This Day, That Year

Item from Jan 28, 1982, in China Daily: Nearly 3,000 runners crowd Tian'anmen Square at the start of the traditional Spring Festival, round-Beijing race on Wednesday. A 16-year-old student and a 32-year-old worker won the women's and men's divisions, respectively.

More middle-class residents in cities nationwide are joining runs as part of Spring Festival celebrations.

Enthusiasm for the events has been so overwhelming that marathon organizers in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have had to tighten the criteria for applications.