Chinafotopress

Jiao Yang was in her mid-20s the first time she stepped into a gym. It was around five or six years ago, she isn't sure exactly, though she does remember why she joined her local club in Beijing: “It's known for its cheap prices,” she says, “and it was in my neighborhood.”

Now 30, Jiao is one of a new generation of Chinese urban professionals who are spending their hard-earned renminbi on themselves, giving rise to lifestyle industries such as fashion, design and fitness. Though Jiao says that she and her husband are rarities in their social circle for their gym memberships ......“Treating customers like a monolithic consumer base won't work, and trying to model a fitness club based on general ideas of what Chinese consumers want instead of statistics gleaned from current customer bases won't work – there is no real stereotypical Chinese client.”

People are starting to realize that China is an open market when it comes to fitness options. Established gym chains may be proliferating, but no one has cornered the market yet – there is still much to play for.