Former captain of the Beijing Ducks basketball team, Ji Zhe, died of lung cancer at the age of 33, just days after actor Godfrey Gao died from a heart attack at 35, adding to Chinese netizens’ fear of dying young.
Netizens became aware of the tragedy on Thursday morning when Jiao Jian, a former Beijing Ducks player, wrote RIP to Ji on Weibo. Ji started to play less in 2017 and last September he revealed on his personal Weibo that he had traveled to the US for medical treatment. In March, the athlete said he was “recovering well” and he guaranteed that he would get back on the court “soon.”
The fact that Ji could no longer abide by his words broke many hearts. On Weibo – where a happy birthday post on Oct. 14 remained on top of his personal account, many netizens expressed their love and respect and mourned his death.
Amid the mourning for the loss of young and talented lives, many more found themselves increasingly gripped by the fear that they could die a young death, too. Not even physically fit Gao and Ji could escape the Grim Reaper.
“Cherish every day we have. One can never know which will come first: accident or tomorrow,” wrote many.
A recent survey by China Youth Daily showed that some 63.6% of the surveyed people aged 18-35 said they do not want to look at their physical checkup for fear that they might see something troubling. Some 62.6% admitted that they are under constant pressure and some 60.9% said they are aware of their unhealthy lifestyle.
Nowadays, it has become almost a trend for some young Chinese to “waste their lives” by keeping an unhealthy lifestyle on one hand, while trying to make up for the impact on body with healthier diet. (by Jiang Jie, Facebook Account of People's Daily)
