Silent square dancing makes waves in Chongqing

CHONGQING - Square dancing, a popular recreational activity among Chinese elderly, often creates clashes due to the loud noise of their loudspeakers.

A video on the Chinese Internet has gone viral, showing a group of elderly people dancing while wearing earphones on a walking street. Square dancing no longer needs to be noisy.

At 7:30 a.m. everyday, more than 100 square dancers wearing wireless earphones start to dance in Guanyinqiao commercial district in the Southwestern municipality of Chongqing.

The earphones are provided free by the district management committee.

"Nearby residents used to complain about the annoying noise of loudspeakers. Although silent dancing is weird, dancing with earphones has a win-win effect," said a square dancer surnamed Cheng.

Cheng is among China's more than 220 million elderly. The government predicts the country's elderly will account for about one-quarter of the population by 2030.

Square dancing, a form of group dancing in public squares, has become a popular exercise among the elderly and middle-aged due its low cost and ease of participation.

However, owing to insufficient public space and poor management in Chinese cities, noise made by square dancers has caused a string of conflict.

In the latest conflict, a group of elderly square dancers battled for use of a basketball court with young basketball players in a park in Luoyang city, Central China's Henan province.