Fitter future

A major factor in China's booming sports industry is the growing number of people who are embracing exercise and fitness as a lifestyle choice.

According to a China sports market report published at May's China Sports Development Forum in Beijing, the Chinese fitness market was valued at 111 billion yuan in 2019.

The growth can also be traced back to the National Fitness Program for 2016-2020, which aims to encourage 700 million people to take part in physical exercise at least once a week.

The mass participation in fitness also requires local sports departments to continuously level up the quality of facilities and related services.

According to 2019 data from the Shanghai sports bureau, 43.7 percent of the city's population regularly participate in sports activities. Shanghai's total sports industry was valued at over 178 billion yuan in 2019, growing at an average rate of 18 percent since 2014.

In neighboring Zhejiang, official data showed that about 42 percent of the province's population regularly participates in sports. Zhejiang is also home to 11 national sports industry bases, with its sports industry valued at 261.5 billion yuan and comprised of over 36,000 companies.

Hubei province invested 560 million yuan over three years in its fitness services, attracting a further investment of 3 billion yuan to build over 1,000 new projects in the sector by the end of 2020. The number of people who regularly participate in sports in Hubei has grown from 16 million to 19 million over the past five years.

"Sports can be an indicator of a nation's overall strength, and sports development is closely connected to a country's overall development. Zhejiang's sports sector has experienced tremendous development along with social and economic growth," said Zheng Yao, the director of Zhejiang Sports Bureau.

Changing habits

The COVID-19 pandemic changed people's fitness habits in 2020, with many reluctant to go to the gym or facing quarantine at home. The public's passion for exercise, however, did not wane, with many making their home a gym, following online fitness courses or buying smart devices and playing fitness video games to keep moving.

According to the China sports market report published at the China Sports Development Forum last month, about 21 percent of fitness lovers in China started their daily exercise routine at home in 2020. Instead of exercising at indoor gyms, another 42 percent of people chose parks.

The GASC also began promoting scientific exercise. A series of online fitness courses and indoor activities have been organized across China, attracting tens of millions of participants throughout last year.