Weekend Long Read: China’s Dance Halls Offer Lonely Seniors a Last Chance to Swing

Even in the dim light of the dance floor, Liu Yuzhen is impossible to miss. At 68, she stands 1.7 meters tall, her frame draped in a brightly colored, low-cut dress. Heavy makeup, with dramatic red lipstick and false eyelashes, catches the glint of the spinning disco ball, a deliberate projection of vitality.

Only when the music stops and she gathers a group’s banner does a slight stoop betray her age — and her secret. Few in the boisterous crowd would guess that the woman known online as “War God Rose” is a late-stage cancer patient.