03.5.13 - Don't mess with the old ladies of Olympic

I mentioned in one my early posts, about running on Bowen Road, that you sometime see elderly HK Chinese strolling about of a morning, gently doing some tai chi as they walk.

Since this first week, I have spotted them doing it literally all over the place, at all times of day.

I am yet to work out if it is principally more elderly HK Chinese that do it because it’s the done thing (the HK version of bowls perhaps?!), or because it’s a generational thing. I’ve see it in parks, on footpaths, in courtyards, even simply on a normal street where there is a little space. It looks very calming and dignified most of the time. Occasionally though, culturally crass as it may be, it’s tricky trying not to laugh when you see a wizened, tiny old lady making fluttering motions in the air with her hands to the tinny accompaniment of her battered radio whilst shouting “HA! HA! HA! HA!” at the top of her lungs.

These guys, though, take the biscuit. I’ve not seen them – Claire sees them every day and provided today’s picture. They turn up around 8am each morning at the Olympic building that Claire spends some of her time in, in the park right outside the HSBC buildings. They proceed to get out fans and swords (what a combination!), and whirl both around in a tai chi-esque way, female yoda-like manner.

The swords do not look like toys – they are pretty long and look quite fearsome. Don’t mess with these grannies.