China coach goes above and beyond, trains clients at own cost of US$28,000 after gym shuts

After a gym in central China suddenly closed, leaving its clients unable to receive refunds, one of its fitness coaches completed his 877 classes at his own expense of 200,000 yuan (US$28,000), stating, “Trust is more important than anything else.”The story of the coach, surnamed Zhang, went viral online and garnered half a million likes on social media in China after being reported by Jiupai News in mid-March.The 29-year-old Zhang previously worked at Aishang Gym in Wuhan, Hubei province, as a personal trainer.The gym charged members 200 yuan (US$28) per class, with each session lasting for an hour.In October 2024, the gym unexpectedly closed, and its owner vanished.At the time, Zhang was training 29 clients, who collectively had 877 classes affected by the gym’s closure.