As the last rays of the setting sun fell on a riverside park in Shenyang, in northeast China's Liaoning Province, the music fired up and the park square became a dance stage as dozens of elderly women began their nightly exercise.

Waving a pair of fans, 63-year-old Hui Furong danced in a neat formation, a big smile on her face. Six years ago, Hui underwent surgery for stomach cancer and said she hadn't felt like herself. Her friend, Huang Fengzhen, invited her to join the dance group, telling her she needed to face the disease with a positive attitude.

In the months that followed, Hui met the group to exercise through dance every day, and gradually her appetite grew and her weight returned to normal.

Hui and Huang are among tens of thousands of elderly Chinese who consider square dancing part of their daily routine.

INCEPTION

China's population aged 60 and above reached 310 million by the end of last year.

Known as 'guangchang wu' in Chinese, square dancing is a group open-air exercise set to music. Participants are mostly middle-aged or retired, and it is especially popular among women.

Wang Haifeng, a professor at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music's Dance Academy, noted that this type of dance benefits participants' physical and mental health and fosters team spirit.

It is hard to tell when square dancing began. In northeast China, Wang noted, it could have stemmed from the spirited Yangge dance, which is native to the region.

"In the 1980s, choreographed group dances emerged, which might have been a rudimentary form of square dancing," he told Xinhua.

Huang started working in a community in the Tiexi district of Shenyang in the 1960s and witnessed community cultural and sports activities emerge and grow over the decades.

"With the development of society and the improvement of living conditions, demand for culture and sports among the elderly is also increasing rapidly," she said.

She began organizing local square dances about a decade ago. At the beginning, these activities were mainly walking after dinner, with groups of three to five people stretching their arms and legs to exercise. At one point, a member brought a tape recorder to play music, and square dancing began.

POPULARITY

It is difficult to gauge the exact number of people who take part in square dancing across China, but during interviews Xinhua has conducted across various provinces, multiple organizers said they believe about 10 percent of locals are involved. Applied nationwide, that could suggest roughly 100 million square dancers.

On why square dancing is popular among elderly people, veteran dancer Xu Guoliang in Yiyang, central China's Hunan Province, says it is an opportunity for people to showcase their talent.

"Many people dream of dancing on stage, and square dancing is the easiest way to make those dreams come true," he said.

Many Chinese women, particularly in rural areas, spend years taking care of their children and broader families. When they get older and their children start their own families, Xu says, they finally have the chance to rest and work on their own happiness.

"I have seen many women who look on shyly at first before gradually joining in with the group," Xu said. "And elaborate costumes have given confidence to women who normally dress plainly."

He Lixin, head of a square dancing group in Liaoning, noted that the activity meets the social needs of the elderly population. "After retirement, they felt down and bored staying at home. Now they come every day, and their children thank us for enriching their lives."

According to He, most dancers in his current group were born in the 1960s or 1970s, and they enjoy the nostalgia of songs from days gone by. "The square dances with songs from the revolutionary era bring back memories of their youth and help them connect with others who have shared the same experiences."

Wang said the popularity of square dancing reflects changes in people's lifestyles. "With the constant improvement of people's livelihoods, they are now free from worries about food and clothing. Their main concern now is their physical and mental health, and dance is a way to boost both."

THE FUTURE

Once a controversial activity that drew noise complaints from local residents, square dancing is now attracting more participants, including young people.

A survey conducted by the Hubei Masses Art Center in 2023 saw about two-thirds of respondents express a positive attitude toward square dancing, with the strongest support among those born in the 1960s and 1990s.

Liu Rong, vice head of the Jiangsu provincial square dance sport association, has choreographed more than 800 dances, and says new dances continue to be introduced.

"After the televised Spring Festival Gala each year, new songs from that stage are soon used for new dances," she said.

Meanwhile, square dances are increasingly incorporating elements of professional dance, local opera and folk music.

At the national square dancing competition last year, dancers from south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region took the silver medal with a dance adapted from a traditional folk song of the local Zhuang ethnic group.

It was choreographed by a teacher from Guangxi University, and the costumes were made using the Zhuang brocade technique, which is recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.

"We would like to tell the stories of Guangxi through the language of square dancing, allowing audiences to see the Zhuang ethnic culture," said Qiao Mingyue, the group's head coach.

Back in Shenyang, Huang's group has expanded to nearly 90 members, and they have incorporated local artistic forms like Yangge and fan dancing in their performances.

Although the grandmother is now 89 years old, she still appears brisk and energetic. "I can still lead our members to have healthy and happy lives," she said.

(Xinhua writers Wang Hengzhi, Liu Yichun, Zhou Mian and Cao Yiming also contributed to the story.)