Over the years, many of the workers and local residents were encouraged by Zhang to become fitness lovers, and some of them even became contenders in national-level bodybuilding competitions. According to Xu, gym members here have won three national championships and eight municipal-level championships in Beijing.

Xu assumed management of the club after Zhang passed away. Each member now only needs to pay 100 to 300 yuan ($15-$45) per year to contribute to the upkeep of the club.

"Some shelves in the room are already 40 years old, and that barbell is over 30 years old. We made most of the equipment ourselves," Xu said.

"The closets here are old ones from nearby supermarkets. The massage chair is from one of our members. The decorative picture is from our old factory... We bought the integrated training machine for just several thousand yuan, and have been using it every day for the last seven to eight years.

"Many of us are old friends for the past 30 to 40 years. I'm just a manager here. And I'm not here to make money."