Poachers vs. Square Dancing

By: Zhang Zhen

Translated from Chinese by: Meg Xu

I sauntered into the plaza, leisurely joining the square dancing aunties in their post dinner excercie. I couldn't help but recall my post-dinner daily routine, from two years back; I would rush into the preservation everynight at 10 pm sharp, equipped with a head lamp, walkie-talkie, and power bank, bent on catching poachers.

Every summer, we work to prevent people from entering the protected area to hunt spiny-breasted frogs (locally known as "stone frogs"). In previous years, we used traditional methods like surveillance cameras and nighttime patrols to stop poaching, but the results were limited. Last year, despite our efforts, several poaching incidents still occurred.

I kept wondering: Even if our entire team worked around the clock, stationing people at every entrance, could we really manage it?  

The answer was: No.

The problem was this: If conservation efforts relied solely on us, it would be impossible to protect the area effectively.

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This year, we decided to try something different. During our night patrols, we started visiting villagers’ homes and chatting with the local aunties. Gradually, we realized that many of them were quite bored at night. Some even danced to videos on their phones alone. When we asked, we learned that no one had organized group activities for them.

So, I proposed, "How about we organize a square dance group?" The aunties were thrilled, and soon we had a group of five or six people.

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Just as everyone was getting into the groove, we casually mentioned, "Aunties, we’d love to join you, but we have to patrol the protected area at night to stop poachers from hunting stone frogs." To our surprise, the aunties immediately volunteered, "Don’t worry, we’ll help keep watch!"

And just like that, the Jiulongfeng Protected Area Square Dance Team was born.

The aunties started dancing right at the entrance of the protected area, combining their dance routines with patrols. Some even recorded videos at night and immediately called us if they spotted any suspicious lights in the area. Throughout the summer, the aunties became the first line of defense for the protected area.

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Word spread quickly, and during the summer, partners from Tencent’s "Doing Good" project joined us. To foster better interaction between the team and the villagers, we organized a rural market in the village. People sold local products, performed traditional opera, and enjoyed barbecues—it was a lively event. The square dance aunties even bought matching outfits at their own expense and dressed up for every performance. Village uncles drove them to the market in tricycles, and Tencent’s team praised their dancing and even helped promote their local products.

At the market, we also held a special roadshow competition. Tencent’s "Doing Good" team and students from Yungu School helped villagers sell their products, with villagers serving as judges. Winners received prizes like organic rice, wild tea, and dried bamboo shoots. The event was a huge hit, drawing the entire village into the lively competition.