Trip to Xian China, October,2014

Being pulled into the dancing group

Trip to the Xingqing Park in Xian

After 4 days in Beijing, we flew into Xian. Next day after breakfast we had the opportunity to visit Xingqing park. It is a large park, filled with people ,  and was a hub of activity that morning. Obviously every morning the park becomes an enormous gym for everyone who wants to exercise. To say just exercise would be an understatement. It is more than that, it is  an opportunity to be outdoors and socialize with people. There were areas dedicated to dancing, singing, and playing games. It is a unique concept where everyone not only gets a chance to exercise outdoors in invigorating fresh air, but also to participate in different games and activities. There are a lot of open areas for different activities. For instance, there is an area designated for men, and women of all ages where they play a game called “killing the bird”. This is played with a soft toy bird, which they hit with whichever part of the body they can use, and the aim is to keep the bird in the air without letting it drop to the ground.  We saw it  played with great perfection and it was very interesting to watch.

Fan Dancing in Xingqing park, xian

The next area we went to was fan dancing, where people were dressed in vibrant color costumes and carried brilliant colored flowers and fans while dancing. We not only witnessed, but also participated. The people were very friendly and made us part of their group by choosing partners from our tour group. We really enjoyed the dancing.

Then we moved to the area where one of the women led a large group in Thai chi exercises. This was a little difficult at first, but everyone was busy doing their own exercises and we watched and learned the moves.

In another area there was an enthusiastic group of people led by an equally enthusiastic conductor in singing patriotic songs. We couldn’t understand the songs but knew that they were dedicated to Mao Zedong and other revered Chinese leaders, and you could feel the energy and enthusiasm of the crowd enjoying the music with a religious fervor. We enjoyed the performance thoroughly and we realized that this was a way of t establishing rich cultural connection with the community through music, dance, exercise and other artistic endeavors. There was definitely a palpable emphasis that that was best way to start a busy work day.

Patriotic songs in xingqing park,Xian

This idea of outdoor fitness and fun is great. Everyone exercising outside and having fun instead of being cooped up in a gym must have untold physical and mental health benefits. It was a great pleasure to be part of these activities and grateful that we were lucky to have this opportunity to have this experience.