XICHENG - Living Abroad in Beijing - page 415

cent of the profits go to the group's projects. Meet here to take part in its numerous activit-
ies or use it as a space for your own NGO meetings or rent some desk space for your office.
If you're keen to do a bit of volunteer work, this is also a worthy place at which to put your
hand up.
Sports and Recreation
Xidan might be crowded, but there's an interesting array of sports that you can try your
hand at—in winter or summer—and a lot of it's thanks to the area's plentiful supply of
water. In the warmer months, you can join the Beijing International Dragon Boat Team
( http://beijingdragonboating.com ) . The club runs casual weeknight and weekend training
sessions on Houhai, and also regularly travels to other cities in the country for compet-
ition. When temperatures drop and the lake freezes over, Houhai becomes an icy play-
ground on which you can skate or ride ice bicycles or strangely converted “skate” chairs.
The chairs might look mildly amusing, but pushing yourself around with metal sticks can
lose its interest factor pretty quickly. If you'd like to keep up the skiing when the ice melts,
head to Xiyue Ice Rink at the Xidan Cultural Center ( 喜悦滑冰场 , Level B3, 180 Xidan
Beidajie, 西单北大街180号西单文化广场B3楼 , tel. [phone]). It's underground be-
low the large open square at Xidan subway station (Lines 2 and 4, exit A). If yoga is more
your thing, there are yoga centers all over the district, but almost none are run in English.
This is the challenge—or advantage—of living here. One approach is to search on Chinese
listing site www.dianping.com , which can narrow down the options for you.
The Chinese, in general, don't believe in overt risk taking, so hard-core adventure sports
aren't particularly abundant. It's a surprise, therefore, to find a free-diving base right here
in Xicheng. If you're keen to take a deep dive without oxygen, contact Freediving China
( www.freedivingchina.com ) . Based in Xizhimen, they often head out of the city for dives
and training in better waters. For a hit at tennis, book a court at the The Xiannong Al-
tar Xuanyuan Tennis Hall ( 先农坛体育场网球场 , tel. [phone]). Set at the northeast
corner of Xiannong Tan Park, it's easily accessible via Taoranting subway station (Line 4,
exit C). Courts cost RMB230 per hour.
Education
Xicheng isn't known for its international schools, but a few prestigious local schools have
international departments. Beijing No. 4 High School ( www.bhsf.cn ) is perhaps the best
known. The school prides itself on its academic achievements and ability to get students
into Beijing's top universities; then there is also Beijing No. 8 Middle School Yihai In-
ternational Campus ( www.no8ms.org or www.admissions.cn/yh8z ) , which offers nursery