Beijing: Park-life

In spite of the 'urban jungle' feel, travel to Beijing and there are plenty pockets of peace in which to relax with the city being home to numerous parks of all shapes and sizes. By Beijing's very nature, I have found it to have a strong sense of community with can be observed in the city's parks. It is unlikely that Beijing tours will operate in these recreational areas, but hopefully this article will create a convincing argument for this purpose. Beijingers are like any city-folk who live in high-rise apartments, enjoy escaping to green open spaces. In some respects, park-life in Beijing appears very similar to life in any western park such as London's Hyde Park or Central Park in New York with a comparable layout.  Even the petite type of dogs found throughout the city seemingly reflects the style of the urban dwelling accommodation. Yuyuantan Park, (over the river from Beijing's Millennium Monument) exemplifies the universal character of a park the world over. The park is full of neat pathways cutting through the enormity of the place, people can be found fishing (and even swimming!) along the river, youth group singing 'Light Up' by Snow Patrol, kids skating and risking their safety with ever more daring tricks and families are just doing what they do. So are there any significant cultural differences with park-life in Beijing to, for example, western cities – what makes them special? Of course, I would hope so; this is China, filled with a rich customs and tradition… As mentioned before, there is a strong sense of community, and this is evident with the amount of activity in the parks. Group dancing and singing, for instance, are some activities which simply marvellous to watch. Furthermore, the best thing is, many of these activities are open for all. When I visited Jingshan Park one Sunday afternoon, the place was beaming with life. Meander down from the top of the hill here, and you expect to find of choir groups singing joyfully even to the point where they could be competing with one another. Moving right to ground level at Jingshan, I was absolutely amazed at the large mass of people dancing to traditional songs. Paradoxically, I was unsure whether the dance was spontaneous or organized as the synchronicity was superb (well, bar one foreign chap; who, give him his due, was trying his best). Moreover, it seems as if anybody can join in on the dance and just follow the leader. Apart from song and dance, there was also a peculiar performance occurring in Jingshan in which a large crowd was gathering around. I later discovered this was a comic show with part of the act comprising of man and woman pretending to play out a bull fight! Each park I have visited has demonstrated a cross-section of society having fun. One of the most fascinating and enthralling games which I have seen in the parks is Jianzi (or Chinese hacky sack), which is akin to volleying a shuttle amongst players. What's great is that I often see the young (and seniors) play the game with the utmost skill – after trying this game myself, I can assure you that it is not an easy! While other characteristic aspects to be found in the parks include flying quintessential Chinese kites, Tai Chi, Cherry Gardens and pavilions (in Yuyuantan) and people practising on their personal karaoke set. All in all, wherever your Beijing hotels are located, you will not be far from a park teeming with local culture.     from China Travel Blog http://blog.chinatraveldepot.com

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