Chaoyang Park Area

The area surrounding Chaoyang Park — Beijing's largest urban green space at just under 300 hectares — has developed into one of the city's more settled international residential zones over the past two decades. Its character is determined partly by proximity to the embassy district and partly by the scale of the park itself, which provides a buffer against the ambient noise and density of the surrounding city.

Chaoyang Park opened in 1984 and was significantly expanded before the 2008 Olympics. It contains a large central lake, beach volleyball courts (used for Olympic events), a theme park section in the east, and large areas of open grassland. The park is less formal than the imperial gardens of the central city; families and groups use the lawns freely. Weekend mornings bring joggers, tai chi practitioners, and kite flyers in numbers.

The streets between the park's west gate and Sanlitun to the north have a concentration of foreign-market restaurants and specialist food shops that reflects the resident population. Xindong Road in particular has maintained a stable cluster of European-style restaurants and bars for over fifteen years — a relatively long lifespan in a city where commercial districts turn over quickly.

The Kerry Centre, at the southwestern corner of the area, anchors a mixed-use complex with hotel rooms, offices, and a large supermarket. It functions as a practical centre for the foreign resident community, supplying imported goods and banking services alongside the hotel.