Grannies Hit the Dance Floor in China

Too shy to let your guard down and bust a move when you’re on a night out? Maybe you should let China’s square dancers help you get in the groove.

“广场舞(guǎngchǎngwǔ) square dancing” is a wildly popular form of recreation in China designed to get the elderly out of the house and keep them social and fit. Let’s shake a leg and click the following picture to watch the video and see how China does square dancing.

You’d think that in stacked megalopolises like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen empty spaces would be hard to find. However, if you visit you’ll find public parks with wide squares are quite common. Hang around one just before the sun begins to set and you’ll see...(Read more)

It’s common for the “妇女 (fùnǚ) women” or “大妈 (dàmā) auntie” to line up in rows and perform synchronized dances to popular songs like “小苹果 (xiǎo píngguǒ),” a viral pop song released by the “筷子兄弟 (kuàizi xiōngdì)," known in English as the Chopstick Brothers.

These old guys and gals aren’t sitting on the sidelines and neither should you, so hit the dance floor!

Example:

Wǒ māma hěn xǐhuan tiào guǎngchǎngwǔ.
我 妈妈 很 喜欢 跳 广场舞 。
My mother really likes public square dancing.

Wǒ gěi māma zhǔnbèi le yígè fùnǚjié lǐwù.
我 给 妈妈 准备 了 一个 妇女节礼物。
I gave my mother an International Women’s Day present.

Sòngcháo de shíhou, sòngtàizōng Zhào guāngyì shì yígè guānxīn qióngkǔrén de huángdì.
宋朝 的 时候， 宋太宗 赵 光义 是 一个 关心 穷苦人 的 皇帝。
Zhao Guangyi was an emperor who cared a lot for the poor in the Song Dynasty.

Yǒu yìnián xià dàxuě, tiānqì fēicháng de hánlěng, rénmen dōu duǒzài wūlǐ yùhán.
有 一年 下 大雪，天气 非常 的 寒冷， 人们 都 躲在 屋里 御寒。
One year, it snowed heavily, and the weather was so cold that people stayed in their houses to keep themselves warm.

Sòngtàizōng zhèngzài gōngzhōng xiūxi, yìbiān qǔnuǎn, yìbiān pǐncháng gèzhǒng měiwèi jiāyáo.
宋太宗 正在 宫中 休息，一边 取暖， 一边 品尝 各种 美味 佳肴。
The emperor Song Taizong was resting in the palace; he was tasting variety of delicious food while keeping warm.

Dāng tā kàndào chuāngwài de dàxuě shí, hūrán xiǎngqǐ le nàxiē kělián de qióngrén.
当 他 看到 窗外 的 大雪 时， 忽然 想起 了 那些 可怜 的 穷人。
When he saw the snow outside the window, he suddenly thought of those poor people.

Tāmen chī bù bǎo, chuān bù nuǎn, zhèngzài dàxuě zhōng ái'dòngshòu'è.
他们 吃 不 饱， 穿 不 暖， 正在 大雪 中 挨冻受饿。
They didn't have enough food to eat and enough cloth to wear; they were suffering from the cold and hunger.

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Example:

Dōngtiān de shíhou, rénmen jīngcháng yòng mùtàn qǔnuǎn.
冬天 的 时候， 人们 经常 用 木炭 取暖。
In cold winter, people often use charcoal for heating.

Dàjiā pǐncháng xià zhèdàocài, hěn hǎo chī!
大家 品尝 下 这道菜， 很 好 吃！
Please have a taste of this dish, it's very delicious!