It is a long-standing habit in Shaanxi Province (or the Central Shaanxi Plain) for people to squat down when doing many everyday activities, because men are accustomed to having all the three meals by getting together with others in small groups while holding a bowl and assuming a squatting position, a process that may last well over 1 hour, and people love sitting in the sun in winter by squatting on the leeward side of anything usable as a shelter from the wind and playing chess in a squatting position. This habit is often referred to by people from elsewhere as "People would rather squat than sit on something." It is in essence a habit developed over time as a way of taking a rest after getting tired from work.