Campaign promotes healthier lifestyles

Residents of a city in Hunan province offer a microcosm of the picture nationwide. Jiang Wei reports.

Despite having been retired for many years, Tan Jianchang maintains a busy schedule.

As leader of a square dancing team that has more than 200 members, Tan practices for an hour twice a day, starting at 7 am and 7 pm. On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, she teaches square dancing at a college for seniors.

Occasionally, her team takes part in square dancing competitions in their hometown of Loudi, in the central province of Hunan, and also in big cities such as Xiamen, Fujian province, Shenzhen, Guangdong province, and Hong Kong. The members have won several gold prizes.

Watching Tan dance, it's hard to believe that she is 70 years old. "I started square dancing after I retired," she said.

"Dancing and hanging out with friends make me happy every day, and I'm full of vigor now."

Tan established her square dancing team in 2013, and she is always full of pride when she talks about the members — most of whom are pensioners — and the changes that the activity has brought to their lives.

"One of my team members is more than 80 years old. She used to be sickly and lay in bed most of the time," Tan said.

"Since she joined my dancing team, her health has improved a lot. Now, she seldom gets sick, and she is grateful to me."

Varied activities

As a low-intensity form of working out, square dancing is one of the most suitable activities for seniors.

In Loudi, a city with a population of more than 4 million, there is a strong fitness theme, and many seniors enjoy dancing, tai chi, qigong and hill walking.

Members of the town's younger generation prefer sports that feature a strong social element. The growing popularity of sports that include flying discs in recent years is a perfect example.

"It's an activity where there is no physical contact. It's easy to play and a lot of fun. It helps you lose weight and get in shape," said Li Xiaolong, a flying disc enthusiast.

As the national fitness campaign gains momentum, the habit of exercising to stay healthy has taken root and a growing number of people now consider physical exercise a key part of life.

"More than 95 percent of Loudi's residents take part in sports," said Peng Yiling, director of the Loudi Culture, Sports, Tourism, Broadcast, TV and Tourism Bureau.

"We often organize competitions to encourage residents to take part in sports. Some people join in to be with their friends, while others just love sports so they encourage their families to do them, too."

The development of a mass fitness movement in Loudi is a microcosm of the overall picture in China, where a growing number of people are enthusiastically playing sports.

"Obviously, competitive sports are a key aspect to people aspiring to athletic greatness, but the idea of sports for all is crucial to promoting truly healthy lifestyles," said Robert Rauch, president of the World Flying Disc Federation.

Government investment

Hunan has recently been investing heavily in the construction of fitness facilities to provide venues for people to exercise.

According to an action plan released by the provincial government, Hunan will invest 39 million yuan ($5.3 million) over three years to build sports fields for rural residents and establish fitness facilities in primary and middle schools in remote areas.

It will also provide subsidies totaling 70 million yuan to stadiums so they can open to the public for free or at a low charge.

The Loudi Sports Center is one of the top sports venues in Hunan, with total investment exceeding 700 million yuan.

To enable more people to enjoy the fun, the city's sports bureau opened the center to the public for free or at a low charge at the end of 2014.

The move raised the center's utilization rate from less than 30 percent to 90 percent, attracting more than 3 million fitness lovers every year.

Zhushan Park in downtown Loudi is nicknamed the city's "green lungs".

Previously, there was only one dirt path leading to the top of a high hill in the park. However, since the city invested 2 million yuan to build a fitness trail and a synthetic running track around the hill, many residents visit the park after dinner to run, cycle or walk.

In Changsha, Hunan's capital, 200 outdoor sports venues — including soccer pitches, basketball courts and multipurpose playgrounds — were set up or rebuilt last year.

Lu Chuyao, a junior middle school student, was delighted to see a basketball court near his home rebuilt last year. "We have new stands and a new floor was laid. My friends and I feel great playing on the new court," he said.

Community gyms

A number of smart community gyms quickly gained popularity after they were opened in Changsha a few years ago.

Each gym is about 100 square meters in area. Fitted with basic fitness equipment, such as treadmills and dumbbells, they have no staff members, so the facilities are controlled via the members' smartphones.

After a user downloads the gym app, he or she can check the room temperature, the PM2.5 index and the number of people inside, and make an appointment with a coach in just a few seconds.

Residents only need to pay 25 yuan a month to gain unlimited entry to the gyms.

A local resident, who gave her last name as Hu, said her only physical exercise used to be going out to buy groceries. Last year, though, she found a smart community gym near her compound on her way home, so she registered as a member to try it out.

"It's so cheap," she said. "Now I run for 20 minutes after buying food every day. It has become my new routine."

Since May 2020, more than 230 smart community gyms have opened in Changsha, and over 20 million people have worked out in them so far.

Hunan Heihamao Network Technology, the company that operates the smart community gyms, organizes various online and offline activities to promote the facilities and encourage more people to take exercise.

In August last year, the company held a rope-jumping contest that attracted 11,864 participants from more than 400 communities. People age 16 and younger accounted for 89.4 percent of the participants.