BEIJING – Instead of indulging in holiday food binges, a growing number of young Chinese are sparing the time for fat-burning activities amid the rising craze for sports.
The phenomenon can be seen in the choices of many vacationers during this year’s eight-day National Day Holiday, which started on Sept 29.
After wrapping up a 5km bike ride, Ms Zhao Lele, from south China’s Guangdong Province, was thrilled to cycle through the forests of Changbai Mountain, in north-east China’s Jilin Province, sharing the journey with a group of friends.
“Appreciating the pleasant view while doing sports is popular with young people nowadays. This healthy ‘slow-paced travel’ is exactly what we need to step back from the fast-paced chaos and stress in urban life,” said Ms Zhao.
As the young generation pays more attention to health, many scenic spots have been promoting “sports plus tourism” concept to lure young consumers.
A lake resort in the city of Jilin organised more than 20 sporting activities for tourists, such as frisbee, hiking, tennis competitions and swimming.
“In addition to these activities, we have also built a 1.9km jump trail for mountain biking. The wide range of activities we offer has helped us gain in popularity,” said Mr Huang Zhongrui, head of the resort’s marketing department.
Keeping fit is also a preferred choice for those who don’t have any travel plans during this year’s National Day Holiday.
Early on the first day of the holiday, a pilates studio in Jilin’s provincial capital Changchun was packed with people.
“I’m usually too busy, and the holiday is the right time for me to do some exercise,” said Ms Chen Yun, an automotive engineer.
Mr Liu Shuang, who is in charge of the studio, has witnessed the change in people’s ideas about exercise.
“In the past, holidays were very much our off-season. However, since more and more Chinese are paying attention to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, we’ve been getting busier during holiday periods in the past two years,” said Mr Liu, adding that all the training sessions provided by 15 coaches during the holiday were fully booked in advance.
Such developments reflect the increased priority placed on fitness and sports in modern China.
Believing that people’s health is one of the most important indicators of modernisation, Chinese authorities have elevated nationwide fitness to a national strategy and designated Aug 8 as National Fitness Day since 2008, when the country hosted the Beijing Olympic Games.
A series of sports events, including the Chengdu University Games and the ongoing Hangzhou Asian Games, have further ignited people’s passion for sports activities.
