Shanghai hosts a marathon competition every November. Two years ago, Bryan and his buddies decided to run the half marathon here. Despite his good intentions, he didn't have a chance to train for the race before the day arrived. So I asked him to run the 5K fun race instead. But boys will be boys. Fearful of his male running friends making fun of him and driven by his testosterone, Bryan decided to run the half marathon without any preparation.

The first ten kilometers went very well, so he thought it was no big deal to just run another ten or so. But slowly, each additional kilometer became more and more difficult. He thought about quitting and began to walk in between spurts of runs. The only thing that kept him running was the old ladies at each kilometer mark.

In the New York City marathon, there will be tons of people cheering and volunteering at various mile markers. Often these are friends and families of the runners. In China, the cheerleaders are the retired ladies and sometimes old men from various nearby neighborhoods. They wear bright red outfits and dance with drums and gongs. Every time they see a runner nearing the kilometer mark, they start a dance routine and shout "jia you, jia you!" which literally means "add gas, add gas!" to cheer the runners on. Even when Bryan became utterly exhausted, he would always pick up his pace as he passed in front of the old ladies. Their enthusiasm really kept him going.

In China, you can find these retired men and women practicing their songs and dances on many street comers and in many parks in the early morning, in the evening, and on weekends. Their activities range from ballroom dancing to martial arts, from taiqi to choir practice. They always seem to be focused and having fun doing these activities. For them, these activities are not only a fun way to socialize with friends and neighbors, but are excellent forms of exercise which keep them healthy and fit in their old age.

(selected from 101 Stories for Foreigners to Understand Chinese People by Yi S. Ellis and Bryan D. Ellis, published by China Intercontinental Press in 2012)