It was in 2019,     1     Zakirova came to Shanghai to study, that she discovered a local park filled with elderly people     2     (dance) in the early morning. No one judges the dancers for a misstep or for not keeping up with the rhythm. They simply dance and enjoy the moment. Usually,     3     (experience) dancers lead, while newcomers observe, learn, and eventually join in.     4     (occasion), she’d also join and dance with the Chinese. In her opinion, this public activity ignores age and background, offering     5     effective method to handle the loneliness and physical inactivity that often goes hand in hand with aging. It is a heartwarming proof to the openness and liveliness of modern Chinese society: older people and retired people gather, not just     6     (exercise), but to socialize and form new connections.

By the time she came to China, Zakirova     7     (take) part in various dances, including traditional Uzbek dances and various other cultural dances. On campus, she taught students from other corners of the world Uzbek dances in exchange     8     the learning of dances from their traditions. Outside the university, she often found     9     (she) wandering into parks watching the public square dances.

These two worlds — the public dancing in China and the Uzbek dance tradition — have shaped her life and brought her boundless joy.

Dancing, whether in China     10     Uzbekistan, serves as a reminder that the joy of dance goes beyond borders, languages, and backgrounds.