9 great things to do at Beijing's new flagship Lego store
Follow the Lego brick road
There's a new kid on the block in Wangfujing and it comes from Denmark. Beijing's first flagship Lego store, and the toy company's third in China, opened this past February, promising 'groundbreaking store design' and 'immersive play experiences'. Coming in at 626 square metres, Wangfujing's newest pile of bricks lives up to Lego's original Danish meaning of leg godt (which translates to 'play well') with a wide range of activities suitable for all ages – namely, the big kids that seem to reside in all of us. Here are our top picks of things to do.
The façade of the store is a jaw-dropping model of the Forbidden City, made out of 2.2 million blocks of Lego. Lego engineers spent 10,850 hours on the project before the blocks were shipped to Beijing. That's over 1,300 work days. Be impressed.
Clearly not one for subtle entrances, the Lego store's storefront is also filled with replicas of different Chinese landmarks, such as the Great Wall, Badachu mountain, stone lions and more. Not able to catch any of these wonders in real life? No sweat. These replicas make for solid photo ops, so get your selfie fix all in one place.
Create your Lego masterpiece on one of the provided red plates, place it against the sensor and watch the magic happen. The machine’s camera takes a picture and converts your masterpiece into digital form. Watch and marvel at your design as it floats across the screen. Your creation is now in the Lego net-world forever. And ever.
For the person in your life who has everything, nothing says 'I'm thinking of you' like a Lego portrait of their face. Coming in at a not-so-mere 999RMB, step into the Mosaic Maker photo booth, take a picture and watch as the machine automatically prints your photo portrait. The entire set includes a grey board to mount your Lego on, Lego pieces and the photo. Bring the whole package home and have fun constructing your masterpiece of your masterface. Potentially a great gift idea for those you love? Also potentially not.
Find all the Lego pieces you need to complete your Lego opus with Lego's Pick a Brick wall. With a regular tub (89RMB) and a big tub (159RMB) to choose from, get the Lego you're missing with this bin of pieces of all shapes, sizes and colours. It's the ultimate remedy for the frustrated Lego builder.
Not content with a Lego portrait of your face? Embark on a further descent into vanity by immortalising yourself as a Lego figurine. For 79RMB, you can customise three mini-mes with each mini figurine consisting of five elements: hat or hair, accessory, face, torso and legs. Whether you (or your alter ego) are a chef, mad scientist or firefighter, build your best self here.
Want to try before you buy? Or simply want to pretend you're testing out products while playing with Lego for free? The testing station (产品演示) allows you to do just that with different models of Lego helicopters, cars and more at your disposable. It's for science, really.
This special Lego-making section allows customers to make a Lego goldfish themselves and place it in the Lego pond with the rest of the fish. Who said ponds were just for making wishes? Not the Lego lords and their bricked-up fishpond.
Finally, on the off chance you've made it all the way through the store without spending all your money, there are stations everywhere where you can find Lego to take home (upon purchase). With merch suitable for all budgets, get yourself a key chain (59RMB) or go big with Lego versions of James Bond's Aston Martin (1,399RMB) and Disneyland Castle (3,199RMB).
For our full guide to Beijing's best shops, hit 'Read more' below.
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