Chinese farming couple go viral on Douyin by dancing away depression
Updated 14:52, 13-Jun-2020
CGTN

A Chinese farming couple has gone viral on video sharing platform Douyin by posting videos of themselves shuffle dancing in the field.

The couple from a village in Rui'an, a county-level city in east China's Zhejiang Province, said that dancing had helped them get rid of depression together.

The couple show off their moves. /Douyin

The couple show off their moves. /Douyin

Husband Fan Deduo was injured in a traffic accident several years ago and the trauma had led him to suffer from depression. He was often dazed and got nervous when he couldn't see his wife Peng Xiaoying.

During this time, she had to shoulder all the family's burdens. She felt the huge pressure of earning a living while taking care of her family.

Coincidentally, Peng came across shuffle dancing and began to practice the movements with her husband to help distract him from depression and anxiety.

The couple practice dance movements in a field. /Xinhua

The couple practice dance movements in a field. /Xinhua

Initially, Fan was unwilling to try out the dance, but as he practiced more with his wife, he too fell in love with the dance.

Since then, when the couple were done with the farm work, they choreographed dances and tried them out in the field. Shuffle dancing became an outlet for them to release their pressure and anxiety.

The couple perform with their kids in the field. /Xinhua

The couple perform with their kids in the field. /Xinhua

Fan and Peng found that every childhood experience and field work could be turned into dance movements, from combing hair, carrying a load or even imitating a duck walking.

Shuffle dancing in front of a farm building. /Douyin

Shuffle dancing in front of a farm building. /Douyin

The couple have so far been followed by nearly 1.2 million users and earned more than 10 million likes on Douyin. Their most popular video has received 2.6 million likes and over 100,000 comments.

The couple's optimistic attitude towards life and hardship has been lauded by many Chinese netizens. Encouraging and praising comments have flooded the couple's videos.

"Without dazzling lights and magnificent stages, you two are still gorgeous," said Douyin user @aipincaihuiying.

"Whether you live in an urban or rural area, wealthy or poor, as long as you live happily, you are happy," said another Douyin user @shishiruyi.

(Cover image: Married couple Fan and Peng dance in the middle of a farming field. /Xinhua)