One of the best aspects of life in Feicheng, Shandong Province, China is the sense of community. Although Feicheng has a population of nearly 1 million people, it has a small-town feel.
After the evening meal, the people come outside. They walk, sit and chat, gather together for a type of exercise that appears to be is a slow moving line-dance, they buy and sell on the sides of the streets, they watch their children play or perform.
They are doing a line dance.
The dance is coordinated, fluid, and beautiful. I’ve seen such dancing all over the city.
Here, it looks as if they are marching. No, they are dancing.
I watched this man for a long time before I was able to capture his image. I like the concentration on his face and admire his willingness to get out there and dance.
This little girl is working with her mother to sell on the street which is lined with vendors selling everything from shoes to batteries.
These little ones are learning how to roller blade while their parents look on.
The young people put on a taekwondo demonstration.
I frequently see the old people sitting quietly on their small folding stools.
This is very interesting. Thanks for sharing. Are you also taking part in the movements or dances?
No, I am only taking pictures. What I found fascinating is that people of all ages participated and I saw this happening all over the city. I even saw a group dancing/exercising while walking down a sidewalk. Most of them are wearing the same shirt, so I wonder if it is an exercise club.
Thank you so much for these ramblings…..
Thank you for visiting my blog!
Love the photos. This is a very smal town by Chinese standards, no?I think this is a scene that is repeated throughout the country but your photos capture it perfectly
Thank you. Yes, even though the population is nearly a million people, it is considered small by Chinese standards. When I look for it on google maps, I have to zoom in many times to get it so show up. But even with a million people, it FEELS like a small town because of the way in which people live. I’m sure that this is representative of many places in China.
When I recently went to Tai’an we saw many of the same things. Even in Shanghai if you go to one of the parks around dusk there will be similar views. I think that type of connecting with neighbors and life on the streets is lovely (albeit I typically get lots of mosquito bites). How much longer do you have in Feicheng?
We leave Feicheng Sunday morning, taking the train to Shanghai. Then we fly HOME Monday morning. I am looking forward to being home; however, I am thankful that I have had this opportunity to experience life in China for the past two summers.
Wow – what a quick trip! Glad you got to come as well.
I land back in the USA Monday evening 6:30 & return to work Tuesday 8:00 AM … So, I am going from one job to another without taking a breath.
Aww I think my favorite is the little girl sitting on that little seat 🙂
I think that it is my favorite too.