Olympic passion turns into "exercise fervor" in China
29/8/2008 17:28
The end of the Olympic Games has not been the end of exercise for Beijing,
for people's enthusiasm for keeping fit has been encouraged.
In a country
where going to gyms was not as common, even in big cities like Beijing and
Shanghai, as in developed countries the immediate aftermath of the Games has
seen greater interest in exercise.
"I liked watching the basketball games
most. I myself wanted to play when I saw the players fight hard on the field, so
I came in Beijing with my friends," the 19-year-old Liu Bing said at an outside
basketball field in downtown Beijing.
Liu said he wanted to get physically
stronger after regular exercises.
Zhu Mo was a volunteer serving at the
Capital Indoor Stadium where volleyball matches were staged during the
Games.
"The atmosphere of fierce competition has affected everyone at the
site. We all feel like playing some volleyball to get involved."
People
exercising were not exclusive to sports fields. Some would just go outdoors.
Actually it's quite common for Chinese people to take outdoor exercise, instead
of going to gyms, to keep fit.
"More people developed the habit of doing some
outdoor exercise in the morning or in the evening," said a middle-aged woman
surnamed Li, who lives in a community in the north of Beijing.
"Young people
were jogging and the elderly would form into groups practicing dances with
traditional Chinese-style swords and fans."
The government had in recent
years installed public outdoor gym facilities inside residential areas and at
other public places to encourage citizens to have more exercise.
More than
three billion yuan (US$428.6 million) had been devoted to the creation of more
than 20 million square meters of such areas nationwide.
Li said such
facilities have made it convenient for them to take exercise.
"We actually
had more members coming here during the Olympics, though we earlier feared
visits would be reduced as some chose to stay at home watching games," Chang
Mengya, a marketing employee at one of the fitness center of Haosha Gym in
Beijing.
"I believe more people have become concerned about their health and
developed some awareness about having exercise because of the Games."
In a
nationwide survey among 1,200 interviewees, nearly a third of the respondents
said the Olympics had inspired them to participate in more sports events and
diversify their exercises.
Xinhua
|
