Brush teeth right, exercise 20 minutes before you begin work

Braving a light rain, a record-breaking 33,996 people gathered at Beijng’s iconic Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium early on Saturday for a graceful, six-minute tai chi demonstration as the city administration kicked off a 10-year ‘get fit’ campaign to encourage citizens to, among other things, brush their teeth right.

August 8 marked the first anniversary of the inauguration of the Beijing Olympics, and city administrators choreographed a Guinness Record-breaking gathering of tai chi performers, including many in wheelchairs. The previous record was 33,648 performers. “We have established August 8 as National Fitness Day to embody the government’s concern for the life and prosperity of the people,” sports minister Liu Peng said.

City officials also announced a ‘Healthy Beijingers’ public health campaign that requires office workers to work out together for 20 minutes daily before they begin their work.
Earlier this week, Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau deputy director Li Li-li led a group of city officials, including city mayor Guo Jinlong, and residents in an exercise routine; officials stood on one leg for 30 seconds.

Additionally, as part of a dental health campaign, Beijingers will be encouraged to brush their teeth regularly and “in the right way”.

The aim is to promote good health practices and meet 10-year goals to tackle an epidemic of obesity and smoking and promote good hygiene and workplace wellness. For instance, as part of the dental hygiene campaign, the effort is to ensure that at least 90 per cent of people brush their teeth regularly and that at least 70 per cent know how to brush it right. Getting more specific, authorities want to ensure that people aged over 65 have at least 20 “functioning” teeth that can chew!

The campaign also aims to promote healthy eating by bringing down the average daily intake of fat and salt. Salt intake, for instance, is targeted to come down from 13.4 grams a day to less than 10 grams — although even that is still abnormally high, according to doctors.

The ‘get fit’ campaign comes amidst increasing concerns of obesity, including childhood obesity, and associated health issues. An estimated 18 per cent of Beijing students are considered obese, which reflects an increasing predilection for fatty fast foods among a growing — and increasingly prosperous — middle class. 

Doctors believe that for all the campaign’s merits, it needs to be supported by other deterrent policies. “While these efforts are commendable, you also need things like a ‘tobacco tax’ to disincentivise smoking and measures to address manufacturers of processed food,” says Liu Hongjing, a Beijing-based doctor.