Xinhua Insight: Adolescents in China are getting taller, but weaker

Beijing's Olympic Forest Park is busiest after sunset, when adults are taking an after-dinner stroll or running. Children are there too, but seldom do teenagers show up.

Teens are generally at home, working on math functions or English grammar. But while they are getting higher scores, they are also getting fat, weak and lazy.

Seven national surveys on the health of China' adolescents from 1985 to 2014 show a decline in fitness, despite better nutrition.

"In 1989, male students would "fail" physical exams if they took more than three minutes and 55 seconds to run 1,000 meters. That standard was lowered to four minutes and 32 seconds in 2014," said Wang Zongping, a motor quotient specialist at Nanjing University of Science and Technology.

"That means that if the teenagers competed with their parents at the same age, they would be 150 meters behind when their parents crossed the finish line."

According to the 2014 survey, Chinese students are taller and bigger, but they are also fatter and have worse eyesight. Lack of exercise is seen as the main culprit.

"Our survey found that more than half of male students with junior middle school education and above can't complete a single pull-up," said Wang.

Even when they enter college, they maintain their couch potato lifestyle. Over 84 percent of college students exercise less than one hour every day, with 27 percent reluctant to go for a run. Instead, they spent most their time doing homework and playing games online. When they do go out, they'll do almost anything to avoid walking, and few seem to be aware of the problem.

"The overall 'pass' rate of physical exams over the years hasn't changed much," said Wang, "but only by lowering the par."

DISCARDED SPORTS FACILITIES

Back in the 1980s, students enjoyed a variety of athletic and gymnastic activities, but much of the equipment was removed from campuses in the 1990s due to parental complaints.

"If a student gets injured in class, the school is blamed ," said Shi Fei, a PE teacher.

With only one child in most families, they are pampered and over-protected.

"It's almost impossible to see students sweat in field," Shi sighed.

Injuries are normal during exercise, and are helpful for a person to better understand their own body, according to Wang.

About 30 million Americans under 14 take part in regular outdoor activities every year, and more than 3 million get injured, according to Professor Liu Zhan of Springfield College, a U.S. college dedicated to sports.

"American teenagers haven't give up on sports for fear of injury, neither should their peers in China," said Wang.

Athletic activities are scorned on campus because academic performance is deemed the one and only criteria for higher education success. PE lessons have been removed from high school curricula to make room for more academic classes. Heaps of homework and after-class courses are forced on students off-campus. Even kindergarten kids are more likely to be banging away at an abacus or piano than playing football or swimming.

"We care too much about developing children's IQ, and too little about their motor skills, team spirit and resilience. These 'invisible' capabilities can only be obtained through outdoor activities," said Wang.

GOVERNMENT ENDEAVOR

Well aware of the issue, the government wants all kids to go outside and exercise.

According to the "Healthy China 2030" plan released in October, healthier kids requires better sports facilities.

The total area of "exercise space" will be increased to at least 2.3 square meters per capita by 2030, in contrast to only 1.5 square meters today. That means more running and cycle tracks, more gymnasiums and more school playing fields. The plan also calls for at least one hour of strenuous physical activity, three times a week for all students.

The 2020 Winter Olympics are a golden chance to bring these objectives closer. A keep-fit craze swept over China when Beijing hosted the 2008 summer games. To prepare for the winter games, sports lottery revenue and other fiscal funds will be devoted to inspiring at least 300 million winter sports enthusiasts by 2020, and investment will be injected into winter sports camps, youth leagues, sports schools and recreation clubs for students.

"'Healthy China' should begin with 'Sporting China'," said Wang. "Schools should encourage students to step out of the classroom and onto the playing field. We should restore the health and happiness of our young people." Endit