Hello and welcome to  Listeners Garden here on CRI. I'm your host LY, sitting in for LPC.

B: And I'm AE. The Beijing Olympic Games have made Chinese people more health-conscious and boosted their interest in sports. Now the games are over, but enthusiasm for sports and fitness continues to surge around the country, sending people to parks, public squares, gyms or sports centers to exercise.

A: In fact, Chinese people have always been fond of exercise, not just because of the Olympics. But the arrival of the games has been a strong force for more involvement in sporting events.

B: In recent years, China has introduced the "Sports for All" national fitness program to promote the Olympic spirit and public participation in sports.

A: The state has provided more opportunities for people to get fit, and has invested more than 300 million US dollars to set up free exercise facilities in urban communities and rural villages.

B: The Olympic flame and the Sports for All program have added fuel to the sports fervor. Exercising is now part of the daily routine of a growing number of Chinese citizens. In Beijing, fitness equipment has been installed in parks, public squares and residential areas, and many public sports activities are organized annually to encourage residents to get involved in sports.

A: In the Laoshan community in western Beijing, a variety of fitness equipment has been installed, as well as a swimming pool and courts for table tennis, badminton, basketball and tennis.

B: These facilities are very popular with local residents, and are crowded from morning till night.

A: Li Xiumei, a Beijing resident, says such facilities have made it more convenient to get fit.

“There were few sports facilities in the community five years ago. But today, as you can see, fitness equipment can be found around the community, catering to the diverse needs of people of different ages. In my spare time, I always enjoy doing exercises with the equipment."

B: The many parks and community squares are favorite places for Chinese people, especially retired residents, to start each new day with morning exercises. Elderly residents usually prefer traditional exercises like taiji, dancing, jogging, badminton or table tennis.

A: Most older Chinese like to work out in groups. To them, doing morning exercises is a good way to both get fit and make friends.

B: When the weather is nice, Jingshan Park in downtown Beijing is filled with people doing morning exercises. One group of senior citizens is particularly eye-catching with their group dancing.

A: The founder and coach of the dancing team, Chi Zuqi, says the team was set up soon after Beijing's successful bid for the Olympic Games. It was composed of some 20 members at the beginning, but now the number has grown to more than 100.

"The oldest people are over 60 and the youngest are about 30. Whether it's hot or cold, we come here to dance together almost every morning. Most of the team members had never learned dancing before, but now they can all dance quite well with the music."

B: Chi Zuqi once suffered from a serious bone disease in her legs. It was almost impossible for her to walk long distances or climb stairs. But after years of dancing, she has finally conquered the disease.

A: Chi says her experience shows her how important exercise is to one's health. By setting up the dance team, she hopes to help other people get fit in an enjoyable way.

"I love dancing very much. I often learn new dances from compact discs and then teach them to my group members. If the movements are too complicated, I will make some adaptations so that they are less difficult to learn. Dancing is a very good exercise for the whole body. It also gives us a lively mood and a fresh start to a new day."

B: Playing with the kongzhu is another popular workout for Beijing citizens. The kongzhu is a spool-shaped Chinese toy often referred to as the Chinese yo-yo. It can be used in many different ways and emits a buzzing sound when it's on the move.

A: This folk sport has a history of nearly 1,000 years in China. Like Shaolin Kongfu and Taiji, kongzhu has been included on the country's national intangible cultural heritage list.

B: In Zizhuyuan Park in Western Beijing, a group of kongzhu enthusiasts have set up a club. They come here every morning to share their skills.

A: Ding Cailin is a top kongzhu master. He can do an impressive variety of tricks on his kongzhu.

"There are over 1,000 tricks in playing the kongzu. It looks like a toy, but it's not easy to play it well. You have to practice the skills many times to become a well-versed player. Playing the kongzhu is not just fun. It's a good physical exercise, demanding the eyes, arms, feet and waist to work together in coordination."

B: Morning exercisers have become a part of local culture in Beijing. Many foreign visitors leave with deep impressions of the sheer numbers of people and their unique ways of exercising in the morning.

A: For most Chinese people, it's simply natural to do morning exercises outdoors in the fresh air. But the concept is gradually changing as people are offered a wider variety of fitness options.

B: Traditional exercises are still very popular with the elderly, but more younger people have developed a liking for state-of-the-art gyms and sports centers.

A: Fitness clubs are now very popular in Chinese cities. They usually operate on yearly membership fees, but are also open to visitors on a pay-as-you-go basis.

B: Most fitness clubs offer a range of classes, such as dancing, calisthenics, body-shaping, yoga, pilates and taekwondo, giving their customers more choices to tailor their workouts.

A: The upscale fitness clubs offer customers a fun environment for socializing. This is a big draw for young people and office workers who are in pursuit of a healthier, more active lifestyle. They enjoy coming here to relax, lose weight and sculpt their bodies.

B: Membership fees can range from several hundred to more than 1,000 US dollars, but most members think it's worth the money.

"The best benefit of working out in the gym is losing weight. I'm now 15 kilograms lighter than when I first came here a year ago. Although I'm exhausted each time, I feel a sense of pleasure and relaxation."

"I think the cost is worth it because I am getting fit. That's more valuable than money. Without health, no one can lead a quality life. I come here for bodybuilding three or four times a week. It makes me feel more energetic and refreshed, and I also get to know new friends. For office workers under heavy work pressure like me, I think this is a good way to reduce stress, deal with minor health problems and prevent illness."
A: Just a decade ago, few Chinese people would have thought of spending a large sum of money on exercise. But today, this has become a trendy lifestyle choice. In addition to newly bulging pockets, the country's efforts to strengthen lifestyle awareness is an important reason behind the change.

B: With the nationwide implementation of the Sports For All program, children have also been urged to join in the rank of regular exercisers.

A: A Chinese saying goes that children are the hope and future of the nation. Forming good exercise habits early will benefit a child for life.

B: To improve the overall health of the country's young hopefuls, China initiated the national Sunlight Sports Program for all students in April last year.

A: The program requires schools at all levels to guarantee their students at least one hour of physical exercise each day, either as part of class or through extracurricular activities.

B: Wang Yuting, a middle school student, says the program has allowed her to better enjoy the fun and health benefits of sports.

"We have one hour of physical exercise every day at school. It's a good break from classroom study, and I find it's really useful to have sports every day. I don't catch cold as often as before. My PE test results have also improved."

A: So the Beijing Olympics are now history, but the legacy of the games within China will continue to influence one-fifth of the world's population in the years to come.

B: And with that, we end this edition of Listeners Garden. If you have any comments or suggestions, please email us at garden@cri.com.cn.

A: Or write letters to English Service, China Radio International, Beijing, China. The postal code is 100040.

B: You can also listen to our program online by logging onto our Web site at crienglish.com.

A: From Beijing, this is LPC, saying goodbye and thanks for listening.

B: And I'm AE, inviting you to join us again at the same time next week. 'Bye for now.