Senior shakes illness, embraces fitness

A senior in Southwest China's Chongqing who was severely ill with cancer 14 years ago, has demonstrated extraordinary mental and physical strength not just by battling his illness, but also by becoming a bodybuilder who has competed in 10 competitions.

Born in the city's Shapingba district, 67-year-old Jiang Ming served as a technician at the Chongqing No 1 Cotton Textile Factory until 2008, when he was diagnosed with advanced rectal cancer.

Jiang said that his case was deemed incurable and that many of his friends and colleagues came to see him in the hospital after his first surgery.

"After going through a series of emotional ups and downs, fear and pessimism, I realized there was no way but to face the truth," he said.

With his family's encouragement, Jiang underwent three surgeries and six rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. He was discharged from the hospital a few months later. Doctors warned that he might not live longer than five years if the cancer reemerged. Thankfully, Jiang recovered, and his cancer remains in remission.

In 2012, he came across a copy of Fitness & Beauty, one of the earliest fitness journals in China, and saw a photo of dumbbells and barbells on its back cover.

Intrigued, the cancer survivor, who had never done any physical training before, came up with the idea of making a set of homemade weights with scrap gears and iron pipes from his former factory, and began to work out at home.

Standing 1.84 meters tall and weighing 70 kilograms, the bodybuilder has maintained a regular fitness routine since 2012. From 7 am to 9 am each day, he practices dead lifts, squats and bench presses using dumbbells weighing 30 kg each and a barbell that can hold up to 120 kg. He follows a balanced diet, including two eggs and a carton of milk every day, which he thinks is adequate for building muscle mass, rather than using special supplements.

Surprised to find that his physique is better than the average bodybuilder's, Jiang signed up for a competition sponsored by the Chongqing Bodybuilding Association in 2017. "As the only senior contestant competing against younger muscled men, Jiang stole the show with his height and well-developed muscles," said Wang Guiyu, a guest judge. "When people heard about his fight against cancer later, he became a legend."

Jiang said: "I'm proud that I wasn't defeated by cancer and could be cheerful on stage. I don't care if I win prizes, I want to encourage more people to get into the sport. If I can stand here, why can't other people?"

Bodybuilding arrived in the country in Guangzhou province in the 1930s when Zhao Zhuguang, "the father of bodybuilding in China", shared what he had learned in the United States with other university students and set up the Hujiang University Bodybuilding Association, the first fitness organization in the nation.

Banned as "unproductive and narcissistic" in 1953, the sport went through a nearly three decadelong hiatus until 1987, when China held its first bodybuilding competition.

Jiang said that bodybuilding should be better known and gain more participants.

His dedication to the sport moved 48-year-old Wang Guiyu, a former professional bodybuilder who won the 1997 and 1998 National Bodybuilding & Fitness Championship. In 2018, Wang invited Jiang to his fitness club in the city's Jiangbei district and agreed to coach him for free.

"He's a natural bodybuilder with low body fat and perfect lines, but he needs systematic professional training," said Wang, adding that Jiang was emotionless on stage and didn't know how to control his muscles or present himself properly.

Once his modeling and stage performances greatly improved, Jiang was encouraged to take part in more competitions. "I won't try to change him much though, because he's reaching his physiological limits, and enjoying bodybuilding matters more," the coach said.

Since 2017, Jiang has taken part in 10 competitions, including two DMS Championship National Fitness and Bodybuilding Opens, one Goldentimes Bodybuilding Super Series (Chongqing Elite) and four Chongqing bodybuilding competitions. His best result is getting to the semifinals.

Jiang's metamorphosis has influenced both young and old in the club.

Chen Renpu, a 40-year-old lawyer who works out at the gym, said she is very motivated. "From him, I've learned that bodybuilding is not just about physical training, but also spiritual cultivation," she said.

Gym rat Zhang Mei, 59, who heard Jiang's story and joined the club last year, said that she wants to take part in a bodybuilding competition one day just like him.

Li Xiaoyu, a doctor at the Chongqing University Cancer Hospital's radiotherapy center, approves of Jiang's work ethic, but added that working out is not a cure.

"Doing exercise can strengthen a cancer patient's body, help maintain a positive mindset and improve the immune system," she said. "However, recuperation is rather complicated, and what Jiang has done does not necessarily mean that bodybuilding helps defeat cancer."

She said that for senior cancer patients, physical exercise should be undertaken carefully, for a fracture caused by an intense workout could make their condition worse.

"They are recommended to maintain a good mood and do regular physical examinations to strengthen immunity," she said.

Jiang said he couldn't be happier with his life now. "There are thousands of ways to make life meaningful, and the hobbies that could help make you happy, confident and strong have no price," he said.

In his spare time, he likes to read, walk around the city and write poems. He said that he used to be tied up with life and work, and that it was cancer that gave him a chance to stop and reflect on matters. Now, he is no longer afraid of death.