Picnicking is perhaps the most neglected tradition among travelers in Beijing considering the city's wealth of picturesque parks and scenic areas. In the past, this was due to a paucity of the necessary components, but the availability of nearly any food item from nearly anywhere now means there is no excuse.

You can purchase basic groceries and Chinese-style snacks at local markets and the xiaomaibu (little-things-to-buy units) found nearly everywhere. Several fully stocked supermarkets and a handful of smaller grocers now carry imported wine and cheese, pesto sauce, Frito-Lay junk food, Newcastle Brown Ale, and just about anything else you could want, albeit at inflated prices. Supermarkets include one in the basement of the Lufthansa Center, and the CRC in the basement of the China World Trade Center. The Heping Market, in the first major alley on the left as you walk up Sanlitun bar street, has sliced meats, rare Western vegetables, and a full selection of familiar breakfast cereals. Much the same can be found at Jenny Lou's just east of the northeast corner of Ritan Gongyuan.

Among delis and bakeries, the best is the Kempi Deli (inside the Lufthansa Centre; tel. 010/6465-3388, ext. 5741). It offers satisfying crusty-bread sandwiches and a tremendous pastry and fresh baked bread selection that goes for half-price after 9pm. Charlotte's Butchery and Delicatessen (tel. 010/6508-3884), next to Annie's at the west gate of Chaoyang Park, serves sandwiches at lower prices that are almost as good and offers a wider selection of other Western food items.

Recommended picnic spots in the city proper include the Summer Palace, the "Old" Summer Palace (Yuanming Yuan), and Ritan Park in central Chaoyang, as well as Chaoyang and Tuanjie Hu parks, also in Chaoyang. Outside Beijing, the Simatai and Huanghua sections of the Great Wall provide dramatic backdrops for an outdoor meal, as do Fragrant Hills Park (Xiang Shan Gongyuan), the Ming and Qing tombs, and the Tanzhe and Jietai temples in the western suburbs.