Beijing: Activities

• cycling

  Beijing is best experienced from the saddle of a bike. Millions of locals can't be wrong. A blockbuster bike tour allows you to experience the city as its residents do and gives you access to the narrow, spidery hutongs .

• ice skating

  If you're hardy enough to have visited Beijing in winter, you'll find that the glacial conditions prevent much outdoor activity. Instead, try the heaps of ice-skating venues around the city, including Beihai Lake, Kunming Lake, Zizhuyan Park and the moat around the Forbidden City.

• golf

  The sport of golf ( gaoerfuqiu ) enjoys high prestige in China, although Beijing's winters are frost-bitingly cold. If you want to get into the swing of things in warmer seasons, there are a few places you can check out.

• rock climbing (outdoor)

  Several groups organise hiking and biking expeditions to villages and temples outside town. Needless to say, this can be an excellent way to visit more difficult to reach and remote sights.

• martial arts

  Beijing is an excellent place to stretch a leg. Legions of elderly folk start the day with a bout of ta'ichi and you'll probably get used to seeing octogenarians doing the splits without a wince. Certainly, if you have any interest in China's martial arts heritage, you won't want to miss out on this opportunity to learn from the experts. Most of you will probably settle for a dose of ta'ichi and some qigong (exercise that channels qi or energy) to limber up, learn some breathing techniques and get the blood circulating. More adventurous visitors can dig a bit deeper into China's exciting fighting arts; you never know what you'll unearth.

• running

  The main venue for national and international athletic championships is the Workers Stadium (Gongren Tiyuguan) in the Sanlitun area. Athletics events are also held at the Asian Games Village, just within the Fourth Ring Rd in the north of town. As the 2008 Olympics approaches and with China's successful medal haul at the 2004 Athens Olympics, expect increasing emphasis on athletics.

• football

  The Chinese are avid football ( zuqiu ) fans, but they almost universally lament the poor performance of the national team (who nonetheless managed to get to the World Cup in 2002, hosted in Japan and South Korea). Despite being slightly outclassed by the Japanese football team, the Chinese team ( guojiadui ) is technically proficient. Several Chinese players have gained experience abroad, including a number with English Premiership teams including Li Tie, Sun Jihai and Fan Zhiyi. In 2004, Manchester United signed Dong Fangzhuo. Foreign football players are also heading to China; even former English football hero Paul Gascoigne played for a period in Chinese 3rd division Tianshui in Gansu province. China's most famous football teams are from Dalian (Shide) and Shanghai (Shenhua), but you can catch the Beijing Team (Guoan), which plays at the Workers Stadium on Sundays.

• basketball

  Basketball is big news in China and there is a professional basketball league. Players have been recruited by teams in the USA, including Yao Ming, who (at the time of writing) plays in the NBA. Basketball games are held at the Workers Stadium.

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