Hao Wan’r：Fun, Beijing Style

One of the most challenging things about moving to a city the size of Beijing is finding out what to do. But let us assure you that Beijing has plenty of potential to keep you active on the weekends or after school if you aren’t being flooded with homework. Here are some of our favorite places to help you make the most of the capital, with activities ranging from the extreme to the surreal.

Flying Experience (featured photo)
Imagine the sensation of flying, floating above the world, floating above everything you know. Now, imagine that this feeling no longer has to remain a dream or a childhood delusion. Indoor skydiving, in Shunyi, makes human flight a reality using large wind tunnels and fans blowing at incredible speeds to allow indoor skydivers to float effortlessly. Cheaper than actual skydiving, this indoor variation is completely safe, with no age limits. They provide lessons for a safe, exciting experience in the air. RMB 286. Mon-Sun 11am-11pm. 后沙峪安泰大街6号院12号楼中粮祥云小镇南区 (6482 8912)

Rock Hour Climbing Wall
This is the newest zone for rock climbing enthusiasts to practice their climbing technique in Beijing, and they have been making quite a name for themselves since emerging on the scene. In creating their space, they’ve spared no expense in making it state of the art and even used a Japanese professional route setter to help position all of the holds they use. While Beijing doesn’t have a shortage of climbing walls and we don’t live far from places where you can actually practice climbing on an actual rock face, we do however lack one like this that was made with serious climbers in mind. Daily 10am-10pm. RMB 80-100 (plus additional equipment rental fees). Building 74, No.27 Yard, Xidawanglu, Chaoyang 西大望路27号院74栋岩时攀岩馆 (185 1916 6168)

Milun Kung Fu School
The Milun School of Traditional Kung Fu is an institution dedicated to preserving the traditions of authentic martial arts and providing a place for students to practice their skills. Their hard-working staff members of internationally recognized kung fu champions, are open and welcoming to all newcomers. They teach martial artists of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds, while also offering smaller class sizes to ensure thorough, personalized attention, correct technique, and rapid progress for a better learning experience. As one of the more foreign friendly kung fu programs you can find in Beijing, you can bet it is also very challenging. RMB 150. Ganyu Hutong 36, Dongcheng District.东城区甘雨胡同36号 (kungfuinchina@gmail.com)

Serk Cycling
Serk Cycling is a local cycling club that allows bikers to travel on bike adventures all over China. Serk is not only a cycling club but also a boutique bike shop, founded by Australian expat, Shannon Bufton. They offer smaller-scale weekend bike rides on the outskirts of Beijing, as well as larger-scale biking adventures in further destinations all over China. They also offer bike and helmet rentals, if you don’t have a professional bike, then no worries. Appointment only. 10.30am-7.30pm. (135 0122 5775) www.serk.cc

Yue Cheng VR Cinema
Get goggled up and experience what all the fuss is about with this one-of-a-kind VR experience. It should be noted that once moving to Beijing, you are now located in one of the centers for this quickly developing art form that will soon be changing lives in ways that are currently unfathomable. Experience a cutting edge array of virtual experiences created to get you fully immersed in a range of out of this world experiences. Daily 10am-9pm. RMB 30 per hour. Dazhong Electric Madianqiao Store, 25 North Third Ring Road, Chaoyang District. 朝阳区北三环中路25号大众电器马甸桥店 yuechengmedia.com

Photos: Kipp Whittaker; courtesy of Flying Experience, Milun Kung Fu, Serk Cycling, and Yue Cheng Cinema