Making the pole their goal

Yan Yulin is one of the few men currently working as a pole-dancing instructor.

Future investment

Having started in a shabby 160-square-meter gym refurbished at a cost of just 16,000 yuan ($2,570), Luo's school has now grown into a chain business with more than 20 franchised studios nationwide, earning an annual profit of more than 500,000 yuan.

For beginners, a month of classes costs 6,800 yuan, while a three-month, senior-level training program costs 16,800 yuan.

Despite the relatively high tuition costs, compared with classes in ordinary gyms, most of the students are committed to bearing the financial burden and learning the routines as an investment in their futures amid predictions of a surge in popularity.

Huang Chuan'e, from the southwestern metropolis of Chongqing, is a regular at the school. She graduated from the beginner and primary training courses in 2013, and was recently one of nine students who signed up for advanced classes.

After graduating from Chongqing Technology and Business University in July, Huang, 22, opened her own pole-fitness club in Zhongshan, Guangdong province. Now, she wants to fine-tune her skills via the course in Beijing so she can better coach her own students.

"The demand for well-trained pole-dancing talent has really soared, even in the smaller cities. More people are taking it up as exercise, or to lose weight and get a good figure, but we are short of coaches," said Huang, whose well-toned physique, including several bruises on her legs, makes her stand out in a crowd.

Driven by the nascent market demand, the wages of pole-dancing teachers, and the cash rewards they receive for commercial performances, have been rising, thus luring more young people to set a career goal on the pole.

However, the lack of a united industry association has emerged as an issue for a number of clubs and schools who are keen to form a healthy sector with unified standards and pricing policies.

"We've sensed a tendency of blind competition on low prices," said Song, who runs her own 300-square-meter studio in east Beijing's downtown. "Some shortsighted clubs only consider their own needs and offer tuition fees that are much lower than the average. That's affecting the quality of training."