Beijing is witnessing suffocatingly hot summer weather, and the best way to save yourself from the heat is, of course, to jump into the water! Below is a roundup of kid-friendly swimming pools in Beijing, both indoor and outdoor ones, for you to cool down and enjoy some pleasant pool time with your little ones, as well as swimming clubs organizing classes for kids with various levels of expertise. Come make your summer a big splash!

Outdoor pools

Qingnianhu Park

Qingnianhu Park boasts a pleasant outdoor pool with slides for kids. There isn’t much shade, so be sure to bring sun protection. The park is comparatively quiet so also a nice place to avoid the crowd and stroll around.

RMB 40 (adults); RMB 30 (kids under 1.3m). 10am-5pm. Qingnianhu Park, Andingmen Waidajie, Dongcheng District (8411 6321). 

Chaoyang Park

Chaoyang Park features a massive pool divided into three parts—the children’s zone, shallow zone and standard competition pool, as well as slides and an artificial beach close by. A plus is that the swimming pool has advanced filters and sterilization processes to guarantee the cleanness of the water at this pool all day long. The drawback is that it can get quite crowded.

The swimming pool will be open to the public from early July, according to staff, so the price and opening hours are still unconfirmed. Below is the information from last year as a general reference, but please check before making a trip!

RMB 80 (9am-6pm weekdays); RMB 60 (6-9.30pm weekdays); RMB 120 (weekends and holidays); free (kids under 1.2m). 9am-9.30pm. Chaoyang Park, 1 Chaoyang Gongyuan Nanlu, Chaoyang District (6506 5409). 

Tuanjiehu Park

The size of the swimming pool in Tuanjiehu Park is rather small compared to others, but its convenient location near Sanlitun makes it a standby for many families living nearby.

RMB 680 (weekdays); RMB 100 (weekends); free (kids under 1m). 10.30am-8pm. Tuanjiehu Park, Tuanjiehu Nanli, Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District (8597 4677). 

Indoor pools

Dongdan Swimming Pool

The Dongdan Swimming Pool consists of a standard 50 by 25 meter pool with 10 lanes, and a 10 by 3 meter shallow pool and slides for kids to play. Two pluses: supervisors to coach beginners for free, as well as various exercise equipment and TVs to keep your mind off your burning muscles.

RMB 560 (adults), RMB 340 (students aged under 18); RMB 30 (children under 1.3m). Noon-9pm (Mondays), 10am-9pm (Tuesday-Sunday). 2 Dahua Road, Dongdan, Dongcheng District (6523 1241). 

Ditan Swimming Pool

Conveniently located northwest of Ditan Park, this swimming pool is particularly popular for its modern facilities and clean environment.

RMB 40 (adults), RMB 20 (children under 1.4m), RMB 20 (ages 60+).  8.30am-3.30pm 3.30-10pm (weekdays); Noon-10pm (weekends). Ditan Gymnasium, 116 Andingmenwai Street, Dongcheng District (6421 4415).

Water Cube Park

The former site of the 2008 Olympic water sport competitions, the Water Cube has since been transformed into a water playground with a wave pool, slides and various entertainment facilities.

RMB 45 (per time); RMB 390 (whole summer pass). 12.30-8.30 pm (weekdays before middle June), 9am-8.30pm (weekends before middle June, and daily afterwards). 11 Tianchen Donglu (in the Olympic Park, near the Bird’s Nest), Chaoyang District (8437 8899). 

Swimming Clubs

DragonFire Club

Jun 25-Aug 5. Group class has 8 levels, baby swim, beginner 1-3, intermediate 1-3 and advanced. Private class open to all including adults. You can register for classes according to your availability, from once a week up to 6 times a week. Visit here for more information.

Sports Beijing’s Aqua Warriors Swimming Club

Jun 18 – Aug 10. Offered for 4-16 year-old children, Aqua Warriors Swimming Club’s summer camp aims to enrich student’s summer vacation life, promote youth swimming as exercise, improve their sporting level, increase interest in swimming as a sport, and inspire potential. The camp will focus on developing skills and enhance the swimming squad’s physical stamina, as well as optimizing turns and starts using video analysis. The summer camp will customize a scientific and effective training program for every member’s individual characteristics. Visit here for more information.

Mookey Swim Club

Mookey Swim Club is a parent-kid swimming center accommodating families with children aged under six. Staffed with qualified coaches, the club offers different courses tailored for specific age groups. Visit here for more information.

Photos: Mookey; Sports Beijing; dragonfire club; refoxrelocation.com; CRI; arup.com; Pixabay

Beijing may have a profusion of indoor water parks and swimming pools, but on those hot, muggy summer days all the kids really want is to splash around in the sun. Barring a weekend trip, it’s surprisingly difficult to find a good outdoor pool with decent facilities and within a reasonable distance from home. Here’s a roundup of outdoor pools ranging from the basic to the luxurious. All prices and hours are accurate as of print time.
Qingnianhu Park
Qingnianhu Park boasts a massive water park with pools for kids, serious swimmers, hot tubs, and slides. There isn’t much shade, so be sure to bring hats, sunscreen, and other sun protection. The admission price includes access to the wider park.

RMB 40 for adults, RMB 30 for kids under 1.3m. Daily 9am-7pm from June to August. Qingnianhu Park, Andingmen Waidajie (corner of Andeli Beijie), Dongcheng District (8411 6321) 东城区安定门外大街青年湖公园（安德里北街路口）

Splash Recreation Club
This long-running hotel swim club is a favorite with many Beijing families. Based out of CITIC Hotel Beijing Airport (formerly known as the Sino-Swiss Hotel), the Splash Recreation Club
(浪花俱乐部 lànghuā jùlèbù) is open to outside guests, and grants access to the hotel’s indoor and outdoor pools, a poolside bar, and a restaurant. The admission price includes towels and a locker.

RMB 100 for adults, RMB 50 for kids over 1m, free for kids under 1m. Open Mon-Sat 10am-10pm. CITIC Hotel Beijing Airport, 9 Xiao Tianzhu Nanlu, Shunyi District (6456 5588) www.citichotelbeijing.com 顺义区小天竺南路9号北京国都大饭店

The Emperor
For a touch of luxury, The Emperor hotel has a glass-edged outdoor pool open to outside guests. It ain’t cheap, but the lack of crowds and views of surrounding Qianmen may well be worth the indulgence. The admission price includes towels and a locker. On weekends, The Emperor also offers a buffet breakfast from 7am to 10.30am.

RMB 258 for three hours (kids and adults). The Emperor Hotel, 87 Xianyukou Jie, Dongcheng District (6701 7790) www.theemperor.com.cn/en/index.html 东城区鲜鱼口街87号皇家驿栈前门店

Chaoyang Park
Chaoyang Park Water World features 250,000sqm of pools, slides, artificial beach, and beach volleyball facilities. Sure, the outdoor pools can get crowded during the summer, but it doesn’t get much more convenient than this. The drawback is that Chaoyang Park’s pools open later than most; when we called, an employee said they wouldn’t know the new admission prices and opening hours until the end of June.

2016 prices and opening hours TBA. Chaoyang Park, 1 Chaoyang Gongyuan Nanlu, Chaoyang District (6506 5409) 朝阳区朝阳公园南路1号朝阳公园

Tuanjiehu Park
This one inspires a lot of debate; some parents hate the Tuanjiehu Park water park, while others swear by it. It’s a modest affair by any standards, consisting only of a large pool and a small beach, but its location makes it a standard for many Sanlitun families. Our advice? Try it for yourself.

RMB 60 (weekdays) or RMB 80 (weekends) for adults and kids over 1m, free for kids under 1m. Open daily 9.30am-8.30pm from June 1 to August 31. Tuanjiehu Park, Tuanjiehu Nanli, Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District (8597 4677) 朝阳区东三环北路团结湖南里团结湖公园

This article originally appeared on page 28-29 of the 2016 June-July Issue of beijingkids magazine. Click here for your free online copy. To find out how you can obtain a hard copy, contact distribution@truerun.com.

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, Scott and Elaine Ver Der Chijs, Sergei Galyonkin

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 300,000 deaths annually are a direct result of drowning. Just recently, a couple lost their child to a drowning incident at a children’s party at the shallow end in the presence of adults, according to an article on parenting.com.

Life vests or large floaters have always been a hard sell due to their bulky nature but are extremely important. Water safety can’t get enough players, so welcome Kingii, the latest buoyancy innovation that’s an addition to the other water security equipment. The Kingii is worn around the wrist and does not take space but is effective in providing a cool James Bond-esque saving device.

Kingii was released in October 2015 and has had received positive reviews from different product critics who have said that it’s a must have this summer, “The Kingii, a tiny life preserver, could save your summer,” according to reviewer at the Huffington Post. The device, “fits on your wrist, stays out of the way, is rechargeable and is there when you need it most.”

Here are security recommendations from the makers of the device
We recommend wearing a life vest
Personal flotation devices like life vests that have been approved by official authorities like the US Coast Guards provide the best protection against drowning. Therefore, we also recommend wearing a life vest.

Kingii is not a personal flotation device and it cannot replace a life vest. Instead, Kingii is a recreational water device that may provide additional buoyancy to the water safety equipment that you already have.

Kingii cannot eliminate the risk of drowning
Kingii can provide additional buoyancy, but it cannot eliminate the risk of drowning. It is not a life-saving device. For example, Kingii requires the wearer to pull the lever, which may not be possible if the wearer loses consciousness or if the wearer panics. To reduce the risk of drowning, we recommend wearing a life vest.

Kingii should only be worn by experienced swimmers
Kingii is only recommended for experienced swimmers aged 16 years and older. Parental supervision is required.

The downside of the device is that after every use, a new CO2 cartridge has to be inserted before using it again. This means that you have to buy a lot more cartridges when ordering your device. Currently, the device can only be bought in the US for USD 89.99, but they offer free shipping worldwide.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Nestled in the heart of one of Beijing’s most centrally-located parks, the Tuanjiehu Water Park is a city haven for summer fun lovers. Located near the West Gate of the park (xi men), the water takes a few minutes to find on foot, but is well worth the trek.

A Chinese façade doorway tells you you’ve made it to the water park, just beside an inline skating rink. Tickets are RMB 40 on weekdays, RMB 50 on weekends, and kids below 1.4 meters get to go in for free.

The man-made beach can get crowded by afternoon; go early to stake out a spot

The 100 meter long man-made beach is fairly clean, and is one of the few stretches of sandy beach to be found in downtown Beijing (the other being Chaoyang Park’s man-made beach at the old Olympic beach volleyball grounds).

There’s plenty of shallow water areas for early swimmers

The water at the edge of the beach is shallow and fenced off, making it perfect for toddlers. Lifeguards keep guard beside every pool to make sure pool goers are safe and following regulations.

For those that want to escape the hijinks of other areas, there’s this lap pool that does not allow small children or flotation devices

For older swimmers there are two main swimming pools: the adult pool (for those above 1.5 meters tall — it doesn’t allow floats so this is the place for accomplished swimmers). The kids pool is for children under 1.4 meters tall and requires adult supervision.

The main pool features this centerpiece featuring gently sloped waterslides that kids will enjoy

The main pool features a man made wave machine that sends waves throughout the pool once an hour and features a centerpiece of four adjacent slides with an umbrella-like dome that has water splashing off it. Rocks make for an energetic climb to the top to take on one of the slides. The slide provides a decent splash back into the pool, although make sure your kids come off the slide with their bodies centered or else it could be a bumpy ride into the waters.

Two larger waterslides are for more adventurous swimmers

Two other main slides exist, a straight wave slide and a turning slide, both fun but for those that can swim only. Warning for teens: the straight slide provides a smooth ride into the water, while the trip down to the water can be quite bumpy for the turning slide.

Just off the main pool a fake harbor boat is docked, with chairs inside for providing a nice picnic or rest place. A bamboo pagoda is also set up at the other end of the water park for guests in need of relaxation with their kids.

Lockers for valuables cost RMB 10

Inside you’ll find the lockers convenient for valuables, (RMB 30 deposit with RMB 20 refund upon returning the key). Right beside, the bathrooms are passable but definitely old school. There is a stand for swimsuits, goggles; and basic swim necessities. There are also two snack stands for hungry children, with cookies, chuan’r (meat skewers), drinks, and popsicles to cool off with after a swim on a hot day.

There are generally less people during weekdays, but it is advised that you come before 2pm, which is when more guests generally arrive.

A weekend trip here would be worlds apart from a weekday trip. If you like the peace and quiet we advise coming here on a weekday.

The koi pond, with a winding river that leads into expansive lakes surrounded by bushy willows and traditional black and white Chinese buildings provide the perfect city escape. Take a paddleboat, rowboat, or electric powered boat and explore it all! Prices for renting boats cost RMB 30-40, with a RMB 100 deposit. The chang’lang (long open-corridor) features locals playing their traditional Chinese instruments like er’hu and Chinese flute, it costs RMB 5 to feed the gold fish, which clump together to get food. An array of beautiful stone bridges also aligns the park. For fun on land for younger kids, there are a whole range of mini rides to check out, the merry-go-round and mini choo choo train and trampoline.

After a tiring day of fun at the park, head out the East Gate (Dong Men) and turn left; walk 100 meters; and enjoy tasty Cantonese food at Jindingxuan, a chain store in Beijing with exceptional service.

Address: 16 Tuanjiehu Nanli, Chaoyang District 朝阳区团结湖南里16号 Daily 6.30am-9pm 8597 3603

Click here to see map.