15.10.2021
As reported by the Guardian, ‘dancing grannies’ has become a social issue in Mainland China. This sounds like another issue among many social problems inside the country: rural workers in municipal areas, inequality between rural and urban areas, to name just a few. Another is the clash between generations. This friction is reflected in what a young person said in the article: Many elderly people feel that the whole China is built by their generation.
To explain this phenomenon, let’s have a peek behind the curtain. What drives the generation of “dancing grannies”, and why is the one-child generation not very familiar with the older generation’s behaviour? What is the role of the government in managing these contradictions? And finally, how we can understand this generational clash from three perspectives?
To put it simply, the generation of the Cultural Revolution is used to being noisy. The turmoil during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution between 1966-1969 created chaos in the country with the Red Guards and Zaofan (rebels), made up of young people and students, noisily participating in political campaigns (mass rallies of 100 000 people) and intimidating the older generation.
Before this, people had taken part in the four Pests campaign dubbed the Sparrow fighting movement (1958-1962) and the auxiliary campaign during the Great Leap Forward. This time people were organized in groups, and to prevent sparrows from resting in their nests, they made noise by hitting pots and pans. In other words, this generation is used to noise and express their emotions spontaneously.
The second generation of “little emperors” have grown up in an overprotective environment, are both used to instant gratification and getting their own way. Therefore, if they want to have a quiet environment, they need to have it immediately. By introducing the one-child policy, Deng Xiaoping hoped to alleviate poverty in the country. Taking the opposite approach, Mao, he designed a policy that would be more rational and predictable. Ultimately, the CCP achieved economic growth and alleviated poverty, but the price they had to pay was considerably higher than expected. The one-child policy generation seems assertive, individualistic and has high expectations. In this regard, “dancing grannies” run counter to the expectations of this young generation.
Needless to say, tension between generations is a worldwide phenomenon. However, taking China as an example, we can see how the central and local government are reacting to the growing contradictions in the municipal areas. Tianjin municipality, for example, was the first location to implement a new law- “Regulations on the Promotion of Civilized Behaviour” (文明行为促进条例). As revealed by Wang Zeqing, the local government through public consultation and regulations, attempted to root out what was perceived as ‘uncivilized behaviour’ such as being shirtless, being noisy, or occupying seats on public transport which were reserved for the elderly (thoughtless behaviour) as well as queue jumping (公共场所赤膊、大声喧哗、“霸座”, 随意插队). But if a person who is reprimanded by the police refuses to rectify their “mistakes”, then they would be fined between RMB 50 and RMB 200. In regard to the crime of “square dancing”, if the activity is too loud or disturbs the peace, and the reprimanded person again refuses to rectify their error, then they would be fined between RMB 200 and RMB 500.
To achieve social harmony, the ”regulations” use terms such as ”recommendation, reward, and guidance” (表彰, 奖励, 指导), and establishes a large number of guiding norms, voluntary norms, encouragement and rewards. However, these regulations have failed to quieten the noisy grannies and the young generation has resorted to using special electronic devices to enforce the regulations that the authorities are meant to impose. The remote stun gun-style device that disables a speaker from 50 metres away – is a new solution to tensions between generations.
The growing tension between the generations should be seen from three perspectives. First, Tianjin’s regulations show that in terms of law and regulations, China remains a very diverse place with differing forms of legal approaches but with one dominant party in the political system. Secondly, the fact that the young generation uses special devices to quieten ‘loud grannies’ reflects the weak implementation of the law and further exacerbates the conflict among the generations. Thirdly, this phenomenon shows that a harmonious Confucian society should be regarded as utopian thinking, and is not , one single modus operandi of Chinese society. It reflects the norms shaped by the legalist school of thought when people are seen as bad by nature and only by strict law and regulations can the government manage the country’s social affairs.