We investigated the beefed-up world of bodybuilding

Image: Shape Fitness.

Chinese bodybuilders are steadily making gains on the international circuit. One Beijing competitor talks fitness, future and making gains overseas

Fascination with muscularity is nothing new for Western civilisations, which since the ancient Greeks and Romans have had a fluctuating flirtation with sculpted physiques. Conversely, Chinese history has featured far fewer strapping characters; in a nation whose culture, strongly influenced by Confucian teachings, has always put more stock by brains than brawn, it’s only recently that more of an emphasis on physical fitness has begun to emerge. 

Cultural crossovers, increasing middle-class affluence and evolving beauty standards are fuelling a fitness boom in China, and a gym and fitness industry that is expected to generate 90 billion RMB this year, growing to 123 billion RMB by 2020. At the more extreme end, this boom might just be the spark that sees China’s own bodybuilding scene make gains on its foreign counterparts.

It should be said that the sport first began to take off here during the 1980s – the Chinese Bodybuilding Association became a member of the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness in 1985 – though prohibitive economic conditions meant its trajectory lagged far behind its Western counterparts in the following decades. 

David Jing.

But there are signs of an ever-narrowing gap, according to one insider – David Jing, a Beijing-born bodybuilder who we met at a tournament in April. ‘Of course, there’s still a way to go to catch up with the States,’ he remarks, ‘but progress in the last five to ten years has been rapid and remarkable. It’s become far more competitive. 

‘When I first started competing 12 years ago, there was a lot more travelling, as there would only be a few tournaments a year here in Beijing,’ 35-year-old Jing remembers. ‘But now, across the country, competitions are more regular and competitive, with extra divisions and disciplines making it much more accessible.’ 

I’ve just watched Jing win the 90kg+ division at the One Fitness Cup, a relatively small, city-level tournament in Fengtai district, and indeed, I’ve been treated to a packed programme spanning weights, ages and genders. Essentially, this is the grassroots of a sport that takes years of dedication to reach any competitive level, but the modest setting and half-empty arena belies the pedigree of its many participants, including Jing himself, whose career has already taken him to France and Australia. 

Jing traces his obsession to Hollywood: ‘I guess it all began when I was six or seven, after I watched Rambo! I saw Sylvester Stallone and thought: Now that’s how a man should look!’ It wasn’t until university, however, that he really committed to his physique, and not exactly with the support of those around him. ‘My parents disapproved, saying that they couldn’t see a future in the sport for me,’ he recalls. ‘It was all about values – in China, academic success is given far more credit than anything else. I was going against standard practice.’ 

Even now, Jing says such perceptions are an obstacle to domestic growth: ‘We’re still struggling for widespread recognition, perhaps because of beauty standards, too. It’s an issue for the men, but even more so for female competitors.’ 

Our conversation moves on to the success of Mou Cong, who recently swept up at the Arnold Amateur tournament in Ohio to become China’s first internationally successful female bodybuilder. ‘The reception’s been mixed,’ Jing laments. ‘Some think it’s fantastic for the sport and for women, but it seems the majority have struggled to accept it. They feel bodybuilding’s not appropriate for a woman.’ 

As health-conscious millennials with changing values energise China’s fitness boom, attitudes will hopefully evolve. At the competitor’s level, however, Jing speaks of other difficulties facing Chinese bodybuilders if they wish to raise their reputation and make it on the international stage. ‘Money is the biggest challenge,’ he bemoans. 

Most competitors, including Jing himself, are trainers by profession, but in a country where 60 percent of personal trainers earn less than 8,000RMB a month, a lack of the kind of lucrative sponsorship contracts seen overseas puts a strain on training programmes, finances and free time. 

The nation’s burgeoning lust for all things fitness should generate greater demand for trainers though – and good-quality trainers, Jing emphasises – with higher earnings likely to follow. Additionally, the public exposure and social media advertising potential of competitors such as Mou Cong mean that increased sponsorship can’t be too far away. 

What keeps Jing going under these challenging conditions? ‘Prizes keep me pushing myself harder. Competitive sports demand faster, stronger and bigger results, so titles are the reward you chase, the recognition for the dedication you’ve shown.’ 

With many bodybuilders competing well into their fifties, there’s still plenty of time for Jing to taste further glory. Time will tell if he and his muscular Chinese fellows can make a sustained impact internationally, but signs are positive. The nation’s growing economic strength, which has seen it become a world leader in, well, pretty much everything, could yet provide a springboard for future success.

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