Chinese schools reinvent traditional greeting with the 'Wuhan shake' in COVID-19 times
CGTN

No hugs, no hands shakes. How do you greet others when social distancing is advised under the COVID-19 pandemic?

Schools in China chose to use "zuoyi" – making a bow with hands folded in front, a popular way for greeting in ancient times.

Teachers and students greeting using "zuoyi." /Chinanews

Teachers and students greeting using "zuoyi." /Chinanews

For thousand of years, the Chinese people have been using "zuoyi" as a general gesture for hello, becoming common etiquette.

In the past two months, "zuoyi' has been introduced to 117 schools in Quzhou, a city in eastern China's Zhejiang Province, to help keep social distance between teachers and students. The greeting has sparked some discussion online.

"This is the right time to promote traditional Chinese culture among youngsters," said Wu Mingyang, the administrator of local education department.

Learning the correct way to do the "zuoyi" has been added to the syllabus when the spring semester started this month in Wujiang District First Middle School.

"Students showed so much interest in it. Many of them find it very valuable," said Cheng Junning, an officer from the middle school told the Chinanews.

A teacher shows the standard way to "zuoyi." /Chinanews

A teacher shows the standard way to "zuoyi." /Chinanews

However, opinions split online. "Quzhou has been promoting transitional cultures since 2016, so this movement didn't come from nowhere. It brings a new atmosphere to the city," @Linanshinan commented on Weibo, one of China's largest social media platform.

"But why don't you just say hello when you meet, it's not rude and is friendly too," @iam_Shirley_ said, with some netizens not seeing the value of the movement.

Dr. Tang Lap Kwong from the Chinese University of Hong Kong said he was "very excited to see this and hope they can insist on it the future" in an interview with the Chinanews.

He said it is a good idea to promote Chinese traditional culture in the schools. People have to respect the culture before they can revitalize it.