beijing-based lin zhuyin became acquainted with zhao in the 1940s; he turned into a bodybuilding enthusiast and opened a gym at the local young men's christian association building. however, there and in other parts of china, bodybuilding only took off with affluent young males whereas many others who were aware of bodybuilding could not afford to practise it for economical, practical, or physical reasons. nevertheless, it was also well received by the lower classes of chinese society, namely farmers and blue-collar workers. in 1953, lin zhuyin posed for chinese officials who went on to pan it as a "bourgeois" practice and an "unproductive and narcissistic pursuit of beauty originating in the capitalist west". furthermore, there was little pragmatic incentive in investing in bodybuilding because it was not a competitive segment in the olympic games. the mao zedong-led chinese communist party banned bodybuilding that year.