Welcome to the second edition our weekly Shunyi Happenings round-up, where our Shunyi Correspondent Charlotte Moreau brings you all the news and events from beyond the 5th Ring. Have a Shunyi tip for Charlotte? E-mail her at charcey@moreauonline.com.
This week in Shunyi…
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INN Coffee Mornings in the Shunyi area are now held at Mrs. Shanen’s Bagels & Café. These monthly social gatherings help you meet new friends and learn tips and tricks for settling into life in Beijing. Join in this Thursday, December 16 from 10am-12pm. For more information about INN, visit their website at www.innbeijing.org. - For those not traveling right after school is dismissed, don’t miss a great Christmas party at A-Z Kids! For three days (December 17-19) from 2pm-6pm, visit Santa, create fun crafts, play games, decorate cookies and get your face painted! Children will also receive five free game tokens. Fun for all ages, cost is RMB 180 for the first child; RMB 120 for additional children (discount for groups of 10 or more). Reservations highly recommended, call 8559 2883.
- MAC Time Community Art Center has a Christmas Wreath Making Workshop for children from age 5+. Sign up to participate on Saturday, December 18 from 4pm-6pm at the 5th Floor Euro Plaza location. Space is limited, so call 8046 1820 to register. Cost is RMB 150 per child.
- Lots of going-away parties right now…sniff…sniff, but went to one with a GREAT idea! Guests received lucky draw numbers and during the party were given wrapped gifts (perfect for the holiday time). The gifts? Things the family could not take with them! Some people received boxes of Corn Flakes or other food items; others received candles. Plants, cleaning supplies, anything flammable – the list of what can’t go with you is huge, and what a fun way to get rid of it before the movers come and make the party lively, too!
The Montessori School of Beijing (MSB) has a long-standing Winter Holiday tradition of “The Giving Tree” which aims at teaching the children the virtues of compassion, gratitude and generosity by giving back to the less fortunate in our society. The students at their Friendship School, Green Garden, each received a special gift in the form of a pencil case set, carefully purchased and wrapped by MSB students. They delivered these gifts on Wednesday, December 15.- Small World on the 5th Floor of Euro Plaza has photo packages available now, including prints and calendars for the New Year. Packages start at RMB 399. Call 8046 1603 for more information. It’s a GREAT set up for families and especially young kids!
- The House of Knowledge International Kindergarten has many internal workshops for parents of their students, including several special Daddy & Me events. However, we’ve been told that events open to the public may be available soon! One coming up in the Victoria Gardens Chaoyang campus will be held on January 25 from 7pm-8:30pm. The topic is Multilingualism in Early Childhood, and after seeing how this tri-lingual kindergarten operates, it promises to be a fascinating talk. See www.house-of-knowledge.net for information and directions.
- Found some great double-sided wrapping paper from Paper Tiger Shanghai – great for the holidays and throughout the year. Locations throughout the city have this paper and gift bags (try the Bookworm), but in Shunyi you can find it at Tai Tai’s in Pinnacle Plaza and at Babygro on Jingmi Road. Visit their website at www.papertigershanghai.com for more info.
- For a fancy hotel Christmas celebration, don’t forget the Crowne Plaza in Shunyi. Enjoy a Christmas Eve Dinner Show from 6pm-10pm, complete with a full course buffet dinner, drinks, lucky draw prizes and live entertainment. With purchase of two full price tickets (RMB 1,588 per person), attendees receive a complimentary one night room voucher and two breakfasts. Call 5810 8919/8803/8201/8813 for reservations.
