Beijingers warm to ice skating

By CHEN NAN | China Daily | Updated: 2021-01-15 07:20
Share
Share - WeChat
Shichahai, a popular scenic area in Beijing, is a venue for a wide range of winter activities. ZOU HONG/CHINA DAILY

Leaps, spins and turns practiced on capital's lakes

Countless children growing up in Beijing enjoy ice skating in winter, with the sport well established as a seasonal tradition.

It is especially popular in the capital, and despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, it delights participants of all ages who are eager to test their abilities.

On Saturday, ice rinks in the Shichahai area, one of the city's most popular outdoor skating venues, officially opened to the public, attracting many weekend visitors.

Skating rinks have been marked out on two of the three lakes in Shichahai-Qianhai and Houhai-which cover a total of 160,000 square meters.Visitors can rent skates, ice bikes and ice sleds.

The areas around Qianhai Lake and Houhai Lake have daily visitor capacities of 3,000 and 5,000, respectively.

Visitors' temperatures are checked before they enter, and they must wear face masks,according to the Shichahai Tourism Development Co, which manages the rinks in the area.

Beijing native Li Cheng, who took his twin sons to Shichahai on Saturday, said: "These rinks have opened three weeks later than usual this year because of the pandemic. Many people,including myself, have been looking forward to this day."

His 7-year-old sons started to learn ice skating about two years ago after they mastered roller skating. Although the two activities require different skills, the boys learned quickly and greatly enjoy both sports.

Li, 55, fell in love with ice skating when he was 11.

Every winter and summer vacation during his childhood, he visited his parents in Changchun, capital of Jilin province, where they taught at Northeast Normal University.

"I remember the first time I went ice skating on a lake. It was freezing and the sun was so bright that I couldn't open my eyes. My parents bought me a pair of black ice skates, and I was very excited when I set foot on the frozen lake," Li said.

"Some children my age were playing on the lake. Although we didn't know one another, we soon became friends after we started ice skating together. It is a great place to make new friends."

Li enjoyed his first taste of ice skating so much that he forgot the number of times he fell on the lake. As he lay on the icy surface, he gasped and laughed happily before quickly getting back on his feet again.

"I taught myself to stay balanced on the ice, to move in different directions and gain speed. I felt as if I were flying-it's not easy, but I was very excited when I mastered a new skill," he said.

Li skated for about six hours a day for two months. After returning to Beijing, he went in search of ice rinks to practice his spins.

Shichahai is a popular scenic spot, where visitors get a glimpse of old Beijing.

The area boasts tall trees, gray walls, winding hutong (alleyways) and courtyards, where people go about their daily lives. They buy daily supplies at closet-sized stores, build nesting areas for pigeons on their roofs, and visit neighbors while still wearing their pajamas.

Before the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the water area in Shichahai was known as Haizi.

In its heyday, Shichahai, which also comprises Xihai Lake, formed the northern part of the Grand Canal, connecting Beijing with other cities in China. Wooden boats carried goods from the south of the country to the imperial capital, transforming the area into a busy commercial center.

In summer, the area is popular for strolling and boating, with visitors enjoying live music and local food at lakeside bars.

Li said: "The rinks in Shichahai are quite different from those in Changchun, which are much wider, but I love to go ice skating in Beijing every winter. It's such a popular seasonal activity, and was especially so in the 1980s.

"It's just a pity that winter in Beijing is relatively short and outdoor ice rinks are only open to the public for about four or five weeks.

"I'm glad that my sons love ice skating as much as I do and that they will continue the tradition."

1 2 3 Next   >>|
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 久久久久夜夜夜精品国产| 国产精品久久久久久网站| 四虎成人精品无码永久在线| 一个人看的www免费在线视频| 精品久久久久久无码免费| 天天碰免费上传视频| 亚洲国产欧美国产综合一区| 黄色片网站在线免费观看| 成人欧美一区二区三区| 亚洲第一福利视频| 麻豆精品传媒视频观看| 在车子颠簸中进了老师的身体 | 国产欧美va欧美va香蕉在| 久久天天躁狠狠躁夜夜躁2014| 精品久久久久成人码免费动漫| 国产精品久久国产精麻豆99网站 | 久久棈精品久久久久久噜噜| 综合图区亚洲欧美另类图片| 国产色在线观看| 久久国产精品99久久久久久牛牛| 真实国产乱视频国语| 国产精品jizz在线观看免费| 中文字日本乱码| 神马伦理电影看我不卡| 国产精品反差婊在线观看| 久久不见久久见免费影院www日本 久久不见久久见免费影院www日本 | 污视频在线网站| 国产成人久久精品二区三区| 久久久久亚洲AV成人片| 福利国产微拍广场一区视频在线| 国产精品一区二区综合| 99精品在线播放| 日韩在线一区二区三区免费视频 | 欧美三级韩国三级日本播放| 四虎影视在线影院www| 24小时免费看片| 无遮挡辣妞范1000部免费观看| 再深点灬舒服灬免费观看| 青娱极品盛宴国产一区| 在线观看精品国产福利片87 | 亚洲AV日韩AV永久无码下载|