Today in Beijing, the temperature never strays too far from freezing. Everyone who dares to go outside has to bundle up, lest the the cold, dry Siberian wind should grasp them with its icy fingers until they beg in vain for mercy. Naturally, this makes perfect weather for outdoor table tennis. Just ask Bi Jinglian, one of Beijing's many diehard outdoor players who converge around the 10 public tables in Qingfeng Park. "We have come here almost every day for two years," beams Bi, sweating in the cold from playing doubles with her husband, Ren Qian. "We have a deep relationship with people in this park. We meet every day, exercise and play together. This place is close to my home and the atmosphere of playing table tennis is good. There are many elderly people here." Indeed, most of the park's players are old enough to remember Rong Guotuan winning the 1959 World Table Tennis Championship, China's first ever world title in any sport. As they grew older, they watched proudly as China grew to be the most dominant force in table tennis over the ensuing generations. "China wins almost every international ping-pong competition nowadays," says Ren Qian. "So for the Chinese, we are very proud and delighted to play ping-pong." So go ahead, Siberia, do your worst. Despite their chronological endowments, or perhaps because of them, the Qingfeng Park faithful never let inclement weather stand in the way of a good time.

More at The Straits Times