China works out in force

Nationwide movement

The success of nationwide fitness depends on participation. Across China, that participation is becoming increasingly visible in schools, neighborhoods and sporting arenas.

At a primary school in Nanjing, the playground comes alive as soon as the bell rings for break. Children rush outside to play traditional games such as shuttlecock kicking, beanbag throwing and spinning tops.

"I especially like spinning tops," says fourth-grader Wu Zehao.

"It's fun and helps me exercise. I feel I've become much stronger."

The enthusiasm extends far beyond campuses. Grassroots sporting events have become one of the defining features of China's nationwide fitness campaign.

At the 15th National Games in 2025, thousands of ordinary citizens competed alongside elite athletes in mass-participation events, bringing the country's largest multisport event closer to the public.

Elsewhere, amateur competitions are reshaping China's sporting culture. In Jiangsu, the amateur soccer competition known as the Su Super League has evolved from a local tournament into a national phenomenon. Its players include teachers, students, office workers, and engineers, all brought together by a shared love of soccer.

Its popularity has inspired similar city-based leagues across nearly 20 regions in China, injecting new energy into grassroots soccer.

Winter sports tell a similar story. China's successful bid to host the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics accelerated the development of winter sports. Between the bid in 2015 and the opening of the Games, 346 million Chinese people participated in winter sports.

Today, indoor ski resorts and ice rinks are thriving even in southern cities that rarely experience natural snowfall, showing how winter sports have expanded beyond their traditional geographic boundaries.

China's growing enthusiasm for fitness has also resonated with foreign residents living in the country.

After retiring from professional boxing, Croatian Goran Martinovic moved to Suzhou in Jiangsu, where he founded a boxing academy to introduce more young people to the sport.

"I've personally experienced how strong the grassroots sports culture is in China," Martinovic says.

"More and more children, parents and elderly people are embracing exercise. It gives the whole country a remarkable sense of vitality."