Swimming is lots of fun for people of all ages, and when it’s this hot outside a cool, spacious pool is the best possible place to be. But it is crucial to do so safely. Learning to become a proficient swimmer also opens up the doors to a range of other fun summertime activities like kayaking, surfing, and scuba diving. Here is a selection of swimming camps and courses for kids with various levels of expertise. Find out which one is best for your children.

DragonFire Summer Master Swim Camp at WAB,  Aug 8 – 12

Grade 1-12. The sessions will be conducted by two professional coaches, Elliot Ptasnik from the United States, and Don Watson-Brown from Australia. Both coaches have coached national teams, and bring an international perspective on swimming and training. There will be three different camps for different grades and levels, from beginner to competitive standard. Video review, and stroke technique for all four strokes plus starts or turns, will be included in the three camps.

RMB 1350–3050. 7-9 am; 9.30-11am; 4-6 pm. Western Academy of Beijing 北京京西学校，来广营东路8号(Wechat: dfkhua, go here for more information)

Sports Beijing Aqua Warriors Summer Swim Camp, until Aug 9

Ages 4+. Aimed at enriching students’ summer vacation, Aqua Warriors Summer Swim Camp is designed to improve beginners and competitive swimmers, and realize potential. The camp will focus on developing technique and enhance physical stamina, as well as optimizing turns and starts using video analysis.

RMB 1600 per week. Mon-Fri, 9 am–12 pm. Zhong Jia Palace Hotel  中家鑫园温泉酒店，后沙峪古城村委会东200米 (136 8352 7243, go here for more information)

Water Cube Swimming Club, until Sep 14

Ages 4-14. Water Cube Swimming Club’s coaching team has made specific plans for this summer’s swim classes for children of different ages and levels. Aimed at the problems caused by lack of training, the classes will improve technique in a range of areas. Kids can choose classes from beginners and intermediate to competitive level, and learn techniques for breaststroke and freestyle.

RMB 800-3600. Mon-Sun, 9am-10pm. Water Cube Swimming Club. 11 Tianchen East Road, Chaoyang District.北京市天辰东路11号国家游泳中心 (水立方内) (8437 8899, go here for more information)

Happy Children Club, until Aug 10

Ages 3+. Happy Children Club was created by May, a coach with eight years of professional training and 23 years of teaching experience in swimming. They offer unique courses specially designed for children to improve swimming skills at different ages and levels.

RMB 1000–2750. Mon–Fri, 9.30–11 am; 3.30–5 pm. Tera Wellness Club, Phoenix Shopping Street. 凤凰城一兆韦德游泳馆 (136 7123 7304)

Sino-Japanese Friendship Center, until end of Aug

Ages 7+. This 50m pool is located in the 21st Century Hotel. Sino-Japanese Friendship Center offers swimming classes for kids aged 7 and above. Classes are designed by professional coaches for different levels. Individual classes are available with a range of options.

RMB 1800 for 12 classes. Mon-Sun 9 am-9 pm. 40 Liangmaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District. 二十一世纪饭店游泳馆(6466 4805) 

Photo: pixabay.com

The principle of mens sana in corpore sano – “a healthy mind in a healthy body” – was developed in British public schools in the 19^th century, and has been widely accepted in education across the world. Now Beijing’s Tsinghua University is taking the idea a step further. Students will be required to learn to swim if they want to graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

In fact, it’s not a new rule. The requirement was in place in the early days of the university, a hundred years ago, but was dropped when the number of students became too many for the available pool space. Now it’s been reintroduced, with Liu Bo, head of the Division of Sports Science and Physical Education, explaining that “swimming is beneficial for students in the long run, since swimming is helpful in improving students’ endurance and doing less harm to joints and muscles as a water sport,” according to China Daily.

The choice of swimming as the mandatory sport is an interesting one. Despite a regular haul of Olympic medals in swimming, synchronized swimming and diving, the Chinese are widely reputed to be a nation of non-swimmers. No reliable statistics are available to establish the truth or otherwise of this perception, but recent surveys indicate that more than half of Americans can swim, and in the UK the figure is more like 80 percent. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the proportion of swimmers among Chinese adults is much lower. And on a serious note, drowning is the number one cause of death by injury among the nation’s children.

I’ve heard it suggested that this is because much of China is inland, and it’s true that Beijing is closer to outer space than it is to the sea. However there are numerous other bodies of water throughout the country. When my family and I visited Qinghai our suggestion that we might go for a swim in the largest saltwater lake in China were met with bemused incomprehension. And in Lushan, in Jiangxi province, I was proudly shown the lake where Mao Zedong used to swim during his stays. It was beautifully maintained, but there were no facilities for future leaders to take a dip.

I grew up in a city about as far from the sea as it’s possible to get on the small island of Britain, but every week at school we were marched down to our local public baths for swimming lessons. And the explanation for that 80 percent figure almost certainly lies in that public provision, developed a century ago and now of course under threat from the all-devouring beast Austerity.

The few pools which are widely accessible in Beijing are generally too packed for real swimming, and tend to be places for paddling, splashing and cooling off in the summer heat. Last summer I took my children to the Water Cube, site of the swimming events at the 2008 Olympics, redeveloped as a leisure pool. We had great fun on the slides and chutes, and the queues were relatively short, since most of the patrons were content to bob in shallow water, watching movies on a giant screen.

We went again recently, and the Cube was being converted into an ice rink, for the 2022 Winter Olympics. Maybe the Tsinghua students should not grumble about the extra requirement toward their degrees, but consider themselves privileged, for the opportunity available to them to learn a healthy – and potentially life-saving – skill.

Photo: Not in Nebraska via Wikipedia

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

The Beijing National Aquatics Center (北京国家游泳中心), better known as the Water Cube, stands as a monument to the swimming competitions of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. It was in the confines of this immense bubble-covered structure that thousands of fans cheered on as Michael Phelps won eight gold medals and beat the world record for the 100m butterfly event.

But now, with the sounds of cheering long gone, what has become of “the fastest Olympic pool in the world”? Even with all its speed, has the Water Cube been able to out-swim the curse of irrelevance so frequently visited upon other former Olympic venues?

The answer, quite fortunately, is yes. The Water Cube has been in almost constant use since 2009, when it was opened to the public on certain days of the week. From ordinary swim tests to lavish weddings, The Water Cube has seen it all. Formerly filled with the graceful moments of professional swimmers, the bubble-clad behemoth has even been host to grace of a different kind: a stunning production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake.  More than a few jewelers and other artists have taken the graceful curves of the foamy edifice as inspiration for a plethora of souvenirs.

The Water Cube’s stint as a performance hall didn’t last long; the frothy structure was closed to the public in October of 2009 in order ready the complex for yet another transformation. This time, a fragment of the complex would become a water park.  Reopened in early August of 2010, on the 2-year anniversary of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, the redesigned facility became Happy Magic Water Cube Park.

Where Olympic athletes once gathered to discuss strategies, smaller, slightly less professional swimmers now giggle and splash as plastic bubbles and jellyfish float through the air. The park takes up 12,000sqm of the former Olympic venue and features 13 water slides and rides, not to mention the wave pool and a lazy river. In addition, 60 or so lifeguards watch over the enormous park. As if that weren’t enough, there is even a spa area for exhausted parents. The Olympic pool has been left intact for swimming matches, and other areas of the park are available for exercise and various events.

Just in time for the 2012 London Summer Olympics, this post is part of a series called “Where Are They Now?”, which explores what became of four 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics venues: The Bird’s Nest, The Water Cube, the Beach Volleyball Ground at Chaoyang Park, and Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park. This is the second installment of the series.

Photos (in order of appearance): Sophie Zhu (1) and Dina Mao (2 and 3)

Editor’s Note: Lauren McCarthy, our intrepid writer, went to check out the “Happy Magic Water Cube Waterpark” yesterday. Here is her take on the experience.

Earlier this month we blogged about the opening of the Magic Happy Water Cube Waterpark and we recently had a chance to check it out (and see if it’s worth the RMB 200 admission).

Our verdict? I daresay that for some, the park may not be worth the price – although we can see it being a fun experience for families with kids and people for whom money is less of an object (and, perhaps, people with a healthy appreciation of kitsch).

The tiny park is split into three main areas. There is a wave pool, one grouping of three slides that require a height of 1.4m, and a second section of slides that are much smaller, with only two that offer any height or length.

I found the slides to be mediocre. The three largest ones start from around three stories up and the rest are merely large playground slides – even the management seems to be aware that their slides aren’t quite up to snuff seeing how the images on the website depict the same model, but built on a much larger scale and in a sunny outdoor setting.

There also isn’t much space available for actual swimming. The wave pool is fine for floating, but is the busiest and most crowded part of the park. Most visitors seem content with floating, many wearing the life vests provided by the park. Side B, consisting of the playground portion, seems to be only entertaining for young kids and is circled by a rather humdrum lazy river.

Of the three larger slides the Aqua Loop – a forty foot drop that loops back up about 20 feet – is the only one that offers any excitement. At the top is something akin to a glass sarcophagus where you stand and get locked in as you wait for the bottom to literally drop out from under your feet. As an added bonus, this slide is great to watch. Dropping three stories and going back up apparently requires some momentum. Unfortunately not everyone, particularly light-weight girls, can achieve this. The highly amusing result is seeing them go down and up … and back down the way they came, hence the presence of an emergency hole that allows the lifeguard to pull out the otherwise stuck little slider.

Perhaps the greatest charms of the park lie in some of the kitschy, “what-on-earth-is-coming-next” side attractions. Upon entering I came across a most unexpected sight (at least for a water park): As the waves died down in the wave pool, a band (and I use that term loosely) came on to a stage at the side of the pool. The two singers were obviously chosen for their looks, and the guitarists and a drummer looked completely bored and suspiciously like they were not actually playing their instruments.

The set started with some songs from the FIFA World Cup followed by a few cringe-inducing Lady Gaga covers. But I nearly rolled over when the Romanain 2004 pop-craze "Dragostea din tei", otherwise know as the “Numa Numa Song," came next – thus blurring the line between water park and tacky Euro-haus night club.

After the band left it was back to normal water park mode for an hour or so. A woman in a white tutu dress wearing wings and wielding a fuzzy wand came out into the crowd and sang and talked with the kids – it seems that surreal oddness is cyclical at this park.

Her brief appearance was followed (and absolutely eclipsed) by a line of Vegas-style showgirls dancing and sashaying away. I seemed to be the only one who considered this a strange sight – everyone else impassively took this as if they fully expected their waterpark visit to feature showgirls, fuzzy wand-wielding fairies and lip-synching cover bands.

By then it was all getting to be a bit much – like too much cotton candy or watching a Japanese game show at full volume for anything beyond a few minutes – I was more than ready for my day at the water park to end. Was it funny and enjoyable? Sure. But worth the 200-kuai and the time involved? Definitely not.
 

Happy Magic Water Cube Waterpark listing here.