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Lessons from China’s history
LifestyleChinese culture
ReflectionsWee Kek Koon
Even Confucius was buff? How ancient China prized strength and fitness
The gentle philosopher was said to possess extraordinary strength, while Chinese military officers long had to pass tough physical tests
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Wee Kek Koon
Having lived his whole life in the modern cities of Singapore and Hong Kong, Wee Kek Koon has an inexplicable fascination with the past.
Published: 8:15am, 8 Aug 2026
Against my better judgment, I took out a gym membership in Prague. It turns out that my usual exercise regime – brisk walking for up to an hour every day – is not as practical in the city as I had imagined, at least not in my part of Prague
Cobblestone pavements are pretty to look at, but they are made for leisurely strolls, not aerobic walks, unless spraining an ankle or two is your intention. There are parks and green spaces near my flat, but they are either too small or they reek of marijuana, alcohol or urine, sometimes all three at once. The only smooth, level footpaths nearby run alongside busy roads, and car fumes do not make for healthy lungs
So I joined a nearby gym, where the treadmill has become a good friend. I also make use of the exercise machines and free weights, but only to maintain muscle tone and strength. At my age, I have no desire to resemble a cartoon superhero.
Not so a few of the men at my gym. Their enormous muscles, together with the telltale signs of back acne and an oddly aggressive swagger, suggest chemical assistance. For them, exercising at the gym seems to be less about health and fitness than about achieving a particular physical aesthetic
To each his own, I say. But man, can they lift weights! At the machines, my modest stack of plates looks positively dainty beside the towering columns of iron they heave
Displays of brute strength have fascinated people for millennia. China, in particular, has never lacked legendary figures whose physical prowess bordered on the mythical. Among them, however, one stands out for an unexpected reason: Kongzi, better known in the West as Confucius
Few people today imagine the sage, who died in 479BC, as anything other than a gentle philosopher. Yet historicalfeet (183cm) in modern measurements – who possessed such extraordinary strength that he could single-handedly lift the massive wooden locking bar from a city gate
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