The Nanfang / Blog

Not Even A Car Can Stand In The Way Of China’s Dancing Grannies

Posted: 07/10/2014 1:32 pm

henan dancing grannies move carThe dancing grannies will not be denied. As their culture spreads to Australia and Russia, it seems nothing can stop them from fulfilling their desire of dancing in unison to loud musical accompaniment.

So when a car was rudely parked on their ‘dance floor’ in the city of Xinyang, Henan Province, the dancing grannies didn’t want to dance around it. Instead, they decided the car had to go.

And so, under the steely direction of the dancing grannies, a dozen or so people pushed this parked car a total of four to five meters, reports Sina News Video.

READ: Beijing Dancing Grannies Wield AK47s in Anti-Japanese Performance

Mr Guo, the owner of the car, took it all in stride. He accepted the blame and said he was careless parking where he did.

henan dancing grannies move car

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Photo: Sina News Video

Haohao

Beijing Dancing Grannies Wield AK-47s in Anti-Japanese Performance

Posted: 06/27/2014 4:00 pm

bj granny dancing anti imperialist“Dancing grannies”, the hallowed institution of Chinese culture that may be exported to Australia and has appeared in Moscow’s Red Square is under attack. After countless disputes across the country, a law has recently been passed in Xi’an forbidding the notorious dancing troupes from engaging in any “granny dancing” between the hours of 10pm and 7am.

Crackdowns on granny dancing aren’t anything new, but a stalwart troupe of granny dancers in Beijing may be looking to evade any criticism by changing the way they dance. This group has moved away from traditional fan dances and scarf waving seen in plazas around the country, instead turning to that other cultural institution: bashing the Japanese.

A group of dancers was recently seen performing near the Raffle City shopping mall in Dongzhimen, Beijing. There, granny dancers armed with toy AK-47s danced in formation and waved their replica firearms in the air in an activity described as “killing bastards”.

bj granny dancing anti imperialist

A man carrying a gun and wearing the hat of a 1940s Japanese imperialist soldier served as the focal point for the dancers. According to 163, the man reportedly wore a T-shirt that said “Jap bastard”. As part of the performance, the man dutifully raised his weapon and surrendered.

We can only suppose the off-Broadway dinner theater musical Nanjing! Nanjing! will open next.

bj granny dancing anti imperialistbj granny dancing anti imperialistbj granny dancing anti imperialistbj granny dancing anti imperialistbj granny dancing anti imperialistbj granny dancing anti imperialistbj granny dancing anti imperialistbj granny dancing anti imperialistbj granny dancing anti imperialist

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Photos: 163

Haohao

China’s Granny Dancing Invades Moscow’s Red Square

Posted: 06/16/2014 10:58 am

moscow red square dancing grannies

Guangzhou is trying to get rid of it, Sydney wants it, and now Moscow has it: China’s infamous “dancing grannies”.

Online pictures of a group of Chinese people dancing in Moscow’s Red Square have been compared to similar photos taken at the Louvre in Paris, where the culture of dancing grannies was first seen outside of China. However, in Red Square, China’s ubiquitous line dancing attracted the attention of local police.

As proud as these dancers are, they are primarily known in China for disturbing residents. Sometimes, police say they even cross into illegal behaviour. For instance, authorities in Inner Mongolia arrested 15 people who they claim used public dancing sessions covertly to enroll people into a cult.

We don’t think the grannies in Moscow were plotting anything illegal, but have a look for yourself.

moscow red square dancing grannies moscow red square dancing granniesmoscow red square dancing grannies

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Photos: Ynet

h/t @MissXQ

Haohao

Armed Police to Keep Foshan Gaokao Exams Quiet From Dancing Grannies [UPDATE]

Posted: 06/5/2014 3:03 pm

granny dancing disturbanceExaminations for high school students applying to enter university, colloquially termed the “gaokao”,have  recently gotten some unexpected support. A representative for gaokao enrollment for Foshan states that every gaokao examination in the city will be accompanied by armed police officers, reports the Southern Metropolis Daily.

As students take the examination, they will be accompanied by two police officers with guns that will be stationed at every examination room. Furthermore, armed police will patrol the perimeter of the examination sites and investigate anything within a distance of 200 meters.

READ: Student in Guangzhou Stabbed in Throat Just After Completing the Gaokao

This may seem excessive as gaokao examinations can be counted upon to be the most quiet of places that would ever be the site of a disturbance, but that’s actually the point: Police may sent to the gaokao exams for the purpose of preserving the peace, literally.

Over in Fengtai District in Beijing, chengguan had given a written proposal to the “dancing aunties” that dance in a plaza located next to the No.12 Middle School. The chenguan, otherwise known as city management workers with a bad public reputation, had requested the “dancing aunties” stop playing loud music in the square and dancing so as not to disturb the 400 students preparing for the gaokao .

READ: Netizens Outraged as Chengguan Beat Mother in Front of
2 Year-old Child in Guangzhou

The proposal was rejected. The dancing grannies, estimated at two to three hundred strong, continued to dance once the chengguan had left.

“Dancing grannies” have been a formidable force in Chinese society that many residents have taken offense against. “Dancing grannies” are known for disturbing of the public with the loud music played during their dancing, and have come to prominence with a picture of them performing in the square in front of the Louvre.

Locally, the issue of “dancing grannies” had come to light recently when the mayor of Sydney expressed interest in the activity during a visit to Guangzhou, to which an overwhelming majority of Chinese netizens responded with “Take them all, please.

READ: Mayor of Sydney Interested in Importing China’s “Granny Dancing”

We imagine that armed police will be able to help preserve the peace at a gaokao examination, and perhaps by being armed, police will be able to win any arguments had against “dancing grannies”.

UPDATE 3:30pm, June 5, 2014: It’s become official: Shenzhen has now put noise restrictions upon any area within 500 meters of an examination site during this weekend, and during the upcoming senior high school examinations taking place on June 21 and 22.

While dancing grannies may be affected, the noise ban seems to be more directed at construction sites, putting a RMB 30,000 fine on any site that violates the regulations.

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Photos: Xinhua, the Nanfang

Haohao

Guangzhou to crack down on noisy public dance sessions

Posted: 11/15/2013 10:00 am

The custom of middle-aged and elderly women dancing together in public squares as a form of exercise has its critics. This became obvious after an incident last month in which a group of dancing women in Wuhan was showered with feces by neighbours angry about the noise.

Now Guangzhou is to become the first city to crack down on the activity due to the amount of noise complaints. New regulations will be issued by the Guangzhou People’s Congress in late 2014 to state that no noisy group dances or exercises may be held in parks or near schools, hospitals, residential buildings or government facilities, Global Times reported yesterday.

A Guangzhou resident told The New Express that, as well as being noisy, the dancers took up too much public space.

The paper has more:

The draft also rules that parks should have areas for activities, and that citizens should not carry out noisy activities in quiet areas, and that violators could face fines of up to 1,000 yuan ($164.2).

Chen Xiaoqing, an official with the Guangzhou legislature, said that there will be a decibel standard to define “noisy activities.” Chen also said that the parks have to control the noise created by such group activities and that they will have disputes with some citizens who enjoy such activities, and this is why the regulations need to be more specific.

In an online survey started by Sina Weibo on Wednesday, over 70 percent of nearly 3,000 participants said they support the regulation and that it should be promoted to a national level regulation.

However, 15 percent disapproved, and said it would restrain the exercising activities of elderly people.

Do you find these ladies annoying or do you find them to be one of China’s charming quirks?

Haohao
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