a long way from dawn at Coleridge Rec!

Although consumerism and globalisation are the increasingly dominating themes in China, a physical culture still pervades most of the country's towns and cities. Rising income levels give more purchasing power to younger people, with money being increasingly spent on items above and beyond what is necessary to just exist, a major difference from the Maoist era when even one's pots and pans would be up for grabs for smelting down to contribute to the greater good.
Exercise parks, a new and still immature presence in the UK, are hubs of social and physical activity which can be found in virtually every neighbourhood in China. The government funding and continued support of these parks means that regardless of financial means, a space for physical activity is still available to all. Big chain gyms, mostly just with good looks and sub-par facilities, are rapidly spreading through China in response to increasing levels of disposable income. Despite this, the humble exercise park still caters to all ages and backgrounds, throughout the year.
These places also are a regular haunting ground of the most unassuming characters, who only on closer inspection are quite remarkable in their own way.
Landing in Shanghai, I went to a park in the heart of the city to try and shake off some heavy jet-lag with some training. Another young Chinese man came from a restaurant across the road in his kitchen clothes, promptly changing into more sporting attire before training Gong Fu drills and techniques for a good hour. After striking his arms against trees, kicking leaves above his head, and shadow-boxing, he changed back into his work clothes and jogged back to his next shift.
In Nanjing I saw an elderly man who was balancing upside down on his head with his legs wrapped around a pole and his arms folded across his chest. I felt obliged to speak to him and approached him to engage in conversation. He uncurled himself and stood up with a beaming face and relentless enthusiasm about whatever it was he was doing. He said he often practiced balancing techniques, able to stand on his head for 20 or 30 minutes at a time, and stand on one leg for literally hours. When I asked how old he was, he replied he was 84. This was after he said that the year before he had cycled all the way down China to Hong Kong to visit his daughter, taking a month in total to get there, just because he felt like it.
Another elderly man in Shanghai was practicing muscle ups on the bar, something pretty remarkable in itself. After talking to his friends, who referred to him as Shifu (master/teacher), I was told that he had recently recovered from a major operation to remove a cancer. He used to practice acrobatics, and since the operation he had lost almost all his strength. Undeterred by his age, he had recently returned to his training, slowly getting his strength back and encouraging all the older residents in the area in their own physical pursuits.
Talking to countless people, the major reason cited for exercise was to be healthy. To maintain health as long as one was capable to, and to enjoy that process with other people. Elderly people who exercise here have a very simple view of it, that it is neseccary and to be enjoyed. They are not overthinking it. Each morning at 5-8am are the same regulars who attend day in day out, hellos exchanged by old friends, and the young man setting down his briefcase and coat to perform a set of dips and pullups before heading to the office. A muscle up, a set of 20 dips or a backflip is not particularly exceptional in this environment. Despite the growing levels of inactivity due to shifts in occupation types, transport, and a number of other reasons, physical culture is part of many people's lives here and is just a part of the daily process.
This particular aspect of China is something that the UK can definitely learn from.
I am back from China on the 15th of February, at which point I will have more regular access to the internet, and youtube and the blog will be accessible, so apologies in advance for any delays in postings between now and then.
The wheels, however, are still very much spinning as the legal aspects of the gym lease are firmed up...