Viral ibuprofen dance lifts mood in China’s COVID-19 outbreak
As China grapples with an unprecedented COVID-19 surge following its relaxation of strict virus-control measures, people have to make their own fun while avoiding face-to-face interaction.
With an estimated 250 million people infected with COVID-19 in the first 20 days of December and widespread reports of a spike in coronavirus-related deaths that have been straining hospitals and funeral homes, the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in China is no laughing matter.
But even in a time of crisis, many Chinese social media users still manage to stay creative and use content to spread laughter and positivity. Recently, a new viral trend has arisen from the deluge of morale-boosting videos: a stunt challenge inspired by the packaging of various ibuprofen products, which has seen tens of thousands of participants spinning, stretching, and jump-kicking.
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Set to an edited audio clip that consists of famous quotes from Chinese tai chi master Mǎ Bǎoguó 马保国, the original routine was created by Douyin user @雨小晨, who has over 270,000 followers on the Chinese version of TikTok. In a video uploaded on December 16, the amateur choreographer can be seen imitating a handful of postures struck by an illustrated figure that appears on the packaging of different Chinese ibuprofen brands.
At one moment, to the sound of “Pa! A left-side kick!” played over a beat, the Douyin user raises and bends his right arm to flex the bicep. Another set of instructions in the background leads to him posing in a sprinting position. Throughout the video, which is captioned, “My fam, which positions are the most effective in fighting off COVID?,” @雨小晨 practices a total of six moves, each inspired by an ibuprofen product.
From there, the stunt challenge took off. Under the hashtags “ibuprofen turns out to have so many poses” #原来布洛芬有这么多姿势# and “ibuprofen dance” #布洛芬舞蹈#, droves of Chinese internet users shared videos of themselves parroting the moves. As of Tuesday, the copycat clips have collectively generated over 1 billion views on Douyin.
One of the most viral videos in the genre came from a dance student in Shanghai, who took the routine to the next level with his incredible flexibility and precision. Posted on December 17, the clip has racked up nearly 7 million likes.
Some people taking part in the trend put their own spins on the challenge. A martial arts actress turned the routine into a fighting sequence and a plethora of virtual characters also gave their own renditions, along with doctors and K-pop fans.
Many Chinese social media users describe the challenge as a silver lining in the midst of the ongoing COVID outbreak aggravated by scarce medicine stocks and outpatient beds. Earlier this month, after widespread protests against its COVID-19 curbs, China withdrew from a three-year pursuit of COVID zero, putting an end to regular mass testing and mass quarantines.
However, without a proper exit plan, the sudden policy U-turn caught the public and the country’s fragile health system off guard, causing widespread shortages of drugs used to alleviate flu-like symptoms and leaving hospitals scrambling to cope with a surge of infections. Although officials and big pharmaceutical companies have sought to reassure the public, with some local governments promising to distribute COVID drugs to everyone, complaints about certain medicines — such as the local versions of Tylenol and Advil — being perpetually out of stock can still be seen across the internet in China.
