With the easing of Covid restrictions this past week, we have been able to finally restore some normalcy in our lives and get back to our daily activities, fun stuff included.

I guess we all have forgotten what normalcy is ‘cause I’ve actually been kind of in awe of the variety of places I can go and take my kids to now. One of these places I’m talking about is Peanut Tour Golf, a cozy indoor golf studio tucked away in the elegant setting of the MOMA complex in Dongzhimen.

The studio actually serves as the main office and base for China Long Drive Championship, an organization that aims to promote the sport of long drive in China and other Asian countries. For those not familiar with this particular sport, it’s golf where players need to hit a ball as far as humanly possible. Sounds fun and quite simple, doesn’t it? So why not head over there and give it a try? Even better, let your kid take a swing too and make it a fun family day out.

Other than being a gathering spot for long drive enthusiasts, this little gem offers golf lessons to both adults and children. So, whether you are already an avid golf player, need a break from your routine and are looking to take up a new hobby, or just want to make it a one-time thing and try something new for fun, you can do so by picking up a golf club and learning some cool techniques. It can also be a great way of showing your kids that trying new things can be a fun learning experience where you get to spend time together and have a blast!

I recently had the opportunity to visit the place, and as soon as we stepped in, I noticed the big projector screen with a swing pad in front of it and a big selection of golf clubs. My son Noa, of course, went for the biggest and heaviest one, although there were shorter clubs available that were more suitable for kids. So don’t worry if you don’t own any golf equipment and have absolutely no clue how to choose. The coach will find the best option for you or your kid, but of course, you can bring your own set if you own one.

According to Shine Liu, the managing director of China Long Drive Championship, as soon as a kid turns 4 he/she is ready to start playing golf, although mine had loads of fun at only 3.

As a father of two young kids himself, Shine said “I don’t want my kids spending hours sitting in front of a computer screen playing video games. Combining video games and real sports where our kids actually participate and are physically active is ideal.”

The studio provides one-on-one coaching sessions at prices ranging from RMB 800 to RMB 1,800/hour, depending on the coach and the number of lessons you choose. There is also a free trial class available, so why not go for a swing, just for kicks? You may end up with a new hobby! But even if you only get a fun afternoon out of it, it won’t be wasted time (or money). You can also just sit back and relax (there is a nice comfy sofa right by the hitting platform perfect for this) and watch your kid get all excited about having his first golf lesson.

The studio is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 9pm, and weekends from 8am to 9pm. You can call them at 84388177 to schedule a free trial class.

Find it:
Peanut Tour Golf 花生游高尔夫
T3-102 Dangdai MOMA, Dongcheng District
北京市东城区香河园路一号当代Moma T3-102
Tel: 8438 8177

Images: Pexels, Courtesy of Shine Liu, Sanja Stojkov

In this column, Bizkids, we feature interviews with successful entrepreneurs and various professionals to share their advice to aspiring kids with entrepreneurial spirits. To send in your questions or advice, email cindyjenkins@beijing-kids.com.

Have you ever thought about turning your hobby into a business one day? Though you may assume it’s only suitable as a hobby, there’s a chance you can take what you like doing and turn it into a potential career. However, it not only demands your patience and passion, but also requires a model example to inspire you!

This time, our featured professional is AJ Donnelly, a British expat who arrived in Beijing in 1999 as a humble kindergarten teacher. Early on he saw the growing demand for experiences related to traditional Chinese culture, and wanted to find a way to help people better access them.

Having studied martial arts since the age of 8, and became a Daoist at the age of 14, he already had a good basis for understanding traditional Chinese culture. But after many years and obstacles, he was finally able to follow his calling as an entrepreneur and open one of China’s first foreign-run culture centers – Cultural Keys! Over the years, Cultural Keys has expanded to include the CK Culture Boutique, a bespoke Chinese art store, and CK Martial Hearts, which offers traditional Chinese Kung Fu courses. He’s also the founder of the Bootstrap Business Initiative, an organization that provides consultation services and helps first-time entrepreneurs access information and services for setting up low-budget businesses in Beijing.

Here, he shares his inspiring journey with us, from his passion for Kung Fu and Chinese culture, to sense of wonder, and how he turned his life-long interests into Cultural Keys, while unlocking China’s potential in the process!

What was your motivation to start Cultural Keys?

Looking back at the last five or ten years, there has always been a misunderstanding of China: people either think China is a terrible place, or they think it’s mysterious. But of course, neither of these is correct. And I just always wanted people to see the real China, traditional Chinese culture, and find as much as value in it as I find. Because I love it, not because I’m blind, but because I experienced it and I see how it improves my life and I want other people to understand it. That’s why we started giving people access to traditional Chinese culture.

When did your interest in Chinese culture begin? Why do you like Kung Fu?

I started martial arts when I was 8, and then I started karate, because throughout my childhood, from day one until I left school, I was bullied every single day. I watched The Karate Kid, and I was like “wow he learned martial arts, I wanna do that too!” So I took karate for several years, and I went from karate to kickboxing, then to Kung Fu and eventually found Shaolin Martial arts.

How about the Kung Fu part of Cultural Keys? What’s the story related to Kung Fu?

Kung Fu is where we started originally. When myself, my wife Nic, and our partner sat down six years ago and decided to start the company, we were thinking about the first product we could introduce and offer people. We said, “we have to choose something that is so big, so easily recognizable and so untapped, that people look at it and straight away say they know what it is.” Because I had a background in martial arts, we decided to do something with Shaolin Temple. After visiting many fake schools, we eventually ended up at the real Shaolin Temple. I walked up to a monk and said that I wanted to study there, and the monk said, “Okay, follow me.”

We got introduced to the leadership of the Shaolin Temple, and I trained there for a while. One day I sat down with the leader of foreign liaison department of the temple and told him about the company, and what we wanted to do. The leader said, “Yes, we have warrior monks in the Shaolin Temple, but we don’t do marketing, we don’t make money doing this. If Cultural Keys wants to help bring foreign students here to share the spirit of Shaolin and the idea of Buddhism, then yeah, we’d love to do that with you.”

From that meeting, it was about 18 months until the first program when we actually took students there. Because the advertisement took a year or so, and no one had signed up, we were close to giving up. I told the temple about it, and they said “It is normal. You must have patience; allow your soul to grow within the business like a tree, you can’t expect to sprout fruit immediately.” So I told myself to keep trying, and after another six months, we got a couple of customers who we were able to take to the Shaolin Temple, and it was a huge success. After that it just snow-balled. We did that for another two years, just building up a reputation, and when we realized it was going well, we decided to introduce something else. Step by step, we started other workshops like calligraphy, painting, and more. Now we offer 20-plus workshops.

How many people work with Cultural Keys? 

Just me and Nic. It’s not only having Cultural Keys, but we also have business events to organize as well, and people think it must be more than the two of us. Things like paintings and calligraphy; we have local experts in both subjects.

How do you usually reach out to people you want to collaborate with? Any tips to share?

First and foremost, you have to ensure you can offer something of high quality, and you have to be very confident in your product. When we started six years ago, the first thing I did was reach out to international companies and language schools, and said we have these great products, your teachers and staff will like it. But they didn’t want to collaborate with us. In the second and third year, after we’d done the first Shaolin program, they changed their attitude completely and introduced our program to their staff.

But you know in Beijing, there are also a lot of competitors. How do you compete with them?

If you are starting a business, you can compete either on price, or quality. Cultural Keys can never compete with price because there are some schools in Beijing where you pay RMB 50 for a calligraphy class. So we have to make sure that our products are the highest quality. Before we had our Guozijian experience, Nic spent a couple of weeks just walking around the hutongs, talking to people, finding out the real stories from locals who had lived there for the last 50 years.

It’s also about the personality; you can have a tour guide that just says lines like, “This was built in the 1950s,”  but you have to put your personality in it. When I go on walks with people, I put all my personality there and interact with people.

What do you most enjoy about the entrepreneurial experience? 

There is no such thing as freedom, but you know that everything you have is because of the effort you made, so whether you succeed or you fail, it’s about you. At least it gives you a sense of power in knowing that you are in control of what happens next. It’s not relaxing, or free, but it’s all about you. You are relying on yourself when you are an entrepreneur, and that empowers you.

Do you have anything else to share with kids who want to start their own business?

There are three tips that I’d like to give to any entrepreneur:

– Check things three times. Especially in China, you can get different answers from different people; you always have to check things three times no matter where you find the information.

– Make your own way. Anytime you hear meibanfa (impossible), anytime people tell you it can’t be done, don’t believe it. Because people don’t try, they will never know if there’s a banfa (possible).

– It’s always better to fail than to give up! In Kung Fu, there’s a basic posture called mabu (horse stance). When I teach horse stance, I tell people to hold it for one minute. Usually, after 15 seconds, people will stand up because it starts to hurt. However I tell them, if you have enough strength to stand up, you have enough strength to hold the pose for another five seconds, then you collapse, then you continue. You can’t learn anything through quitting, but you can learn from failure.

KEEP READING: Don’t Forget to Follow and Subscribe…: Are Beijing Teenagers Too Plugged In?

Photos: courtesy of AJ Donnelly

It’s said that dogs were the first animal to be domesticated by man. Horses came relatively late to the party, some ten thousand years later, after the goat, the camel and even the guinea pig. But no animal can have had such a profound effect on human civilization. Horses provided transport and status, and were once so important that early engines were measured by how many “horsepower” they produced.

But the motor long surpassed the mare, and cities have developed around the automobile. Is it still possible, in a 21st century metropolis like Beijing, for children to learn to love and care for these magnificent beasts? We spoke to a mom and daughter who say the answer is emphatically “Yes!”

Vanessa Vandevraye grew up in her native France without a horse of her own.

“I always loved horses as far as I remember,” she tells us, “but I also loved to play piano and my mother had not enough money to pay for both activities so I had to choose. I had to wait until I was grown up and getting my own money to start riding lessons. Then I owned my first horse when I was 24.”

Becoming a riding instructor was a natural next step.

“I had the chance to combine my two passions. I wanted to become a teacher and I had the opportunity to become a horseback riding instructor.”

As a result Vanessa’s daughter Dakota grew up around horses.

“She likes to say that she started riding when she was inside my belly!” Vanessa laughs. “It’s almost true. She has been with horses every day, and got on their back each time she wanted to since she was a baby. She did a lot of vaulting (gymnastics on the back of the horse) when she was 4, but she starting progressively to really learn how to ride around 5 or 6 years old. What she just loved was to take care of them. We never pushed her to ride, always let her ask for it, and taught her nothing except what we normally teach to a toddler: left and right, colors, how to count, coordination, balance. But then when she said she really wanted to ride, we made sure she would do it on a regular basis and stick to it.”

Dakota’s passion for riding is certainly genuine.

“I like horse riding because I love horses, and when I ride them I feel like I’m free or that I’m flying,” she tells us. “I like to try to understand how they feel the day I ride them or care for them: if they feel sad or happy, if they feel scared or confident.”

The family came to Beijing seven years ago, and Vanessa and husband Joel now run a riding school in Shunyi. This has given Dakota plenty of opportunity to deepen her interest in horses.

“I also love to train the new ponies who arrive in our club,” she says. “Usually they are shy or scared of people. I teach them to be confident in humans and in their new environment. I also like to give them their new English or Chinese names. I have special bonds with some of the ponies and horses of the club, and if I feel sad or if I had a bad day I go see them, and they always try to make me laugh or cuddle me.”

While she cares for all the horses and ponies, she owns four of her own – plus a dog called Mickey.

“My horses’ names are Andalou, Aladdin, Gucci, and Hawaii,” she says. “My favorite horse is Andalou, he was given to me by my parents for my 10th birthday. He’s now 5 years old, and his color is grey and his breed is Spanish horse. He loves hugs and kisses. He loves eating so he’s always a bit fat. He likes apples and carrots, but his favorite is watermelon. When I arrive in the stables in the morning he calls for me and becomes crazy if I don’t come see him right away. And he doesn’t like when I leave. Every afternoon, he goes out in the paddock with Gucci and Hawaii and the other horses. They are all girls, so he is very proud. He bosses them and protects them. His favorite mare is Happiness, who is the tallest horse of the club. He is also very smart because he’s learned many tricks, like opening the door of his stall by himself. We now also play horseball together, even if he doesn’t really like to have the ball landing on his head.”

Dakota is now 12, a student at the Lycée Français International Charles de Gaulle de Pékin (LFIP), and the demands of schoolwork are beginning to increase.

“We are a lucky family because we are all involved in horses,” Vanessa says. “My husband is also a horseback riding instructor so Dakota can go to the club anytime she wants. However, this year she entered middle school, and her planning is very busy so she has less time except on weekends and holidays.”

“This year it is difficult,” Dakota agrees, “but I try to make sure my homework is done far in advance. This way I can spend more time at the stables. Sometimes I feel tired, but when I see my horses it gives me courage and then I have energy again. I know school is very important but I feel sad because I have less time to go to the stables. And horse riding is also a very important school of life.”

We ask her what she learns at this school.

“First I learn patience,” she says. “Then I learn responsibility. I learn that nothing is easy in life; if you want to be good you must work hard and always pay attention to details. Even a very gentle horse can kick you.

“The most important thing I learned is that we call ourselves humans and the other kind the animals, but we forget that we also are animals. We are not ‘the humans’ and the horses our slaves; even if we don’t speak the same language we can learn how to communicate with each other and respect each other. Horses they are very sensitive, they really have feelings and if we pay attention we can share our feelings and they can show us how we feel. They are like mirrors, so we must be a good person if we want our horse to be good.”

Mom too sees the value of the time Dakota spends with her horses.

“Horses require daily attention,” she says. “It’s not a toy you just put back in the box when you don’t want to play anymore or you are too tired. It teaches her empathy, leadership, communication skills, self control, discipline, independence… what amazed me the most was when last year she came up with a daily planning of all the tasks she would do during her holidays. She had set it up herself, and was ticking a box each time she completed the tasks.”

But Dakota still finds time for other activities.

“I have always done Taekwondo, thanks to the extracurricular activities of the schools I went to. I now train with my favorite teacher, Bruno from NB8. He knows I love horses, so he always says my brain is half horse on the left, half horse on the right, and horse in the middle! My best kick is the horse kick. I also play piano and hulusi [a Chinese woodwind instrument]for my pleasure but I don’t learn with a teacher, just by myself.”

Not all of her school friends share her passion, Dakota tells us.

“At the stables I have many friends and ride sometimes with them. My friends who also love riding think that I am so lucky to have my own horse and to live most of the time at the club. At school my best friend rides a little bit. Many of my friends don’t ride, but they have other sports they are passionate about. For my birthday, I invited them to the stables and they got to ride for the first time and they all liked it and liked the horses so I was very happy.”

Vanessa says it’s not a hobby that’s out of reach for most people, though it can become an obsession.

“If you don’t own a horse, it’s easy! Even if riding is much more expensive in China than in Europe, it is still affordable to ride on a regular basis. If you own a horse, then it’s terrible because then you want the pretty saddle and bridle to go with it, all the equipment, with different colors, the best grooming kits, you become a fashion victim! Attending competitions can be expensive too, and of course horses are like kids – you pay attention to their health, to what they eat, if they have one hair upside down you call the vet…”

But she emphasizes the importance of doing things properly.

“Every parent wants to make sure that their kid will be safe,” she says, “so I would tell them to find a very professional place with certified instructors. They have to visit the place before trying to ride and go see the horses. Do they look happy or aggressive, are they in good shape or skinny, are there ponies for the kids? Is the environment healthy, clean and quiet? Will the kid be taught how to care for the horse before and after the riding? If you want to have all the benefits that  horses can bring into the life of your kid, this is very important.”

For Dakota, life without horses is now unthinkable.

“I will always ride, there is no way I will stop riding. In fact I would like to be a horseback riding instructor or director like my parents when I grow up. If for any reasons I cannot be that I would like to be an archaeologist, but horses will always be part of my life.”

This article appeared in the beijingkids October 2019 Family Foodies issue

For our new column, Ask an Educator, we turn to educators, whether teachers, tutors, or principals, to answer frequently asked questions from parents. To send in your question, email jessicasuotmaa@beijing-kids.com.

This week, our question is:
“Why should children learn how to sail? What other skills can they develop?”

Answering for us is Georgina Willis, Chief Instructor at Beijing Sailing Centre (BSC) who has been sailing ever since she was 7 years old.

Sailing is a fantastic sport which helps develop important skills for any age group. I got into sailing as a child, continued in my teenage years, and it boosted my confidence massively by encouraging me to help other children learn as well! The boost in confidence really helps kids meet new people and make new friends as sailing is a physical sport that requires interaction. As a sport, sailing has its own community and a friendly atmosphere due to other sailors always being around to offer help and advice when needed.

Sailing is a skill in itself, but as you learn and improve in sailing, it does teach you many other skills, such as team leadership, as when you’re in charge of your own boat, you need to ensure that everyone on board is correctly completing their respective jobs. They will also learn communication while working with others on board the boat. Clear communication ensures that the boat sails as efficiently as possible, and also allows for gaining water confidence by spending loads of time on and in the water.

Sailing is a growing sport which is already popular worldwide, with many more learning the sport each year. It’s a great way to travel and see the world while learning about new cultures. There’s no downside to learning how to sail, as it can be a hobby, a relaxing time away from school, or even a future career!

Photo: courtesy of Beijing Sailing Centre