Highlights
- Practice qigong with grandmas and play ping pong with grandpas under the trees
- Enjoy a wholesome Beijing breakfast, then a slow morning in a beloved local park
- Start with a classic Beijing breakfast before visiting a local park
- Join an all-ages community morning that runs without a fixed schedule
- Start your Beijing morning away from landmark queues
Description
I was born and raised in Beijing, and I quit my job, taking a calculated risk to promote Beijing and Chinese culture to international tourists and the world beyond the VPN.
I grew up by the Temple of Heaven, and next to it there's a park called Longtan Park. A park that all of us locals treat like a living room, a social club, and a gym.
My grandma has been going there every morning for 10 years.
One day, after I came back from the park, I was feeling so refreshed and calm after following her morning routine, I had a lightbulb moment — what if I can share this feeling with others? This precious experience is a getaway, a retreat from a busy, fast city.
Not every morning in Beijing needs to start with a queue at a landmark.
This one starts with steam from a bamboo basket at a neighbourhood breakfast stall. Then a park, a ping pong table, and a group of grandmas doing qigong under the trees. This is just a normal morning in Beijing. The difference is, you're in it.
What You Will Experience
· Meet at 8am outside Xiaopang Baozi Wang / a 20-minute walk from the Temple of Heaven, a neighbourhood breakfast spot with a queue out the door every morning. We will start our morning by trying various Beijing breakfast dishes, for example, steamed buns, wontons, millet porridge, braised stew and other adventurous options! You pick what you want, you pay the vendor directly, you have 100% control.
· Walk to Longtan Park (龙潭公园). Beijing history along the way, how this neighbourhood has changed, who lives here, what the parks mean to daily life.
· Ping pong with the 大爷 (grandpas) and 八段锦 (Baduanjin) with the grandmas, which is a form of 气功 (qigong), 800 years old, eight slow movements, breath and stretching.
· If weather cancels park activities, we offer to reschedule or run a shorter breakfast and café morning at a reduced rate. Private experiences available, email us to customise!
This Is for You If
· If you are into slow travel, and want something wholesome and beyond the landmarks
· You're an early bird, or want to be one for a morning
· Travelling with kids who need to run, play, and eat — not stand in line
· Travelling with parents or grandparents who'd love a gentle, sociable morning
What We Believe
· A Day In Beijing is an independent one-woman operation, created and run by a born-and-raised Beijinger, to connect local independent businesses and communities to the world beyond the VPN. We're new here, but not new at this — 5/5 ratings across every platform so far.
· We dream big — doing our bit to challenge the colonial stereotype of Beijing, of China, through heartfelt cultural experiences.
· You pay all vendors directly. Zero commission, zero markup. We only charge a guidance / curation fee.
· Beijing, explained by Beijingers. More on our Instagram @a_day_in_beijing and our podcast [A Day In Beijing] on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Includes
English-speaking local Beijinger guide
Guided walk through the neighbourhood and Longtan Park
Ping pong and qigong (八段锦) sessions with park regulars
Beijing history and neighbourhood stories along the way
Local recommendations for the rest of your trip
Excludes
Breakfast food and drinks (paid directly to vendors — you choose what you want!)
Longtan Park entry ticket (¥2)
Gratuities for your guide are not included and are always appreciated
Easy cancellation
Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
