Reading guide

Keeping cool is the name of the game in summertime Beijing. Called chengliang in Chinese, the traditional way of doing it is going for an evening stroll. On the Unwind page, we suggest a few popular strolling spots, augmented with a few ideas for evening bycle rides around town – nothing too strenuous, of course!

Air Purifier or Work of Art

Beijing Sunlight Business Management Company is an agent of the Black Dimon project. They have brought to the exhibition a series of environmentally friendly artistic works, which not only give you a visual spectacle; but can also purify the air.

Soothing internal fires

According to traditional Chinese medicine, summer brings a host of possible health problems, many revolving around the changing balance of hot and cool elements within the body. Fortunately, careful eating can be enough to keep those opposing internal forces in harmony.

Ice, ice baby

During Beijing’s sweltering summer, ice cream and other frozen treats are less luxuries than they are necessities. And if necessity is the mother of invention, it should come as no surprie that many of the ice cream options on the local market are, well, inventive.

Top sporting events this summer

Euro 2000 was hailed as the most exciting soccer tournament since the 1970 World Cup, with exciting, flowing football. Many people, including the England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, believe the standard is actually far higher in the European Championship than in the World Cup. So the anticipation ahead of Portugal 2004 is intense.

Selected Holiday Sports

With the May 1st Holiday coming up, Beijing Today has selected some sports that readers may like to try as the weather gets warmer.

Holidays is the sun

Think summer – think beach, naturally! But instea of following the masses to Beidaihe or Qingdao this year, try somewhere a little off the beaten track. Changdao is an island beach resort in Shandong, off the northern coast of the Shandong Peninsula.

Cool things to do in summer

The daydream-inducing prospect of a long, hot summer, delicious as it may be, raises a serious question. What do you do in Beijing when the temperature is approaching 40 degrees, other than gaze wistfully out the window of your air-conditioned office, or maintain a sensible body temperature by way of ingesting a steady flow of cold beer at a Houhai bar? Get out of town of course, if you know what’s good for you.

What they used…

The bronze cold-drink pot, or tong bingjian, discovered in a tomb dating back to the 430 BC during the Warring States Period, is considered the earliest incarnation of refrigeration technology in China. Found in 1978 in Suizhou, Hebei Province, the surprisingly sophisticated and beautifully crafted vessel was used to cool wine for important rituals and grand banquets held by the Marquis of Zeng.

What they ate…

In China’s traditional lunar calendar, the hottest days of summer fall in the “Sanfu,” or “Three Dog Days.” This year, that sweltering period fallseen the end of June and July 17.