Sports in China
If you think about a sport in China, you probably think about Kung Fu or Ping Pong is that correct? Well as years have passed, China has really gone through an evolution when it comes to sports. China is always a gold getter during the Olympics. This is because of the investment they make in the youth by providing them with a hard working mentality while they are just children.We decided take a closer look at this mentality on sports in China.
First of all, there is a large variety of high-level sports that China excels in. Here are just a few examples: badminton, basketball, tennis, football, gymnastics, tennis, etc. All these sports are being funded by the Chinese Government to stimulate the youth in being active during their studies. It is even mandatory for every school to have small sessions of activities in the morning and sometimes even after lunch. While crossing the streets here in China it is not a surprise to see many companies or restaurants doing some type of activities with their staff. This provides the staff with a healthy dose of daily exercise. The government has also placed a lot of public exercise locations, which are most of the time occupied by the elder. When you walk down the streets of China in the evening, the chance of stumbling upon a group of elder people practicing Tai Chi is very high. As foreigners this is something completely new to see. While we are studying we can choose if we want to go for sports or not. Maybe this is something to be jealous about?
We love to see China pushing the youth and the elders towards a more healthy and productive way of living. The Chinese people have a much wider selection of sports than 10 years ago. Instead of just seeing Tai Chi, you see everyone playing soccer, badminton, volleyball, basketball, etc.. Who knows what sports we’ll see in 2020? What kind of investments will the government make to keep stimulating the youth? Some of them might even have a chance for an Olympic title in the future. Time will tell !
Besides Badminton and Table Tennis, Roller-skating seems to be one of the Chinese national sports. Try not to look like an elephant on wheels next to the Chinese guys showing off all their tricks and skills to impress the girls! We tried and, of course, looked perfectly skilled and charming.In one of the big arcade halls in Qingdao we travelled back to the 80s with laser-lighted skating-rink, manic techno-beats and 4 wheels under our feet. After the first steps that looked pretty helpless we soon discovered some pros in our group. Either due to intensive skating experience in their childhood or secret practicing, two of the guys even managed the obstacles in the skating rink quite elegant. Somehow, the rest of us were busy keeping balance with flailing our arms and staying close to the side walls. Even with four wheels it is not as easy as it sounds, but after few rounds we all became saver on the skates. Still we looked relatively stupid compared to the agile Chinese guys. It was fun though and maybe next time we go there we can show off with some skills too!
See u,Franzi