The Communist Approach to Obesity

Here’s one way to fight obesity: mandatory exercise, as Beijing has commanded again, after a three-year break. “The short-term goal is to involve 60% of the workforces in Beijing by 2011, and 70% of the workforces of the government,” says Zhang Yujing of the Beijing Federation of Trade Unions. “We want all state-owned enterprise workers to have restarted this routine by next year.” The city’s residents seem to support the policy: “I think this [resumption] is really necessary, because people’s living habits are very bad now. They sit in the office the whole day,” said one 30-year-old, who works in marketing. “I have my own exercise plan, but I never put it into practice because I am too busy.” [%comments]