The Park

While I'm working, Bill gets out and explores on his bike.   He really gets to experience the whole culture more than me.  Anyway, he found this really cool park, named Zhongshan Park.  Although all the squares and parks in Dalian are beautiful, this is a really unique one.  It seems to be the most popular with the locals.  When you go into the area, all around and as you walk, are people dancing, doing martial arts, tai chi, singing, playing cards etc. There are two main gazebo areas that usually house local wanna be bands of older men, and one that seems to attract the ladies who want to sing and dance.   There's no rhyme or reason to the order within the park.  One area seems to be set up for playing cards, and other areas are open to whatever someone wants to do.  Bill likes to go play our native american flute there, and I like to go and listen to scripture or just people watch.

It's funny when we go though, because we'll be just walking, and all of a sudden someone will run up to us and say hello as if we were long lost friends.  It's a little surprising at first, but they just like to practice their english.  Everyone's watching us as usual, and I'm never sure how long I should stand there and talk before moving on.  










On Saturday when we went, we sat in one of the gazebos.  A lady came up to us and was talking in Chinese, which of course we don't understand, and smiling and asking us questions.  Fortunately, there was a high school student there who did speak english ok and translated.   The lady and her friend were singing for us a traditional chinese song that welcomes us to China and wishes us much happiness.  A man next to them began to play an accordian.  It was strapped to him like a backpack and had a sheet over it so I would never had known it was an instrument.  As they sang, one lady danced around the floor.   Then when they were finished, they wanted us to sing, which we politely refused.  karoake is not my cup of tea...haha.  
  



















All in all, it was a very touching and entertaining experience.  As we were leaving, the high school kid and his friends stopped us and gave Bill a present.  It was a bracelet made of tiger eye stones.  Very beautiful and sweet of them.   They wished that it would bring us great peace while we were in China.