Chinese Parks

Unless you are talking about Hangzhou, a city located two hours train ride from Shanghai which claims to be the most beautiful city in China and a mecca for honeymooners, I don't believe China is known for it's city parks. At least in the cities, the parks are where you find the action in China, at least the type of action Lisa and I were looking for. For a variety of reasons (waiting for our visa extensions, recuperating from pink eye, too tired to take another overnight train), we spent a lot of time in Chinese cities (Shanghai: 17-18 million people, Xian: 7-8 million, Chengdu: 4-5 million).

One can only look at so many artifacts from the Qin, Tang, or Ming dynasties. So, with time on our hands, we would gather our miniature backgammon board, deck of cards, journals, and books and start walking towards the green spots on the maps. Sometimes our search would be fruitless and the journey became the focus. Other times we found ourselves in "2-star" parks that were rather unappealing. (Note: We've noticed that many things in China are rated on a starred system. I believe 4 or 5 stars is the highest rating. You do not want to have to use a 1 or 2 star public bathroom.)

More times than not, however, we would find a park that, by Western standards would not be top notch, but would be a wonderful place for us to find a bench and watch the world go by, and the world goes by in a very different way in China. Depending on the time of day, the parks would be buzzing with a variety of activities. Intense games of Mah Jong, cards, or Chinese chess; individuals, pairs, or groups doing tai chi (sometimes with swords or rackets and balls); mini orchestras, choirs or operas rehearsing; ballroom dancing; people writing Chinese characters with water brushes on the pathways...You could sense and feel the energy.

The parks would often surprise you with their quirkiness. Often the parks would have a multitude of cheesy paddle boats available for rental. Since we're not travelling during any of the Chinese holidays, most of the boats sit idle. The size of the water (usually a very small lake or large pond), however, was greatly disproportional to the amount of paddle boats available. I would like to be there at prime vacation time (sort of) so that we could see how in the world all of those paddle boats could maneuver in such a small area.

In a park in Xian, we were walking through a very peaceful, wooded area, when, suddenly in the middle of the park, we discovered a supposedly functional Ferris wheel that looked like it had been plucked a 1950s U.S. summer fair. Lisa, safety conscious as always, decided we would not try our luck.

Our quest for the perfect park hit an all-time high in Chengdu. Sichuan province is known for their 3000 year long history of high quality tea. They have incorporated tea consumption and parks. You can pay about $1 each to get a card table, in the park, and a cup of loose leaf tea with a never ending supply of hot water to refill your tea cup. One Wednesday afternoon we sat in the park in Chengdu, playing gin rummy with a fellow traveler from Taiwan, while surrounded by Chinese women playing mah jong. Obviously we will have some adjustment issues when we return to the States.

Here are some photos (and funny signs) from some of the parks: