“Change your weight to a ticket!”
It is a slogan issued by a famous tourist destination in China. At first glance, it is difficult to guess what it means, but the slogan contains efforts to solve obesity, which has recently emerged as a serious problem in China.
According to China’s Guangming Network on the 17th, Onyeosan Mountain, located in Bunxi, Liaoning Province, recently launched a unique event that discounts or exempts admission fees according to the body mass index (BMI). As the slogan “Change your weight to a ticket! We’ll pay for your admission while you lose weight,” the higher the BMI index, the greater the discount rate.
BMI is a value obtained by dividing the weight (kg) by the square of the height (m) and is used as an index to determine weight status internationally. BMI indices 18.5 to 23.9 are classified as normal weight and overweight from 24 to overweight, and over 28 correspond to obesity.
Onyeosan Mountain offered a half discount on the admission fee to tourists with a BMI index of 24-27.9, and those above 28 were allowed to enter for free. The admission fee for Onyeosan Mountain is 70 yuan per person, allowing them to measure their BMI by weighing their weight and height at the entrance.
The reason why this tourist destination held a weight management event seems to be due to the speciality of having to use a shuttle bus or walk up because there is no cable car leading to the top. This is because the distance from the visitor center at the foot of the mountain to the entrance of Onyeosan Mountain is 7.8km, and it takes about 3 hours to travel around the country on foot.
The event, which was planned in line with the “Year of Weight Management” promoted by China’s National Health Commission, will be held from April 7 to 27 for tourists across the country. A total of 3,480 people visited from the 7th to the 15th, and 1,320 of them received discounts, an official from Ohnyeo Mountain said, adding, “Men were the most eligible for the discount.”
JULIE KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
