- Washing and Sausages Hongkou District
On the other side of the road from the hotpot restaurant, a road at least four lanes wide, the local residents were hanging out their washing and their sausages to dry – it was a warm sunny day after all. I’ve seen both washing and sausages hung up along busy roads in a number of places. It seems many appear to not worry or do not know about the effects of pollution.
- Richard's Forever bike
Anyway, Richard headed back to the bike shop and bought his Forever bicycle. It is of traditional build with rod brakes, leather saddle and hand-painted coachlines. That together with a track pump and lock cost under £60. On his way home he stopped to investigate a Chang Jiang Motorbike and Sidecar (a 1937 BMW copy), and whilst chatting to the owners who were impressed that he, Richard, also had a Royal Enfield 350 model G, commented that the bike he had bought had the lightweight frame and that the real bullet-proof version had an R13 frame.
- Heping Park Hongkou District
Meanwhile I went to Heping Park; to people watch and to look, again, at many wondrous things. The Chinese, as I've said before, have no qualms about doing their thing in public. And everyone appears to let everyone else do their own thing. It's a bit like being on the London Underground; everyone studiously ignores everyone else.
- Zig zag path to the tea house
On my way into the park I came across this zig-zag pathway from a tea house to the lake's shore. I understand it is to prevent evil spirits from entering the tea house (evil spirits from the water can only go in straight lines).
- Sartorial elegance
A man in unusual clothes for a Chinese man, wearing a scarlet jacket and pullover and green leather shoes. He had crossed over the road to the park entrance alongside me and very quickly found his spot in the sun to sit down and read his book.
- Electric wheelchair owners meet
The Saturday gathering of the electric wheelchair owners. Somehow they had the air of Harley-Davidson owners, nearly all gathered in a circle with their machines.
- Stretching
Stretching is important, as is flexibility. It doesn't matter where one props up one's leg. It is the doing it that is important. This practitioner seems younger than the average. I've seen OAPs doing this in other local parks in China.
- Fishing
I should think that with this many fishing the pond is restocked frequently. We came across a similar scenario in another park a couple of weeks ago. The fishing was for children and they were hunting goldfish in ponds the size of paddling pools. The fish didn't seem to stand a chance - there were so many of them - that it was inevitable that the children would catch a fish. And so many children that each fish must be caught several times.
A couple of elderly men were playing with their spinning tops. They were very skilled and were flinging the spinning tops around their heads, catching them in the air and then occasionally letting them spin on the ground. It reminded me of the diabolo and the tricks you can do with those dual-cupped toys. I could see that with their skill level, and even in your seventies and eighties as these men seemed to be, it is a good way to keep fit and supple.
- Overhead childrens ride
We took our children on a similar overhead ride years ago at the Dutch amusement park, Efteling, a sort of Disneyland but the rides are based on fairy tales, myths and legends rather than Disney movies. The Dutch park predates any Disney park. Anyway, the children seemed to be enjoying this ride in Shanghai.
- Ballroom dancing practise
Two ballroom dancing couples were receiving instruction from their dance mistress. The tango was playing from their own sound system and the dance mistress who was giving the nearer couple instruction had silver dance shoes on her feet. They were all very intent and very serious about what they were doing.
Playground gym equipment for adults! I’ve seen these in mini parks in Beijing as well. Some of the equipment was designed to keep joints rotating well - the woman in the red anorak was rotating her piece in a horizontal circle. She looks as if she's been brought to the open-air gym in her wheelchair. Free gym equipment for all - now isn't that a good idea? And no dressing up in embarrassing lycra either. Your ordinary clothes do just as well. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we could install this in places all over the UK? Wicksteed from our old local town, Kettering, manufacture similar outdoor fitness equipment http://www.wicksteed.co.uk/fitness-legacy-zone-c11167.html but it's a bit more hardcore fitness stuff than this Chinese equipment, which seems to be more interested in keeping people supple and strong rather than heart fit, but how often have you seen it in the UK? I wonder how much a set like this would be used if we had it in Fordwich? There was a man in what I judged to be his late seventies using the parallel bars. But there were people of all ages here. The elderly Chinese see it as their duty to keep themselves as fit as possible.
- Good winter use of a paddling pool
The weather's not yet good enough for splashing about in a paddling pool, but the pond is being put to good use with these mini paddle boats for small children.
- Carousel
As well as a swing chair ride there is a carousel in the park, but it only poorly mimics the grand wooden carousels of my childhood.
- Erhu player
A man practicing his two stringed Erhu or spike fiddle. He was close to the ballroom dancers. Neither seemed to be bothered by the sound from the other.
- Badminton
There were several games of Badminton going on. We've seen badminton being played out on the pavements here in Shanghai and have had to dodge the shuttlecocks as we've walked along. The Chinese shuttlecock is made of a ring of metal or rubber with four feathers attached to it, rather than the plastic cone that we are used to in the West.
- Games of cards
Here under the shelter, as in many Chinese parks, are the card players. They always seem to attract a large crowd of on-lookers and for some reason they always seem to be men.
- Quilted outfit
As I headed towards the exit to the park I came across this man dressed in an unusual quilted outfit which appeared to be more at home on the ski slopes than in a park in central Shanghai.
- Heping Park
Shanghai Heping Park, such a small space, so much going on.
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