40 Years and Counting: The 56-year-old internet celebrity wannabe

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"Class Five" is a documentary film produced by CGTN which documents the changes to the Chinese society since the announcement of the Reform and Opening Up policy. Here's a shortened version of the story of one of the characters in the film – Ruan Juping is a 56-year-old internet celebrity wannabe who's hoping dancing online could help give her business a lift.

Platform sneakers, ripped sweatpants, baggy shirt. Probably not your average taste for a woman in her 50s. Nor is a liking of Carly Rae Jepsen and hip-hop dancing. Ruan Juping wants to become an internet celebrity. Rewind one month – she and her son, Jiayin, and niece, Jiayi, opened a shop for imported duty-free goods.

The family wants to move their business online.

Tik Tok, China's latest short video platform with more than 500 million users is her best shot at developing a fan base.

RUAN JUPING "Internet users have immense spending power, especially middle-aged people like me. So I'm practicing dancing to put a video up on Tik Tok. I can open up the market with Tik Tok by attracting more people to follow me and my products."

Ruan Juping may have two left feet when it comes to dancing. But four decades doing business, she can smell an opportunity. When she was a young girl, individual businesses were banned under China's planned economy. Ruan Juping's father was arrested for selling peanut candies on the streets.

RUAN JUPING "They put him in jail for several months, and didn't let us go see him. I thought, my family didn't steal anything, my father WORKED to earn a little money. How could they arrest him?"

Today, she's in a completely different business environment. Four decades of Reform and Opening Up in China have created a market-oriented economy, supported by private entrepreneurs.

So she's determined to make use of the times. To try and bring out her hidden performer, Ruan Juping asked her niece to take her to a dancing school. Age doesn't stop her from rocking out with the preschoolers.

RUAN JUPING "When it comes to doing business, Other people don't have the guts to do a lot of things. But I do. I'm different in that way. I'm a woman, but I'm braver than men."

Outside her home, Ruan Juping practices her moves every day. She's putting her best foot, or in her case, best feet, forward.

RUAN JUPING "When doing business, I feel I'm still young. I haven't aged yet. I'm going to compete with the young people. If a person doesn't try, you'll lose even the best opportunities. So I'm going to keep on fighting."