The Taipei City Governments Department of Social Welfare previously opened the Evergreen Villa, a self-paid nursing home that serves old people who are able to care for themselves. The facility is located in the Wenshan District of Taipei. Presently, 360 people live in the facility, with the average age of residents being 82 years old. To be sure, this facility is home to a large number of healthy elderly people. However, there is a secret to long life and a healthy body, and it does not come free. The center runs a variety of martial arts classes, including Tai-chi and "zhan zhuang," which is motionless postures. In addition, some classes are even held in various Shaolin styles of martial arts that were popularized in the novels of Jin Yong.

Ten years ago, Wang Fang-jung, a 77-year-old woman at the time, was hit by a negligent cargo truck driver and was pinned under the vehicle. It was originally believed that Wang would have to spend the remainder of her life in a wheelchair. Fortunately, since she had learned a few skills from her late husband who was quite familiar with a number of different martial arts movements, she was able to restore herself to good health by constantly practicing the martial arts moves such as the 28 basic maneuvers of Tai-chi and Yijin Jing, an exercise that contains 12 basic forms that are aimed at benefiting ones body, mind and soul. Each of the moves is to be repeated 36 times.

360 elderly people who reside at the facility at Evergreen Village. While the average age of residents is 82 years old, 14 percent of people living at the home are over 90 years old. Many of the aged people have their own methods that they say have been responsible for keeping them in good health. Of these, quite a few are just like Wang Fang-jung, in that they have long practiced Chinese martial arts. They said that these calisthenics keep their bodies strong. Sometimes in the morning you will see the elderly practicing their own routines. To an outsider, it looks like a huge gathering of martial artists.

One of the most interesting "martial arts" that people here practice is joining ones hand together behind ones back. This is something that is a favorite of the 86-year-old Sun Jen-chen. Thirty years ago when Sun was exercising, an exercise buddy of hers brought up the issue of maintaining good posture and keeping ones back in a healthy state. At the time, her friend passed along to her an exercise in which one joins ones hands behind ones back. This exercise is said to help prevent curvature of the spine and heart disease. Sun has been doing the exercise now for 30 years and it has had a good effect on her. She can sit down at the mahjong table for a number of hours but still not feel any tightness in her back or waist.

Hu Hsun-yi, an 86-year-old man who lives at the facility, has his own secret to keeping in good health. This exercise is not overly stressing on ones body, but requires a lot of determination and stability. Mr. Hu said that when he was young, he contracted pneumothorax and also had epilepsy. These ailments had caused him to suffer for many decades. He even had surgery three times on his respiratory tract in order to solve the problem, but this did not help. He did not want to go in for another operation and therefore had a tube inserted into his respiratory tract for many years to help him to breath. A number of years ago he began practicing Qigong, which focuses on breathing. Each morning when he got out of bed, he would practice the breathing exercise 100 times, which would take him 50 minutes. The exercise has literally changed his health. He has gone seven years without having to use his National Health Insurance card. The Bureau of National Health Insurance has even given him an award for maintaining good health.

Meanwhile, there is the example of the 81-year-old Kao Hsi-yuan, who has created his own variations of the "pan zhih" and "zhan zhuang" styles of the Shaolin martial arts in order to keep himself healthy. Some of the people at the facility have been practicing Tai-chi for nearly half a century, not having stopped for even a day.

Most of the people who live at the facility make sure they eat well, go to bed early and get up early. They have an optimistic attitude toward life and are willing to take part in all sorts of activities. In fact, none of the exercises that the people practice at the Evergreen Villa are difficult. One does, however, have to make sure that one does the exercise each day. This is in fact the secret to staying young.

* Exercises that can be done on the bed:

Lie down on a bed and lift up your two feet. Bring your heels in to try and lightly hit your buttocks 30 times. Then extend your two legs. Tilt your big toe upward and then do the same for the rest of your toes.

Lie on your side and grab your right foot with your right hand. Try to move your foot as close to your body as you can 30 times. Then do the same with left hand and foot.

Lie flat on the bed with both of your hands open. Curl all five of your fingers outward and then quickly pull them back into a fist. Place your fists at the center of your body. Repeat this exercise 30 times.

* Ban Zhih, Zhan Zhuang:

Squat down into a horse stance and extend your arms forward in a line with your shoulders. Then move your hands into a dragon claw, with the palm of your hands facing down. After five minutes, point your index finger downward for two minutes and then extend it forward for one minute. Repeat this three times. Repeat this exercise twice with your ring finger, middle finger and little finger two times, nine times and five times, respectively.

* Qigong Breathing:

After you get up in the morning, go to a place with fresh air. Slowly breathe in through your nose until your lungs are filled. They gradually exhale through your mouth. The slower the better. Repeat this exercise 100 times.

* Upper body calisthenics:

Use the back of a finger to massage your gums and then massage and lightly beat your knees. Take a deep breath. Fling your right and left hands around in a circle. Then clench your hands tightly, move your arms up in front of you and then bend your knees. Use your hands to thump your shoulders and at the same time twist your body. The exercises involving flinging your hands should be done 100 times.