Du Yize, a young Chinese parkour fan, practices at a plaza in front of the Forbidden City in Beijing.

Parkour, an extreme sport performed on an "urban obstacle course," is now popular among youth in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

Parkour, which stresses forward motion, is an activity in which people aim to move their bodies from one point to another as quickly and efficiently as possible, using the utmost abilities of their bodies.

To succeed, one must develop his body and mind to overcome any obstacles that may crop up, which can be anything in the surrounding environment, including concrete walls and rooftops.

Founded in France in the 1980s, parkour can be used in an emergency or as a pastime. Most recently, parkour was feature in the film, "The Bourne Ultimatum."

(CRI January 10, 2008)