Beijing, is a cultural city that possesses more than 3,000 years of history, in the last 600 years, 26 emperors have called Beijing home.
The older of its citizens living just outside what was once the city walls of the old imperial city still preserve and embody what it means to be a Beijinger, more specifically their forms of entertainment and life pleasures

Song Jin Qing, is 56 years old this year. Every morning he brings his equipment to the Temple of Heaven, located very near to his home. In these parts, he is a celebrity.

The long corridor coming from the east gate that was once used by the emperor to view and admire the gardens. This corridor is a place to get out of the wind and rain as well as being a convenient place to rest. Now, it is the liveliest place in the park.

Here in the temple of heaven, Mr. Song is one of the best Erhu players. Because of his superb playing, he has brought a great reputation to the small band.

In the last few years, China has gradually become an aging society, a large part of the population being senior citizens. The elderly are more willing to get together with their friends and have fun.

The Temple of Heaven park is oriented to aged locals who prefer a lively lifestyle. For those who still prefer a quieter, and more peaceful atmosphere, there's still Bei Hai park.

Bei Hai park has gone through a gradual construction that spans five Chinese dynasties. Bei Hai park is quieter, and more comfortable than the Temple of Heaven.

Ren Zhencang has a calligraphy brush in a class all its own. Whenever he shows up in Bei Hai park, he becomes the focus of attention of all passers by.

Mr. Ren was once a technician in a clock factory; he has three daughter, all married and with careers. Like with most Chinese families, the children usually only visit and get together with their parents during weekends or national holidays. He spends most of his time with his wife at home.

After he retired, his life became very relaxed and easy. At first, his neighbors advised him to try raising some birds or get involved in literature. Mr. Ren, however, is a lover of peace and quiet. He loves staying home and doing calligraphy, enjoying the different movements and feelings that come from writing different characters.

Calligraphy is a traditional Chinese art, which nurtures one's moral character and health. It is an art favored by older people who prefer taking part in more toned down activities.

In the last few years it has become popular among the elderly in Beijing to do calligraphy on the ground. This style of writing big characters is a way of taking traditional Chinese calligraphy outdoors, where the one can not only breathe fresh air, but can also get a workout.

As a result, he decided to make his own special kind of brush, a brush the likes of which had never been seen. At first, he came up with different designs and materials. He tried using hair from different animals and strips of cloth, but due to their weak level of absorbance, he gave up, and continued searching for a more suitable material.

One day while fixing his sofa, he discovered sponge padding inside the couch. It was then that he began to wonder - perhaps this padding would work in his brush. He took his couch apart, and used it to make a brush. As it turned out, he had made the perfect choice; the brush had excellent absorbance and was extremely easy to use.

When Mr. Ren and his brush make an appearance; everybody looks on with admiration.

The kite can trace its origins back to China, to this day it has more than 2,000 years of history. This traditional recreational tool is still, even today, enjoyed by many old Beijingers. On bright and windy days, kites can be seen flying to every corner of the sky. Many often fly kites together, getting a workout while at the same time making new friends.

His name is Gao Wenli, and this year he is 67. He is an avid kite aficionado. Others are fascinated by his flying. This is because his kites are always very unusual.

Mr. Gao is person that likes to pursue new ideas. To him, if he can surprise others and keep them fascinated he is happy, too.

Now, the skies are abounding with a vast array of kites of all designs and patterns. Mr. Gao's kites no longer seem to attract people's attention, much to Gao's chagrin. He wants to make a dragon kite the likes of which have never been seen, and give everyone a pleasant surprise.

Mr. Gao's s kite-making skills were passed on to him by a folk artisan many years before. But due to the complexity of this art, before he retired he was only able to make several small dragon kites. This dragon kite, however, is going to be 70 meters long.

There are 8 cats in Mr. Gao's home, the oldest is 18 years old. Everyday Mrs. Gao cleans up after them and feeds them.

The fascinating kites that Mr. Gao makes are all meticulously designed by him, personally. This time around, Mr. Gao decided to paint a number of traditional Beijing opera masks on his dragon kite. Over the length of the entire kite, he needs to paint 126 of these.

Hutongs have become vehicles of Beijing's culture, attracting people from all over the world. In addition, they have provided a way for old Beijingers who live in these places to share their lives with others.

Although at the Temple of Heaven park Mr. Song has already earned a reputation, before retirement he used to be a technician at a company specializing in local products. It is only now in old age that he finally has the time to play music. Even though he was crazy about music, and was able to master many instruments through his diligence, the origin of his musical talent, however, came from his father's influence when he was a child.

But staying at home everyday to play and sing wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Once, when Old Song was strolling through the Temple of Heaven he noticed that there were a number of other musicians there, practicing their instruments. The first thing that sprang to his mind was to form a band.

He called together these elderly musicians, and they rehearsed together in the park at the Temple of Heaven. Little by little, the band improved and their performances became more and more vivid and dramatic. As a result, more and more people wanted in.

Among the multitude of friends, this three and a half year old child is unique among them. He was both lulled to sleep and later woken up by Song and company's enchanting melodies.

At the sight of the setting sun, after all the band members have gone, Mr. Song soldiers on, with a mind to sing one last song. To him, playing the erhu is better than going home any day.

According to popular folklore, today is the East Day when the Dragon Lord flies to the heavenly palace. As long as he raises his head, it portends a year of good weather for crops.

To Mr. Gao, however, that dragon of lore is actually his dragon-shaped kite and he's anticipating a diverting day of kite-related capering.

While Gao's kite is still not yet airborne, it attracts the curiosity of some passers-by. This is the first time any of them have ever seen a kite this big.

In recent years, following the increase of development in Beijing, many senior citizens who had formerly lived in hutongs and courtyard compounds moved into apartments. Mr. Ren lives in a quiet apartment complex in the heart of the city.

Although Ren and his brush are greatly admired in Houhai, it's also brought him a new problem. Every time he goes to practice his calligraphy, he finds that carrying a huge bucket of ink with him is extremely inconvenient, but he has no choice but to constantly dip his brush to carry on. Finally, he decided to make a new brush. This time, he would make it so the brush would release the ink on its own.
Mr. Ren affixed an old coke bottle to the upper end of the shaft of his brush, creating a sort of ink reserve. With the installation of this clever mechanism, he can now regulate the flow of ink to his heart's content.
Due to the uniqueness of his brush, compounded with years of calligraphy training, Mr. Ren has attained a certain level of renown around Houhai and Beihai. Now, Mr. Ren can practice calligraphy with pride. He has taken the art of character writing and turned it into a cultural Chinese performance that can attract even foreigners.
For Mr. Gao, getting his dragon kite up into the air is still his main concern. If only the weather would clear up, Gao and his kite could make their long anticipated appearance at the park.
Mr. Gao's Kite is not like other kites, however. It not only needs clear weather, but also at least class three winds. Apart from this, it also requires stable wind direction.

Though he failed again this time to get it up into the air, Gao firmly believes that his dragon kite will someday take to the skies as it was meant to.
Gao watches the weather forecast intently every day, paying close attention to wind currents. Finally, a day suitable for kite flying appears. At dawn, Gao takes his kite and strikes out.
The months of work and preparation were not in vain, accompanied by a spring wind; at long last, Gao's kite takes off into the wild blue yonder. This incredible seventy-meter long feat of aerodynamics is now free to cavort and caper amidst the heavens.
In the eyes of Mr. Gao, his kite's success is only the first step. Later, during the 2008 Olympic Games, he is hoping to give people a pleasant surprise.