BEIJING, China – The story that I have to share is one of the most incredible stories I have ever seen in my travels. In Beijing there is a place called the Temple of Heaven. It is an ancient temple that thousands of tourists visit; located in a park that is the size of Central Park in New York. It is huge.
When you go to visit this sacred temple, the most incredible sights greet you. There are not hundreds of seniors out exercising; there are thousands.
This is about my fourth trip to stay after my tours and go to the park and play with the Chinese people that come to exercise here everyday. It is truly a slice of China. To the Chinese people being healthy is very important. You see very few Chinese people that need to lose weight. Their lifestyle of walking and riding a bike as well as eating a lot of vegetables contributes greatly to their health.
For the most part, everything is done in groups or along with someone just like it was at recess when I was in grade school. Today I spent hours walking, stopping to play, and watching all the activities that go on between 6 AM and noon. Here is just a sample of what you will see:
- Dancing with partners as well as group and theme dancing.?
- Tai Chi Ball (Tai Chi Ball is a game played with a racquet and a ball that is weighted with sand)
- Ribbon twirling (this is where they take long ribbons and keep then circling in patterns).
- Group Singing (usually done in small groups of 30 to 40)
- Musical band (I saw more than 70 people playing their small instruments together)
- Small groups or individual playing their instruments in the park
- Group playing Chinese games
The thing that impressed me the most was they all seemed to be there because it was the place to be. Everyone seemed so happy to be there, having fun with their friends. If I could not have seen their ages, I would have thought that I was at an elementary school watching kids play – and loving it.
Nowadays, when I go to the gym, I usually go to work out – not to socialize with my work out. The machines and activities are not set up to participate as well as socialize. But here things are set up to get both at the same time, and the participants seem to love every minute.
Although I do not speak a word of Chinese and they do not speak a word of English, we both used the international languages of smiling and gestures. As I played and exercised with them, one message came through loud and clear this is a place that they all love to go.
If you want to go and enjoy recess again like we used to as kids, take a trip to Beijing and be sure to spend a lot of time at the Temple of Heaven. It has been created for both the body and the soul.
