Beihai Park Scavenger Hunt FAQs

Here at Bespoke we try to make things as straightforward as possible for you, so here are a few things to know before doing our Beihai Park Scavenger Hunt.

Here’s a quick summary so you don’t miss the most important takeaways:

• You must book your entrance tickets at least 24 hours in advance
• You must bring your passports on the day
• You must choose a morning (before 12pm) or afternoon session
• If you choose the morning session, don’t arrive later than 10.45am

During the current pandemic, you are not able to simply show up at Beihai Park, but instead must book your entrance tickets in advance and must bring your passport or Chinese ID card. The last thing we want is for you to be refused entry on the big day. Local Chinese residents may do so via the park’s official WeChat account (instructions here) with their ID cards to hand. All foreign residents must follow the instructions below:

The best times to do the Scavenger Hunt are Tuesday-Sunday in the morning from 9am-1pm or in the afternoon from 1-5pm.

When booking, you must also select either ‘MORNING‘ or ‘AFTERNOON’ for entry into the park. If you tell the booking office you want to visit during the morning session, you must enter the main South Gate of the park before 12 noon. However – and this is crucial – the first round of the Scavenger Hunt takes place just outside of Beihai Park’s main South Gate in a separate attraction called the ‘Round City’ (a small walled citadel with a separate entrance – see attached photo). You will therefore need to factor in about 1 hour of scavenger hunting in the Round City before you get your tickets checked at the park’s South Gate. Therefore, if you have chosen the morning slot to enter the park, we suggest you arrive at Beihai Park to begin the hunt absolutely no later than 10.50am in order to do the first round and enter the park in plenty of time before the midday cut-off. The park is technically open from 6.30am-8.30pm, however many of the attractions included in the hunt (The Temple of Eternal Peace, the Round City) are only open from 9am to 4.30pm. We also suggest you avoid Mondays, when some of the temples are closed.

The Scavenger Hunt begins at the South Gate of Beihai Park (not far from the Forbidden City’s north exit).
Here’s the address in Chinese: 北海公园南 – 门北京市西城区文津街1号 (Beihai Park – South Gate, No.1 Wenjin Jie, Xicheng district).
NB: The Scavenger Hunt’s end point is Beihai’s south-west exit gate, so you almost start and finish in the same spot. Good to know if you’re biking there!

We have divided Beihai Park into 5 zones. In each zone you will be required to answer a handful of questions and complete challenges. The whole thing should take you about 4 hours. Once you receive your booklet, please spend 10 minutes reading the detailed rules on pages 2 and 3.

As many as you like! We suggest purchasing one booklet per team, family or couple so that you can all take part comfortably. Consider purchasing more copies for larger groups of children to avoid arguments. You can play at your own pace, or, if you want to make things competitive, take part in a Time Challenge – attempting to complete the hunt within a fixed timeframe against others. There are more details about this in your booklet.

All ages! Although we believe children younger than 6 may tire before the end, so you may want to do it in two parts, or simply use it as a tool to enjoy the park over separate visits. For everyone else, whether you’re 17 or 70, you should find lots to enjoy by exploring the park in more detail in this way. It’s all about appreciating the beauty and history of this incredible gem right on your doorstep.

If you’re simply playing for fun, just get in touch and we’ll send you the answers in PDF format so that you can find out your score. However, if you want to be entered for the grand prize (a staycation at the Opposite House) or be in with a chance of getting added to the city-wide Leader Board, you will need to send your clue sheets to us for marking. There’s a 20RMB fee for each booklet marked unless you refer a friend who purchases a booklet, or you share your experience on your WeChat moments tagging 10 friends. No need to post your booklets back to us, this can be done over WeChat. Again, more details are listed in your booklet.