A fitting career for Uygur women

URUMQI－Being a fitness instructor, naturally, takes strength. However, when you're a Uygur woman in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region－where there's a traditional reluctance to wear shorts or have any physical contact with men outside of family－it also requires courage.

Aliya Rozi, 25, found this out when, in 2016, after graduating from college, she challenged her parents, as well as local customs, by becoming a full-time instructor at a fitness club in the regional capital of Urumqi.

During her childhood, she dreamed of becoming a dancer. "I liked to stretch my body and keep in good shape," she says.

Her parents, who wanted her to find a stable job after college, persuaded her to major in broadcasting instead of dance at Xinjiang University, with expectations of their daughter forging a career in the media.

However, their hopes were dashed when, one year later, she became fascinated with her part-time job as a fitness instructor.

"It's an interesting job. It's unfair to exclude us from the profession simply because of our gender," she says, adding that the job, similar to a dancer's, enabled her to work out and stay in the peak of physical fitness.

It took the male members of the club some time to accept her. She was its first ever female instructor. "Some of them believed those in bold workout clothes were 'bad girls', while others were afraid to sign up for my courses for fear of what their wives might say," Aliya Rozi recalls.

Desperate to win recognition for her work, she made up her mind to sharpen her professional skills. In addition to obtaining the relevant certificates, she regularly flies to Shanghai, some 4,000 kilometers from Urumqi, to learn cutting-edge training methods by attending an advanced-level program.

"I've seen a wide gap between instructors in Urumqi and our counterparts in Shanghai. They are more professional in many ways," she says.

Her efforts have paid off. The number of men in her one-on-one classes has grown from none a few years ago, to around 15 now. Hundreds of other people have enrolled for her courses and her monthly income often reaches 10,000 yuan ($1,556).

"My coach is professional, considerate and always passionate. I'm never tired of following instructions in her class," says Akila, one of her trainees at the club.

Aliya Rozi has become somewhat of a celebrity in her community, even appearing on TV. Drawing inspiration from Aliya Rozi, 38 other women have followed suit, taking jobs as full-time or part-time fitness instructors.

She says that, compared with men, women are more careful and thoughtful.

"As people put more emphasis on health and fitness, women can do an even better job in the expanding fitness market," she says.

Xinhua