If you’re a TikTok user, you’ve probably come across videos of an eccentric Asian man—with long hair, black clothes, and sunglasses—leading groups wearing headphones dancing at night in public squares to classics like the hit 1970s Ma Baker de Boney. M.
The videos have attracted tens of millions of views with many confused people trying to figure out who this man is and what these people are doing.
The memes have gone viral, with many copying their moves and posting their own videos on TikTok and other social media platforms.
But who is this guy? Who are the people in these videos? And why do Chinese teenagers hate what they are doing?
Brother Jian, the moonshine tea man
Brother Jian’s videos have been viewed and copied millions of times. (TikTok: @ngaly3622)
The man in the videos is known as Brother Jian, a resident of Baoding City in northern China’s Hebei Province.
According to his Chinese social media profile, he runs a small tea business by day.
But at night he is known as “the Chinese master of square dancing”.
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Brother Jian records himself leading groups of dancers in public squares and posts the videos online on Kuai Shou (Kwai), a Chinese short video platform similar to TikTok.
On Kwai, these videos only attracted a few hundred likes.
But once outside observers saw them and started re-uploading them to the international TikTok platform, they caught the attention of millions, turning Brother Jian and his nondescript cohort into mini-celebrities.
“I see this guy more than my own parents.” – Theresa
“Whatever the cult is…I’m in.” — MorrisKombat
“I had a dream that this guy brought the world together to dance and world peace and compassion was created.” — Luis
“Why is this so addictive?” — Iamnotapotato
“Can someone please explain what’s going on?” – Brandon Fischer
These are just a few examples from tens of thousands of comments from fans and imitators.
Onlookers have often wondered, “Who is Lori?!” As a TikTokker who goes by the nickname “Lori” she constantly comments on her video feelings like, “Beautiful baby. My beautiful special man. You look amazing. The best baby ever. I love you forever.”
But what he is doing is quite common in China.
Participating in a square dance is usually free and requires no special skills other than a desire to participate. (Reuters: Jason Lee)
Square dancing has been a popular form of group activity there for decades, with roots dating back thousands of years.
Participants meet in public squares or parks; events are usually free and there is no skill or knowledge requirement to participate.
To begin, a lead dancer or instructor will play music and then begin to trace and “choreograph” simple, repetitive steps to popular, rhythmic songs that attendees can easily and quickly follow.
It was initially popular with older women as it provides an easy opportunity to exercise and socialize, but lately many younger men have joined in as well.
It has become so popular that the Chinese government has led campaigns by releasing instructional videos encouraging more people to join, leading to square dancing competitions.
State media say there are more than 100 million participants across the country, but not everyone likes it, especially young Chinese.
The kids get a “tool” to shut down the dancers
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Many young Chinese have complained about early start times and loud music disrupting sleep on weekends, and popular songs becoming “earworms” that drive students crazy while trying to study.
In addition, dances often take place on basketball courts or soccer fields, leaving teenagers with fewer places to gather and play weekend sports, leading to conflict.
Space for play or pause, M for mute, left and right arrows for search, up and down arrows for volume. Chinese youths argue with square dancers on a basketball court. (Douyin: 电视聊城)
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There have been a number of widely discussed incidents of teenagers and dancers, called square dancing “grandmas”, fighting over public squares.
Some young people have started sharing square dance “mute” devices to silence square dance events.
The torch-like device works as a long-distance universal remote control. (YouTube: Kai Xiang)
The devices, which look like torches, are basically universal remote controls that can mute the music of a square dance from long distances, as seen in the videos above.
In an attempt to find a middle ground and a compromise, some Chinese cities introduced “silent” square dancing, which requires participants to wear wireless headphones to events to dance without the noise pollution.
Because of this, in many of the viral videos on TikTok, you can see a large number of choreographed dancers dancing silently.
Square dancing migrates to Australia
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As square dancing became more and more popular, the Chinese diaspora has tried to bring the phenomenon to other countries, including Australia.
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In 2015, a Chinese art association organized a square dance event in Melbourne’s Federation Square, attracting the attention of many passers-by who watched or joined in.
There are also regular square dance events in various Australian communities around the country that are becoming increasingly popular with baby boomers.
So the next time you see one, don’t be shy – they’re open to everyone!
You can see this story on ABC Australia’s TikTok account here.