Senior citizens play starring role

"It puts me in a good mood to upload videos and make friends with like-minded people and, in doing so, I have also gained a lot of new knowledge," Tong says.

The hobby began after the COVID-19 outbreak, when she felt she had very little to do at home.

"I was suffering from periarthritis (inflammation around the joints), and my friends recommended that I take up dancing as a way of exercise, saying that it might alleviate the symptoms. I don't really like dancing in public squares, so I started learning short dances by other vloggers," Tong says.

Having learned the dances and rearranged a few by herself, shooting videos and sharing them with other dance enthusiasts gave her the drive to continue learning and practicing.

Opposing opinions from friends and family are not unusual to her, as there are those who believe that older people shouldn't be courting attention in such a public manner, but having received positive feedback online, she decided to keep up the hobby.

"I now take a tripod with me wherever I go. Sometimes when I see a pleasant view, I stop and film a short video. At first I was self-conscious of passers-by laughing at me, now it doesn't bother me at all."

For her, vlogging is a hobby based on personal choice, just as many retirees choose to play mahjong or poker.

She says that her symptoms are now substantially relieved and she has lost a lot of weight.

"I have also got to know a lot of Douyin users in my local area, and we often meet up and shoot videos together. A lot of my real-life friends are also shooting videos, though they may not upload as regularly as me."

She takes each video seriously, practicing sometimes hours for a single short dance routine. As video-making is also new to her, she also puts in a lot of effort on the production side, constantly exploring the tools on Douyin including editing or adding filters and captions.

"Once the video is uploaded, it's for people from all over the country to see, so I have to present my best image. I also feel that at this age, my mind is not as sharp as it used to be, so whenever I have the time, I learn how to dance better and make better videos."

Although essentially a personal account for recording her own life, each of her videos gains up to 1,500 likes, garnering a multitude of complimentary comments.

There will never be ample time for her to read and reply to each comment, but taking a glimpse at them each day is enough to put a smile on her face.

"Most of those who follow me are retirees from all walks of life. Every day, I receive greetings in the comments saying 'good morning'," Tong says.