China hopes to get more than 500-million people exercising by 2030. Many in the young generation are answering the call. CGTN's Erica Pitzi has more.

"I have a lot of energy so I have always liked being active."

ERICA PITZI BEIJING "The sheer amount of Chinese people running in the park or working out at the gym shows a sudden surge of interest in healthy living here - particularly - among the younger generation. Whether they know it or not, they're answering the call from the government which aims to get more than 500-million people participating in physical exercise by 2030."

PARK RUNNER "I've been running almost every day since the spring started. Running makes me happy. More importantly, it helps me lose weight."

PARK RUNNER "Running helps improve my heart and lung functions. It helps me lose weight as well."

ERICA PITZI BEIJING "While it is FREE to exercise at the park many young people are choosing to spend up to $2,000 US dollars a year for a membership at a high-end gym in order to participate in trendier fitness programs, like Crossfit. In fact, there are MANY gyms like this one across China with a new one opening up, nearly every week."

KRISTEN LUM GYM MEMBER "I used to run, I biked, did pilates and yoga but I never really felt like I saw improvement. Whereas with Crossfit, you actually are learning skills like handstands and pull-ups and things that help you see yourself getting stronger or more flexible."

WANG XUEZHOU GYM MEMBER "I think Crossfit is more like a community. You can train yourself here. You can also meet a lot of new friends here."

ERICA PITZI BEIJING "Just a couple of years ago, China's fitness market generated more than $6BIL US dollars in revenue in 2017. That same year, the US fitness market generated 5 times that number. But here's the big difference. China's annual growth in the fitness sector is around 12% versus America's mere 2.5%. So, it won't take long for China to catch up. Big question here is WHY is the fitness business booming?"

TIM HILL, HEAD COACH CROSSFIT SLASH "As China has become wealthier, people naturally want to find hobbies, find things to do, they want to go see things, go do things. So, on top of this, what you see is people realize oh, I don't feel good. I've spent all day working and my back is uncomfortable, neck uncomfortable. You want to change that, you want to get healthier."

CUI ZHAOHUA GYM MEMBER "I think it's the trend and the education that gets you to know that this is a nice thing, that this is a cool thing to do."

ERICA PITZI BEIJING "Now, some say getting into shape is becoming somewhat of a new status symbol in China. Remember, the millennial generation which makes up a big chunk of the middle class has a lot more disposable income. Many of the fancy fitness centers are so packed, there are even waitlists to get into classes. The big driving force - social media. Young people posting to their WeChat moments and then their friends want to do it too."

WANG XUEZHOU GYM MEMBER "Sometimes you see a lot of fit guys on Weibo or WeChat. You can feel a kind of peer pressure. This encourages you to train yourself and get better."

ERICA PITZI BEIJING "Whatever is driving them be it friends on social media, the government's call to action or just mere exposure to more information on health and wellness, no doubt this active younger generation is leading the country to a healthier China. In Beijing, Erica Pitzi, CGTN."