Singing together in the park: Older peoples' wellbeing and the singingscape in Guangzhou, China

The importance of adapting to later life is becoming increasingly apparent to older people as their concerns about health and wellbeing grow. Based on extensive fieldwork between 2020 and 2021 in Guangzhou, China, with older people who consider singing together in the park as an essential and popular everyday leisure activity, this article demonstrates how subject (older people), activity (singing), and place (park) integrate into a therapeutic space, the singingscape. Singingscape is presented in three distinct aspects: on the physical level, singingscape indicates an essential embodied experience of the connection between internal body and external environment, from which the older people can relax physically and mentally and acquire a sense of wellbeing; on the social level, singingscape fosters a positive atmosphere, where older people gain a collective sense of belonging and maintain social rhythm and social interactions with their peers; and on the imagined space level, fanciful landscapes and emotional imagination are advantageous to the wellbeing of older people. In the conceptual sense we argue that singingscape is located, experienced and integrated. Lastly, we advocate that attention should be paid to the construction of urban public spaces as vital infrastructure for older people in their everyday leisure activities.

Automated summary

The importance of adapting to later life is increasingly recognized by older people as their concerns about health and wellbeing grow. This article presents findings from fieldwork in Guangzhou, China, which highlight the therapeutic effects of singing together in the park for older people. Singingscape, as a therapeutic space, encompasses physical relaxation, social interaction, and emotional imagination, contributing to the wellbeing of older people. The authors argue for the importance of constructing urban public spaces that support older people's everyday leisure activities.