Taiji in the Park

I woke up particularly early this morning to check out what others have said—that Shanghai’s parks are filled with taiji (or tai chi) practitioners.  It’s confirmed!  Jing’an Park lies caddycorner to our hotel, and this morning it’s packed.  Every few feet there’s a group of 5-15 people, mostly elderly, slowly working on their forms.  Some are doing the same with red-tasseled swords, but as one woman demonstrates, a rolled-up magazine does the trick too.  Others choose a bit quicker pace, jumping and kicking to music playing from a nearby cassette player—though I have a suspicion that they’re working on aerobics rather than any ancient martial art.

Two subway stops down in the less parklike Renmin (People’s) Square, a few other aerobics groups are at it, along with a lone, traditionally-garbed man practicing besides one of the park’s landmark statues.  I felt more at peace just watching him.

Speaking of martial arts, I’m trying to make final plans to head west to the city of Zhengzhou, then south to the smaller town of Dengfeng, where Demitri Daniels has arrived for training.  You saw his picture in an earlier post.  It may mean traveling from here, or I may travel with the group tomorrow night to Beijing and make my western trip after that. 

Woman doing taiji in the Park:
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People's Park.