Following our discovery of the free outdoor playground that opened up in a cosy neighborhood park across from the MOMA residences, we are thrilled to share that another outdoor playground has opened in a free park, this time southeast of central Beijing in the Guanzhuang neighborhood not too far from Happy Valley.

官庄公园 (Guān zhuāng gōngyuán) Guanzhuang Park just opened late last year, and sports new, clean facilities, including a freshly painted 860-meter fitness trail, a colored pencil wall, and brand new playground areas! The 948-hectare park itself is huge, as attested by our 1.5 hour exploration that covered less than half of it.

According to the park directory, there are designated areas such as “wetlands,” “butterflies garden,” and even a “moonlight forest,” but due to the winter chill, you don’t really see those attractions yet. What you will see is a big lake that’s currently frozen (and which sadly doesn’t allow ice-skating), as well as several new gazebos and sheltered areas for sitting.

Plus, of course the spanking new kids’ playgrounds! Right now, you can only enter through the west entrance of the park, and the quickest way to the playgrounds is to turn right and walk east until you reach the river, then cross the first bridge. There are three locations identified as public restrooms on the map (look for number 19), but we didn’t manage to find them ourselves.

Following the path you’re set on, the first playground you’ll see is the giraffe. It’s a fun one for little kiddos 3 and under. Further east past that one, you’ll find a larger playground that offers some climbing and balancing challenges, which is best suited to slightly older kids up to 7 years old. Close to that is another toddler playground, this one in the form of a airplane. Around the corner there’s also a slide with a sand pit, as well as some fun natural structures like this one that resembles a wooden igloo.

With huge open spaces and multiple playgrounds within city limits, the park is already a massive draw. But one more thing: Guanzhuang park is one of the few parks that lets kids bring their bicycles and scooters in to ride! The park and the playgrounds are definitely worth a visit, even on weekends when the crowds descend － the space is large enough to accommodate most!

Find it: 北京市朝阳区广华大街
běi jīng shì cháo yáng qū guǎng huà dà jiē
Guanghua Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing

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Images: Vivienne Tseng-Rush

We know the culture shock that many of us went through when we first landed in Beijing and discovered to our mild horror that many parks here require admission, do not allow picnics (or sometimes even for you to step on the grass), and are laden with money-making play areas designed to capture our kids’ attention. So when a free public playground opened up in a new neighborhood park in Dongcheng District, I just had to go see for myself.

The Liangmahe Park in Dongcheng District finally opened last week after a lengthy renovation. Situated right across from the MOMA residences near the start of the Liangma River, the park is small and quite barren, except for the brightly-colored play area located close to the main entrance in the northeast corner of the park. The playground is divided into two areas – one suited to toddlers under 3, and one meant for older kids. My nearly 7-year-old enjoyed himself for an hour, running up and down the larger open play area, which offers some simple climbing challenges with ropes and tires on the sides of low-inclined hills. There are also large circular rope swings and a sand pit.

Due to schedule constraints, we had to check out the park during the weekend, which meant some serious crowds. But even so, everyone had fun. There are also a few benches right next to the playground so you can get comfortable while keeping an eye on your kid. Also noteworthy are be the public toilets, which are thoughtfully located right next to the play area, and which come equipped with Western-style toilets and are not just squatty potties! For the first time, I also saw a family toilet option with a changing table! Because the park is still so new, the toilets are in great shape. Let’s hope they stay that way…

You can walk through the entire park in under 20 minutes, and for a longer stroll you can just exit the park and walk along Liangma River all the way down to Solana Mall. This new neighborhood park is totally worth a visit, especially on the weekdays, if you have little ones. Hopefully, we’ll soon see more neighborhood parks like this one around Beijing!

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Images: Ray Wu, Vivienne Tseng-Rush