Can you run in China?

Seems like a pretty straightforward thing to do-- run. Go out for a run, jog around town, head to the track for a workout. Things like that I found to be a natural part of my daily life for the last I don't know, 9 years, I'm not counting. Sure there is a substantial difference between training for races and just keeping the weight off, but I like to think I'm doing both. Maybe now that I am in China the latter is more important. I've been here since February (2015) and arrived fairly overweight, but had some fitness left. Therein provided me with the basic motivation to get out the door and build the miles up. Beforehand, I was thinking oh man I burned out and haven't had a non-competitive mindset towards running for several years so I can just go to China and slack off. However, my voracious appetite was no match for the common courtesy of eating well in China and I soon packed on about as much weight as I ever have. It didn't help my waistline that it was Chinese New Years either--so just a few weeks of holiday celebrations. I found myself enjoying quiet loops around the adjacent factory that provided a nearly 2 minute loop around the perimeter. These were just 15 to 20 minute jaunts though so I survived. I even managed a 40 something minute run here once when it was raining. Soon though my voracious desire to run outmatched my nubile understanding of Chinese culture. I ignored comments about running in the cold (No worries, once you get warmed up it's actually quite cozy outside) and being seen in short shorts in the middle of winter. I'm not crazy! Really, people do this all the time back home. And in the chilly Seattle rains. And up hills and mountains. Both of which do not seem to exist here--at least in any close proximity. Once I made up my mind that I could in fact run here, in some small countryside town, then it was simple. I'd start tracking miles again and shoot for 35+ miles a week (since a pound of fat is equal to roughly 3500 kilocalories; I weighed up to 72 kg at times) and do the occasional tempo. I even tried to get Jianya (my girlfriend, whose family I am staying with) to bike with me on runs...That ended after 5 minutes though. A small black dog came charging at me once and I intended on picking up the pace so the thing would lose interest, but Jianya got frazzled that I didn't stop running. I'd have many run-ins with small dogs, but nothing different than Peru. The dogs turned tail as soon as you made a move or simply gave up a few meters outside of their front doors. Still, it would have been nice to have had a body to try out routes and such in those early days.
 Of course now, I'm full on training now and have adapted to the local routes. There aren't many options, but I run them habitually. I can even get on a decent amount of surface through a combination of farm paths, grass fields, and about four miles away a tree farm at the base of a mountain with a hill. For once, I am running on concrete for an extended time. I found my first track during my first ten mile run at a local high school and have been going there ever since for speedwork. It's about a mile away on concrete, which I can stomach. The road is a bit busy, but the school is open for business most of the time. Lane 1 is pretty worn, but it's a real track. I could probably run there most days if I had to. I usually don't have great workouts alone, but occasionally things click and so I've managed some results I'm happy to post: 4:58 1600 meters, 2:19 800 meters, 10:43 3200 meters, and a 29:25 something 8000 meter tempo. I've also had some really rough workouts where my stomach was just killing me or whatever else happens, but the track is secluded enough (there is a wall surrounding the entire school property) that I can get away with a few emergency elimination business. And run shirtless without scrutinizing or puzzled eyes. Tracks are a interesting phenomenon in China. I never see anyone running on the roads or parks or wherever, but come evening time the track is fully inundated with people walking and jogging. Fortunately, in Fangxian (the small village I'm in) the track is empty most of the time save for the occasional walkers. In Danyang (the main city in the area) the track is impossible to run workouts in by 5 or 6 pm. I once ran 3 or 4 miles on the infield simply because all the lanes were too congested. Anyhow, it's been surprisingly easy to get into a running routine here and that is probably due to living in the countryside so, there is quite a bit of luck there.