Busy Holiday 8: Nature Relaxation, Chamber Music, Pool & More

The National Holiday is almost over! Whether you've remained in the capital or you're just getting back, there is still plenty to do! Today, we'll be taking a look at some final events to hit up and activities to do tomorrow, Oct 8.

Experience Wenyuhe Park

As the holiday comes to a close, it’s a good time to get in some final rest and relaxation time. For this, consider spending time at Beijing’s largest park.

Wenyuhe Park (温榆河公园), is a super-large urban green space. The first phase of the park, Wenyuhe Park Phase I, opened in 2022 and had an area of 12 square kilometers. With the recent successful completion of Phase II, the park has a total area of about 30 square kilometers. Wenyuhe Park has become the largest and most diverse natural area in the city, and the newly completed park reopened to the public on Sep 29.

The park has hundreds of different species of plants and animals, including a number of protected and rare bird species. It also functions as the largest flood detention area in downtown Beijing.

The park has a number of quiet forest trails, bird-watching wetlands, campsites, larger lawn spaces for music festivals, areas for markets and sports events such as marathons, cycling, tennis and equestrian events. It also has several science education and cultural exhibitions.

Wenyuhe Park is the perfect place for taking a break from the city and reconnecting to the peaceful greenery of nature.

Wenyuhe Park is open during the National Holiday from 6am to 10pm. The park is free to enter. For directions to the park, search “温榆河公园” in your map app of choice and choose the entrance most convenient to you.

Wenyuhe Park
South side of the intersection of Lai Guangying Beilu and Binhe Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区来广营北路与滨河路交叉路口南侧

NCPA Weekend Concert: Jingcai Trio Presents “Fragrance From a Drop of Ink”

As part of its Weekend Concert series for this month, the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) will hold the first concert in the series tomorrow during the holiday.

On Wed, Oct 8, the Jingcai Trio will present “点墨生香” (“Fragrance From a Drop of Ink”), an afternoon performance focusing on the integration of traditional Chinese cultural elements and modern music creation. Through the delicate collaboration of the trio, Eastern imagery such as the grandeur of the Great Wall, the tragedy of Yu Ji, and the elegance of fan shadows will be integrated into the melody, allowing the audience to encounter the profound cultural heritage of China and the vibrant power of contemporary music creation through the dialogue of instruments.

The Jingcai Trio will present “点墨生香” tomorrow, Wed, Oct 8, at 2.30pm as part of the Encounter Chamber Music Series of the NCPA Weekend Concert Series. The performance will take place in the NCPA Multi-Functional Theatre. Tickets are RMB 40.

NOTE: Foreign passport holders may be unable to purchase tickets for these performances through most mini programs or ticketing apps. We recommend purchasing tickets through the NCPA Smart Butler 国家大剧院智慧管家 mini program. Search “点墨生香” and then select the concert and follow the directions from there.

National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) – Multi-Functional Theatre 国家大剧院·小剧场
2 XI Chang'an Jie, Xicheng District
西城区西长安街2号

Timekeepers Happy Hour, Winesday & Pool Competition

Beloved bar Timekeepers x BallHouse is open throughout the holiday, and as such, their great weekly deals and activities are on as usual. Take a look below at what’s in store for Wednesday.

Happy Hour
Every day, 5.30pm-7.30pm
RMB 10 off all draft and mixed drinks

Winesday
Every Wednesday, get 20 percent off bottles of house wine all night.

Pool Competition
All players are welcome in this Wednesday night knock-out challenge. Sign up to play. Players get one free drink, and the winner gets … a grand prize!

*Note: Timekeepers x BallHouse will close at 1am on Wednesday.

Timekeepers x BallHouse
40 Zhonglouwan Hutong, Dongcheng District
东城区钟楼湾胡同40号

Wednesday Quiz at Paddy's

Paddy O’Shea’s is another venue that has remained open during the National Holiday, and it’s a good thing, too, because their Wednesday pub quiz sounds like just the thing to close out the holiday and slide into the shortened work week with. 

The quiz starts at 8pm sharp. Show them what you got!

Paddy O’Shea’s Irish Sports Bar
28 Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区东直门外大街28号

READ: Busy Holiday 7: Tacos, Comedy, Trivia & More

Images: 北京朝阳, courtesy of the venues