Skating is an popular activity in winter. No matter where you are in the city, you are probably 15 minutes away from an skating rink.

Skating in China

You might not imagine it from watching ice skating today, but ice-skating was once a warriors' art. Manchu men needed to master the skill to move 350 kilometres in a single day to get to their enemies. When they came to power in the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911) and moved from the north to the capital city of Beijing, it became a traditional sport. Each winter, 200 proficient ice-skaters were selected to perform on the frozen royal lake for the court. Skaters would wear knee pads and secure their shoes with leather, shoes fitted with single iron blades for speed or double blades for security. Competitions for figure skating, ice acrobatics and speed skating were also held for the benefit of the royal family.

Beijing has many places to enjoy skating. Many are indoors but the city’s most popular outdoor ice-skating venue features ice sleighs and skates Qianhai (Houhai). From early morning to dusk you can skate at the frozen lake.

Other places are:

Shichahai Outdoor Rink, Yuyuantan Park Skating Rink, Zizhuyuan Park Skating Rink, The Olympic Center Outdoor Rink Linglong Tower Outdoor Rink and Weiming Lake Outdoor Rink.