WATCH: Chinese school kids do the “ghost shuffle”

PETALING JAYA (Jan 22): It's a ritual that takes place almost every morning – school students and their teachers perform broadcast calisthenics, regimented exercise routines involving synchronised movements.

But one school in Shanxi province in the northern region of China is breaking away from this almost seventy-year-old practice with its funky, fast-paced take on morning calisthenics, reported the SCMP.

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Every morning, about 700 pupils of Xi Guan Primary Schools do the guibu (ghost shuffle) – a dance that incorporates modern jazz steps with movements using the heels, toes and arms – led by their headmaster 40-year-old Zhang Pengfei.

Videos of the dance have gone viral, with one receiving well over seven million views.

He introduced the energetic dance routine in November last year as the student body and teachers were bored of the regular broadcast calisthenics, reported the SCMP.

While half of the teachers were initially against the new exercise, they eventually joined in as “the music is full of energy... it really gets the happiness flowing”.

However, it's not all fun and games – China's Ministry of Education conducts spot checks to ensure that schools follow the default exercise routines. 

Thus, some Chinese netizens fear for the future of Zhang's career due to his non-compliance.

As at publication time, Zhang could not be reached for comment while ministry officials did not immediately respond to queries.