Endless entertainment at the Golden Resources Mall
Situated between the northwest corners of the third and fourth ring roads, this mega mall (it’s the world’s second largest!) could keep a family of 12 occupied for a week with its miles of shops and restaurants, plentiful amenities (like free parking and free stroller rental), and, most importantly, endless offerings for kids. To help you map out a plan and maximize your mall crawl, here’s our guide to the eight coolest things for families. Golden Resources Mall. 1 Yuanda Lu (300m north of Changchun Qiao), Haidian District (8887 5888) www.newyanshamall.com 金源新燕莎商城，海淀区远大路1号(长春桥北300米)
Cool It
Champion Rink, the mall’s fair-sized indoor ice-skating rink, is located underneath the southern parking lot, and can be accessed from a small concourse above ground or by taking elevators E10 or E08 to B1. It offers open ice for skating every day (RMB 25-45, depending on when you go, with free skate rental). If you’re feeling daring, you can slide around with the tykes, but if you have an aversion to a wet bottom, there’s a second floor balcony from which you can monitor the action. Champion Rink. (Basic English spoken.) Daily 10am-9.30pm. B2/F (8887 4899) 冠军溜冰场
Go Extreme
From the ice rink, whiz up to the first floor in the glass-walled elevator, which offers a thrilling view of the mall’s shimmering sprawl. For a different vantage point, try scaling the eight-meter-high climbing wall, located in the atrium in the southwest corner of the second floor (RMB 15/climb). While kids ages 6 and up are officially permitted to give it a go, the wall is no easy climb and certainly capable of humbling an over-confident teen. Panyan. (No English spoken.) Daily 1-8.30pm (closed Mondays). 1/F (just inside the SW entrance from the underpass, between elevators E16 and E14) 攀岩
Take a Load Off
The fourth floor of the mall is a veritable children’s palace. And how shall your little prince or princess peruse the grounds? Why atop a (self-propelled) steed, of course! The mall’s two Zhuge Ma stalls rent mechanical horses that somewhat resemble four-wheeled bicycles (RMB15/10min for a big one; RMB10/10min for a pony-sized one), and riders are free to roam within eyesight of the stall. For those who want more free rein, the stand right next door to the eastern stall rents electric-powered karts that you can drive anywhere on the fourth floor (RMB 30/hr, RMB 200 deposit). Horses: Zhuge Ma. (No English spoken.) Mon-Thu 9.30am-9pm; Fri-Sun 9.30am-10pm. 4/F, SE and SW corners. 诸葛马 Karts: Dianping Che. (One English-speaking staff member; policy and pricing in English.) Mon-Thu 10am-9pm; Fri-Sun 10am-10pm. 4/F, SE corner (8700 8818) 电瓶车
Hit the Books
If you’re able to pry your child’s hands from her handlebars, Big and Little Books is located right by the kart booth. This English-language bookstore is well-stocked with everything from fantasy stories to fun science, and has all the favorites, including Dr. Seuss books with the whimsical rhymes in English and Chinese on the same page. Titles are suitable for native speakers up to age 10 or 12. Prices start at around RMB 25 and jump up into the RMB 100+ range. Be sure to check out all the Crayola craft supplies on top of the toddler-sized bookshelves in the center of the store. Big and Little Books. (Some English speaking staff.) Daily Mon-Thu 9.30am-9pm; Fri-Sun 9.30-10pm. 4/F, SE corner, near elevator E06. (8887 6648) 小逗号儿童书店
Explore
If you need some action after all those books, head straight towards Daxiyang Taoqichang on the northern side of the middle of the fourth floor. This indoor playground offers enough to keep even the most energetic tots at bay long enough for you to take a break on one of the benches just outside. Front and center is a small network of tubes, tracks and pits begging to be explored (RMB 15), but there’s also a generously sized sandbox (RMB 15/2hrs), a brightly colored train to be piloted (RMB 10/10min), and even bumper cars ready to rev up and wreak havoc with (RMB 15/5min). If you want something to show for the day of recreation, there are coloring-book pages and statues (RMB 15-30) that can be filled in or decorated with the art supplies on the pint-sized tables, and there’s a pool stocked with some very unenviable goldfish – the first three you catch (RMB 10) are yours to keep, so if you plan on liberating a few, it might be a good idea to wait until the end of the day unless you plan on treating your fishy friends to a day at the mall. Daxiyang Taoqichang. (No English spoken.) Daily Mon-Thu 9.30am-9pm; Fri-Sun 9.30am-10pm. 4/F, above the car underpass (8889 2340) 大西洋淘气场
Stock Up
What’s a trip to the mall without a scamper through a toy store? Toy-Smart is no letdown – it’s one of Golden Resource’s largest shops, and is well-stocked with brand names like Fisher-Price, Hotwheels, Barbie, and Crocs. The plentiful selection of remote control cars, boats and helicopters will appeal to kids of all ages (including the suit-clad types who have to go to work every day). Park the kids in front of the row of four TVs, where they can play classic Nintendo64 games for free while you peruse the selection of kids’ clothing, basics and maternity wear. With fairly reasonable prices, it won’t hurt you to walk out with a goodie or two. ToySmart. (Some English spoken.) Daily Mon-Thu 10am-9pm; Fri-Sun 10am-10pm. 4/F, NE of elevator E08 (8887 5328) 爱儿童玩具城
Roll on By
If your family isn’t quite ready for the frosty form of skating, Tieqi Bingtuan in the northwest corner of the third floor offers an alternative. The smooth, polished mall floor is perfect for gliding along on eight wheels, but this rollerblade store has also laid out a slightly softer track to preempt some of the more serious boo-boos. There are also small ramps off which your little daredevil can launch himself. If the skating muscles are still sore, there are ping-pong tables right next door. (And if your child asks the owner really nicely, she might get a chance to chase down the stray balls skittering across the floor with a big net.) Skating: RMB 15/hr, skate rentals: RMB 15/hr with RMB 200 deposit; ping-pong: RMB 10/hr. Tieqi Bingtuan. (No English spoken.) Daily 9.30am-9.30pm. 3/F, NE of elevator E18 (8887 0934) 铁骑兵团
Veg Out
Any mall worth its weight in franchises and food courts has a movie theater appendage somewhere, and Golden Resources’ Stellar International Cineplex is a suitable companion to its monster host. Located at the far east end of the restaurant-saturated fifth floor, Stellar offers seven comfortable theatres, as well as a snack bar and coffee shop with plentiful offerings. Tickets are RMB 50 (RMB 60 for some international films); half-price on Tuesday, and every day before 12.30pm and after 10.30pm; children under 1.1 meters get in for free. The theater screens big-name foreign flicks along with the homegrown variety. English language movies are usually presented in English, but while some Chinese movies have subtitles, others do not, so best call ahead. Stellar International Cineplex. (Basic English spoken.) Daily 9:30am-midnight. 5/F, E end (8887 2743) www.bjxingmei.com 星美国际影城
