From Traditional familism to dancing Grannies

I very much enjoyed Professor Yans lecture, learning about traditional familism from ancient China to this time and the meaning familism had for chinese society. The lecture gave me an inside of the huge changes chinese people went through since the cultural revolution. The rules that strengthened familism like respecting, seniors for wisdom and life experience, where turned around, as described in Prof. Yan's article" Neo- familism in the state of China" . Grandparents where left behind in the countryside while younger generations had to work hard to make a living in the cities. The one-child policy reversed old principals and destroyed values of familism.

In his article he explains how often seniors merely had to babysitt grandchildren, without being able to secure their own future. I enjoyed reading about the Dancing Grannies, where grandmothers simply refused to baby-sit but instead taking care of their own social life and well being by meeting in large group in public to excercise and dance.

I would like to research more about the health excercises that are practised in China to widen my horizon in the traditions of Qi Gong, Thai Chi etc. to include into my Physical Education program for special education students.