Hidden City Game: The Inaugural Hutong Race
I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a Minotaur lurking in the depths of Beijing’s hutongs. The seemingly endless system of fractal-esque footpaths often leave more than a few scratching their heads in despair and wondering just where the @#$% they are. If only there was a way to navigate these walkways in a fun environment and learn what magnificent histories they have. Lucky for us, there is.
The Improbable Beijing Guidebook is a new start-up company in the tourism industry who pledge to deliver the most informative overview of Beijing across a range of social platforms. Coinciding with the release of their printed guidebook they organized the launch of their inaugural Hidden City Game game that took place last Sunday (Sep 21).
Teams of two, three, or four registered for free to receive a guidebook and a large fold-out map. Encircling the map were a series of questions and tasks that you aimed to complete in the two-hour timeframe. Beginning with easy to find answers on hutong plaques, the intensity of the game increased as you were encouraged to race the length of the hutongs looking for a specific statue or painting or similar. There were also wildcard challenges which tempted teams to increase their overall points tally with tasks like painting a team member’s pinkie nail, or finding a specifically shaped Chinese coin. With a total of seventy points up for grabs between various physical and mental challenges, the two-hour limit rushed by us, and my team came to a halt with seconds to spare and more than a few beads of sweat on our temples.
Generous prizes included hotel stays at FACE Hotel, dinners at Moti Mahal, Alameda, Blue Balcony, drinks from Paddy O’Shea’s, and a host more, which is astounding considering more than forty teams competed without a single kuai exchanging hands. Who doesn’t love a good freebie, huh?
With plans to collate data from the first event and go full steam ahead planning the second (they aim for the city game to become a monthly event), we look forward to some new vitality being injected into Beijing tourism, and are already lacing our sneakers in anticipation.
The Improbable Beijing Guidebook
Office 2603, Bldg B, 8 Guangqumenwai Dajie, Chaoyang district (5861 2491)
广渠门外大街
Photos: Erin Strong, The Improbable Beijing Guidebook
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Email: erinstrong@truerun.com
Instagram: @wander_in
