Villagers out of poverty, into dancing

Seven years ago, to provide more public services for villagers, Boyang started to build a park, kindergarten, primary school and a cultural square with a pond and a fountain.

The cultural square, where the villagers now gather to dance each night, was put into use in 2015.

Zeng, who is also a member of the village committee responsible for women's work, said the dancing was started to enrich villagers' lives after their day's work.

The village gave the dance group more than 20,000 yuan to purchase audio equipment and dance wear.

Zeng and some of the other villagers later found that the regular dancing greatly eased the symptoms of common ailments such as diabetes and hypertension.

Kong Shiqin, who arrived in Boyang more than 10 years ago after marrying a local, is an enthusiastic member of the dance group.

She joined the group after watching its members dance several times and is now one of the villagers who leads the nightly dances.

After a day's work at a factory in the industrial park, Kong said she enjoyed the time she spent dancing with "a group of sisters".

"I love dancing and being together with them," she said. "Whenever I come to dance, I feel a sense of great relief and relaxation."