Notes

Wearing masks and coats, Chinese damas 大媽 (married Chinese women between the ages of 40-60) dance to rhythms of songs despite cold weather and smog on a square in a county of Heihe, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province on Sunday evening, November 15, 2015. Temperature dropped to minus ten degrees centigrade in the city which was blanketed with smog due to high levels of air pollution.

Beijing upgrading its pollution rating to severely unhealthy couldn't keep a group of pensioners in the centre of the city from pursuing their obsession with square dancing.
As thick smog collected around buildings in the Chinese capital, the sizeable band of undaunted dancers donned face masks and performed their routine as usual, reports People's Daily Online.
The brave group carried on entirely as usual on Tuesday, flapping their hands and tapping their feet joyously while many other citizens opted to stay indoors.

Undaunted: These 'dancing grannies' taking part in their square dance in Beijing were not put off by the smog

Joy of movement: The pastime has been adopted by 100 million women in China, but has been unpopular with some residents for playing loud music during the evening, drawing noise complaints

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The very public pastime, which has seen an astronomical growth in popularity in China over recent times, attracts participants in their millions to boogie through the evening.

Around 100 million women are currently estimated to take part in the activity, nicknamed 'dancing grannies' in the West, which is seen as an effective form of exercise for ladies in their middle age and older.

The hobby in its modern form is thought to have originated in the 1990s and groups across China have courted controversy in the intervening years for playing noisy music in the evening.

Danger: The dancers seem to ignore the smog, as the Chinese government advises people to stay indoors

Beijing has ordered all schools to shut and outdoor construction to cease after the first ever red alert for smog levels in the city on Monday

Residents wear face and gas masks as they check their phones while waiting for a bus in central Beijing

China's National Meteorological Administration issued an all-time high red alert for smog in the capital on December 7. Residents were urged by the authorities to stay indoors.

People were instructed only to attempt outdoor activities whilst wearing a protective mask to defend against harmful particles.

A red alert also means that 30 percent of vehicles in Beijing will be taken off the roads, heavy vehicles will be banned, most schools will be advised to cancel classes, businesses are recommended to implement flexible working hours and all 'large-scale, outdoor activities' should be stopped.

Remedy for smog: Beijing authorities tried to dispel pollution particles on December 7 using a water cannon

A Chinese man donning the panda mask was accompanied by a woman also wearing the same mask and jumper - pictured here taking a selfie

On December 8, the Beijing authorities tried to dispel the smog blanketing the city using a water cannon.

Nevertheless, Beijing's pollution crisis appears to have spawned a new fashion trend with dozens of residents seen walking the smog-ridden streets wearing playfully designed face masks.

Cute monkey, panda and teddy bear designs are all available to those ignoring authorities' warnings and braving the dangerously high levels of pollution.

Beijing's pollution crisis comes as China, one of the world's worst polluters, takes part in crucial discussions in Paris regarding carbon emissions.

Chinese researchers have identified pollution as a major source of unrest around the country. Greenpeace called the red alert 'a welcome sign of a different attitude from the Beijing government'.