During the NPC and CPPCC sessions, many deputies and committee members expressed concern about the declining physical health of young people. High obesity rates, declining cardiovascular function, reduced athletic ability, and a continuously rising rate of poor eyesight indicate that the current state of youth physical fitness in China is not optimistic. Educators and experts believe that a lack of exercise is a major reason for the current situation.
So, where have the venues and time for sports activities gone for primary and secondary school students?
Where have the facilities gone?
Physical games like sandbag tossing, rubber band jumping, and iron hoop rolling, which were part of the memories of the post-70s and post-80s generations, have disappeared from schools today, replaced by more tempting entertainment options such as computer games, online games, and mobile games. A sedentary lifestyle has led to the prevalence of the "homebody culture," where students seem to be able to be "self-sufficient" with just a screen. Some educators believe that guiding students away from video games and towards sports activities objectively requires proper hardware as a prerequisite. As cities expand and populations grow, schools become more crowded, with teaching buildings constantly being erected. If the playground remains the same, there naturally isn't enough space for sports. Wen Qing, vice principal of Fujian Normal University Affiliated High School, explained that to address space limitations for sports activities, the school utilized its mountainous terrain to transform the playground into three levels. "The first level is a basketball gym, the second is a table tennis and badminton gym, and the third is an outdoor football field. In addition to solving the problem of crowded spaces, another benefit is that physical education classes are not affected on rainy days."
"Sky-reaching and ground-digging" types of playground construction are no longer new for urban primary and secondary schools. Some schools, limited by space, have to rotate recess exercises and "physical training classes" by grade. In addition, some original sports programs and facilities in schools have gradually faded from view.
Wang Qiang, vice principal of Fuzhou Experimental Primary School with over 20 years of experience in physical education, said that many schools no longer have horizontal bars or parallel bars, and skill-based events like vaulting boxes are also not conducted during PE classes. "Safety is the top priority in PE classes, and many schools no longer use equipment that is prone to injury. The school plans to collaborate with cultural and creative companies to introduce some activity facilities that are characteristic of the times, fun, and targeted at different age groups."
Some schools that still retain many pieces of sports equipment also told reporters that dangerous equipment like horizontal and parallel bars is mostly idle, used only for simple strength training like pull-ups, with no other gymnastic skill movements being performed.
Where has the time for exercise gone?
"I can hardly get out of bed in the morning, let alone find time to exercise," said Xu Ansen (a pseudonym), a sixth-grade student at a primary school in Fuzhou. "My home is close to the school, so I run there every day, and it takes just over ten minutes. We have three PE classes a week, and recess exercises from Tuesday to Friday. Other than that, I sometimes go to learn badminton on weekends, and occasionally swim in the summer."
"After school, I still want to play football, but the school clears out by then, and everyone has to go home. If I go to the nearby cultural and sports center to play and don’t come back on time, my mom will call my teacher—she’s really naggy," said Li Shenghao (a pseudonym), a middle school student in Fuzhou. "On weekends, I want to play ball with my classmates, but my mom signed me up for tutoring classes."
"An hour of exercise a day, healthy work for 50 years, and a happy life for a lifetime." This is the slogan written on the teaching building of Fuzhou Experimental Primary School. The education department has mandated that primary and secondary school students engage in no less than one hour of physical activity at school each day. However, most schools have to combine PE classes, recess exercises, "physical training classes," and special sports activities to reach an average that basically meets the requirement.
Lin Yucail, head of the PE teaching and research group at Fujian Normal University Affiliated High School, believes that many students find recess exercises boring and monotonous, lacking intensity and failing to achieve the goal of exercise. "Endurance training often lacks sufficient intensity because there's a fear that students might lose control and get injured."
As an aerobics teacher, Zhong Lingling also manages the performance and competition activities of the aerobics team at her school. Whenever there are large-scale events, she receives feedback from parents. "Parents think aerobics is a waste of time and that it’s better to study at home or attend tutoring classes," Zhong Lingling said. "Even my own child’s badminton interest class and tutoring schedule sometimes conflict, but I always send him to play badminton without hesitation."
Li Shengxin, associate professor at the Management School of Beijing Sport University, believes that ensuring time for exercise is essential to improving physical fitness. "Students spend seven hours at school, and one of those hours should be for exercise. From when they finish school until bedtime, there are about six more hours—do they exercise during that time? What about weekends? Holidays? Winter and summer breaks?"
Where have the "dads" gone?
Football, basketball, badminton, running... 14-year-old Li Shenghao gets excited talking about his sports hobbies, but when asked if his parents exercise with him, he shook his head. Xu Ansen, on the other hand, happily told reporters that his dad often accompanies him on "brisk walks" in the park, sometimes even playing brain games along the way.
Some educators in Fujian explained that the absence of sports in families is a much more serious issue than its awkward position in schools. In developed countries, sports are an important part of family education and a primary form of parent-child interaction, playing a key role in stimulating children’s interest in sports and cultivating exercise habits. Foreign TV shows and movies often depict fathers and children playing sports together—a scene that is severely lacking in China.
Li Shengxin believes that it’s very problematic when parents themselves lack the habit of physical exercise. First, they don’t care about their children’s physical fitness, assuming that being free of illness means being healthy—which is incorrect. Second, they lack common knowledge about physical exercise and overly worry about their children getting injured, thereby preventing them from participating in more physical activities.
Li Shengxin said that the family is the core element of a child’s physical fitness, and parents cannot shift all responsibility for physical exercise to the school. Schools are only responsible for students in stages. Family education must not be short-sighted and should take responsibility for the child’s lifelong health and happiness.
Xu Zhao Fang, father of Xu Ansen, said that dads are the best role models in a child’s sports activities. "Dads" shouldn’t be too utilitarian—the distance a child can go largely depends on how far the parents can see. Parents should adjust their goals from "exam scores" to the higher aim of "shaping a life." "We can’t just do what’s quantifiably beneficial and ignore what isn’t. A healthy body is a child’s lifelong asset." According to Xinhua News Agency