Eat Mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Festival
Also known as the Moon Festival, this year Mid-Autumn Festival falls on September 19-21. There are mooncakes to suit every palette, but popular fillings in northern China include egg yolk (danhuang, 蛋黄) and lotus paste (lianrong, 莲蓉). Buy them everywhere from Starbucks to celebrated local chain Dao Xiang Cun (稻香村) or make your own.
Escape for the National Day Holiday
One of China’s “Golden Weeks,” National Day (国庆节) runs from October 1-7 and is one of the country’s most important holidays. If you’re willing to brave the crowds, check out the military parade and fireworks at Tian’anmen Square. Otherwise, there are always day trips or weekend trips. From leisure walks in Huairou to sightseeing around Tianjin (pictured left) or Pan Shan, getting away doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. For ideas, check out the “Play” section of our website.
Join the 2013 Beijing Hope Run
Started 15 years ago as the Terry Fox Run by the Canadian Embassy, the Beijing Hope Run is an annual charity run/walk that raises money for cancer research. Attracting thousands of participants annually, families are welcome to run, stroll, or rollerblade the full 10km at Chaoyang Park on September 28.
Throw a Shrimp on the Great Aussie BBQ
Say goodbye to summer with the annual Great Aussie BBQ on September 15. Organized by AustCham, the barbecue is open to all and features barbecued goodies from China World Hotel. Beverages, sweet treats, face painting, a bouncy castle, a craft area, and an Australian football game are also on the menu. Free shuttle buses will be picking up attendees from the CBD.
Pick Your Own Fruits and Veggies
Arguably the most pleasant months to be in Beijing, September and October are also harvest season. Take advantage by gathering friends and family, then heading to local farms like Agrilandia, Little Donkey Organic Farm, De Run Wu, and Green Cow Organic Farm in Huairou and Changping to pick your own fruits and vegetables. See Directories under Family Life (Organic Farms) for listings.
Uncover Gems at Roundabout’s Mega Book Sale
The Roundabout Mega Book Sale will be held at The British School of Beijing, Shunyi on September 7, with various genres and languages of books to choose from. Children’s books will be priced from RMB 1, paperbacks from RMB 10, and hard covers from RMB 20. All proceeds will be used to help children in need.
Attend Pollution Awareness Week
OASIS International Hospital hosts OASIS Pollution Awareness Week from September 10-14 to tackle the thorny subject of air pollution. Specialists Dr. Sonia Jutard Bourreau, Dr. Mijke Vankan and Dr. Wang Yan will give talks and presentations in English, Chinese, French, and Japanese.
Join an Army of “Beliebers”
Lock up your daughters! On September 29, Canadian teen pop sensation Justin Beiber will be landing at the Mastercard Center in Wukesong as part of his Believe world tour. He’ll be performing material from his third album Believe released in 2012.
Let Oktoberfest Come to You
The Munich Oktoberfest embarks on its first tour of Beijing in its 200-year history at the Beijing’s Olympic Park from September 6-21. Visitors can experience a full range of authentic traditional beers and food from Germany, with Bavarian music and dance performances.
Say “Yes” to a Spot of Honey
Find out what all the buzz is about with Shangrila Farms’ new urban beekeeping program. This month’s session takes place on September 21 and teaches participants (ages 3 and up) everything they need to know about the humble honey bee and how to keep their own bee boxes.
photos: Courtesy of Richard Liu, Mishka Family Photography, Avlxyz (Flickr), and Wikimedia Commons
This article originally appeared on p10-11 of the beijingkids September 2013 issue.
Check out the PDF version online at Issuu.com
