Sunday, August 13, 2006

Morning Exercise


The most interesting cross-cultural phenomenon I have yet witnessed is the older generation’s morning exercise regimen. In each park in our area from about 5:30 – 8:00 every morning, elderly Chinese men and women come out to practice tai chi, different types of dance and yoga, and what I will call sword dancing – for lack of a better word. They fill the parks, and one has to really watch where he is going to keep from being stabbed by an errant fist, or a sword. What I cannot capture on camera is the slow, deliberate movements which all of these people are making. It is as if they are in a trance; the exercise is very spiritual, in a sense.

These morning rituals are very strange for me to watch, because I know that the Chinese state is officially atheist, and that most Chinese profess atheism, when asked. But the sword dancing, tai chi, and yoga are all very meditative, and seems quite out of place in an atheistic society. Philosophy aside, it’s pretty sweet to watch.

3 Comments:

At 12:43 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

So you can read these things now, eh? Well I just got back on American terra firma last night US time. I've been reading and lovin' the blog, because it's sort of like listening to my thoughts while I was in China replayed for me. Except the hookers, fortunately... venture out of the expat zone and you'll find that the supply exists only where the demand does.
-DMC <><

 
At 7:25 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think maybe I should start up a group like that; I'm old enough. We could do it by the lake in the early morning. Do you think we would be arrested?!
Love,
Mom

 
At 8:03 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

am trying to decide if you wouldn't make a better investigative reporter, journalist, photograper, etc,etc. than climbing the walls of skyscrapers tying rebars. Safer!! Saw how it was done on History channnel.Beautiful sunset!
Gramma

 

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