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 Every evening through the year, hundreds of grannies gather
on a large square outside the Master Centre in west Beijing to
dance with their instructor, who puts them through the motions
of side steps and rotations to help them keep fit and, in the
bitter winters, to keep warm.
"There are several benefits," said Yan Fuzhi, 71, who has been
dancing on the square for five years. "First off, it helps me
lose weight. Secondly, it's good for my health and it gets rid
of bad habits...
"I used to sit watching TV, which is bad for my heart and causes
high blood pressure. But I'm really happy when I dance,
listening to the music, chatting and laughing. All my problems
go away."
But it's that music, pop from the present and decades ago
blasted out of tinny speakers, that is the problem for many
residents, who complain they can't get to sleep at night because
of the racket. But the grannies have nowhere else to go.
"There are definitely objections against square dancing. Some
people don't like dancing and see it as a disturbance," said
78-year-old Zhang Lianmeng.
"I think our country should encourage it as long as they can
make appropriate arrangements and make sure they do it in
appropriate places."
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Instructor Fan Tiemin, 55, said his group was the biggest in
Beijing, with around 500 dancers each evening - sometimes more than
a thousand, depending on the weather. Xinhua news agency said more
than 100 million were involved nationwide.
"They don't have much to do, now their children are grown up," he
said. "...They are facing diseases like high blood pressure, high
cholesterol and high blood sugar. So they need the exercise."
Du Peng, a professor at Renmin University and Director of the
Institute of Gerontology, said China had made great strides in
looking after the elderly, with improved pensions and insurance
schemes.
"But a third area is the spiritual and cultural life of the
elderly," he said. "Square dancing is a part of it. That is, when
your basic living standard has been met, especially for those who
are healthy, what people most need is fulfilment."
(Editing by Nick Macfie)
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