Japanese couple keeps it up with the aerobics pack at Lianhua Hill

Climbing up to the top of Lianhua Hill Park in Futian CBD at around 6:30 am each weekend morning to lead a set of two-hour aerobics sessions for free is something Setsurin Kobayashi has managed to keep up with for an entire decade. 

In her eyes, the weekly routine has brought her health, happiness and friendship. 

It was seven in the morning on a Sunday when Shenzhen Daily met up with Kobayashi in the square behind the statue of Deng Xiaoping at the top of Lianhua Hill. She was leading nearly 100 people in an aerobics practice to finger-snapping music. 

Dressed in red top and blue shorts, Kobayashi looked much younger than a woman in her 50s. She stretched her arms into the sky, stepped back and forth nimbly with the beat of the music and sometimes turned around to cheer people on by saying "come on" in Chinese. From her fluent and authentic Chinese, one can hardly tell that she is from another country. 

Graceful gestures 

Kobayashi is a native of Tokyo, Japan. She and her husband moved to Shenzhen 13 years ago. Both work for the same company but with different subsidiaries in Dongguan and Hong Kong. 

The couple decided to live in Futian district because it is between their work locations, so they can spend nights at home together before leaving for work early in the morning. 

Kobayashi's leisure on the hilltop started 10 years ago when she began climbing the hill every weekend for fitness. However, it only takes about 15 to 20 minutes to get from the bottom of the hill to the peak, which was not enough for this sports enthusiast. 

She then started joining the dancing group in the mountaintop square. "At parks in Japan, there is nothing like this because noise is strictly controlled and the seniors like to practice sports or activities that don't make much sound. But I enjoy dancing with music because it can lighten up the atmosphere," said Kobayashi. 

Gradually, she began to stand out among the crowd with her graceful gestures and persistence. She was then invited by the leader of a dancing group to occasionally lead the weekend dance. Inspired by Kobayashi's passion, more people joined and stuck to the routine. 

Kobayashi took the offer seriously and started to add new elements to the aerobics they practiced. "I chose the music first and then combined movements that could engage all parts of the body, especially actions that can help reduce fat on the waist and abdomen," Kobayashi told Shenzhen Daily while descending the hill after the morning exercise. 

To provide better exercise, she developed a new set of aerobics that combine movements from many traditional cultures, including Indian and African dances. "Practicing the aerobics I have developed is not too exhausting and many members have told me that they enjoy dancing the aerobics very much because it helps them strengthen various parts of their body," Kobayashi said. 

Amid more than a hundred morning exercisers, Kobayashi's husband greeted and welcomed everyone who was attracted by the music. "Good morning! Welcome! Please join our dance!" Even though he was speaking in fluent Chinese, the husband offered a typical Japanese-style warm welcome to passers-by. "He is more famous than me at Lianhua Hill Park and everyone calls him 'Mr Welcome'," Kobayashi joked. 

Each weekend morning, Kobayashi's husband accompanies her and joins the aerobics practice. He is her loyalist supporter and many group members treat the couple as friends. 

"Every weekend, people come, dance and leave. We actually don't talk very much," said Kobayashi. Eye-contact communication is the most effective way to cheer her group members on. "I don't like asking about people's private life or other information because we gather here purely to dance, to exercise and to enjoy life." 

Even so, Kobayashi has made many friends after leading the group for a decade and has gained many followers. It has gradually become a responsibility for her to come every weekend. 

"Sometimes, when I don't feel well, I will eventually come because some group members won't follow the other team leader," said Kobayashi. The couple come every weekend unless they need to go back to Japan to visit their daughter. 

"Over the years leading aerobics on the hill, I've gained so much, especially happiness," said Kobayashi. The joy of doing exercise, and meeting weekly with her unspoken friends, has motivated the Japanese exerciser to persist for a whole decade. 

Responding to whether she would continue to lead aerobics on the peak, Kobayashi said she would keep going until she could no longer do it. "The city is growing and many regulations are coming out. Maybe one day we will be told that no music or square dancing is allowed in the park, and maybe some other groups will take over the place. We don't know, but I will keep coming as long as it is allowed." 

First-aid lessons 

After having lived in Shenzhen for 13 years, Kobayashi has made the city her home. "I think the whole world is a village and I don't think I am a foreigner. Instead, I think I am a Shenzhener." Since last year, Kobayashi has been contributing to the city in another respectable way - joining the Shenzhen Rescue Volunteers (SRV). "I've always wanted to help others as a volunteer, but I was too busy. Since I began to have more free time last year, I decided to join the volunteering group," she said. 

In less than one year, Kobayashi has paid to take exams and gain various certificates related to first aid and emergency rescue. She also passed the Red Cross training course to become a certified rescuer. Kobayashi has joined the volunteer rescue team at many large-scale races in Shenzhen, including the Nanshan and Bao'an marathons. 

"In Japan, each child is required to learn and master some first-aid knowledge, but here in China, less than 1 percent of the population knows how to administer first-aid treatment. In fact, everyone should be taught basic rescue skills like CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and how to use an AED (automated external defibrillator). 

Besides volunteering at sports races, Kobayashi has also taken on the role of a lecturer promoting first-aid knowledge among residents in various communities. She is now a senior SRV member and has been elected as star member for a number of months, with hundreds of hours patrolling and spreading first-aid knowledge in communities. "If I decide to do something, I will try my best to achieve the desired outcome," Kobayashi said.