People's Square is a destination recommended by guidebooks, but just the name should be enough to send any tourist looking for the Metro. 1, 2, or 8. We caught line 1 from Xujiahui, and in a matter of minutes we were emerging from the tunnel onto People's Square, where we easily found the People's Park.
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| Notice the people in the background and the umbrellas. |
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| See the small boxes and the big display boards in the back ground. |
Practically everyone you see in these photos is 50 or older. At first I thought this was some kind of club meeting. And then I guessed that it might be an elderly protest, maybe for more money to support their elderly habits. It was a sunny day, so no one really needed the umbrellas, except to post their little signs. And the large boards in the back are full of photos of younger people between the ages of 25 and 40. They are successful young people with jobs, sometimes their own homes or apartments, living here or in another city.
Pause too long to look at a sign or a photo and you'll find the person attending that spot talking to you. If you walk away, the person will follow, trying to get you to come back to the photo. These are parents looking for matches for their single children. This park may be the original MatchMaker.com. I wonder if the children know that their parents are out there shopping their resumes.
Escaping further into the park, we passed MOCA (Shanghai Museum of Modern Art), which was closed being between exhibits and into the park where people sit at small tables playing cards or Mahjong, and the path twists past some beautiful garden moments. and then back into the very modern city.
There is ambitious architecture everywhere.
So much of urban Chinese life -- at least in this city -- takes place out of doors! I suppose living spaces must be at some premium, and small (efficient, I think the proper word is) -- a very good thing for older populations! Here, we have to herd our oldsters into senior centers, shopping malls, and senior living apartments to make sure they don't just sit alone in front of their television sets. It's also clear the Chinese take their physical surroundings seriously, make them beautiful and approachable -- yes, even to the extent of turning some parks into matchmaking centers! I'm willing to bet most of the "shoppers" in those parks are mamas, too! Would we use our outdoor spaces as well if they were as beautiful? I wonder.
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