See Beijing in miniature at the brand new Lego shop

And buy enough bricks to keep you happy in the AC all summer!

No beating around the brick here; like the immature souls we not-so-secretly are, we checked out Beijing's first official Lego shop at Joy City shopping mall and it took us right back to our childhoods.

Admit it, your pulse quickened when you saw this.

The bright yellow shop is not huge, but the variety of Lego on offer is. There's something for anyone's age and taste, and you get to look around at the samples (and, naturally, make loads of models!) without anyone bothering you. Real fans will be in heaven when they see the wall of Lego blocks in all kinds of colours and shapes.

Eat your heart out, Lego-freaks!

The star of the shop is the miniature Beijing Arrow Gate - made entirely out of (you guessed it) Lego. We knew Lego could make pretty much everything, but the detail and accuracy of this structure is still pretty remarkable.

Check out those lions!

Those Arrow Gate construction workers must have been observing the hussle and bustle of Beijing's streets very closely, because it looks pretty accurate. Traffic in real-life Beijing doesn't go much faster than it does in its miniature version.

Well, hello low-rider. Wink wink.

Besides a sharp eye, we're sensing a sharp sense of humour too.

We went bananas for the baby panda.

Are you still looking for a way to spend your days off that doesn't involve melting outside? You could always have a go at a Big Ben comprising of 4,163 pieces. But if you're not enough of an Anglophile to fancy historical buildings made out of plastic bricks, there's plenty more on offer: The Simpsons' Kwik E-Mart, princess castles, helicopters, pirate ships...

This'll keep you busy for a while.

While you're still gazing transfixed at the Arrow Gate, there's no need for your kids to get bored. There's a wee table where even the smallest customers can have a go at building whatever pops into their imaginations.

Can we just shrink and live in this version of Beijing?

We're thrilled to see that kids nowadays still go crazy for a pile of plastic oblongs – whoever said this is the digital generation clearly has never taken the kiddos to a proper Lego store, and we gladly accept the burden of introducing them to this wonderful 3D world.

You'll be seeing us again for sure!

Hit 'Read more' and visit the Lego shop for yourself.