Enjoy Beijing's park life

Local men often gather at the lake's edge to fish (diaoyu) out its tiny inhabitants. The rods they use rarely have a reel, just a line attached to a primitive stick. They yank their baited hoots out of the water to see if there is anything wriggling on the end of the line. Some throw their haul back at the end of the day, and others bring it home to feed their pet turtles. Unless it's a smaller, sealed off area that is specially stocked with lake fish, you won't see many taking their minnows back to eat.

When the lakes freeze over in the wintertime, skates and sleds replace the boats. Some lakes have specially cordoned off areas that allow people to risk shattering their pelvis on the solid surface. The young kids you'll see there are expert skaters that humiliated this writer at his last attempt. But if you do choose to ice skate (huabing), you might want to bring two pairs of socks as well as plastic bags. Incinerate them when you are done.

If all this activity makes you peckish, a snack-stand (shipinbu) surely lies nearby. Standards vary, of course, as do prices. You can pick up chips, biscuits, and drinks at these places, and some sell cooked snacks too. Some parks have ornately decorated teahouses (chaguan), or even restaurants. Others have open air bars with a better cocktail menu that you'd find in many of their counterparts in the city's more typical boozing areas.

When the day is drawing to a close, you should try to locate a particularly scenic spot that faces west. There you will find photographers both professional and amateur eagerly snapping away at the sun as it disappears to make room for night.