From the debut of China's first set of radio calisthenics in the 1950s to the current national fitness campaign, an increasing number of Chinese people, young or aged and in urban or rural areas, are experiencing the benefits of sports thanks to the steadily improved availability of public sports facilities.
The radio calisthenics event of China's first National Fitness Competition in the North Division was held in Tianjin on September 23-24, attracting over 200 participants from the cities of Beijing and Tianjin, the provinces of Hebei and Shanxi, and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.
As a widely practiced exercise, radio calisthenics has been a tradition in China for over 70 years.
"In the early years of the People's Republic of China, the general public had relatively weak health and a low average life expectancy. Due to economic limitations during that period, many sports activities lacked the necessary conditions for development. However, radio calisthenics, with its simplicity and minimal space requirements, became a preferred fitness activity," said Wang Fang, an associate professor at the Institute of China Sports Strategy under the Beijing Sport University.
Today, radio calisthenics has evolved to its ninth version, and approaches to fitness have undergone a revolutionary change over the past seven decades.
The Bijiashan Sports Park in downtown Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, has emerged as a paradise for sports enthusiasts, offering a 5G smart walkway, outdoor smart gyms, yoga areas as well as soccer, basketball, and badminton courts.
"We come here every day, jogging in the park. Here, the air is particularly good, like a natural oxygen bar," said a local resident surnamed Liu.
The Futian Coastal Ecological Sports Park, another sports park in Shenzhen, has been operational in recent years. This park integrates ecology, leisure, and sports, boasting two standard pitches for 11-a-side soccer, four eight-a-side pitches, and two five-a-side pitches.
In addition, this park was built above a water purification plant, making it the first of its kind in China.
"As the central urban area of Shenzhen, Futian District has reached a development intensity of nearly 95 percent in terms of construction land. With limited space available for sports facilities, we have been striving to break through the constraints of traditional thinking. By building a sports park above a water purification plant, we have achieved efficient use of municipal space," said Chen Chao, an official at the Futian District Bureau of Culture, Media, Tourism and Sports.
The similar development has taken place in rural areas too.
Langao County of Ankang, located in the mountainous region of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, had little sports facilities for the public in the past. But now with increased community access to such facilities, local residents are enjoying a variety of fitness options.
A Village Basketball Association event recently kicked off in the newly constructed village basketball court in Langao, with 78 teams from five surrounding provinces and cities scheduled to play over 200 basketball games.
"When I was young, there was only one floodlit court in Langao, and back then, whether we could have a game depended on the weather. But now, with significantly upgraded supporting facilities, it's really exciting to be able to participate in such a grand basketball event right at our doorstep," said Dong Nan, a basketball player.
Furthermore, the annual China Open tennis tournament is taking place at the National Tennis Center in Beijing during the National Day holiday. Established in 2004, the tournament has become an annual festival for many.
This year, Chinese tennis star Zheng Qinwen's victory in the women's singles event at the 2024 Paris Olympics has further bolstered the already popular sport, garnering increased support from the general public.
"Today, I brought my entire family of six to watch the tennis match. My kid has been playing tennis for six to seven years, and I wanted to give him the opportunity to watch on the spot how high-level players play the game. We noticed that the atmosphere was great. As we can see, after Zheng Qinwen won the Olympic championship, the popularity of tennis in China has risen very rapidly," said Qian Chao, a resident in Beijing.
With the continuous upgrade of public services for national fitness, by the end of 2023, China's per capita area of sports venues reached 2.89 square meters, surpassing the target of 2.6 square meters set forth in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) by two years. The proportion of people in China who regularly do physical exercise has reached 37.2 percent.
Improved public service for national fitness boosts sports enthusiasm
