I have a new appreciation for public parks now. Green Lake Park is by far the most exciting public park I've ever been to (sorry it beats Druid Hill Park and Central Park). On Saturday and Sunday's tons of people sit back and enjoy the water, the shade and the cool breeze. I've observed so many amazing things in Green Lake Park (Cui Hu). Along the bank of the lake there is a two foot wall alongside a walking path that serves at stages and seating areas for dozens of mini musical jam sessions. Every 10 feet or so there are folks playing instruments and singing folks songs or Chinese opera. Some of the bands have an amplifier and mic and that makes the experience all the better, as you almost hear a medley of different music forms as you stroll. Groups of people also dance (my favorite). There is line dancing, ballroom dance, traditional dance, improvisational dance and martial arts. I've seen groups of women coordinated in matching hot pink and black leisure suits getting down!!!!! Men dance too and that is also quite interesting.
When I traveled to Kunming in 2003 I hade to pay 5 元 to enter Green Lake Park. It was a ghost town back then. Two years ago the entry fee was eliminated and now it is a Kunming hot spot.
The park culture here in China and also in Chinatown S.F. is very interesting. One theory I heard years ago was that since many people live in crowded apartments, sometimes with three generations under one roof, people seek fresh air and open space in parks; thus the large numbers of families relaxing, chatting, doing tai chi chuan in the mornings and evenings.
Watch more footage on YouTube of Green Lake Park entertainment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJVZhduxla8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IkrOjpYlHg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOUl5jiD5dE
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