Evening in the market square, Tonghai

The market square in old Tonghai is the most sociable - not to say socially integrated -place you've ever seen. in the evening everyone's there: the oldest people sit in the bandstand thingy - often singing or listening to some of their numbers playing ahu or bamboo flute- while younger old people use the 'playground' equipment (a bit seen in the foreground) which is specially to keep them fit, lots of people of all age s are playing deeply competitive cards while the obligatory chess game draws its usual crowd. Grandparents bao sunzi (look after their grandchildren) and young mothers show off their lovely lovely babies proudly, while middle-aged women dance expertly in couples in one corner, and the young cool teens, with amazing hair and sharp clothes are preening, posturing, attracting the opposite sex, and clearly (tho they'd not admit it) joining in.

I took better photos than this but Tonghai is one of the only two places in China I have ever seen old women with bound feet. I would never photograph them because it would seem horribly intrusive - but looking at these pics I realized the old lady sitting next to her little old friend with red shoes has bound feet. Thank goodness that a thousand years of mutilation is now in the past!