How China embraced physical fitness through history, from polo to today’s National Games
Used to train soldiers long before its benefits were taught to regular folk, exercise has become a matter of national resilience in China
The 15th National Games of China, jointly hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, just ended. I must confess that my only engagement with the quadrennial event was to impatiently scroll down whenever headlines or images of the games appeared on my screen.
I have done the same for the Olympic Games, the Fifa World Cup, Wimbledon and everything in between, because I have no interest in sporting events – or sports in general. The skills specific to certain games, the complicated rules and the jargon bore me. Who or what, for instance, is a “wicket maiden”?
I went to a secondary school that offered sports of every kind, and students had to join at least one as an extracurricular activity. The threats and bullying from teachers and seniors for non-participation bordered on the fascistic. That rubbed me the wrong way, even at 13 years old.