Okay, here is my first attempt at writing about the every day experience of China, opposed to telling the stories of me running around with my friends until the wee hours of the morning. So I my first edition is about Longtan park. Longtan park is a very large park very close to my school. I go running through here almost every day. I try to run every day but since I have no plans to run in any races in the near future motivation can be a little hard to come by some days. So now I'm just trying to run because it's something that I love to do, opposed to something that I feel like I have to do and if I don't get out I feel guilty about myself (which has been the case at various times in my life).
So, on to the park. The gate is about a 10-15 minute walk from my apartment or a 4 minute run (I've only walked into longtan 2 or 3 times). So upon entering the gate of the park, you seriously enter a different world. Gone are the hundreds of cars and thousands of electric scooters that drive like pedestrians do not exist. Also, the air is notably better in the park, and there is green space, something that is mostly nonexistent in chinese cities. So naturally this place is a big attraction in the city and can become very very crowded at times. So when I go running in longtan I try to avoid times when the crowds are the biggest, basically the middle of the day. The park is quite wooded with a small lake in the middle. There are also several karst peaks that have steps to the top. I have yet to climb any of these. So the roads in the park are roughly laid out like the greek letter Phi. One main road in the middle and two roads that make a circle around the lake in one half and through the woods in the other. There are a few trails around the park but they're not really suitable for running. I feel pretty fortunate to have the park this close because I easily have access to a decent running grounds. I have figured out how to cut up the roads into various loops and have made a series of routes that I go on depending the amount of time that I want to run.
Longtan park likes to pride itself on being a "natural" park where development is limited. While yes, Longtan is better than most chinese parks at having open fields and forests (most parks are based around large public squares) it still has almost all the features of every park. It has various carnival type rides; looping pirate ship, go-karts, bumper cars, bumper boats, log flume, carnival games, etc. I mean, it still is quite nice but there is still the obvious objective of making money here.
As I run through the park I often become one of the attractions for the Chinese people. I probably am in 100s of photos that people try to discretely take of me. I can typically figure out when people want to take a picture of me, its actually quite easy. usually, someone will be pretending to take a picture of something that is quite unremarkable, like a tree, then quickly turn their cameras towards me and snap the shot. When I catch them doing this I try to make a face of some sort, give a thumbs up or look away. I gotta to show them that I'm smarter than they think I am. Another thing they love doing is just yelling "hello" at me and then turn and start laughing with their friends. Most of the time it is kids that do this but other times older people will join in on the act. They think they're so clever!
One of the most interesting things about the park is when you go there in the morning. Hundreds of elderly people will be there walking around, playing music, dancing, singing, writing calligraphy on the ground with water, playing cards, and so on. I feel like this is something America could really learn from the Chinese. There is so much benefit to regular social interaction that I feel is missed out on by some of the elderly in the US. Also the elderly are still very active despite their age and I feel that this stems from a culture that values active lifestyles and social interaction in public places.
Okay, I dont really know where to go from here. I feel that there is a lot more I can talk about but don't know how to put it together. The weather is great here now, upper 70's and sunny so I'm enjoying it!
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