “Do you wanna build a snowman?” my daughter has been waiting for the snow with baited (princess-obsessed) breath. Getting to actually build one in Beijing and then gleefully sing the song (in an appropriate context) on a higher-than-normal-frequency repeat for four days has been her idea of pure bliss.

Thankfully, despite the annoying loop in my head, I’m not yet at the point of wishing the snow would melt to silence the song. I’m charmed by the white. It warms my heart, even at -10.
 

Photos: Ember Swift

Looking for ways to cool the kids down now that the weather’s getting hot? How about taking them for a visit to a real-life version of Frozen’s icy world? Can anything be "cooler" than that?

Beijing’s Water Cube is hosting a Frozen-themed indoor ice-sculpture show from now through August, and get this: it’s not just a knock-off, it’s officially authorized by the Walt Disney Company.

It’s bound to be a hit with the 7-and-under set, particularly those little princesses who have memorized the lyrics to "Let It Go" and belt it out at a moments’ notice.

The show features a 3,000sqm indoor ice sculpture gallery and a 2,000sqm “World of Frozen” ice cave. 

The ice cave uses music and movie clips to bring the Frozen fantasy to life. Kids will also get a chance to mingle with many of the characters from the film such as Elsa, Princess Anna and Kristoff.

There is also a marketplace for authorized merchandise from Disney, Pixar and Marvel’s most popular franchises, including Mickey Mouse, Cars, and Big Hero 6.

The dioramas will mostly be there for photo ops, while there is an additional play area with ice slides.

The show runs now through August 12 and is open 9am to 8pm. Tickets on weekdays are RMB 98 for adults, RMB 78 for kids and seniors; on weekends and holidays the ticket prices jump to RMB 108 for kids, RMB 128 for adults.

Beijing National Aquatics Center 国家游泳中心
11 Tianchen East Rd
Chaoyang District
8437 0112  

Photos: Water Cube

If braving Beijing’s chilly evenings for that Thanksgiving feast being offered around town is not an option, then making a homemade feast will require you know just where to get the traditional turkey ingredient. Here is a list of the places that are offering already stuffed turkey pre-cooked or a fully cooked turkey also there are options of where to get a frozen turkey:

Pre-cooked/Cooked turkey

Piazza Cafe on Yu Yang Lu across from Capital Paradise makes ready-to-carve turkeys. Orders to be placed in advance. Piazza café (8046 2020/8046 7788).