Better Living Through Genomics

China’s BGI wants your genes to guide your medical care, your diet, and maybe your choice of spouse. It could get weird

- By Matthew Campbell and Lyu Dong

At the Shenzhen headquarters of the Chinese genetics company BGI Group, there’s no excuse for poor health. Employees are urged to punctuate their days with quick bursts of high- intensity exercise on the weight benches, pullup bars, and spin bikes placed in the open-plan offices’ breakout areas. Riding elevators is officially discouraged. For those who insist, the company has placed a simple injunction on the doors, in English and Chinese: “DO SQUATS if taking the lift.” For lunch, in-house coffee bars offer a selection of low- calorie “nutrition meals” as well as a curious “decreasing serum uric acid series.” During their offhours, employees set out on arduous group hikes up and down the verdant mountains surrounding the city, often led by senior executives for whom physical fitness is a component of annual performance reviews. “If I get fat, no bonus,” one jokes, a little anxiously.