Traveling with kids, it is never a bad idea to include a leisury day or half a day in a park - it is necessary for the young ones to be allowed some fun time, when they can just do "kids stuff" and not feel like they have to raise to the challenge of acting like seasoned travellers.
Join me on the adventure around Chinese amazing parks that your kids will love.
What are Chinese parks like?
Before we dive in, one quick note on Chinese parks. I feel like they are a bit different than European parks. While the European parks are great - we love them for the peace and quiet they provide, the ability for kids to play at a playground, teenagers to kick ball and adults drink a beer sitting on the grass.
Chinese parks are not like that.
There are much less children's playground like we know them (you know, with the usual swings, slides, carousels etc. free for everyone to use and a green grass where you can just kick the ball) - there are little "theme parks" with fun train rides, paid carousels etc.
Recently we see more and more kids playgrounds, but you rarely would just head to the park and make a picnic on the ground.
There are in fact more outdoor gyms for old people than there are swings for the little ones.
There is no sitting on the grass, but there are people walking around, doing tai chi, dancing and socialising.
It is hard to put the differences in words, but the feeling of most of the parks is indeed different.
But for me at least, they are a beautiful way to understand China better and do what others do - socialise and enjoy life really.
Great Parks to explore in major Chinese cities
Below you can find some of our favourite parks we visited during our trips with brief descriptions on what to expect.
Beihai Park and Houhai Lake in Beijing
We have a particular sentiment towards Huhai Lake, as we went there on our first evening after landing in Beijing. Jetlagged and sleepy after a 4 hour afternoon nap (or shall I say passing out) it was a perfect place to get the first taste of Chinese lively capital.
While not specifically catering to children, in the summer it is a party central - Chinese style. What I mean by that, it is not just a bunch of loud drunks, but people all ages eating street food, socialising, singing at KTV bars, excercising and dancing. It is a truelly atmospheric place at night. In the winter when the ice is thick you can enjoy ice-skating or rent an ice bike.
It is a place where people will definitely give you an your child a lot of attention and try to talk to you. And what is a better way to start your China adventure than interacting with the friendly locals?
When we went there, Hanna (2.5 years old at the time) was mesmerised by all the action. She loved the music, and dancing, and the BBQ. While it can be a bit much for the first night after landing, it is actually great time to go as you are still in the old timezone and kids are not sleepy until at least 11p.m.
Peope's Park in Chengdu
People's Park in Chengdu is reknown among locals as a great spot to chat over tea, get some street food and get your ears cleaned.
In Chengdu the tea culture is still well and very much alive, and teahouses are popular among locals as well as visitors. Some of them host traditional Sichuan Opera performances daily, which I highly recommend doing.
It is a really nice spot for chilling out with kids - you can easily spend almost a day there - enjoy a cup of tea, stroll around, have some delicious spicy street food, stroll around some more, pop in for a Sichuan opera performance and to finish a day with some kids entertainment in a form of a carousel ride - as there is also a children's playground there.
Magda Sawyer
Important note: all the teahouses close at 7p.m. so this is really a daytime activity!
Green Lake (Cui Hu) in Kunming
For us Kunming was just a stopover before finishing our Yunnan adventure and we had only one full day to spend there, and after reading the guidebook we were sure that Cui Hu park is where we should head to.
Kunming is known as the city of eternal spring with mild pleasant warm temperatures all year round. For that reasons the Green Park even at the beginning of March when we visited was full of green trees, flowers and birds.
It is a big lively park full of people at all times, people practicing tai chi, dancing - you know, the usual China stuff. It is also surrounded by variety of food options and very hipster cafes that we had no idea was the part of modern China cities.
There is plenty of side alleys just outside of the park that we explored extensively when both Hanna and Nina fell asleep.
For the kids specifically there is a small theme park with carousels and trampolins and a little train for kids that rides through the park. Our personal favourite were little excercise bikes for kids that blow bubbles and play music - best 10 Yuan ever spent!
For anyone visiting Kunming, with kids or not, this park is a must!
Eling Park in Chongqing
While it might lack the entertainment bit from some of the other parks mentioned here, it is a really pleasant park to spend few hours in, let the kids run around and escape for a while the hussle and bussle of the busy city life.
The park is on the hill side and has great views. There is a little pagoda there that allows you to explore the 360 view of Chongqing.
The park is in a walkable distance from Testbed 2 creative space and Liziba monorail station (the famous monorail that goes throught the building) so the 3 attraction makes for a really nice day that checks a few "must-see" boxes.
Tang Paradise Theme Park in Xi'an
Xi'an might be famous for its Terracotta Warriors, City Walls, street food and Bell and Drum Towers, but traveling with kids there is always a good idea to include some greenspaces to enjoy.
Tang Paradise Theme Park contrary to its name doesn't really look like a first thing that comes to mind when you think of a theme park.
It is basically a big green space with architecture designed to ressemble the style of Tang Dynasty buildings. For a foreigner that has no clue, it might as well be the original architecture, just very well maintained - well, maybe excluding swings and a KFC.
The theme park features outdoor theatre performance. This combined with the tourists dressed up to match the theme in the truely Chinese fashion, it makes a really cool "as good as authentic" experience for the kids - I highly recommend it!
Xingqinggong Park in Xi'an
It is located relatively central, close to the City Wall and Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Xi'an's top tourist attractions, making it a perfect break in a busy sightseeing days.
It has 2 really cool playgrounds and a theme park, and lots of greenery and small lakes - a great spot to spend a quiet morning or an afternoon before continuing with your sightseeing schedule.
Final thoughts
This list is by far not a complete guide to Chinese magnificent parks that are suitable for children - it is just a short list of some we personally loved and had a chance to experience first hand.
Chinese city planners take "livable city" principles very seriously, so you can be sure that all major cities will have some sort of a green space that will cater for young and old.
Make sure to research what the city has to offer before going, as Chinese parks are quite a unique experience and a true manifestation of the Chinese culture - with lively social life, abundance of street food and general lovely atmosphere.
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