Exercise machine

One of the things about China that is pretty noticeable is that there are more people out doing stuff than in the US. People exercise a fair amount, especially older people. Sometimes it is simply like the guy who walks backwards around the basketball courts in the morning while I shoot hoops. There are also the tai chi groups in the mornings.

One of the things I like best are the little exercise parks with simple exercise machines. I would guess there is one every block or two. The machines include treadmills (rollers on an incline), rowing machines (body weight is the resistance), something like a stairmaster, and then a few machines with knurled rollers for massaging shoulders, backs and stuff.

There are always people using them. I think there is just more of an emphasis on exercise and well-being. I have now learned in three separate lessons a very common Chinese expression that says if you walk 100 steps after eating you will live to be 99 years old.

It is also nice that nobody vandalizes the machines. I am sure some jerk-offs in the US would try breaking them within a few weeks.