In many Chinese city centres around the country, it is now a fact of life that the late afternoon and evening open spaces are packed full of large groups of middle-aged citizens (generally more female) in organised dances. The middle-aged see this as a social activity and a good workout, anyone trying to get some peace in the evening generally takes a more hostile.
Dancing in China has been seen as an important way to improve fitness, and dexterity and recover from long-term illness since the Spring and Autumn period (770 to 476 BC). It has therefore maintained cultural significance for a prolonged period. By the mid-20th century, dancing became a way to enforce Chinese state propaganda. One type of dance that was popular at the time was yangge, originally from rural northern China, it suited how the state wanted to portray itself and was used in its propaganda machine.
With increasing free time for Chinese men and women in their middle age (partly due to increasing retirement rates) from the 1990s onwards, many have dinner in the late afternoon or early evening and then hit the dance floor. This has been noticed by the government who want a healthy population. By 2018, 16,000 parks had been built (in part) to accommodate this growing practice.
It is now an important part of the average middle-aged Chinese lifestyle. The dances are often well organised with dancers paying a small monthly subscription to pay for teachers or a few admin expenses. Recently some groups have become highly competitive and the need for teaching to maintain the edge has become increasingly valued. This has caused increased friction as some groups will compete through who has the loudest music or the most dancers, which has annoyed parents and people of working age. Some cities have had isolated incidents of violence as a result of the tension. Despite this, many dancers feel less stressed and healthier. With the number of dancers growing, the Chinese square dance seems unlikely to disappear.
Maybe other countries should do this too?
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