In our densely populated city, the government planners have set aside quite a few places for public parks. While westerners would normally seek out an isolated spot in a park for a private picnic, Chinese people usually gather for group activities.
In the Emerald Chicken Park, the “birdwatching” group gathers. Of course, in China they bring their own birds:
Other folks move through their slow and smooth tai chi exercises (click Tai Chi to watch):
Some people also do a dance-like exercise where they balance a tennis ball on a small racket:
People without a racket can join any of a number of other dancing groups:
Some men play Chinese checkers while others gather around and watch quietly:
Of course, there are always musicians with over-amplified singers (click to listen to Woman Singer):
If you’re looking for “extreme singing,” you’ll find Chinese opera at a few nearby parks (click here to listen to OperaMusic):
This guy had a special vest to haul around his harmonica collection (click here to listen to the HarmonicaMan):
Finally, here was a happy group playing traditional music and dancing (click to hear Traditional Music):
In China, there’s nothing like getting away to a park for a little peace and quiet!
thanks for posting the audios. It’s nice to be reminded that there are some things in this world more painful than working on school projects all night long. I would probably be a lot calmer about my schedule if I learned to master my Qi, like the people in that first video you posted. 🙂
Man, even though everything you posted is so stereotypical, it’s nonetheless true and makes me want to be back there more than anything! Everyday life is so much more entertaining there…