"Green Space" in Taiwan is referred to as any area that has grass. While we take grass for granted in the US, the Taiwanese consider it a privilege to live near these areas and pay a high price to do so. Most green spaces consist of a large space (anywhere from 1 to 3 city blocks) of grass and trees. (The picture to the right is Andrew holding up a large leaf from, what I believe is a Bodhtree - part of the fig family).
Green spaces are bordered by a wide sidewalk made of granite or cobblestone and have multiple areas carved out for morning/evening exercises (when the weather is the coolest) or Tai Chi classes. Seeing large groups of individuals doing Tai Chi in the morning is very common. There are typically a few rock garden areas as well and some of the green spaces do have children's parks. We spend quite a bit of our time at these spaces and tend to go closer to dusk in the warmer months. One of the parks is located a few blocks from our apartment and the kids love it there.
At every children's park there are also areas for adults to "exercise". There are many stretching areas and twisting areas. The "contraption" the kids are on allows you to swing both your legs in different directions or stretch in a leap position. Of course, this tends to be the kids' favorite part of the park.
The picture below is an area that locals use for Tai Chi, rollar blading classes, and/or entertainment purposes. In my opinion, placing an area such as this so close to the children's park is genious! This gives parents a perfect opportunity to get in some exercise and let their kids play where they can see them.
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