Qingnianhu Park swimming pool is probably the most beautiful of the big public outdoor pools, with a classical style that recalls the Art Deco pools of British seaside resorts - there's a pretty pavilion surrounded by willow trees by the poolside, an ornate dragon slide and flags fluttering above the water.
The main pool is large with cool and reasonably clean water, though it's so shallow that swimming isn't really an option (beach balls are available next door for 15 RMB), though on hot days it's far too crowded to swim anyway.
The flumes here are better maintained than at Tuanjiehu Park, though they're closed from 11 am-12.30 pm, 2-2.30 pm, 4-4.30 pm and 6-7 pm.
Skip the blue and green slides, and go for the straight red one, which lets you skim satisfyingly along the water at the bottom. There's also a small kids' pool with a cute elephant slide.
There's less space to sunbathe than at Tuanjiehu Park, but you can normally find a spot on the tiered bank below the pavilion, where, like at Tuanjiehu, there seems to be some kind of bizarre sun-bathing cult.
Lockers cost 5 RMB, with a 20 RMB deposit, and there are refreshment stalls just outside the pool.
Address: Inside the south gate of Qingnianhu Park, off Andingmenwai Dajie, Dongcheng district
Opening time: Open 9 am-7pm daily until the end of August
Admission: 20 RMB; 15 RMB for kids