Girls practice sit-ups during gymnastics lessons at the Shanghai Yangpu Youth Amateur Athletic School in Shanghai, China, on May 4, 2016. China's sports system has been enormously successful since the country returned to the Olympic fold in 1980, culminating with the host nation topping the medals' table at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And yet, with the Rio de Janeiro Games less than three months away, the system is beginning to break down due to the shifting demographics of a more prosperous nation. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

Robot pianist Teo Tronico performs at the World Robot Conference (WRC) 2017 at Etrong International Exhibition & Convention Center on August 22, 2017 in Beijing, China. The World Robot Conference 2017 is held from August 23 to 27 in Beijing. (Photo by Liu Guanguan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)

A model showcases designs on the catwalk during Eternal Color Xie Ping Collection A/W 2012-2013 of China Fashion Week at Beijing Hotel on March 27, 2012 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

Eight-year-old Niu Dongfang trains at the No. 2 Beijing Shuangqiao School January 13, 2005 in Beijing, China. Most of students in the gymnastics school have to study more than five years from as young as age six before they become athletes. (Photo by Guang Niu/Getty Images)

A man walks pat sculptures with face masks on along an alley in Beijing on August 3, 2021. (Photo by Noel Celis/AFP Photo)

Residents wearing masks to protect from the coronavirus cross a junction in Beijing on Wednesday, January 20, 2021. (Photo by Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

A Beijing Opera performer dances for a show by designer Hao Weimin at China Fashion Week, China, October 28, 2019. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)

A woman uses a plastic bad to protect her head amid snowfall in Beijing, China on December 14, 2023. (Photo by Tingshu Wang/Reuters)