When I lived and worked in Australia, I always owned (or leased) a car. Of course, this is taken for granted, where almost every family possesses at least one car. If I needed to go to the shop 1 km away, I drove the car. When I shopped at a supermarket or large shopping centre, I would try and find a parking space as close to the entrance as possible, to minimize the distance I had to walk. Doesnt everybody? I drove my car the 4 km to school and parked either in the street or the staff car park, as close as possible to the classrooms or the staff room, so I wouldnt have to walk farther than necessary. Since being in China I havent owned or driven a car. Wherever I go, I either take a bus, hail a taxi, or walk. Buses are cheap at 1 Chinese yuan renminbi (rmb) a trip (about 20 cents). Taxi fares start at 8 rmb in Zhengzhou, but 10 in the first tier cities such as Shanghai and Beijing. The current exchange rate is $1 AUD to 5.4 rmb. A trip to the CBD costs about 30 rmb. I walk to school. From the time I walk out of my apartment door until I reach school it is about 20 minutes at an average pace. It takes about 5 minutes just to get from my apartment to the outside street. Its about a ten minute walk to the bus stop. When I go to a supermarket or shopping mall, I not only do the expected walking within the mall, but often I have to walk a considerable distance from the bus stop to get there. When I shop for groceries, it is another 5 to 10 minutes walk at each end of the journey, carrying a couple of bags of sometimes quite heavy groceries on the return trip. At other times I will simply choose to go for a walk to explore a neighbourhood, park, or shopping centre that I havent been to before. Ive rediscovered the joy of walking! I dont see it as a chore to be avoided, but a useful exercise, whether taken of necessity or simply as an option. After living this way for a year, have I regained my youthful physique? No! (I wish!) But my feet feel stronger, my knees feel stronger, I feel fitter overall and healthier, and I believe it is because of the necessity of walking so much. In Melbourne, I saw walking as a bit of a drag, a waste of time, boring. To go for a walk in my suburb involved walking along a concrete path past houses, houses and more houses, passing an occasional fellow pedestrian to whom you might smile and say hi, admiring an occasional attractive garden, but unless you made the effort to travel to a bushland setting to do your walking, where you could admire the trees, trees and more trees, the walk was always pretty much the same. Here in China, walking, even over the same territory, is NEVER the same. There is always activity, people passing by, street sellers hawking their wares, cars and e-bikes to watch out for or stand amazed at another close shave or stupid behaviour, small shops of every description to intrigue or admire, musicians entertaining passers-by, or an occasional beggar to feel sorry for. There is never any chance of becoming bored! Walk through a park in the evening and it is filled with middle-aged ladies dancing to screechy music, families chatting with other families, children playing amidst the trees, young people playing badminton, old men swapping yarns or playing mahjong or cards surrounded by supporters and spectators, temporary stalls selling toys, knick-knacks or snacks, would-be singers adding their voices to the mix, trying to earn a few yuan, and so much more. Walking becomes an adventure in its own right, and this is one thing Ive learned to appreciate about China.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 04:17:18 +0000
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