Collective Joy And Public Places:the Guangchangwu's Function In The Process Of Urbanization

In the past 10 years,growing attention has been brought to the early morning and nighttime health activity known in China as Guangchangwu,a collection of various dances.These groups mostly consist of woman,but some men do participate,in their early fifties to early seventies.The participants almost universally praise the activity for its perceived health benefits,however,through active participation,observation and interviewing,it is evident that this activity also fulfills certain social needs in modern China.Current literature regarding Guangcangwu mostly skips over this aspect either in favor of an analysis of physical fitness,city management or its relationship with politics.This paper puts forward that urbanization and economic development have not only pushed standards of living higher,but also have had a huge impact on Chinese culture.Most notably,a gradual transformation from a"totalist society" to an individualized one,which has led to the growing trend of individualization in Chinese society.Drawing on the works of Chinese scholars Fei Xiao Tong,Yan Yunxiang,and Wang Di,along with western scholars such as Michel Decerteau,Emile Durkheim,Edith Turner,and Barbara Ehrenreich,this paper explores the historical background of these "spontaneous" public dancing groups,its social function,and its implication on public space in China.It is the paper's position that cing in Chinese society has always existed not only for the purpose of physical exercise but also for strengthening solidarity.In other words it has always had a function in everyday life.Furthermore,the papertheorizes that today's phenomena of Guangchangwu shares historical roots with Chinese Folk Dance and city traditions of "Kan Rennao"(seeing commotions).This historical connection is mainly based on both the dance's function to solidarity and its spontaneous grassroots formation.The paper focuses on one folk dance in particular,the Yangge,both because it was popularized during the expansion of the communist ideology outside of its original location of Northern China,and because its modern predecessor,the Fitness Yangge,is often considered by scholars to be the root of square dancing.Modern China has experienced an unprecedented change in modernization and this has left an impact on its culture.Some scholars and commenters alike view square dancing as collective nostalgia.But relegating it to nostalgia ignores important modern aspects of the dance.Yes,the dance fulfills certain individual physical,psychological,and cultural goals,but little research has been done on its function of solidarity.Modernization has brought 4 major changes in older citizen's lives:Growing Individualization,demographic pressures,changing family structures,and the collapse of the Danwei institution.These ladies don't only dance for fitness,they dance for a sense of understanding each other and themselves in a changing world.The growing presence of these 4 changes,as well growing urbanization has put a strain on public spaces.In other words,as square dancing gains popularity there is less and less space to accommodate this activity.This phenomena leads the women to either crowd available spaces or to claim open spaces,such as parking lots,or shopping centers.Greater individualization has led to more of a sense of private ownership and expectations for privacy.In recent years there has been a steady rise in noise complaints caused by dancers.In order to maintain order,authorities have often prohibited the activity in areas.The paper proposes that these conflicts demonstrate a community's degree of individualization.With the two examples used the paper demonstrates that the dancers often negotiate over use of the space,and use of music,to come to a mutually beneficial agreement to all people.This represents a way that promotes social harmony and curbs bad effects of individualization by bringingcommunities closer together with each other' s everyday requirement.