Square dancing (China)

Square dancing in Haikou People's Park, Hainan, April 2012 A small group dances in step on a tiled plaza ringed by tall trees, their bags and a portable speaker set down at the edge. Square dancing, or guangchang wu, needs little more than that speaker and a patch of open ground, which is why groups turn up to dance in public parks and squares across China. The routines are simple, repeated sequences danced in unison, so it works as cardio by stealth: steady stepping that feels more like a social club than a workout.