China Wonderland - People's Park Tianjin

When Michael was visiting in June we stumbled across a very traditional Chinese park while on a walking tour. This brought back nostalgic memories of his past in China and we decided to head inside.

We paid for tickets then headed in the main gate which was near to a very large artificial lake. Nearby, there was a strategically placed docks with animal-shaped peddle and paddle boats for rent. We decided to give one a spin. We paid the 30 RMB for a one-hour rental and put down a 100 deposit which I'm guessing is to prevent us stealing the boat (If that's humanly possible) or deciding to try and sink it in the middle of the lake! Such things were not in our intentions, of course. We hopped on board and paddled the animal shaped contraption to lands unknown. We followed the lake's perimeter and found some channels off to other areas of the park. Unfortunately, they were all blocked off, this was likely because they were too narrow to accommodate two ships going abreast. I'm sure that in the past, many boat jams must have occurred in these channels to merit the present blocades. As we followed the outer edges, we noticed that the outer rims of the lake were inhabited almost exclusively by young couples. As they were clearly demonstrating by their behavior, the Chinese attitudes towards public displays of affection have been changed from conservative to far more liberal. I suppose thatis likely due to the influx of western media! We passed other peddle and paddle boats as well which were making their own way leisurely across the jade-green lake.

We took the time to unfold our map in the boat, unafraid to look like tourists in the secluded cabin. As we plotted out our next destination, we took turns paddling around individually to keep the boat in motion. Through some strange magic, if we ceased paddling, there was a current in the lake which would carry us around at random. Eventually, we abandoned ship (at the dock of course, so I could get my 100RMB back!) and went on a leisurely stroll in the park. We passed many cages which look liked they belonged to a small zoo. One could only imagine which animals once lived behind these bars.

One large cage was still in use though and housed a good variety of strutting roosters, sleeping pigeons and geese which waddled around making strange noises. We passed gigantic plastic cacti and other plants in addition to a people-powered roller coaster where young children and a parent pedalled around the track in open helicopter-shaped carts. The park featured Chinese pagodas, walking paths and authentic looking Chinese trees and shrubs. There were elderly couples strolling in the park as well, but surprisingly, the place was not too busy. Soon, it was time to head elsewhere and we left the park behind with fond memories in our hearts.