As Beijing's weather warms up this month spirited city dwellers will be heading to the capital's parks to take part in everything from group sing-a-longs to yo-yo competitions. Below, we give a taste of what to expect - and how to join in the fun.
Sing city
As soon as Sun Minda, a 56-year-old retired worker sang with other chorus enthusiasts in a spontaneous Haiyue (Sea and Moon) Chorus in Jinshan Park three years ago, he felt like he was part of a new family.
"When I first joined up everyone was very welcoming," said Sun. "We believe that every member of the group should get close to a new member and help them, whatever their singing level."
Every Sunday morning, visitors to Jingshan Park can see hundreds of chorus enthusiasts getting together to sing and dance (pictured right). Accompanied by various instruments like the trombone, French horn and saxophone, pensioners sing revolutionary songs and old songs from foreign countries.
The chorus conductor Li Yuqing, a retired worker from a car factory, used to be a semi-professional musician for the factory's propaganda team.
Zhang Zhen, a retired doctor who is also known as "Trumpet Zhang" by club members, played his trumpet alongside Li for the first time back in 2002. Their show was so popular that they were asked to come back and perform the next day.
Zhang is now the team's leader, in charge of inviting professional teachers, recruiting new members and organizing activities. The club has developed into a chorus comprising hundreds of members. And the club is seeing an increasing number of younger people joining up.
"Whatever the weather, our members will be singing in the park every Sunday," said Zhang. When snow blanketed the capital last month, the Haiyue Chorus members were undeterred. They gathered in the snow, holding umbrellas in their hands and singing Ode to the Red Plum (a song which praises both the winter-blooming flower and heroes who endured hardship).
The club has been invited to take part in a number of public performances. Some members have also performed with famous singers on CCTV.
As well as singing, members often arrange suburban tours among themselves. Last week, a member who lives on the outskirts of the capital was invited to stay at Sun's home, which sits next to a spot famous for its mountain climbing. "I've made lots of friends in the club. We like to help each other out, not only by singing, but also with personal problems ," said Sun.
To see the choir perform, head to Jingshan Park between 9 am and 12 am any Saturday.
Harmonious harmonicas
At 7am last Sunday, more than 200 senior citizens, armed with stools, sat around a group of harmonica players in the Temple of Heaven Park (pictured below).
"Ready? Now Let's start," said Sheng Yonggang, a 59-year-old man wearing a black hat and white gloves, the groups conductor. On his count, 60 people, who ranged in age, struck up a tune. The older songs bought applause from the audience. Some female fans even danced to the music, while male fans played bamboo clappers in rhythm to the music.
The Happy Harmonica Troupe was set up by 20 retirees and harmonica fans on October 4, 2005.
"When we started it was just for our own amusement," said Sheng. "But now we've got such a big fan base we have to take it a bit more seriously." The group performs in different parks on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays every week.
Jin Xiulian, a 77-years-old woman who has bronchitis and cannot sing too loudly, carried a small loudspeaker with her to follow the music troupe. As a loyal fan, she comes to watch the troupe perform at least once a week.
A 60-year-old man blew into his harmonica, his cheeks red in the cool wind. He wiped away some sweat on his face, explaining that since he joined the troupe, he has lost 10 kilograms and become much fitter. He claims that joining the troupe has even helped to combat his asthma.
Jing Zhuang, a 56-year-old man who has played the harmonica for 30 years, and carries seven harmonicas with him on performance days, plays more than 100 songs each time. He is one of the best players in the group, and is often invited by other harmonica troupes to teach their members.
Jing spends lots of his spare time collecting old brand harmonicas. He recalled that when he used to be sent away for work, he would entertain himself and his fellow workers by playing tunes on his harmonica.
The harmonica group perform in Beihai Park on Thursdays, Jingshan Park on Saturdays and in the Temple of Heaven Park on Sundays between 9 am and 11 am.
Yo, yo, yo!
Li Lianyuan, a veteran player of kongzhu ( which literally translates as empty bamboo) never dreamed that he would end up coaching thousands of fellow enthusiasts.
Living in a compound occupied by many households in Laoqianggen neighborhood in Xuanwu District, Li has enjoyed playing kongzhu with his neighbors since he was young.
"When I was growing up, playing kongzhu and kicking shuttlecocks was part of our daily lives," said Li, who is now in his 50s. He said that many of the current kongzhu players used to live in the old hutong lanes before they were knocked down and turned into apartment blocks and shopping arcades.
Kongzhu, or Chinese yo-yo, revolves along a thread stretched between two sticks. There are numerous different tricks that can be performed by anyone who practices long enough. People can be found playing with their Chinese yo-yos early in the morning in some of Beijing's parks.
Li, who has been playing the sport for almost 50 years, organized a kongzhu playing club in his neighborhood five years ago. Every morning, when they played, hundreds of children on their way to school would stop to watch. The school leaders had soon invited Li in to teach the students how to play kongzhu in their P.E. classes. Within a few weeks everyone from the headmaster to the doorman were playing with the yo-yos.
Liu Juan, a 10-year-old girl, was so skilled with her yo-yo that she had soon learnt a number of basic tricks. Now she is the youngest member of Li's club. "I love it," she said. "And my teacher said it would help me with my studies."
The local government has started to promote the sport. Li was invited to be the supervisor to kongzhu teams in several different residential areas. A bigger club, called Guangnei Kongzhu Committee was set up in 2005. At the same time, a huge square for the enthusiasts to practise the sport was built near Xuanwu Hospital.
Similar kongzhu clubs from suburban areas also come to Xuanwu District (pictured above) to play with Li's members and learn from each other. Since 2005, two kongzhu playing competitions have been held among these teams, involving more than 2,000 players.
Recently, Li was busy organizing the third competition in which clubs from many other provinces will be involved. He also tutors various groups in several parks in Beijing. He plans to publish a book about the sport, which is due out next month.
Li's kongzhu club practice in Xuannan Cultural Square opposite Xuanwu Hospital every day from 7am to 9am.
Finding your third eye
For Li Wenju, a 25-year-old student from Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, photography is a passion. "I am a photography fan who took an interest in the activities organized by a local club via the Internet," he said. "I found that most of its members are professionals and they were willing to help me improve my skills." Now Li is taking part in the competition held by The Third Eye Photography Club in Tiantongyuan, a big community in north Beijing.
More than 1,500 photos taken by the club members were displayed in a hall provided by the neighborhood committee, which attracted several hundred residents to come and vote for their favorite photos.
"The photos are all taken by our members as they go out and about their daily lives," said photographer Lu Gang, one of the founding members of the two-year-old club. The club was set up with the aim of stimulating communication among photography fans and spotting photography talents.
Every year, the club organizes various activities, in which members head out into the city to take photos. To get involved in The Third Eye Competition, go to www.tty.com.cn/bbs/index.asp.
(China Daily 03/28/2007 page16)
