Beijing Shi Sports & Outdoors Tips by sugarpuff Top 5 Page for this destination

Not quite a sports tip as such!

It is a place you can go and have Chinese characters and English letters printed onto sports clothing. When I was in China my second time round it was my then boyfriend's birthday and I wanted to think of something different to get him. So with the help of a Japanese friend who was also having some football shirts printed, I cam across this small shop down some winding lanes.

I went to him and chose the number I wanted printed on the front of the football t-shirt (Beijing football club's) and then wrote in Chinese my boyfriend's Chinese name. And within two or three days, it was all done!

The perfect present with a little difference to it!

Equipment: All you need is an item of sports clothing you want to have printed. It really was very cheap. Probably around one pound a character, if that! I think it actually cost me around 4 pounds in total....GREAT!

The guy's name is Wang Dan Xing.

Directions: Xi Cheng District, Beijing. Opposite the 'Min zu wen hua gong' about 50 metres.

Phone: (0086)(10)66081946

Theme: Other

Ex-pro swim teacher

I first met this lady my first time in China, back in 1998. I had seen her advert in a magazine claiming to be a 'China Swimmiing Coach', and due to my love of the sport, I gave her a call. She doesn't speak any English if i remember but when youre learning something like swimming, it doesn't really matter if you don't speak the same language. Well, thats at least what I believe! I had been swimming since I was about 9 for Gibraltar and so by the age of 19 I was pretty good! I didn't need someone who could teach me to swim, just someone to coach me. She was wonderful and gave me lots of great tips. So although this tip is more for those who are planning on staying in China for a while, it doesnt only apply for serious swimmers. She can teach people of all abilities.

Equipment: We swam in a hotel pool in Jianguomen opposite the Friendship Store, The Scitech Hotel. The pool wasnt very large and a had a curve in it, so it wasnt great for me who wanted to do laps, but for beginners, its perfect!

Like I said, I swam with her in 1998. She may not for all I know still be doing it, but she's a professional coach and very good at her job. Equipment you need......a swimming costume, cap and goggles! As simple as that!

The coach's name is Chen Xuan Qian

Directions: Scitech Hotel behind Scitech Plaza, opposite The Friendship Store in Jianguomen.

Phone: (0086)1301273513

Theme: Other

The ASIAN cup final 2004

Biggest football event of the year so far....and here were the competitors....

The Middle Kingdom....

Tonight's match isn't going to just be about football unfortunately! OF COURSE I want China to win, but if they don't.....it will be a further humiliation for them and will further
their anger towards the Japanese! Or maybe Im just reading to much into it, and it'll be a
great game!

Land of the Rising Sun

Will the champs from previous years do it again...? Will they knock another bolt into
China's coffin? Will they defeat the one nation who hasn't reached the finals since the
80's? Or will they simply get too nervous under all the pressure and give China the
crown....or cup!!!!?

PLACE YOUR BETS!!!!!!!

AND THE WINNERS WERE....(drum roll......) J A P A N !!!!

Theme: Other

Football Frenzy

This is the Worker's Stadium which is situated in the east of the city, on North Worker's Stadium Road. It is here where you'll see all kinds of football matches, both international and national being payed. It was here where Real Madrid played the China team and it will also be here where Beijing plays its home matches. I went once to watch Beijing play another Chinese team, I forget who now, and it was so much fun! I have only been to one match in England before, but it was so different here. The crowd were effing and blinding and they would throw things onto the pitch and they had lots of horrible noise making machines with them! The quality of the football wasn't very good and the seats were tough plastic, but the atmosphere was fun, and that's what I went for! We hadn't bought any tickets in advance so just had to go to the dodgy dealers lurking round the front gates to buy some!!! They weren't too expensive so it worked out alright! Im sure for big international games all black market tickets would cost a fortune, so you're better off buying them in advance and legally! I know...how boring!!!!

Theme: Sports Watching