PEOPLE AND CULTURE - Living Abroad in Beijing - page 75

often be much more reserved and less direct with Western women than Chinese women are
with Western men.
WHERE TO MEET PEOPLE
Sports Clubs
Sports competitions in Beijing are not particularly fierce. On the odd occasion you may en-
counter someone refusing a night out on the town to attend training, but in most cases, sport
is tradition-free and generally comprises a group of friends getting together on a Saturday
or Sunday for a friendly match, followed by beer and pizza. Commitment is a limited entity
here, and sports groups live by a “drop in if you're free” code—soccer teams perhaps being
the one exception.
If your kids are heading to the international schools then no doubt you'll find your week-
ends filled with attending sports games, and you'll be sure to meet other parents through the
spectator channel. If they'll be attending a local school, however, then you'll need to seek
out extracurricular sporting options. In Beijing, academics trump sport, so other than a few
stretches on the quadrangle, there isn't much emphasis on physical activity.
If you do want to get involved in sport, there are endless possibilities out there around
the city. Soccer (called football here) is perhaps the most organized sport. ClubFootball
( www.clubfootball.com.cn ) organizes teams for kids, men, and women. Informal training is
usually held one night a week in the Chaoyang area, and experienced players and newbies
are welcome. For the more serious crowd, there is the International Friendship Football
Club ( www.iffc1994.com ) , where you can try to find a team, or if you have enough bud-
dies you can create your own team, and then compete in the Premier League or First Divi-
sion. It can be hard to find a place to kick a ball around, so if you're interested in putting
your own team together, there are places such as O'le ( http://ole-sports.org ) or 26 Degrees
( www.26csportscenter.com ) , which both have multiple football fields that can be hired.
Baseball can be a difficult sport to come by, and fields are few. Sports Beijing
( www.sportsbj.org ) , which offers baseball, basketball, and many other sports for kids,
is a good place to start asking questions. Adults can join Mashup Sport & Social
( www.mashupsports.com ) . With a primary interest in expanding social circles through
sport, Mashup organizes basketball, flag football, NFL nights, beer pong events, and
more. Those into ice hockey can contact Beijing International Ice Hockey
( www.beijinghockey.com ) , which runs scheduled competitions from August to April. Rock
climbing is also gathering momentum, and you'll find reasonable climbing walls at Ol'e
( http://ole-sports.org ) in south Chaoyang district, as well as inside Ritan Park in the warmer