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Seniors' canteens and square dancing
Shanghai has many 长者食堂 or community canteens for older residents, offering cheap, simple meals — often a few yuan to a little over ten — in residential neighborhoods. Besides food, they are places where older people living alone can meet, and in new estates where neighbors are strangers, they often become social centers. 广场舞, group dancing in squares and courtyards, is one of the most visible activities of retired people across China, especially women. It is mostly done in the early morning or evening to recorded music, and while it sometimes draws complaints about noise, for many participants it is exercise and community. For people moved from old lanes, these new routines often replace the street life they lost. 顾阿婆's adjustment — loneliness, then a canteen, then friends — is a common story.