Viral ibuprofen dance lifts mood in China’s COVID-19 outbreak

Society & Culture

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.

Stills from an “ibuprofen dance” Douyin video.

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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Chinese versions of ibuprofen drugs. Image from Xiaohongshu.

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.