Old men were exercising in the morning in Taipei Zhongshan Park, each facing a different direction

Old men doing gymnastics — Elderly men exercising in Taipei Zhongshan Park

Early in the morning, I went to Zhongshan Park, where the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall is located. In this park, you can see people doing exercises in groups, just like Japanese radio calisthenics. Among the exercises, I was particularly interested in tai chi.

The park seemed somehow less crowded than when I visited nine years ago. In particular, the once large number of ballroom dancers was now a shadow of its former self. Apparently, the ballroom dancing craze has completely passed from Taipei.

However, there were still people doing exercises here and there in the park. The old men in the photo are one of them. But unfortunately, what they were doing was not tai chi. To be precise, I could not understand what they were doing. At first glance, they seemed to be moving their bodies in slow motion, but after a while, they turned in different directions and stood still. It was a strange sight, as if there was a sense of unity or lack thereof.

It seemed as if that momentary stillness had stopped time for this entire park.

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