The Wider Image: Scarred by 2020, Gen Z looks to a COVID-free future
Xiong Feng, 22, a dancer, poses for a photograph on a street in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, December 14, 2020. Xiong teaches Wuhan's only class in Voguing, a highly stylized dance form popularised in U.S. gay and transgender communities in the late 1980s. Wuhan's surprise 76-day lockdown, which cut the city off from the rest of China overnight on Jan. 23, began long before other countries began to feel the pain of the pandemic. Xiong, like many other Gen Z people in Wuhan, saw his life, education and business thrown into turmoil. The pandemic meant he was unable to graduate alongside his classmates, and lockdown meant he lost the opportunity to form tight friendships at a formative time in his life. "I think I've lost some friends. The relationship faded away because we didn't get in touch with each other during the epidemic," he said. Looking forward, Xiong hopes he can still be a trailblazer in the city's growing LGBT dance scene in 2021. His Voguing class has attracted more students since the lockdown was lifted, as people emphasise lifestyle and leisure. "I hope I can establish the first (ballroom event for Vogue dancing) in Wuhan in my spare time. Because I see cities in China like Shanghai and Chengdu have developed a very good ballroom culture, and I believe Wuhan can do it too." REUTERS/Aly Song SEARCH "GEN-Z COVID-19" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES
