Renmin Park
Friday 14th September
The roads in Chengdu are wide and well-planned. The footpath is divided so that bicycles and electric scooters can travel in safety without having to compete with the ever-increasing motor vehicle congestion on the street. In some places there is a metal rail separating the eco-friendly transportation from both pedestrians and motor vehicles. Chengdu is arranged within 3 ring roads. Petrol motorcycles are excluded from within ring road #2 to decrease pollution, but electric scooters abound.
Renmin (People's) Park is a place where you can go to escape the bustle and noise of the inner city. The residents of Chengdu take their Tai Chi and dancing as seriously as those in Beijing. At any time you can see groups of men and women, (mostly senior citizens but with a smattering of all ages) practicing under the guidance of a tutor, or just dancing to the music which seems to be playing for anyone who wishes to join in.
I walked through an archway to the tea house to sit and absorb the atmosphere. A sound resembling a thousand moaning ghosts emanated from inside a small pagoda. I went to investigate and found a group of people practicing on instruments resembling a violin. I approached the tutor and she eagerly insisted that I sit and try my hand at some music. The instrument, which is called an erhu consisted of a violin-like body with just one double strand of string, The bow passed between the two strands of the string so that it was captive and inseparable from the instrument. I managed a slightly recognizable bar of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" before thanking the tutor and heading for the tea house.
I was offered a menu in Chinese of green teas. The waitress brought my attention to the most expensive item on the menu, being about double the price of everything else. I agreed to the proposal and waited for service. In a few minutes, I was served with a bowl of green tea leaves, a large thermos of hot water and a plate of roasted sunflower seeds. This, it seemed, was the premier offering of the establishment.
The young woman poured some water into the lidded bowl for me and showed me how to crack the sunflower seeds. She also enquired if I wanted a massage. I politely refused and thanked her for the tea. Several free-lance masseuses came to pester me for a massage. One man had a tuning fork like device and a brush with a metal stem. He struck the brush on the tuning fork to make it vibrate and then indicated that it was to be inserted into my ear. I replied "boo-yow" (no thanks) and he left me in peace.
Sunflower seeds are very popular with Chinese people and may account for their slim build. You spend so much time and energy opening the husk that the tiny morsel inside cannot possibly replenish it. I sipped my tea and relaxed. This is a city that I could put up with for a long time if I had to.
Renmin (People's) Park is a place where you can go to escape the bustle and noise of the inner city. The residents of Chengdu take their Tai Chi and dancing as seriously as those in Beijing. At any time you can see groups of men and women, (mostly senior citizens but with a smattering of all ages) practicing under the guidance of a tutor, or just dancing to the music which seems to be playing for anyone who wishes to join in.
I walked through an archway to the tea house to sit and absorb the atmosphere. A sound resembling a thousand moaning ghosts emanated from inside a small pagoda. I went to investigate and found a group of people practicing on instruments resembling a violin. I approached the tutor and she eagerly insisted that I sit and try my hand at some music. The instrument, which is called an erhu consisted of a violin-like body with just one double strand of string, The bow passed between the two strands of the string so that it was captive and inseparable from the instrument. I managed a slightly recognizable bar of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" before thanking the tutor and heading for the tea house.
I was offered a menu in Chinese of green teas. The waitress brought my attention to the most expensive item on the menu, being about double the price of everything else. I agreed to the proposal and waited for service. In a few minutes, I was served with a bowl of green tea leaves, a large thermos of hot water and a plate of roasted sunflower seeds. This, it seemed, was the premier offering of the establishment.
The young woman poured some water into the lidded bowl for me and showed me how to crack the sunflower seeds. She also enquired if I wanted a massage. I politely refused and thanked her for the tea. Several free-lance masseuses came to pester me for a massage. One man had a tuning fork like device and a brush with a metal stem. He struck the brush on the tuning fork to make it vibrate and then indicated that it was to be inserted into my ear. I replied "boo-yow" (no thanks) and he left me in peace.
Sunflower seeds are very popular with Chinese people and may account for their slim build. You spend so much time and energy opening the husk that the tiny morsel inside cannot possibly replenish it. I sipped my tea and relaxed. This is a city that I could put up with for a long time if I had to.
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