Stories of the Middle Kingdom

One fine morning

at Shanghai's Zhongshan Park

Normal behavior. Learn to appreciate it.

This normal guy and his wife were trying to learn

the sword martial arts from a master.

They were not very good at it, but were having a

good time laughing at themselves.

I enjoyed watching them have a good time.

A sweet little girl was in the park with her mom.

In a sharp departure from normal, this lady and a dozen others were doing contortionist moves to slow, eerie Chinese music. One of the contortionists is a retired professor of journalism from a major university in China. One kind man came over and told me they combined aspects of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism to come up with a new brand of religion. Making up your own religion seems to be a fad in these parts.

But most people in the park just want to dance,

dance partner or not.

Ballroom dancing, men not required.

(It's meant for exercise, after all.)

This lady was meant to be a stage performer.

The Cultural Revolution probably interrupted her dreams.

She was by far the most amusing act of the day.

Businessman. Normal.

Ballroom dancing, men and women. Normal.

The lonely guy. He is rubbing wooden balls together in right hand for exercise.

Not mainstream, but fairly normal.

Singing Chinese revolutionary songs.

Normal if it is 1949.

Not very normal in 2010.

FYI, "zh" is pronounced like "j," so Zhongshan Park is pronounced Jongshan Park.