Digital video, 2'57", loop The video work delves into the intricate meanings of the visual gestures of clapping and how such gestures are positioned within various contexts. Clapping is commonly associated with demonstrating approval and appreciation for statements or decisions in collective settings. However, in this video, we observe an elderly woman engaged in continuous clapping, not as a sign of approval for the other woman's words but as a form of physical exercise aimed at stimulating blood circulation in her upper body. Along with an elongated rhythmic pace, she claps for her own health and bodily maintenance, even though her clapping may appear as if she agrees with the other woman. Clapping as a way of exercising, on the one hand, is an activity for bodily maintenance and fulfills basic biological needs, which is supposed to be restricted in the private realm of a personal life. On the other hand, clapping is also used as a political gesture to express collective approval of justice in the public realm. The video stresses the threat of the private realm's interference in the public realm and further infringes on collective liberty, social justice, and democratic mechanisms. Connecting the visual read of clapping to the observation of collective temperament, Morning Exercises questions how historical events and collective trauma are accumulated in people's psychology and haunt the present. Viewers may find themselves perplexed by the woman's loud, angry speech and her seemingly aggressive body movement in the video. However, her discussion simply centers on how she would like to cook tofu, such a domestic mundane. Her manner of speaking is commonly spotted among Chinese women of my grandmother's generation—a blend of nervousness, assertiveness, and a tendency for overly stressed repetition. Zhou's grandmother once explained that when she was young, speaking loudly was often the norm. Everyone had to project their voices to demonstrate enthusiasm for communist production, unwavering faith in Maoism and Marxism, and a passion for physical labor, all while living under the constant fear of starvation. During the Great Leap Forward (1958-1962), speaking loudly was a way to express gratitude to the community for supposedly abundant food production, even if it denied the harsh reality. Similarly, during the Great Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), people were deeply fearful of criticism from The Red Guards, who could easily label anyone as corrupted by bourgeois idleness and lacking in community spirit. By habitually demonstrating the opposite, intense and passionate speech, people eliminated their chance of being punished. Text (Dialog of this video) -Put a bit of sauce in it. Boil it… When it is boiled, put tofu in it. Don’t pour too much water, otherwise, it will become soup. What can I say? Just a little bit of seasoning would all be soaked into water, with no taste left. As I said, just a little bit of water. Another thing is about the starch. Pick a spoon of starch in it, stir it with chopsticks, give a little bit of water, and thicken it all together. Delicious and tender. I said as I said, “Do not put too much water.” Ah! Otherwise, all of a sudden, it would become a soup, too watery! Give the seasoning a bit of a fry, keep stirring, then put the tofu in. After, seasoning it again, put in celery and garlic, keep cooking, boiling -…… - Yeah, that kind of dice, diced pieces are so tender and smooth. Slice both sides of the tofu, and fry it until it turns yellow on both sides. Eat with the sauce. -….. - That one is stinky tofu; this one is white tofu. My cooking is delicious, ah, but, the seasoning is all dissolved into water. -……. - I cannot cook well! I cannot cook well! Other people cook better than me. I cannot cook well; my food is just eatable. It is just eatable. Some dishes, I cannot cook. Such as turtles and their bastards, I cannot cook. Well, I cannot eat eel. At that time, when I was ill, my daughter said, “Can I serve you a bowl of eel noodle soup?” I said, “I don’t eat eel. It’s so scary, uh, looks like snakes. I’m scared.” Whatever I buy, I’m picky and would like to choose, from inside to outside, turn and pick to get the good one. I pay for it, of course, I want the one that has the best quality. Eel, even if you just give me one inch of it, I wouldn’t take it, I don’t dare to touch it. Scary, I’m scared of eels. My daughter is brave, she can cut the eel open, and take off the fish bones. She cooks it so well. Whenever she cooks and serves her eel noodle soup to my sons, they all say it’s delicious, delicious, delicious… They all just go for a taste, delicious, and have a taste of what is just in season. I said, “Let’s go to get a bit more, a bit more to make a bowl of noodle soup.” -……. - It’s so tender and fresh. “Is it eatable?” my daughter asked. “So fresh, so tasty. Before I was scared of it, never had a taste”, I answered. -…… I’m not going now, not now. I will sit for a while, sit for a while. Later I will go with you...