Recreation in Haidian 2007-12-07

Haidian District boasts numerous recreation resorts and facilities. Large and well-known recreation facilities can be found in all parts of the district. There are 2,317 businesses engaging in the recreation industry in Haidian, including 133 KTV (karaoke) halls, 5 dancing halls, 11 electronic games halls, 71 billiard rooms, 26 bowling centers, 14 card and chess playing rooms, 24 Chinese calligraphy and painting stores, 185 Internet caf s, 7 big movie theaters, 1,200 newspaper agents and 642 record stores, with a total investment of more than 3 billion yuan and a total payroll of 400,000 employees.

The movie theaters of Haidian regularly feature international blockbusters as well as low-budget productions. Big movie theaters, often called cine-complexes, usually have special auditoriums for movies in English with Chinese subtitles on daily basis. Films in other foreign languages are also occasionally available.

In north Haidian, there are also recreation farms, where city-dwellers can experience the rural life. There are golf courses, bowling, and camping areas. Recreation centers in different shopping malls and scenic spots in Haidian, such as the Golden Resources Shopping Mall (the world s biggest shopping mall), Sate, Yansha and the Summer Palace provide not only Chinese experiences, but a whole raft of recreational and intercultural services.