广场舞为什么这么火？
Why do Chinese aunties dance in public squares?
Name: ________________ Date: ________
我妈退休以后，比上班的时候还忙。每天晚饭一吃完，她就拿起一个小音箱往外走：“我去广场了！”楼下的空地上，几十位阿姨早就站好了。音乐响起，大家挥手、转身、拍手，动作整整齐齐。这就是广场舞。
在中国，只要有一块空地，就可能有人跳广场舞：公园里、小区门口、超市前面。最热闹的时候是早上和晚饭以后。跳舞的大多是中老年女性，大家常叫她们“广场舞大妈”。据估计，全国经常跳广场舞的人有一亿左右。
为什么这么多人爱跳？我妈的理由很简单：“不花钱，能锻炼，还能聊天。”第三条也许最重要。孩子长大离开了家，退休以后白天常常没人说话，可是在广场上，每天都有一群老朋友等着你。对很多老人来说，广场舞是保持健康、赶走孤独的好办法。
广场舞的歌也很有特点：节奏快，声音大，一听就想跟着动。像《小苹果》这样的歌，被很多人叫作“广场舞神曲”。动作也不用自己想：2015年，国家专门请专家编排了十二套广场舞，在全国推广。
可是，不是每个人都想在晚上九点听《小苹果》。楼上的孩子要睡觉，第二天要上班的人想早点儿休息。于是，在不少地方，邻居和跳舞的人吵了起来。2014年，温州一栋楼的居民实在受不了了，大家一起出了二十六万元，买来一套大音响，准备“反击”。
后来，各地都开始想办法。2022年起，按照新的法律，在公共场所跳舞要遵守时间和音量的规定，如果劝了还不听，可能会被罚款。有的地方，阿姨们干脆戴上耳机跳舞。旁边的人一点儿音乐也听不见，只看见一群人安安静静地跳舞，动作还是那么整齐。
以前总是我忙，没时间陪我妈。现在反过来了。上个星期，我晚上七点半给她打电话。她一接电话就说：“跳舞呢，九点以后再说！”然后就把电话挂了。这句话，以前都是我对她说的。
Key words
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 动作 | dòngzuò | movement; action; move; motion |
| 热闹 | rènao | lively; bustling; fun; excitement |
| 女性 | nǚxìng | woman; female; the female sex |
| 估计 | gūjì | to estimate; to reckon; estimate |
| 也许 | yéxǔ | perhaps; maybe; probably |
| 特点 | tèdiǎn | characteristic; feature; trait |
| 叫作 | jiàozuò | to be called; to be known as |
| 专门 | zhuānmén | specially; especially; specialized; special |
| 实在 | shízài | really; truly; indeed |
| 各地 | gèdì | everywhere; all over (a country or the world) |
| 退休 | tuìxiū | to retire; retirement |
| 广场 | guángchǎng | public square; plaza |
English (for the teacher)
Since my mum retired, she’s been busier than when she was working. Every evening, the moment dinner is over, she grabs a small speaker and heads out: “Off to the square!” On the open ground downstairs, dozens of aunties are already lined up. The music starts, and everyone waves, turns and claps, every move in perfect time. This is square dancing.
In China, wherever there’s a patch of open ground, someone may be square dancing on it: in parks, at the gates of housing estates, outside supermarkets. It’s busiest in the morning and after dinner. Most of the dancers are middle-aged and older women, often called “square-dancing aunties”. By some estimates, about a hundred million people in China square-dance regularly.
Why do so many people love it? My mum’s reasons are simple: “It’s free, it’s exercise, and you get to chat.” The third may matter most. The children have grown up and left home, and after retiring there’s often no one to talk to all day, but out on the square, a group of old friends is waiting for you every day. For many older people, square dancing is a good way to stay healthy and keep loneliness away.
The songs stand out too: a fast beat, plenty of volume, the kind that makes you want to move the moment you hear it. Songs like “Little Apple” are known to many as “square-dance anthems”. You don’t even have to make up the moves yourself: in 2015, the state had experts choreograph twelve square dances and promoted them across the country.
But not everyone wants to hear “Little Apple” at nine in the evening. Upstairs, children need to sleep, and people with work the next day want an early night. So in quite a few places, neighbours and dancers started to argue. In 2014, the residents of one building in Wenzhou had had enough: together they put up 260,000 yuan for a big sound system, ready to “strike back”.
After that, places everywhere began looking for answers. Since 2022, under a new law, dancing in public places has to keep to the rules on time and volume, and anyone who still won’t listen after being spoken to can be fined. In some places, the aunties simply put on headphones to dance. People nearby can’t hear a note; all they see is a group of people dancing in total silence, every move still perfectly in time.
I used to be the busy one, with no time for my mum. Now it’s the other way round. Last week, I rang her at half past seven in the evening. The moment she picked up, she said: “I’m dancing, talk after nine!” Then she hung up. That line used to be mine.