Beijing's frozen lakes have shed their usual watery identities to become winter playgrounds. Ice-skating rinks have opened at several of the city's major parks - but you don't even have to actually skate to get in on the fun.

While Shichahai Lake (Houhai) has ice skates for rent, purpose-made ice chairs and boards are more popular at other ice rinks, such as Zizhuyuan Park, which also rents ice bicycles. The chairs and boards are easy to operate with two pointed poles.

Other lakes that have ice rinks include Yuyuantan Park and Peking University's Weiminghu Lake. Taoranting Park and Zhongshan Park announced this year that they would not open their ice rinks this year due to warmer than usual weather.

Shichahai's rink is open from 8:30am-8:30pm. Most ice rinks in parks open from 9am to 4 or 5pm. Beijing Government's water administration body warns citizens not to skate where there is no official rink, because there are no safety measures in place.

Ice must reach a thickness of 15cm before an official rink can be opened. Staff measures the thickness every day. The ice rinks usually close in early February, around lichun, the solar term that falls on February 4, indicating the coming of spring. But it depends on the temperature, so call to find out if they are still open.

Beihai Park: 6403-1102. Zizhuyuan Park: 8841-2802. Shichahai Park: 6612-7652. Yuyuantan Park (enter from west gate): 8865-3800.

Story by Ye Jun and photo by Yang Shizhong

(China Daily February 2, 2008)