This Day, That Year

Item from July 20, 1988, in China Daily: In a 90-squaremeter prefabricated house in Beijing’s Chaoyang district, a group of young people are playing billiards on a summer night . ...

Since it was set up a few months ago, the billiard room has attracted a lot of players. One hour’s play costs eight yuan ($1.30).

Billiards used to be one of the three most popular recreational activities in the capital in the 1980s. The others were the disco, and

qi-gong, a system of deep breathing.

Almost 30 years on, young Beijingers have more choices, including 24-hour libraries and bookstores spread across the city.

There are hundreds of cinemas and theaters in Beijing, where people can watch the latest Hollywood blockbusters, plays or world-class concerts.

Gyms, parks and university playgrounds are also crowded with people of various age groups.

Armed with wearable devices to monitor their exercise and physical data, and cuttingedge digital gadgets to entertain their ears, more and more Beijingers have become exercise addicts — an effort to offset the modern lifestyle’s negative effects on their health.

Bars and eateries are alltime summer favorites in Beijing. But unlike the 1980s, people now focus more on these places’ social functions than the drinks and foods themselves.