Speaker: Ruohan Chen, Author and Dance Teacher

As COVID-19 erupted in Wuhan last year, China’s state-run People’s Daily released a video showing a group of infected doctors and patients dancing in a makeshift hospital. This dance, referred to as Public Square Dancing or 广场舞 (guangchang wu) gained attention across China and beyond, raising questions and commentary on this genre’s role in self-expression, building community, health and well-being historically and the part it plays today.

Whilst the pandemic has brought exposure to this popular pastime, we dig a little deeper in the second episode of Tracing the Trend to understand the origins of Public Square Dancing, and why it’s synonymous with older women in Chinese society. As a country ageing faster than any other in modern history, those over fifty make up a sizeable segment that has garnered attention from academics, policy-makers, and organisations alike.