拍手 pāishŏu (Clapping Hands)

There are many elements of Chinese culture that I find to be entirely perplexing. One of them happens to be seeing elderly people walking in the evening, clapping their hands. They clap in all sorts of manners: a steady rhythm in front of their bodies, above their heads, behind their backs, or some combination of the three. I've been very confused as to why this is commonplace, but jogging--god forbid during the day--is extremely peculiar.

Thanks to one of my teachers, I now know why. It relates to 中医 zhōngyī, or Chinese medicine. Apparently, there are a lot of 穴位 xúewèi (pressure points) in your hands. These points are connected to your various internal organs, such as your liver. By activating these pressure points through clapping, you are exercising your organs. This exercise also helps to regulate your, ahem, digestive system, and also excrete the 毒 dú (toxins) in your body. To sum up: clapping hands-->exercise-->regularity-->smelly poo. All good things!

CASE CLOSED!