Dancing farmers become a sensation online

A farming couple in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province have become an Internet sensation after videos of them dancing in the fields went viral.

Their videos have had more than 60 million views, with 2.5 million thumbs up and over 100,000 comments.

The couple, 45-year-old Peng Xiaoying and her 49-year-old husband Fan Deduo, began to learn to dance about five years ago with one of the main reason being to try to help Fan recover from depression.

He had been injured in a traffic accident at the age of 39. Though he recovered physically, he had never got over the trauma psychologically.

With Peng shouldering all the couple’s business and family responsibilities, she soon developed health problems and her doctor advised taking more exercise. 

She came across shuffle dancing by chance and practiced by herself at first and then asked her husband to join her, hoping it would distract him from his anxieties.

Initially he resisted, but very soon he became attracted by the dance moves and the rhythm of the music.

The couple learnt steps online and Fan’s mood improved along with his health.

When they became more familiar with the dance, they decided to invent their own steps. The movements were inspired by their village life, from shouldering a carrying pole to mimicking snakes heading up in the field.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the couple began to show off their dancing via livestreams.

Viewers were greatly affected by the happy couple in the videos and moved by the touching story behind the dancing.

"Their optimistic attitude toward life is worth learning. I can feel the happiness through their dance!" was one comment.