Square dancing (China)

Fitness dancing in the grounds of the Summer Palace, Beijing, December 2010 On a clear winter day, dancers in warm jackets whirl red scarves overhead in a loose formation on a paved plaza, while passersby stop to watch and take photos. Group fitness dancing like this belongs to the same family as square dancing, one of China's most familiar park pastimes. The scarves add an upper-body element, since keeping them moving means continuous shoulder and arm work, and the steps are repetitive enough that a newcomer can follow within a song or two.