The Chinese live longer on average! That's what I've often read in books or heard in documentaries about China. And there is a good reason for that, as the Chinese strive to do sports regularly while having a balanced diet. This is what I saw during my stay in Beijing, capital of China, where I have lived since the end of last February.

This ability to do sports regularly is made possible thanks to the numerous parks scattered throughout the capital. The same is true in some provinces where, during my travel, I saw public places designated for sports with no fees. There are often ping pong tables or basketball courts and equipment for body building.

As a sports lover, my intention was to continue practicing once I arrived in China. When I was still in my homeland, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it was part of my travel plans. But when I arrived in Beijing, I did not know where to start. I could not imagine then what parks in Beijing were like.

Sometimes, during my walks in Beijing, I did not hesitate to enter gyms to ask how much a monthly subscription was. But the cost seemed over my budget. I still thought that during the last quarter of my stay, I would join a gym for two months. In the meantime, I regularly went on long walks to fill this void.

One day, as we passed a park, not far from the residence of the diplomats in Jianguomen where we are staying, one of my fellow African journalists told me: "If you are looking to do sports, this place might please you. You will find everything you need." The place was Ritan Park. But the idea did not immediately get me excited. Especially in the cold winter, the idea of doing sports outdoors was not very encouraging.

When spring was approaching, I finally decided to visit this park. As soon as I arrived, I was impressed by its immensity. The number of people I was able to meet, the range of activities on offer, and also the fresh air that I could breathe, thanks to the dense vegetation of the park, immediately struck me.

Music groups played melodies with their instruments, ladies, and sometimes couples, repeated dance steps, parents played with their children, and men and women, young and old, did various physical exercises such as running, walking, body-building, gymnastics, martial arts or ping pong, to name a few. This diversity of activities made the place very lively and made me want to stay there for a long time.

I had a slight feeling of regret for not going there earlier, as the park is only 10 minutes from my home. The next day, without further ado, I donned my sportswear to finally follow suit of all the Chinese who practiced sports in this park.

Since then, I have become a regular at this beautiful place, which has benefited me a lot. To this day, the benefits derived from this park contribute immensely to my physical and mental health. It helped ease my stress, increase my concentration and improve my breathing.

I think that by the time I return to my country in December, I will have no doubt improved my life expectancy. Through writing about my experience, I also hope to encourage my government to build parks across the city to help improve the health of its people.

(The author is a journalist from the Democratic Republic of the Congo)