Shh… did you hear traffic? No? We didn’t either! It’s the quietest time to be in Beijing and with most of the city gone for Chinese New Year, those of us who stayed behind get to take advantage of the empty subways and empty streets. Just imagine it, a clear shot from CBD to Haidian in 30 minutes or less, plus unfettered access to all the holiday pizzazz lighting up the city. To help you make the most of the season, we’ll be posting daily recommendations for the best deals and coziest places in town, as you and your family usher in the marvelous, magical, and sure to be majestic… Year of the Rat!
It’s the middle of Spring Festival and we hope you’ve been having a wonderful time, traipsing around the city, taking in the sights and smells of this fabulously festive time of year. What’s more, we hope our recommendations and insights are helping you and your family make the most of your time off, ’cause there’s only a few more days of rest and relaxation before the Year of the Rat really kicks into high gear.
To be sure though, we are still basking in vacation bliss, and here at beijingkids, we certainly haven’t exhausted our litany of must-sees and must-dos. So keep checking in with us each day at 10am to get the latest on everything CNY-related.
Without a doubt, a Beijing winter wouldn’t be complete without a little frozen fun. And no, we’re not talking about Elsa, Anna, and Olaf (actually, we do talk about them a little further down). We’re talking about skiing and ice skating!
From indoor resorts to outdoor hot springs, here’s a list of everything you need to turn this city into your own private snow globe.
It should be noted that if you will be partaking in any of the below activities, it’s safe to assume that you may find yourself in a crowded area, and thus you should take an abundance of caution to protect your family against a nasty virus infection. That means plenty of sanitizer, hand wipes, and protective masks to keep you free of germs.
Snow Movies
Given the unpredictable and ever expanding scope of the coronavirus, we thought it necessary to offer some alternative indoor fun for those of you who would rather avoid crowds and hunker down at home. To that end, we’ve compiled a list of some snow-related movies so that you can enjoy the season, without the risk of getting sick.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – Although it’s not about snow in the strictest sense, it may be the most famous movie with snow in the title. Enjoy this beautifully animated classic with your family. Extra points if you can remember all the dwarfs’ names before re-watching!
Frozen – We’d probably lose quite a few younger readers if we didn’t include Frozen in this list. If you haven’t already seen Frozen 2, now is a perfect time to brush up on the first so you don’t miss any inside jokes and Easter eggs that show up in the second. Or, if you have recently seen Frozen 2, then go back and revisit the original! Maybe you’ll notice something you missed the first time around.
Ice Age – Luckily, in Beijing we only have to deal with icy temperatures for a few months out of the year. But imagine if we all lived in a perpetual frozen tundra. No, thank you. Even still, get a glimpse of that world with some whacky shenanigans to boot in Ice Age.
Snow Day – Though the previous three films are doubtlessly classics, Snow Day is not without its merits. After all, this movie has Iggy Pop. How many kids’ movies can say that?! Lest you’re worried that your children may try to hijack the city’s snowplows hoping to institute a forever-snow day, then we highly recommend enjoying this chuckle-fest with the whole family.
Ski Resorts
With the 2022 Winter Games rapidly approaching, China, and Beijing specifically, has been pumping money into winter sports facilities including ski resorts, both indoor and outdoor. While the vast majority of us aren’t olympians in the strictest sense, that doesn’t mean we can’t reap the benefits of those that will descend upon the capital in two years’ time. Below are a list of a few places where you can slide and glide into the New Year.
For a more comprehensive profile, check out our article from December’s issue of the magazine.
Beijing Snow World (Xueshijie) Ski Resort
At a mere thirty minutes drive from downtown Beijing, Xueshijie (which literally translates to Snow World) Ski Resort is perfect for a quick day trip. It’s located along the Golden Tourist Route, which takes commuters past the Ming Tombs, Juyongguan Great Wall, and Badaling Great Wall, so if you have friends or family in town, or if you haven’t been to these spots yourself, you could knock out a couple of sites throughout the day.
In addition to its five slopes, Beijing Snow World Ski Resort has two snow playgrounds for sledding and tubing, in case you or your little one aren’t so ski- or snowboard-inclined. Additionally, if any in your party happen to be less experienced, fear not, the park has ski coaches for beginners and kids at RMB 220 per hour.
RMB 30 – RMB 1360 depending on equipment rentals, day and length of time. 8am-5pm. Xiaogongmen, Shisanling Town, Changping District.
Qiaobo Ice and Snow World
Conveniently located in Shunyi, Qiaobo, also known as the Ski Dome, is a behemoth of indoor skiing and sledding, covering an impressive 40,000sqm. Built in 2002 at the behest of world speed-skater champion, Ye Qiaobo, this eponymous facility is made possible by the snow-making equipment and refrigeration technologies shipped over from Canada. It has two ski runs for novice and advanced athletes, as well as a Children’s Snow Paradise and a snowboard park. Additionally, it’s housed next to a Holiday Inn complete with restaurant, swimming pools, billiards room, KTV, and sauna services, just in case you want to make a staycation out of it.
RMB 150 — RMB 480 depending on length of time. 8am-11pm. 6 Shun’an Road, Shunyi District.
Beijing Huabei International Ski Resort
Huabei International is the largest ski resort in Beijing, boasting an impressive 5,100m of ski trails and a massive drop of 238m. Between its seven slopes, one is reserved for the most seasoned skiers, three go to the intermediate, and a whopping four trails are available for those still trying to find their snow legs. If you count yourself among the latter bunch, ski and snowboarding lesson packages are available for between RMB 220 and RMB 1,700, depending on sport, lesson length, and amount of people in your party.
RMB 38 – RMB 198 depending on equipment rentals, day and length of time. 8.30am-9pm. No. 548, Hefangkou Village, Huaibei Town, Huairou District.
Ice Skating
Summer Palace – CLOSED
With an area of 700,000 square meters, the Summer Palace ice rink is considered to be the largest natural ice rink in Beijing. In fact, during the time of the Qing Dynasty, the royal family enjoyed “冰嬉” (ice plays/performances) during winter time.
For a more comprehensive history of ice skating at the Summer Palace, check out our article here.
The best thing about the ice skating rink at Summer Palace is that you can have plenty of space to zip around without collisions. Summer Palace management office staff announced that Kunming Lake ice rink is divided into three areas this year, namely the main lake, Suzhou Street Lake and the upcoming west embankment ice slide area. All the ice sports are suitable for people of all ages to participate in.
There is rental gear available, such as single or double sleds (RMB 50/100 for the whole day), electronic boats (RMB 100 for 20mins), electronic bumper cars (RMB 100 for 25mins), and skates (RMB 50).
RMB 50 above. Daily until Feb 4, 8.30am-4.30pm. Qinglongqiao Jiedao, Haidian District. 颐和园,海淀区青龙桥街道.
Solana’s Outdoor / Indoor Rink
If you’ve ever been ice skating and thought to yourself, this is cool, but it would be a lot cooler if I were surrounded by neon lights, then Solana’s Outdoor Ice Skating Rink is for you. Tucked beneath the tropical trappings of their annual Light Festival, skaters can step outside the hustle and bustle of Beijing, and into a winter wonderland fit for Ice Kings and Queens.
If you’d rather opt for a more traditional setting, then Solana’s Indoor Rink has you covered. Located in Solana mall, this charming indoor rink is popular with families and even offers private lessons (in Chinese only) from national skating team coaches.
Outdoor: RMB 80 per person or RMB 120 for one parent and one child (Saturday and Sunday), RMB 50 (Monday-Friday). 10am-10pm. 6 Chaoyang Gongyuan Lu, Chaoyang District.
Indoor: Open year-round. Daily, 10am-9.30pm. RMB 50 for an hour and a half. Lessons cost RMB 135 for 40 mins. 1/F, Solana Lifestyle Shopping Park, 6 Chaoyang Gongyuan Lu, Chaoyang District.
Zhongshan Park (Forbidden City) – CLOSED
There are 8,400sqm at Houhe rink in Zhongshan Park next to the Forbidden City, which opens late Dec to Feb every year. You can pay RMB 10 to get in and walk on the ice, add an extra RMB 20 to get a cart for the family, or rent skating shoes and skate.
RMB 10. 8.30am-11am, 6-8.30pm. 4 Zhonghua Lu, Dongcheng District.
Shichahai (popularly known as Houhai)
Glide across the ice with hutong rooftops as your backdrop. Nothing else will ever give lifelong laowai skiers such a simultaneous taste of both home and abroad. The naturally frozen lakes of Qianhai, Houhai and Xihai are separated into a skating area and an ice carting area.
RMB 30 per hour, Sat-Sun RMB 35 per hour. 8.30am-8.30pm. Qianhai, north side of Beihai Park, Xihai Beiyan, Xicheng District.
Bird’s Nest and Water Cube
While Beijing has no shortage of skating rinks, there’s just something that lights a fire inside when you’re skating at the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube where the world’s greatest athletes once competed for Olympic gold back in 2008. And with statues of Bing Dwen Dwen, the winter Olympic mascot, amongst other Olympic collectibles and characters, the competitive hype for gold is already in the air.
The Cube Outdoor Rink will be open until February 8 from 10am-6pm and 10am-8pm on weekends and holidays. As a safety precaution, the rink will be closed for operations if the weather conditions are determined unsafe for children. We recommend calling in advance just to be sure. Click here for more information.
To learn more about the Cube Outdoor Rink, check out this article.
RMB 90 (Saturday and Sunday) and RMB 70 (Monday-Friday). For information, call Candice 155 1230 8913. 10am-6pm (weekdays), 10am-8pm (weekends and holidays). No. 11 Tianchen East Road, Chaoyang District.
Hot Springs
There are few things in this life more relaxing than snowfall and spa days, so when you get the chance to combine the two, you know you’re in for a real treat. While we can’t guarantee that you’ll be granted a wintry wonderland at these hot spring resorts (controlling the weather is not something beijingkids has mastered as of yet), we promise that they’ll exfoliate both your body and soul.
For a more comprehensive list of hot springs in Beijing, check out this article.
Jiuhua Resort and Convention Center
Located in Changping District, Jiuhua Hot Spring Resort is one of China’s major ancient natural hot springs, with a convention center, over 2,300 rooms, ten restaurants, sports facilities, a kids’ play zone, a shopping center, and a medical center. The resort has hot springs in different themes, indoor and outdoor. The outdoor hot spring is surrounded by traditional architecture and courtyards. Other facilities include saunas, massages, a hydrotherapy center, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) consultation, and mud baths.
RMB 128 above. Daily 8.30am-11pm. 1/F, Bldg A, Jiuhua Heights, 75 Shunsha Road, Xiaotangshan, Changping District. 九华山庄温泉度假村：昌平区小汤山顺沙路75号九华山庄1区1层 (6945 2889)
Covering about 180,000sqm, Chun Hui Yuan Resort in Shunyi includes hotel accommodations, meeting rooms, shopping, dining, and a hot spring club. The mineral-rich water of its hot springs wells up from 1,800m under ground and stays around 40 degrees Celsius. Both indoor and outdoor pools with remedies like rose, milk, and red wine. Chun Hui Yuan is best for a quiet high-end weekend getaway.
RMB 173 above (weekends and holidays), RMB 108 above (weekdays). Daily 9.30am until midnight. 37 Yuzhuanduan, Gaosi Road, Shunyi District 春晖园温泉度假酒店：顺义区高泗路于庄段37号 (6945 4443)
Famous as “China’s No.1 Geothermal Village”, Nangong Hot Spring Resort is the first five-star hotel in Beijing’s rural areas. This hot spring resort features a large children’s zone, hot spring massage pools, sauna, sports facilities, and a dining and shopping area. In addition, it has a World Geothermal Expo Park in the resort.
RMB123 above. 1pm until midnight (weekends), 10am until midnight (weekdays). Nangong Hot Spring Resort, 39 Fugong Road, Wangzuo Town, Fengtai District. 北京市丰台区王佐镇福宫路39号南宫温泉度假酒店 (8331 5565).
Photos: Pixabay, Wikipedia, eBay, Wikimedia, rogerebert.com
