China’s netizens have appeared to be in retreat recently, with Weibo and other social media platforms awash with a spell-like refrain: “Back! Back! Back!” Sometimes it’s even accompanied by an emoji of a fencer.

The popular mantra derives from a viral video clip of a female street seller arguing with a vehicle owner in Lishui city, Zhejiang province, which went viral on Douyin (China’s TikTok) around May this year. The middle-aged woman had apparently set up her stall in a parking space, upsetting a male driver who angrily tells her it’s illegal to operate there and questions whether she has a business license.

Instead of engaging in debate with the man, the woman simply adopted a fencing position, stomped her feet, gestured at the man with her finger, and shouted: “Back! Back! Back! (退！退！退! Tuì! Tuì! Tuì!)” as if warding off an evil spirit. Apparently deterred by the woman’s aggressive bluff, the driver slunk away.

Netizens expressed awe at the apparent success of the woman’s actions, calling it “fantastical (太魔性 tài móxìng)” and exclaiming “This is magic (这是一种魔法 Zhè shì yì zhǒng mófǎ)!” Another commented that: “One of them was popularizing the law, while the other was performing sorcery (他们一个在普法，一个在施法 Tāmen yí gè zài pǔfǎ, yí gè zài shīfǎ),” playing on the character 法 (fǎ), which can refer to both the law and magic.

The middle-aged woman was hailed as a typical example of a formidable “Chinese auntie (中国大妈 Zhōngguó dàmā),” a common stereotype of middle-aged or elderly women who are seen as cheerful, wise, yet fierce. They typically enjoy square dancing (跳广场舞 tiào guǎngchǎngwǔ) and are not afraid of disturbing the neighborhood or traffic (last month a video from Wuxi, Jiangsu province, showed a group of aunties dragging away a Covid testing station that had been erected where they wanted to dance). They are adept at arguing and even fighting—Annoy them at your peril.