Regarding the article ¡°Comparatively liberated¡± by Sarah Lockwood, in the February 3 edition of Shanghai Star, the writer did a great job describing her first impression of the vitality of the public parks in Shanghai. She hit the mark with her comment that so many outdoor communal activities in public places have a lot to do with Chinese culture, which is quite different from that of Britain. She also noted that the generally smaller living areas for most residents may also contribute to the flourishing of such large gatherings outdoors.

As a frequent visitor to public parks, I feel qualified to express some random thoughts on this subject.

Apart from those mentioned by the author, I would like to make two additions to the list of activities that may also interest the readers: practising Chinese calligraphy on the ground and singing performances by music-lovers. While calligraphers display their unique skills by writing on the ground with brushes dipped in plain water, music-lovers with little professional training practise singing, or performing to share their pleasure with the park visitors.

On weekends and public holidays, people from all walks of life stream to the city¡¯s open spaces to enjoy themselves, but on ordinary days, you will find most of the park users are senior citizens. They come to seek fun, make friends and improve their health, mostly on a regular basis.

Why do these old folks take so much delight in the communal activities in the parks, some even taking a long bus ride to the parks in order not to miss a gathering? To my knowledge, most of these elderly people are retired workers. Somehow, they have feelings of solitude and loss after leaving the working environment they were closely associated with for so long. They come to the parks mainly to look for new groups of companions they can identify themselves with.

Senior citizens don¡¯t want to stay idle at home, or just to be occupied in ¡°slaving away at a hot stove¡±, as we used to describe housewives in the old times. Instead they wish to return to society, redefine goals in their life and find new spiritual support. Above all, they wish to stay fit, and live a long, happy life. So it is only natural that public parks should turn out to be a vast world for them as they are free, with fresh air and having an expanse of open space for a variety of activities.

If my observation serves me right, old folks are generally happy and contented with the way they spend their free time. Still, they wish to have a more colourful life. Yes, we do have a lot of public places of entertainment apart from parks, such as theatres, concert halls, cafes and bars. However they are probably the favourite places for the young, because these venues do not cater to the needs of the aged. And even when they do, it¡¯s for sure that the retirees who get by on a monthly pension cannot afford the luxury, let alone those who are not so lucky as to receive government pensions. More often than not they lament the fact their wallets fall short of what they need to enjoy more refined arts.

Shanghai has seen its population ageing for the past two decades, with senior residents now accounting for over 18 per cent of its population. Most of them have braved all manner of hardship through the years. Sad to say, but as we are now gathering in the sweet fruits of the reform policy, they are well past their heyday and are not blessed with abundance. Our society does care a lot for them, but we could have done more and better. We can provide them with more affordable places in addition to public parks to make merry. We need not only to see them better provided for, but also increase their joys of life and broaden their horizons as we usher in a better-off society.