Dancing in the Street!

Over the last few weeks we have heard that to see real Shanghai you need a trip to a park.  We had visited People's Park during CNY so didn't feel we got the complete picture that everyone has been talking about.  Therefore yesterday we arranged to meet some friends in Fuxing Park (pronounced Fooshing!)  in the French Concession. 

William, Oliver and Cai

It is a fantastic park with lots of paths for going along on scooters and as we first arrived we heard some lovely music playing.  That turned out to be kareoke in the park! The participants were really getting in to it and tempted though we were to have a go we are not sure that Shanghai is ready for Kylie!

The park was full of people enjoying a sunday afternoon out with family and friends.  There were people of all ages doing Tai Chi and other martial arts, the benches were full of women sitting knitting, makeshift tables had been erected and huge groups of men were playing cards and mahjong and gambling lots of money.  However the main attraction was a mixed group which took over the main path through the park.  They were having a dance lesson!

This carried on for a while until it was disrupted by local workmen who just drove straight through it!

After that the main attraction seemed to change!

And Sam got in to a discussion in English, French and German with a local man keen to try out his languages!

Oliver and William and their friends were delighted to find a selection of rides in the park.  They went on a bouncey castle and a children's roller coaster and we all had a tame go on the dodgems!