How a 70-year-old fitness fanatic sparked a street workout movement in Hong Kong

Seventy-year-old Hongkonger Cheng Hon-fai can perform fitness feats most people cannot even fathom doing.

With nothing more than the modest playground equipment at a park in Hong Kong’s Tin Shui Wai, the retiree can swing his body around a horizontal bar over a dozen times in a row and carry himself up a pole while upside down.

His lifestyle routine is simple. He mostly eats fruits and vegetables, and he prioritises getting enough sleep each night. Each day he comes to the park at around 5.30pm to exercise for about two hours before heading home for dinner, while making sure to take “a few days break” each month.

Cheng said exercise was a hobby he started as a teen living in the countryside by climbing trees and fashioning bamboo poles together into impromptu gym equipment.

“I’ve been doing this ever since, and now at 70 years old, I’m still at it,” he said.