They Know Why the Caged Birds Sing

Started the day off with a very early (6 am) trip to the park for a story idea. I tell you what, for a city where breathing the air feels like the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes, Xi’aners sure do take their physical health seriously. By dawn there are literally hundreds of people (mostly seniors) in every park walking, doing tai chi, playing ping pong, swinging on monkey bars, wielding swords…its intense. I stopped by to interview the bird walkers – retired men who take their caged birds out to parks every day for what I could only assume is a walk. Turns out the birds are only an excuse for the men to get some socializing time in. They line up dozens of little cages of screeching birds and hang out for hours talking about…whatever it is that 70-year-old Chinese men talk about. Pretty awesome. And they’re competitive about the birds too. If yours doesn’t sing very well, then your bird has to sit on the ground instead of hang in a tree. But don’t mistake competition for sentimentality. They don’t even name the birds, because they are likely to sell them or give them away at any moment if they stop singing well. It was pretty interesting to learn about. And for real, people take their health a lot more seriously here…you just don’t see fat Chinese folks. Ever. It could be the stress from constantly fearing for your life while driving or walking anywhere keeps you thin, I’m not sure.