LONELY PLANET CITY GUIDE

beijing city guide: Activities To paraphrase the old adage, 'when in Beijing do as the Beijingers do'--bike it. Doing a blockbuster bike tour allows you to experience the city as its residents do and gives you access to the narrow spidery hutongs, the heartbeat of the city where life gets lived. In winter there are heaps of ice skating venues around the city, including Beihai Lake, Kunming Lake, Zizhuyan Park and the moat around the Forbidden City. Compared to the ice skating situation, rollerskating (not to mention rollerblading and skateboarding) in the capital comes as a disappointment. Tiananmen Square looks ideal, but the stern-faced security types will not be amused. On the other hand, flying kites is an old tradition in China, and Beijing's venue for this activity is Tiananmen Square. Kites are for rent in the square itself. If you've grown up on a diet of Jackie Chan movies and other Martial Arts films and fancy yourself as a David 'Little Grasshopper' Kane, check out the Yuanmingyuan Ruyi Martial Arts School opposite the Summer Palace where you can study gongfu (kungfu) and qigong. Qigong is the manipulation of a hands-off telekinetic energy that Yoda would simply call The Force. < back  |  next > © 1999 Lonely Planet Publications Pty. Ltd. All rights reserved

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