DK Travel : Beijing : Outdoor

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Bei Hai Park

Classic ornamental gardens with a large lake for boating (see Bei Hai Park).
Bird fancying

The Chinese have never been great keepers of pets, partly because Mao outlawed it as a bourgeois practice. The exception has been the keeping of caged songbirds, which is a time-honored hobby. The birds are often taken to the park by their owners and hung in the trees to provide a sweet soundtrack to casual socializing.
Chaoyang Park

The largest afforested park in Beijing, with well-maintained flower and grass areas.
Di Tan Park

Large green spaces and cypress trees, and the striking Temple of Earth (see Di Tan Park).
Grand View Garden

A park created for a hit TV series complete with pavilions, lake, and zigzag bridge.
Jianzi

Western kids play it with a football, passing the ball around with head, knees, and feet, the idea being not to let it touch the ground; the Chinese have their own version playing with what resembles a large plastic shuttlecock. It’s called jianzi and it is something of a national obsession, played by young and old alike, male and female.
Jing Shan Park

A hilly park with a pavilion providing views of the roofscape of the Forbidden City to the south (see Jing Shan Park).
Kite flying

A major hobby among gents of all ages, especially popular on public holidays when the skies above the city’s parks and squares are crowded with fluttering birds, dragons, lions, and laughing Buddhas.
Long Tan Park

Lots of lakes, a kid’s amusement park, and an enchanting water-screen show.
Mahjong

Like gin rummy it’s all about collecting sets or runs to score points, only mahjong uses tiles, not playing cards. A visit to any Beijing park will invariably be soundtracked by the rat-a-tat of slammed pieces.