No Need to Leave Beijing for the Spring Festival: Visit 'Vienna' at Dingxiu Meiquan in Huairou, Beijing – Play a Two-Day, One-Night Murder Mystery Game!
Another Spring Festival is approaching. Looking back on these days, it's probably when office workers are least in the mood to work, right? Parents at home have already started bustling to buy New Year's supplies, old classmates are chattering in group chats to organize gatherings, and I'm busy grabbing tickets on my phone. The atmosphere around me is restless but filled with joy. I can't help but sigh that the Chinese obsession with 'the New Year' never fades, regardless of the generation.
But in the past two years, the crackling firecrackers and fireworks have vanished, the sound of family playing mahjong like a rushing tide during the vigil has gradually faded away, and even the visits to relatives and friends that I once took for granted are now missed. Because of the pandemic, the world's rhythm has changed, and so has our way of life. Migrant workers far from home have been busy for over three hundred days, only to be blocked by the words 'non-essential travel out of Beijing is not allowed,' preventing them from returning home for the New Year. And how many families have been on the move all year, with only the Spring Festival holiday to travel and see the world together, now reduced to lying around at home like couch potatoes. Two years, we've really been through this kind of Spring Festival for two years. The pandemic might become normalized, but days gone are days lost. It is imperative to create a new 'New Year flavor' for our post-pandemic era.
A few days ago, a colleague sent me an article titled 'Two-Day, One-Night Vienna Trip,' probably reposted from some travel WeChat public account. I laughed and said she was really going stir-crazy at home, trying to quench her thirst by reading articles. I clicked in out of curiosity too. Seeing my confusion, my colleague laughed and said this 'Vienna' wasn't a fantasy – it's right near us, just over an hour's drive away! Reading further, it turned out this 'Vienna' is in Beijing's Huairou District.
I'm no stranger to Huairou. I've been to Qinglong Gorge and Yanqi Lake for company team-building, gone to Hongluo Temple with friends to pray for love, and later eaten the famous local rainbow trout in a farmhouse. But none of this had anything to do with the 'Vienna' in my mind. My colleague said this place is the Dingxiu Meiquan Town near Yanqi Lake. The entire town's design is inspired by the towns along the European Alps. This two-day, one-night event is held at the Holiday Inn in the town. I asked what the event was, and my colleague smiled and said, 'It's a murder mystery game, of course! Isn't that your favorite thing?' At that point, I understood why she had shared the article with me.
Though I felt a bit excited inside, I have relatively high standards for accommodation. The staff member on the phone said you can search for 'Dingxiu Meiquan Holiday Hotel' on Ctrip to see detailed hotel information. The photos showed very luxurious interiors, pure European classical style, along with a specialty castle restaurant and a Sisi Princess-themed restaurant.
In addition, there is a 3D media room, KTV, chess and card room, etc. The staff also introduced their two-day, one-night murder mystery game. Unlike the usual scripts we play, they integrate drama and detective games equally, allowing players to experience theatre arts up close during the deduction process.
Western food, drinks, and snacks are also provided during the game. After hearing this, we were itching to go. We politely asked about the price, and to our surprise, the 1855 yuan event was discounted to only 1398 yuan during Spring Festival, and it includes the accommodation fee.
That's roughly the cost of a trip back home. Plus, during Spring Festival, for groups of two or more, each person receives a gift worth 128 yuan. Since I have quite a few friends who regularly play murder mystery games, I asked if there's a discount for our group to book the whole venue. The staff said that for a private session, there's a 10% discount plus a complimentary bottle of vintage red wine. After hearing this, my colleague and I quickly started rounding up friends, ready to form a group.
Compared to last year, which was the first New Year spent away from home, when my friends and I wore big masks to have dinner, sing karaoke, drink, and then cry in each other's arms, this Spring Festival suddenly feels full of anticipation. We can experience exotic customs with our buddies, wear beautiful costumes for photos, play murder mystery games, watch theatre… It seems that celebrating the New Year away from home isn't so bad after all.
If we can't prevent natural and man-made disasters, and can't change our environment, then at least we can enrich our lives and make them more colorful within the limited conditions! Time is right here, and no matter how we spend it, it will become irreplaceable memories in the years to come.
