I stumbled across this scene on one of my first walks around town, in a really lovely and sizable park ("Yuyuantan Park") just up the street from my apartment. At first I thought it must have been a holiday or some sort of special occasion, and perhaps it was, but now I come across scenes like this one pretty much anytime I go out for a walk. I'm telling you, the older set in Beijing knows how to get down... In the past few weeks, I've seen countless numbers of people engaging in Tai Chai, playing music, a strange Chinese version of "hacky sack," flying kites, playing checkers, swordplay, and involved in all sorts of dances involving all sorts of exotic accessories; and all of this activity is happening in a very public manner. I keep trying to think of any sort of an equivalent in the U.S. I mean, it'd be like moving your aerobics class out into the middle of a public square. In any event, it makes for a helluva spectacle, and the Chinese seem to love spectacle. Check out this excerpt from the U.S. Department of State's most recent "Consular Information Sheet": "Most incidents (such as an accident) will draw a crowd. Drivers should remain calm. A crowd will usually move in very close to the accident and participants. In many cases the bystanders consider themselves to be an ad hoc jury. They may call for money, usually from RMB 100 to 1,000, to be paid by the party they consider at fault. The amount is not necessarily relevant to the amount of damage. A certain amount of bargaining is normal, even at accidents involving two Chinese parties...You should not leave the scene of an accident. Your actions may serve to further incite the crowd if they perceive that you are fleeing to evade responsibility for your share of blame or payment of damages. The crowd may attempt to keep your vehicle at the accident scene by standing in the way or blocking the roadway with vehicles, bicycles and other objects."