General Information » Essential Info » Children

Beijing is a fantastic place to bring up kids. Not only is it safe, there are world-class international schools, dozens of child-friendly attractions and hundreds of activity groups to keep tots entertained and parents sane. The best place to find a full directory of what’s on offer is www.tbjkids.com, an online version of the That’s Beijing Kids (p.204) magazine. During the hot summer months, follow local residents to Tuanjiehu Park where you’ll find a clean, but crowded, beach and wave pool bang in the middle of the city (see p.189). During winter there’s ice skating at Le Cool Ice Rink (see p.217), or, for the more adventurous, there’s the Qiaobo Ice & Snow World near Shunyi, which has a 150m bunny slope for kids over 3 years old (see p.224). For less active entertainment, the Beijing Aquarium (p.174) is large and modern and has an impressive selection of aquatic life.

When it comes to mealtimes, there are loads of family-friendly restaurants, including the award-winning Grandma’s Kitchen (p.304) and Annie’s (p.315), the latter being well equipped with several highchairs. Babysitting is not common in Beijing, since most expat families have their own ayi (nanny), who often tackles cooking and household chores too, see Domestic Help on p.102 for a list of agencies.