Elderly hercules(2)

Ma Ning belongs to a community of seniors who each day frequent the Temple of Heaven Park to keep in shape as they enter their twilight years. Photo: Li Hao /GT

Beijing's elderly gentlemen make the most out of the basic gym equipment that can be found in public parks in almost every neighborhood. Photos: Li Hao/GT

It is common to see elderly gentlemen comparing their muscles in jest, or massaging each other's aching bodies after a heavy workout.

"We are not doing it so we can have big muscles," said 60-year-old Ma Ning, a regular at Temple of Heaven Park. "We just like that there are many people here and we can have a good time together."

Ma has nevertheless caught many a dama's eye for his figure, according to some of the other visitors at the park where Ma works out.

"Everybody becomes friends. I even bake steamed buns for the people I work out with when their birthday is coming up," said Ma.

Ma, who worked at a local chemical factory before retiring, has been coming to the park for more than one decade. He is there every day like clockwork, from 9 am to 11 am in the mornings, and then 2 pm to 5 pm in the afternoons.

Ma estimates that more than 1,000 people use the outdoor gym facilities each day, with 70 percent of this number being elderly gentlemen. He said that those who were more advanced in years usually came very early in the mornings, whereas those in a little younger were more likely to come in the afternoons.

Zhang noted that the popularity of the equipment meant that there were informal rules and schedules that were observed by the different "grandpa gangs," so that everyone would get time on the gear.

Although Xinhua News Agency reported last month that a dispute between senior citizens over the use of facilities at a public park in Shanghai almost led to blows, Zhang said that he had not seen anything similar in Beijing.

"As men, we don't argue or fight over use of the equipment. You must keep in mind that it requires a lot of strength to work out on bars. Nobody can hang onto a bar for a particularly long time," he said with a wry smile.

A healthy habit

The sight of hundreds of elderly men working out together is one of the first things tourists notice when visiting public parks in China.

In almost every neighborhood in Beijing, there are public facilities with simple outdoor gym equipment to help people to keep fit.

Although the equipment is fairly basic, China's elderly have managed to make the most of it.

According to a 2013 report released by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning, the average life expectancy for a Beijing permanent resident is 81 years and six months, more than 15 years higher than the worldwide average.

It would not be a stretch to suggest that this has to do in part with Beijing seniors' penchant for getting together to stay healthy, of both body and mind.

While their dancing dama counterparts have begun to be recognized and celebrated in the press abroad, Zhang said that it was time that they too received their due.

He said that tourists frequently stare at and chat about them, and that he enjoys the attention.

Niels Chomsen, a tourist in his 60s from Denmark, said that in his own country, it was rare to see such a large community of seniors meeting up in public spaces to work out together, and he was impressed by what he saw.

"We learnt that the Chinese men are very strong. We should try to do the same thing [in Denmark] too," he said, laughing.