China rides on greater fitness awareness to build a better future

If you strolled down a wide avenue in China sometime this year, chances are you’ll come across a group of cyclists dressed in fancy clothes.

Cycling has long been one of the most common forms of transportation for the average Chinese household, but the role of bicycles has changed of late, as an increasing number of people, urban sophisticates and cultural tastemakers in particular , have reused the bicycle as exercise. tool and lifestyle choice.

A massive influx of cyclists caused a substantial increase in bicycle sales. Demand for some high-end road bikes and related accessories is so strong that stores are constantly running out of stock, leading to longer delays for many customers and a rapidly growing waiting list.

Chinese bike-sharing apps such as Meituan Bike also reported large increases in bike use in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. And statistics point to similar trends across the country.

This is not an isolated case. Ultimate Frisbee, a niche sport introduced to China by American expats more than three decades ago, and surf skating are also enjoying newfound popularity in China.

Built on growing concern over the pandemic, as well as heightened health and environmental awareness, this new boom helped highlight China’s passionate love affair with fitness, which went a long way toward supporting the country’s physical and mental health in a increasingly unstable world.

Monday marked the 14th anniversary of National Exercise Day, and since 2009, it has become the most important day in China’s physical exercise calendar.

The original intention was to dedicate an entire day to the importance of physical fitness and to encourage citizens to participate in physical activities. From there, it gained more visibility and influence with many gyms, sports facilities, and parks across China offering free access to events as part of the country’s campaign to promote a healthy lifestyle.

To further encourage people to be more physically active, China last year issued a national fitness plan that aims to have 38.5 percent of its population exercising regularly by 2025.

The ambitious blueprint, spanning from 2021 to 2025, listed eight goals, including accelerating the development of public sports venues and facilities, hosting more public sports games and competitions, and promoting high-quality development of the sports industry, among others.

With grassroots support to engage people from all walks of life through free activities, Shanghai alone will host around 242 online and offline sporting events from August 6 to 14, and around 400 public venues and services will be publicly available to the general public.

China’s tireless efforts to promote fitness are beginning to bear fruit. According to a latest report published this year, the proportion of people aged 7 and over who participate in physical activity at least once a week is 67.5%, an increase of 18.5% compared to the same period in 2014 .

The success of the fitness campaign also hinges on the legacy of the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics. While the vision of involving 300 million people in winter sports has come true, China has gone to great lengths to ensure continued use of Olympic facilities.

All the Beijing 2022 ice venues, which applied innovative natural carbon dioxide cooling technology, are scheduled to host ice sports events, swimming tournaments and wide-ranging shows in the coming years.

It was part of a broader ambition to turn those locations into year-round sports and fitness destinations and generate comprehensive socio-economic benefits for local communities.

True to form, China has ensured that the staging of the Games is closely aligned with efforts to serve the people. And National Fitness Day represented much more than a single day of physical activity, it’s a united movement to put the nation on a path to a better future.