A jungle gym adds to the fun in Chaoyang Park beach's kiddie pool. [Photo:CRIENGLISH.com]

For the beach volleyball matches at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, a 20,000-square-meter beach was created on the east side of Chaoyang Park. After the end of the Games, the carefully constructed beach made with soft, white sand from southern China's Hainan Island, found a new purpose: Beijing's liveliest summer hangout.

Now in its third year, the Chaoyang Park beach still looks fresh. Under the sand lies 40 centimeters of natural drainage, then another 50 centimeters of small stone. Between those two layers is a filtering net that prevents the sand from being washed away.

"This drainage system maintains the quality of the sand so it doesn't need to be replaced," said Wang Changmin, Manager of Chaoyang Park beach. "And after a good washing over, the sands become softer and more comfortable."

A beach is no fun without water, so a 5,000-square-meter pool was added after the Olympics. The pools face Chaoyang Park's East Lake, while palm trees line the sandy beach on the other side, creating a tropical atmosphere. The deepest water is 1.8 meters, and the shallow end, just half a meter deep, includes jungle gyms for children.

The pools also share an Olympic connection: the water-filtering system used in the pool is the same one implemented at the Water Cube during the Beijing Olympics.

"The water in the swimming pool reaches drinking water quality at the beginning of each day," Wang said. "And we are the only water park that uses this technology in Beijing."

Strict water quality control is evident in the gleaming, crystal-clear blue waters of the pool. Swimmers can't even see that there is a sandy beach just steps away.

Water quality control is only part of the safety measures in place at the pool.

On the beach, 130 big umbrellas stand ready to protect guests from the sun. Each is equipped with a lightning conductor to stave off dangerous lightning strikes during sudden storms.

The pools are staffed by 24 lifeguards who rotate through two shifts each day, and five safety staff who take turns monitoring the swimming pool. Elsewhere, 50 security personnel monitor the park, including 15 female security inspectors at the water park's entrance.

Events continue to draw crowds to Chaoyang Park's beach where several performances by bands from South America perform and a bikini contest is held every Thursday. The Beijing Open for international volleyball has also found a home on these sands, with the 2011 match taking place at the beach in June.

"We hosted about 300 athletes from 40 countries at this year's event," Wang said. "It was like a mini Olympics."

A day at Beijing's newest and largest beach water park comes at a price: weekday admission is 80 yuan until 5:30 p.m., then it's 50 yuan until closing time at 9:30 p.m.. Weekend tickets are 120 yuan all day.