Radio exercises result in controversy

Background: The tradition of radio exercising in China

The exercises were started in 1951 and have been revised eight times. Scenes of crowds doing public radio exercises were common until the 1980s. It helped improve public health during difficult times. Much of the Chinese population has a positive impression of it.

Around the same time, a set of eye exercises for preserving vision became popular among students. These were conducted in the afternoon, while gymnastics exercises were done at 10 am.

Starting from the late 1980s, the government quit making these exercises compulsory. They remained only on campuses. With daily life improving, people believed they no longer needed the exercises.

Still, sports authorities have designed dozens of new exercises for retirees, office workers, young women and students, targeting common health problems like obesity, high blood pressure, carpal tunnel syndrome and cervical spondylosis, said He Fengxiang, chief of the National Administration of Sports.