Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
TAIYUAN, July 4 (Xinhua) — If you are a fitness enthusiast living in a medium-sized or large Chinese city, you can pray that you don’t get stuck in a traffic jam after work. Even a slight delay on your way to the gym can lead to an agonizing wait for a machine and ruin your carefully crafted workout plan to achieve your ideal body mass index.
Gyms in China are often crowded. Russian student Evelina Aleshinskaya, who studies at Shanxi University in Taiyuan, capital of northern China’s Shanxi Province, regularly hits the gym after her afternoon classes. The 19-year-old said: “My Chinese classmates are incredibly into fitness – the gym is always crowded, especially after evening classes.”
Off campus, gyms are packed during the evening rush hour, the period when people return from work. Whether in megacities like Beijing and Shanghai or second-tier cities like Taiyuan in northern China, almost every machine in every gym is occupied. And the popular “attraction” of the bench press is a huge line!
“During your break, it’s better to keep an eye on the dumbbells you haven’t finished using yet, otherwise someone might take them while you’re browsing your phone,” advises Guo Xiaoyu, a fitness newbie who started working out just a few weeks ago.
Although bodybuilding and fitness, which originated in European and North American countries, entered the consciousness of most Chinese people only one or two decades ago, these sports are developing rapidly in China. According to the China Sports and Fitness Industry Report released in early March 2025, as of December 2024, the number of gym users in the country reached 87.525 million, an increase of 25.47 percent compared with 2023.
Evelina Aleshinskaya notes that it is hard not to notice images of sculpted chests and buttocks on billboards and social media feeds. She has noticed that the Chinese are increasingly prioritizing body type over mere appearance, and that even the government approves of this.
“After the ‘Nation Calls for Weight Loss’ slogan went viral, I realized that I could no longer afford to remain overweight,” Guo Xiaoyu said.
On the sidelines of the annual “two sessions” held in March this year, Lei Haichao, head of China’s National Health Commission, devoted seven minutes to issues related to weight control and weight loss. Chinese netizens humorously dubbed the moment as a rallying cry for “The nation is calling you to lose weight,” giving the topic a hot topical status.
“It may seem strange that body weight is becoming an issue that the government pays attention to, but given the importance of public health as a foundation for China’s modernization, it is worth raising awareness about health promotion at the national level,” said Wang Yi, a professor at the School of Politics and Public Administration at Shanxi University.
A weight control guideline issued by China’s National Health Commission warns that without effective control, the overweight/obesity rate among adults in China is expected to reach 70.5 percent and 31.8 percent among children and adolescents by 2030.
Unlike Guo Xiaoyu, many fitness enthusiasts don’t need anyone to tell them, “It’s time to control your weight.” After the Spring Festival holiday, crowds of people headed to the gym to work out hard in order to achieve the ideal, fat-free body proportions before summer.
Listing the driving factors behind the rapid development of the fitness industry in recent years, Wang Yi pointed out that in addition to the public’s growing awareness of health, compared with sports such as football, badminton and swimming that require high-tech facilities, gyms occupy a small area and allow more people to exercise in one unit of time. In addition, the annual cost of going to a regular gym is about one thousand to three to four thousand yuan, which is affordable for most people.
However, problems still exist. Over the past few years, some gyms in China have come under fire for their “pre-payment” business model. Occasionally, some gyms have experienced incidents of their owners “running away with the money,” which has undermined the confidence of fitness enthusiasts in consumption. In response, on March 1, 2025, the eastern Chinese metropolis of Shanghai introduced new regulations that set the limit, time frame, and standards for pre-payment collection in the sports and fitness industry for the first time. This is expected to create a new business model for more gyms in China.
Meanwhile, the Western-born concept of fitness has also been challenged by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). According to TCM, muscle-building workouts are not suitable for everyone, and excessive exercise can even have an impact on physical health.
“TCM theory states that qi (dynamic energy that controls physiological processes) and blood are important substances for maintaining the normal functioning of the body. And fitness activities, especially excessive exercise, deplete these vital resources. Although it helps to improve physical fitness temporarily, in the long run it can lead to the body being depleted,” said Wei Mengling, head of the TCM department at Shanxi Bethune Hospital.
This concern is in line with clinical trends. According to Wang Pingzhi, head of the rehabilitation department at the same hospital, in recent years, the number of patients admitted who suffered sports injuries due to fitness has been increasing year by year. Now, the number of such patients admitted monthly has increased by about 6 times compared with three years ago. According to her, many fitness enthusiasts have not mastered scientific fitness methods and techniques, and have also performed physical exercise and fitness programs that are not suitable for them, which has become the main cause of sports injuries.
Most patients delay seeking medical care until their injuries impact their daily lives, so the actual injury rate may be higher, she added.
Meanwhile, for Guo Xiaoyu, fitness training has yielded tangible results so far. In just three weeks, his bench press has increased by 10 kg.
“Unlike many other activities and pursuits, fitness is something I can invest in and see a return on. I am willing to continue in the same spirit,” said Guo Xiaoyu. -0-