Hot News: BJ Temperatures Reach Record Highs; Kid-Friendly Pools

We give you all the essentials in Beijing, from events to news to community connections.

Beijing is witnessing suffocatingly hot summer weather as the city set a new local record when temperatures soared to 39 degrees Celsius on Monday (Jun 4), marking the highest recorded temperature in 50 years. It was recorded at a southern Beijing weather observatory, the Beijing News reported.

However, some Chinese news outlets weren't as accommodating. The People's Daily only begrudgingly admitted to yesterday's sweltering weather, limiting the city's record-breaking temperature to just 18 years for the 38.3 degrees Celsius that was set in 2000.

Even as tourists tried to protect themselves from the debilitating summer rays, Beijing residents flocked to their air conditioning for a respite from the heat as demand for electricity peaked at 16.840 million kW on Tuesday (Jun 5).

After Monday's heat wave, temperatures are expected to come down for the rest of the week as an incoming cold front brings temperatures down to 33-36 degrees Celsius along with scattered overnight showers.

The best way to save yourself from the heat is, of course, to jump into the water! Below is a roundup of kid-friendly swimming pools in Beijing. There are also clubs organizing classes for kids with various levels of swimming skills.

Outdoor Pools

Qingnianhu Park

Qingnianhu Park boasts a pleasant outdoor pool with slides for kids. There isn’t much shade, so be sure to bring sun protection. The park is comparatively quiet so also a nice place to avoid the crowd and stroll around.

RMB 40 (adults); RMB 30 (kids under 1.3m). 10am-5pm. Qingnianhu Park, Andingmen Waidajie, Dongcheng District (8411 6321).

Chaoyang Park

Chaoyang Park features a massive pool divided into three parts—the children’s zone, shallow zone and standard competition pool, as well as slides and an artificial beach close by. A plus is that the swimming pool has advanced filters and sterilization processes to guarantee the cleanness of the water at this pool all day long. The drawback is that it can get quite crowded.

The swimming pool will be open to the public from early July, according to staff, so the price and opening hours are still unconfirmed. Below is the information from last year as a general reference, but please check before making a trip!

RMB 80 (9am-6pm weekdays); RMB 60 (6-9.30pm weekdays); RMB 120 (weekends and holidays); free (kids under 1.2m). 9am-9.30pm. Chaoyang Park, 1 Chaoyang Gongyuan Nanlu, Chaoyang District (6506 5409). 

Tuanjiehu Park

The size of the swimming pool in Tuanjiehu Park is rather small compared to others, but its convenient location near Sanlitun makes it a standby for many families living nearby.

RMB 680 (weekdays); RMB 100 (weekends); free (kids under 1m). 10.30am-8pm. Tuanjiehu Park, Tuanjiehu Nanli, Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District (8597 4677). 

Indoor Pools

Dongdan Swimming Pool

The Dongdan Swimming Pool consists of a standard 50m x 25m pool with 10 lanes, and a 10m x 3m shallow pool and slides for kids to play. Two pluses: supervisors to coach beginners for free, as well as various exercise equipment and TVs to keep your mind off your burning muscles.

RMB 560 (adults), RMB 340 (students aged under 18); RMB 30 (children under 1.3m). Noon-9pm (Mondays), 10am-9pm (Tuesday-Sunday). 2 Dahua Road, Dongdan, Dongcheng District (6523 1241). 

Ditan Swimming Pool

Conveniently located northwest of Ditan Park, this swimming pool is particularly popular for its modern facilities and clean environment.

RMB 40 (adults), RMB 20 (children under 1.4m), RMB 20 (ages 60+).  8.30am-3.30pm 3.30-10pm (weekdays); Noon-10pm (weekends). Ditan Gymnasium, 116 Andingmenwai Street, Dongcheng District (6421 4415).

Water Cube Park

The former site of the 2008 Olympic water sports competitions, the Water Cube has since been transformed into a water playground with a wave pool, slides, and various entertainment facilities.

RMB 45 (per time); RMB 390 (whole summer pass). 12.30-8.30 pm (weekdays before middle June), 9am-8.30pm (weekends before middle June, and daily afterwards). 11 Tianchen Donglu (in the Olympic Park, near the Bird’s Nest), Chaoyang District (8437 8899). 

Swimming Clubs

DragonFire Club

The group class has 8 levels, baby swim, beginner 1-3, intermediate 1-3 and advanced. Private class open to all including adults. You can register for classes according to your availability, from once a week up to 6 times a week, from Jun 25 to Aug 5. 

Sports Beijing’s Aqua Warriors Swimming Club

Aqua Warriors Swimming Club’s summer camp is offered for kids aged 4-16 and it aims to enrich their summer vacation life, promote youth swimming as exercise, improve their sporting level, increase interest in swimming as a sport, and inspire potential. The camp focuses on developing skills and enhances the swimming squad’s physical stamina, as well as optimizing turns and starts using video analysis. The summer camp will customize a scientific and effective training program for every member’s individual characteristics. Visit www.sportsbj.org/product/summer-swimming-camp/ for more information.

Qingnianhu Park

Mookey Swim Club is a parent-kid swimming center accommodating families with children aged under six. Staffed with qualified coaches, the club offers different courses tailored for specific age groups. Visit www.mookeyswim.com/ for more information.

Photos: Mookey, Sports Beijing, DragonFire Club, refoxrelocation.com, CRI, arup.com, Pixabay, Beijing News, Weibo

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