JIAMUSI: Hundreds of dancers twirl in unison by a riverside in north-eastern China, thrusting hips and shimmying shoulders in an unusual but beloved routine that has taken the country by storm.

China has a vibrant public square dancing culture, with ranks of retirees thronging city plazas at dawn and dusk to groove in time to thumping electronic music. Despite the occasional noise complaints, authorities generally view the aerobics gatherings as good for maintaining public health in a rapidly ageing society. And one of the country’s most popular dance programmes in recent years has emerged from the fading rust-belt province of Heilongjiang.

Participants in Jiamusi Happy Dancing perform a series of unconventional moves, from strutting with puffed-out chests to pinwheeling their arms.

Founder Yu Jicheng, 73, said the exercises stand out for their “focus on the waist, abdomen... shoulders and hips”.

“They’re all done on the move, unlike the sedentary routines broadcast on the radio,” the retired civil servant said.

Yu designed the routine in 2008 and still teaches daily public classes in Jiamusi, a city of around two million people.

Lean and spry with a ramrod-straight posture, he keeps a close watch over classes of up to 500 participants, contorting himself to demonstrate each move and barking orders at those who execute them incorrectly.

Published in Dawn, July 29th, 2023