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Shanghai's Elderly Waltz Back to the Past at Lunchtime Dance Halls

On Wednesday, Shanghai's lunchtime dance clubs revive 1930s ballroom culture as mostly elderly dancers foxtrot, rumba, and polka on sprung wooden floors with live music.
For many older dancers, retirees say the halls combat loneliness and give purpose, with Lin Guang saying `I was quite lonely at home`, Wei Xiaomeng attending five times a week, and Jin Zhiping adding `It lifts our spirits, and makes us feel we still have value`.
Venues mix period decor and live bands, with Paramount Ballroom still opening daily behind heavy brass doors for 180 yuan and hosting energetic performances including Xu Li's splits.
Organisers warn` the tradition could fade as the average age rises, AFP found around a dozen online and a local report suggested around 20 still operate, prompting recruitment efforts.
On the floor, nostalgia permeates the halls as women in qipao and vintage gowns evoke 1930s Shanghai glamour, with Chen Yiming, the entrepreneur behind Old Dreams Of Shanghai, saying, `Shanghai is a port city`.

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