How has China improved its national fitness?

Published : 18/09/2024

Developing sports to enhance people's physical fitness

In the past, China was once called the "Sick Man of East Asia," with a declining nation and weak citizens. Sports activities were only for a very small portion of people, and most ordinary people had no opportunity to participate and even had no concept of physical fitness.

After the founding of New China in 1949, sports were given importance by the authorities. The National Sports Workers' Representative Conference, held 20 days after the founding ceremony, proposed the policy of "developing sports for the health of the people, the construction of new democracy, and the national defense of the people."

In 1952, leader Mao Zedong inscribed "Develop Sports, Enhance People's Physical Fitness" for the founding conference of the All-China Sports Federation, further clarifying the tasks and directions of sports undertakings.

Since then, with the development of society, professional athletes training and competitive sports with a focus on performance gradually gained importance.

However, the authorities did not stop the development of mass sports; mass sports are those aimed at the general public, which, in addition to enhancing physical fitness, also enrich people's leisure life.

Broadcast gymnastics as the starting point of mass sports

To develop mass sports, besides increasing and improving facilities, public participation is also emphasized. Broadcast gymnastics, which started in 1951, was the starting point and the first craze.

The movements of broadcast gymnastics are simple, scientific, and effective, targeting a wide range of people with low requirements for conditions like venues.

Under the full promotion of the authorities, schools, factories, mines, and offices nationwide, ranging from tens to hundreds to thousands of people, would exercise together every day at dawn to the accompaniment of broadcast music, stretching their muscles.

Half a year later, an article in the People's Daily gave it affirmation, stating, "This sports activity has had considerable effects on enhancing people's physical fitness."

More importantly, broadcast gymnastics greatly increased people's awareness of their physical health, leading to more and more people actively participating in other sports activities.

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Beijing Olympics ignite citizens' passion for sports

After the Reform and Opening-up, people's living standards improved, and sports and fitness activities became increasingly diverse. The broadcast gymnastics that influenced several generations of Chinese people have also been constantly adjusted and updated, still playing a significant role to this day.

Furthermore, from the National Games starting in the 1950s to the Asian Games hosted by China later, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and other large-scale sports events have always driven the public's enthusiasm for sports.

In 1995, the State Council of China issued the Outline of the National Fitness Plan, and after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the authorities took advantage of the momentum to designate August 8 (the opening date of the Beijing Olympics) as National Fitness Day each year.

National fitness is not about everyone developing big, strong muscles, but about further encouraging the public to exercise more and have a healthy body. In simple terms, it is through national fitness to achieve national health, which is the original intention of the authorities to promote mass sports.

National fitness rises to a national strategy

In 2014, "National Fitness" rose to the level of a national strategy, with comprehensive support from various resources and infrastructure. Leader Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized that "a strong sports sector means a strong China, a prosperous national cause means a thriving sports sector."

What has been the effect of "National Fitness"? Numbers can quantify the answer best.

As of the end of 2022, there were 4.2268 million sports venues nationwide, and the number of people who "regularly participate in physical exercise" exceeded 500 million.

By 2035, it is expected that the proportion of people who regularly participate in physical exercise will rise to over 45%, which translates to 630 million people based on a population of 1.4 billion.

The authorities have a clear definition of "regularly participating in physical exercise," which means more than three times a week, more than 30 minutes each time, and at a certain intensity.

"Village BA" explodes in popularity

If we slightly relax the frequency of physical exercise, the numbers become even more impressive. According to 2022 statistics, among people aged 7 and above in China, the proportion of those who participate in physical exercise at least once a week is 67.5%; with a population of about 1.3 billion in this age group, that means more than 800 million people exercise weekly.

In addition, the authorities have established the "National Physical Fitness Measurement Standards," based on various criteria such as height and weight standards for different age groups, step index (stair stepping exercise), and vertical jump scores. By the end of 2022, the qualification rate of urban and rural residents reached over 90%.

Entering the third decade of the 21st century, the "Village BA" (Beautiful Countryside Basketball League) and "Village Super" (Beautiful Countryside Football Super League) originating from Guizhou have become exceptionally popular.

The enthusiasm of the athletes, mainly rural residents, in their competitions, along with the engrossed viewers both on-site and online, vividly exemplifies the health and happiness embodied by the ethos of "I exercise, I participate," which perfectly annotates the national fitness campaign.

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