In 2002, when Jin Qiao set up Beijing Daily Hiking Center, one of the first non-governmental organizations in China to promote outdoor activities, hiking was far from the popular activity in Beijing it is today.

 

Now more than 50,000 people have registered at the center, including more than 1,000 who take part in nearly all hiking activities, he said.

 

Most of the members are middle class groups in Beijing, including professionals such as college teachers, white collar workers and government employees, Jin said.

 

The center has been organizing hiking and outdoor activities every week in Beijing for the past few years, such as a jog held every Wednesday evening at Olympic Forest Park in Beijing.

 

Members have hiked almost every hill and mountain in and around Beijing. Some of them have gone farther, extending their footsteps as far as the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in West China and the Rocky Mountains in the western United States.

 

Similar organizations promoting hiking have flourished in Beijing in recent years, with the number of frequent hikers increasing rapidly, said Gao Bin, vice-president of the Beijing Walking Association.

 

It is difficult to estimate the total number of hikers in Beijing, as many of them take part in the exercise independently, but every year at least 300,000 people take part in the 16 major hiking activities organized by the association annually, Gao said.

 

There are more than 20 organizations and companies in Beijing that regularly organize and promote outdoor activities, including hiking, he said. 

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