Monday, November 23 2009 - Hanging Out

It’s admirable to see how people hang out here in China.

In Holland, old people don’t come out of the house that much. Actually, that sounds depressing; they do, but it feels like many have their own small circle of friends. And it’s a circle that gets smaller every year.

Here, you can see women do Tai Chi or dancing in the mornings. Old men will sit together talking or playing Chinese Chess. Even kids will sit together, although the only thing they seem to do is sit next to each other while fooling around with their cell phones.

This kind of bond is nice. This kind of public life is nice, and it’s something that you don’t really see in my country anymore. The fear of criminals, excessive regulation of public areas and the fact that old people all get stuffed into rest homes all contributed to the decline. Of course we have our bars and bingo nights, but it’s just not the same.

My parents – not that old yet, but still – have a choir group that they practice with. So at least that works for them.