Think about the outdoor leisure pursuits popular in Beijing and the mind tends to focus on time-honored activities like Peking Opera, traditional dancing and table tennis.

They're okay for the older generation, of course.

But Beijing's younger generations are finding their own ways to have fun in the sun -- and like their elders, they are discovering that some of the best things in life really are free.

In-line skating

Almost every weekend on the street park northwest of the Jianguomen Overpass, you'll find dozens of young people dashing around on in-line skates.

Everyday objects such as steps, chairs, cement borders and rails present the ultimate challenge to these high-speed rollers. Onlookers will sometimes cheer spontaneously as some bold skater pulls off a difficult move. Inevitably too, there are failures as skaters bite off more than they can chew and take a tumble.

No one gets too frustrated -- as long as they are not seriously injured. Once they get to their feet, they simply start rolling again.

These young people are from Tornado, an amateur club founded in 2000 by several young people fascinated by in-line skating in Beijing.

"The club is really a precious thing built from scratch," said Zhang Ran, one of its founding members.

Like the others, the 22-year-old who now works as a graphic designer in one of China's leading portals, Sohu.com, says he was first hooked four years ago when he happened to see others skating in Wangfujing.

"The excitement and feeling of achievement could be the main reasons for some but for me the self-confidence and the relaxed friendship I gain are the ultimate reasons I was so enchanted," said 20-year-old Cao Ming, who is learning car repair in a professional school.

"When people ask me why I am so interested in such a 'dangerous' activity, I give them a straight metaphor and ask whether they have beriberi. It is exactly what I feel about skating -- I feel itchy in my feet without the boots on," explained Zhang Zheng, a second-year in the college.

Just what are the difficulties? "We are not afraid of injuries. Actually, the aggressive in-line skating is never 100 per cent safe as long as you try to get better. Apart from serious injuries everyone has had, such as fractures and cuts, the lack of understanding about the sport in China is the biggest difficulty for us," said Chen Xu, a young chef at a five-star hotel.

"Many people do not understand why we do what we do and some even view us as circus people for entertainment and say that we ask for it when we get injured. But it does not matter, we all love it and we will continue it as a life-long pursuit."

Anyone interested can visit www.ttb3.com for details.

Dancing in the streets

"Street dancing is a misinterpretation of the dancing itself. You have to be aware that the phrase does not just mean dancing you can do on the street," says Jian Wei, manager of the Northern Gang Hip-Hop Entertainment, the first of its kind in China.

In recent years, street dancing has gained a growing popularity among young people. Teenagers increasingly regard it as a modern and cool activity while others take it up as a fun way to keep fit.

"The street dance we often refer to features breaking which involves fast, robot-like movements many Chinese first saw in the American movie Break Dance," said Jian. But as it developed, the dancing somehow retained its original purpose as a way of expressing oneself freely with varied and slow movements. The strict meaning of dancing faded out and the various movements depending on one's physical condition makes it a more sport activity of competitiveness.

"Quite often people can see street dancers, who are called B-boys, battling each other with their dancing skills on the city squares. Probably that's the reason why it is called street dancing in Chinese," speculated Jian.

The Hip-Hop company offers training classes for people at various levels interested in dancing. Most learners are aged between 14 to 24.

(Beijing Weekend April 17, 2004)