Dilemma and countermeasure of sustainable leadership in physical education development in southern rural Ningxia, China

Globally, above 1.4 billion adults did not reach the recommended level of physical education in their daily life, thus triple intendent reforms are proposed by the Ministry of Physical Education for the development of sporting leadership in schools, colleges, and universities, which are essentially important for the development of physical and mental health of the students. This article analyzes the situation of lacking sustainable sporting leadership among other factors related to Physical Education (PE) resources in the southern areas of Ningxia. A mixed and multi-method approach was adopted to conduct the study. First, an in-depth but an open-ended qualitative interview with the professionals was carried out, followed by cross-sectional data collected from the respondents in two districts of the southern mountainous area of Ningxia. Moreover, a case study was included to support the phenomenon from a contextual perspective. The study present that PE education needs a modernization and rejuvenation plan to link with PE development and its sustainable execution and implementation for the physical and mental development of the learners. Moreover, it is suggested to strengthen the development of physical education with/through the fields of regional integration of educational resources sharing, cultural elements and integration, latest technological tools, research-based and cultural supported curriculum, and endogenous strength construction to promote the development of school physical education. Furthermore, continuous monitoring and evaluation mechanisms need to be adopted to develop physical education in the region.