Turning on the heat

The weather is quickly turning cold here in Beijing. Last week we had several mornings with temperatures below freezing point. I’m one of the lucky ones as my apartment complex turned on the heat on November 1. For the rest of Beijing, heating officially starts on November 15. Some of my colleagues are toughening it out at home for another two weeks. For many of us, it would be hard to imagine that you cannot simply turn on the heat at your home. It makes me appreciate the little things even more. The government supplies the heat to most of the residential areas and if the temperature of your room is below 16 degrees, you can call the Beijing Heating Group to complain. In Beijing most of the heating is coal-fired but the city is trying to double the use of natural gas by 2010 in a switch to a more eco-friendly energy system. The cold weather also puts people indoors for exercising. The gym I’m frequenting for spinning class is then also packed with people. However, I can still see people practicing their tai chi in the public parks or in front of their appartment complex. Some groups are very large, over 100 people, lead by a master. Tai chi is a form a slow motion martial arts. It aims at promoting health and longevity while focusing on the internal power. To me it seems to be a combination of yoga meditation and stretching exercises. One day I’ll give it a try as it is also being taught in my gym, just to experience it. Occasionally I see a man in a park walk backwards but even in a gym on a treadmill I have seen it done. I stopped wondering why people do it that way. They move as they see fit and I discovered another reason why this city and its culture are so fascinating.