Early morning China is when you see it the most: Tai Qi, Qi Gong, badminton, swimming, square dancing and more. Before the young’uns roll out of bed, their parents and grandparents have already spent 1 to 2 hours outside exercising. Whatever it is they’re into, they’re out there and moving their bodies. That’s more than I can say for a majority of elderly people of the West.
清晨是中国最热闹的时候：太极、气功、羽毛球、游泳、广场舞等等。在孩子们起床之前，他们的父母和祖父母已经花了 1 到 2 个小时在户外锻炼。无论他们喜欢什么，他们都会在那里移动他们的身体。对于大多数西方老年人来说，这超出了我所能说的。
House bound and lonely, a large majority of our Western grandparents barely make it out of their homes more than once a week, let alone exercising or socialising. After observing that Chinese elderly remain so active and strong, I often wonder how such activities would be observed back home if there were any. I was soon to find out.
我们的西方祖父母中的大多数人都待在家里，感到孤独，每周只离开家一次，更不用说锻炼或社交了。当我看到中国的老年人仍然如此活跃和坚强时，我常常想，如果有这样的活动，在家乡会如何被观察到。我很快就知道了。
Recently, I returned home to Melbourne, Australia. I was having lunch with my family at a pub in the city’s famous Federation Square when I heard it, that unmistakable square dancing beat. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I rushed out of the pub, there they were, Chinese aunties all lined up in rows, active wear on, swishing and swaying to the beat.
近日，我回到了澳大利亚墨尔本的家。当我和家人在该市著名的联邦广场的一家酒吧吃午饭时，我听到了那明显的广场舞节奏。当我冲出酒吧时，我简直不敢相信自己的眼睛，他们就在那里，中国阿姨们排成一排，穿着运动服，随着节奏摇摆着。
I approached the lead teacher; I just had to know if they were mainlanders. “I’m originally from Shanghai, and have lived in Melbourne, Australia for 28 and a half years; I will not return to life in China. Today’s China is not the China I left 28 years ago. It has undergone radical changes”, Joanna, Federation Square Chinese Troupe Instructor told the Nanjinger.
我找到了班主任；我只是想知道他们是不是大陆人。 “我来自上海，在澳大利亚墨尔本生活了28年半，我不会回到中国生活。今天的中国已经不是我离开28年前的中国了，它已经发生了翻天覆地的变化。”联邦广场华人艺术团指导员乔安娜告诉《南京人》。
“I have fallen in love with Melbourne and the Australian people’s friendship, enthusiasm, boldness, climate, environment, etc. it’s all very attractive to me to continue living in this country. It has been ranked as the world’s most livable city.”
Joanna, Federation Square Chinese Troupe Instructor
Asked why she left China so long ago, Joanna told me, “China’s policy of doing business at the time, and the management systems in place were really difficult for small companies to survive, that among other important reasons made me decide to move to Australia”.
当被问及为什么这么早就离开中国时，乔安娜告诉我，“当时中国的营商政策和管理制度对于小公司来说确实很难生存，这是我决定搬到澳大利亚的重要原因之一”。
While watching the square dancing troupe dancing at Federation Square, I noticed one caucasian woman smiling, effortlessly gliding along with the group. “Oh! That’s Jacki Staude. She lives in Geelong and participates in practice every Thursday. She doesn’t know Chinese, but this is definitely for her. Language is no obstruction at all for her. She is very smart and hardworking. Every dance she learns and [she]has participated in all of our performances”, Joanna said.
当我在联邦广场观看广场舞团跳舞时，我注意到一位白人妇女微笑着，毫不费力地跟着人群滑行。 “哦！那是Jacki Staude。她住在吉朗，每周四都会参加练习。她不懂中文，但这绝对适合她。语言对她来说完全不是障碍。她很聪明，也很勤奋。每一个舞蹈她都会学，并且参加了我们所有的表演”，乔安娜说。
Not only do the Melbourne dancing aunties of Federation Square meet every Thursday, but they perform elsewhere too. Joanna went on, “Our Federation Square Song and Dance Troupe trains once a week. Our dance group is the best platform for promoting Chinese culture, so that Australians who do not have the opportunity to go to China can understand and appreciate Chinese culture in their own country. There are many dance groups like us in Melbourne”.
墨尔本的跳舞阿姨不仅每周四都会在联邦广场聚会，还在其他地方表演。乔安娜接着说，“我们联邦广场歌舞团每周训练一次。我们的舞团是传播中国文化的最好平台，让没有机会去中国的澳大利亚人也能在自己的国家了解和欣赏中国文化。墨尔本有很多像我们这样的舞团。”
Chinese culture has influenced the Western world from its food to its medicine; perhaps through public dancing, China’s active aunties can influence more robust community-based activities for the West’s aging population. “As a result of performing and practicing in Australia we have realised that the combination of Chinese and Western cultures in this way works well, and we hope that more locals in the future would like to join us”, concluded Joanna.
中国文化从饮食到医药影响了西方世界；也许通过公共舞蹈，中国活跃的阿姨们可以为西方老龄化人口影响更活跃的社区活动。 “通过在澳大利亚的表演和实践，我们发现这种中西文化的结合效果很好，希望未来有更多的当地人加入我们”，Joanna总结道。
