Update'Ethnic aerobics' will cure neck pain as well as promote culture, say Chinese officials
Hailed as the nation’s first “Ethnic Aerobics,” the 3.4-minute long workout proudly launched by China’s State Ethnic Commission this week features signature dance moves from ethnic minorities - frequently stereotyped as the country’s best dancers and singers.
Although it is a far cry from the cruel “insanity workout” that has gone viral, a gruelling new exercise developed by Chinese officials has been branded “insane” by the mainland's outspoken bloggers.
Hailed as the nation’s first “Ethnic Aerobics,” the 3.4-minute long workout proudly launched by China’s State Ethnic Commission this week features signature dance moves from ethnic minorities - frequently stereotyped as the country’s best dancers and singers.
The Most Dazzling Folk Style, a major hit by China’s popular music duo Phoenix Legend, has been used as the accompanying music for the workout. Coincidentally Yang Wei Ling Hua, the female vocalist, is herself an ethnic minority from inner Mongolia.
And it’s not just for show. The workout has been designed with movements that will help the elderly and office workers who are suffering from neck and back problems, said choreographer and professor Li Junyi from China’s Minzu University, a national-level university in Beijing designated for ethnic minorities.
Known to be zealous group dancers, elderly Chinese people, a majority of whom are retired women, are often seen practising in city parks and street pavements in the evenings.