Guangxi to establish 100 sports parks with ethnic elements

People paddle board in Guilin's Pingle county. [Photo by Su Gui for chinadaily.com.cn]

Officials from the Sports Bureau of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region said on May 11 that Guangxi is expected to have a total of 100 remodeled or new sports parks by 2025, with elements of local folk customs included into the overall design.

In the parks, there will be grounds and facilities for ethnic sports including pole hitting, floating on a single bamboo pole, and traditional aerobics. 

Sports parks must blend in with the surrounding residential areas, with no set ceilings or grandstands permitted. In addition, stadiums or sports towns, which may have more commercial components, cannot replace these parks.

In recent years, the number of people participating in physical exercise has increased in Guangxi, and the region has focused on the construction of public sports facilities to accommodate public demand. Sports venues per capita in Guangxi increased by 9 percent year-on-year to 2.19 square meters in 2021.