Sometimes in this city, I feel like I've landed in some kind of sports heaven. Over the past two weeks, I've discovered, one-by-one, great things this city has for athletes.
It started with the sporting goods stores. It is as if someone took all of the Starbucks and bodegas in New York, and transplanted them in Kunming, except that due to the climate here (good weather all year round, sun most days from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.), they all grew up to be sporting goods stores. Some of these stores are three stories high, with bright lights and big displays of bags, balls and gear. In some places, small shop after small shop lines the street. This one specializes in badminton, that one in boxing, and another in skateboarding. There also are a fair number of hiking/outdoors shops, where you can pick up basics such as jackets, sleeping bags, shoes and water bottles. They sell some global brands like Marmot and Columbia, but the local brands also seem of decent quality.
I asked a Chinese friend, Harvey, about the shops. Why were there so many? "Because they are profitable," he answered. "Really?" I replied. I'm no expert in retail space usage, but it seemed to me that whenever I was in one of these stores, I had at least 300 square feet and three employees to myself. And based on what I've gleaned about local salaries, young Kunming can't afford to buy very many sneakers at 600 yuan a pair. And while I like the prices, I have yet to make a purchase in one of these stores myself; nor have I seen the backpackers who come through Kunming loading up on this stuff. Harvey thought for a minute and revised his explanation: "Maybe the government wants to encourage people to be active." This seems to me a more plausible explanation. I have heard that as China has become more prosperous and has imported Western food as well as some Western habits, the country has become fatter. According to one book I'm reading, the number of overweight teenagers tripled in China in the nineties.
In 1995, the state started the Nationwide Physical Fitness Program, encouraging people to engage in sports activities often, learn more ways of keeping fit and get regular health exams. In 2001, China launched a sports lottery for the purpose of funding new facilities in small and medium-sized cities. The goal is to have 40 percent of the population getting regular exercise by 2010. Is it working? According to the state's most recent study (done in 2001), life expectancy has increased and children in rural areas are healthier. But in Kunming, the sporting goods stores still don't seem to be attracting big crowds. But many people do bike to work (this I believe far predates the national program), which should give them a leg up on most suburban Americans.
3 comments:
More likely they are selling Columbia and Marmot knockoffs. My boss who was attending Kellogg Business school did a school trip to China about 2 years ago. He said there was a knockoff North Face factory directly behind the legit North Face factory in China and the same truck pulls up behind one and then the other to drop off the same supplies. They are run by the same foremen and the assembly line is identical. Literally, identical jackets are being made in each and North Face doesn't care because they can still charge a lot in the US and they wouldn't be able to get that in China where the knockoffs are being sold anyway and the cheap labor is worth it to them to locate their factory in China.
As a matter of fact...When we were at breakfast in a hotel this weekend, there was a news special on the TV about the new Asian trend to consume fast food and a marked increase in obesity, including among children. It was accompanied by plenty of hmmm...shall we say... visual evidence.
Post a Comment