From the latest episode of The Amazing Race:
[PHIL:] In this detour, teams have to choose between two ways that the people of Guilin [China] express themselves artistically. The choice: choreography or calligraphy. In choreography, teams must join in a popular exercise in Guilin: dancing. They’ll make their way to the central island, join a group of locals performing their morning dance routine, and learn the dance.
Emphasis added. The dancing, done in pairs, provides plenty of morning face-to-face contact, just what I think everyone needs for good mood regulation.
On the Tsinghua campus, I saw morning groups practicing aikido, which doesn’t provide as much face-to-face contact. The Guilin dancing is perfect. Also good is that it’s done outside. The sunlight will give the light-sensitive circadian oscillator a big push. Faces push a face-sensitive circadian oscillator.
There is one region of China whose residents are known for being laid back and happy. I wonder: Is it Guilin?
Morning dancing is widespread all over China, including Beijing. If you go to any park in the morning, you’ll see groups of (mostly older) people doing both ballroom dancing and folk dancing, along with tai qi and all sorts of other activities. I don’t know the Qinghua campus very well, but I bet there’s some place where people do dancing in the mornings.
Would standing in a packed Subway car constitute face-to-face contact. I wonder. New Yorkers are great at not looking each other in the eye, while standing 18 inches apart.
Jim, I tried that for about 10 seconds. It’s impossible. I even tried starting conversations on the subway. That too was impossible.
Yes, near Tsinghua the Summer Palace has quite a few groups dancing in various styles if you go early enough.