For months, the outdoor playground equipment remained hidden behind a blue corrugated metal wall. Children and adults could be spotted peering between the cracks of the barrier to see how things were progressing. Speculation ran rampant (in our family) about when it would open and whether or not a fee would be levied to use the playground. Finally, the construction barrier has come down and the playground at Indigo Mall is open. And like the fountain, it almost feels like no one knows it is there.
With the addition of the playground equipment to the small park behind Indigo Mall, Swire Properties has made this one of the most kid-friendly shopping areas in all of Beijing. The fountain comes on twice a day, there is plenty of level space for kids (and parents) to roller blade or ride scooters outside (not sure what the policy is on skate boards), and now there are two age-appropriate playgrounds for little kids and big kids alike.
Yet, at least on weekdays, the park is basically empty. I suspect all of that is about to change with schools letting out and the summer just starting to sizzle. If your kids don’t mind the absence of crowds, or want to play on a swing yourself, now is a great time test drive Beijing’s newest playground.
Photo by Christopher Lay
2 Comments
Stopped by today, but it looks like the playground was closed for construction. Hard to tell whether the area was just undergoing renovation, or whether it’ll be lost for good underneath another apartment block…
Thanks for your comment James. It’s a real shame if that much-loved play facility is gone for good. We’ll keep an eye on the situation and update when there’s news.