Radio Gymnastics is 70 years old! Are there any young you in these photos?

Every day at noon

Sitting in the office

I can hear the sound of students from the neighboring school doing radio gymnastics.

"Now we start the eighth set of radio gymnastics, marching on the spot..."

Whenever this familiar melody sounds

I always dream about my student days.

When the bell rang for the second class

The prelude to the radio gymnastics played on the loudspeaker

Urging students to come to the playground

In order to "cope" with this daily compulsory course

Some people do exercises like they are sleepwalking

Someone hid in the classroom and pretended to be sick...

These memories always come back when I hear similar melodies.

Comes to mind

Just as I was immersed in the past

Suddenly found

Today is the 70th birthday of Radio Gymnastics

70 years ago today

The first set of radio gymnastics in New China was officially released

The burning years

At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the average life expectancy of the Chinese population was only 35 years old. Many people did not know the meaning of the word "sports". Improving people's physical fitness became an urgent problem to be solved.

In 1950, the new China sent a sports delegation to the Soviet Union, hoping to learn the Soviet sports system. A radio gymnastics composed of simple gymnastics movements attracted the attention of the Chinese delegation.

On November 24, 1951, the first set of national radio gymnastics was officially born with reference to the Soviet Union's "hygiene exercises" and Japan's "chili exercises".

The first set of radio gymnastics has only one movement per session. Although the time is short, the amount of exercise is not small. Basic movements such as lifting, squatting, turning, stretching, etc. are all involved. If you complete it carefully, you will definitely achieve the effect of strengthening your body.

The first set of radio gymnastics

Doing gymnastics while listening to music was a novelty at the time. The country also vigorously promoted radio gymnastics. More than 40 radio stations across the country played music for radio gymnastics several times a day. For a time, the whole country was enthusiastic about doing gymnastics.

Exercise for all

In factories, schools, roadsides, and even on trains, you can always see people doing exercises wherever people can stand. According to incomplete statistics from 13 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chongqing, the number of people participating in radio gymnastics at that time exceeded 1 million.

The second set of radio gymnastics

In order to keep the public fresh, the radio gymnastics were updated to the fifth set from 1951 to 1971.

The third set of radio gymnastics

The fourth set of radio gymnastics

The fifth set of radio gymnastics

It is worth mentioning that during the promotion of the fifth set of radio gymnastics, a primary school student in Beijing was filmed into a documentary by a film company because of his beautiful and standard movements. He was also admitted to a famous local sports school. Later, this primary school student became a superstar of his generation - Jet Li.

Li Ning as a model

The process of arranging and promoting radio gymnastics was not smooth sailing. As China entered the reform and opening up period, people's living standards continued to improve, and there were more choices for daily fitness. Aerobics, disco and other "imported products" gradually replaced radio gymnastics.

Compared with previous ones, the launch of the sixth set of radio gymnastics in 1981 did not cause much response.

The sixth set of radio gymnastics

In 1990, the seventh set of radio gymnastics invited "Prince of Gymnastics" Li Ning to be the model. This set of movements is also known as the "most difficult" radio gymnastics in history.

The seventh set of radio gymnastics (the model in this version is not Li Ning)

Seven years later, the eighth set of radio gymnastics was released. This set of movements was simplified and became widely popular.

The eighth set of radio gymnastics

On August 8, 2011, the General Administration of Sport of China released the ninth set of radio gymnastics, which has been used to this day.

The ninth set of radio gymnastics

“The times are calling”

Since the first set of radio gymnastics, students have joined the army of gymnastics. However, it was not until 1998 that radio gymnastics specifically designed for primary and secondary school students were available.

At present, the most popular are undoubtedly the second and third sets of radio gymnastics for primary and secondary school students. "Young Eagle Takes Flight", "Rising Sun", "Times Are Calling"... these familiar names string together the youth of the 80s, 90s and even 00s.

The times are calling

It has been 70 years since the first set of radio gymnastics was born. With the development of economy and times, the scene of thousands of people doing gymnastics in the streets may be difficult to reproduce, but people's fitness methods are becoming more diverse.

New sports such as yoga, cycling, and aerobics are popular among the public. Even the "ten minutes between classes" in schools has become more diverse, and even square dancing has appeared.

Data map: A large number of citizens are learning the ninth set of radio gymnastics. Photo by Yang Bo from China News Service

However, during the outbreak of the epidemic last year, radio gymnastics became popular again across the country. Everyone was pleasantly surprised to find that doing exercises seriously can really help you lose weight and strengthen your body. Home exercise during the epidemic also revitalized the "ancient" radio gymnastics.

At one time, radio gymnastics was considered outdated, old-fashioned and conservative, but its enduring melody has become a footnote to the growth of generations.

Radio gymnastics, happy birthday!

Original: Xing Rui

Editor: Yue Chuan

Editor: Lu Yan