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Fran Lu

Secondary schools in China have urged pupils to dance while studying in a bid to activate their brains, boost morale and relieve heavy academic pressure.
Several schools across the nation have applied the “passionate morning reading” method with their pupils.
In video clips posted online, teenagers can be seen wiggling their bodies and waving their arms wildly while reading textbooks.
In some schools, pupils stand still while studying but are encouraged to chant the text loudly.

The activity lasts the whole morning study session, which usually lasts half an hour.
In some schools known for their military-style management, such as Hengshui High School in northern China’s Hebei province, the morning study session can start as early as 6am.
Another school in southwestern China’s Guizhou province said its passionate morning reading session lasts from day.
According to the school, the activity is effective in “boosting the students’ morale and activating their youthful power.”
Another school in eastern China’s Shandong province asked its pupils to read English and Chinese textbooks passionately in the morning to cultivate their reading skills, improve their memory capacity and confidence.

It is unknown when and where the trend started, but the earliest reports of this activity can be traced to 2021 on mainland social media.
The secondary school from the reports, located in northwestern China’s Shaanxi province, said its graduating pupils started the trend voluntarily.
Chinese pupils, especially those in senior secondary school, face heavy academic pressure due to the competitiveness of the national college entrance examination.
A total of 13.35 million students took the test in June this year.
The number of candidates had been on the rise since it exceeded 10 million in 2019, and only registered a slight drop this year from 13.42 million in 2024.
Many in China believed the exam, also known as “gaokao”, to be their only chance to succeed in life.
This belief has boosted the strict education style known as “Hengshui mode”.
Developed by the Hengshui High School, it boasts military-style management that urges pupils to study for 16 hours a day.
A student in Hengshui No.2 High School said their lunchtime lasted just 15 minutes.

A graduate from Hebei province said their school only allowed them to take a shower twice a week, as it was considered a waste of time.
The passionate morning reading activity has received a mixed reaction online.
“Moving your body while reading is actually quite helpful in memorising difficult text,” said one person.
“This activity is at least better than playing with their phones and pads all day long,” another online observer said.
“Can they even read while moving wildly like this?” another asked.
A graduate who had experienced passionate morning reading said she was forced: “The teacher made us read out loud and ruined my voice.”


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So-called passionate morning reading involves chanting, wild body movements, and it is said to improve memory capacity, confidence


So-called passionate morning reading involves chanting, wild body movements, and it is said to improve memory capacity, confidence.


China education

China schools urge pupils to dance when studying to boost brains, morale, ease pressure

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}So-called passionate morning reading involves chanting, wild body movements, and it is said to improve memory capacity, confidence

So-called passionate morning reading involves chanting, wild body movements, and it is said to improve memory capacity, confidence