by sportswriter He Leijing
NANJING, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- Beneath the soaring overpasses that crisscross China's cities, once-neglected spaces are being transformed into free basketball courts, table tennis areas and even places to grab a coffee or a burger after a workout.
Across China, overlooked corners of the urban landscape are finding new uses. Spaces beneath elevated roads, disused factories and vacant plots are being transformed into sports hubs, making it easier for people to stay active without traveling to large, purpose-built venues.
The initiative is part of China's broader drive to promote fitness for all. The country's 15th Five-Year Plan for building a sporting powerhouse calls for expanding public access to exercise spaces by tapping underused urban land and making better use of existing resources.
It encourages the development of more compact and thoughtfully designed sports facilities, with a target of building or upgrading more than 5,000 small sports parks, fitness centers, multipurpose sports grounds, public ice-skating venues and other neighborhood facilities.
MAKING EVERY CORNER COUNT
As evening falls, a sports park on Jiangxinzhou, an island in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, comes alive with activity. Tennis, basketball and pickleball players fill the grounds, where just a year ago a dim, neglected patch of land lay deserted beneath the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge.
"I used to have to travel quite a distance to get to a sports center. Now, it takes just a few minutes by bike," said Li Xiaobo, a local resident who regularly heads to the courts after work to play basketball. "I bring my child here to exercise on weekends, too."
Across Jiangsu, disused spaces are being repurposed into exercise destinations. In Wuxi, an aging factory building has been converted into a sports center offering more than 10 activities, including swimming, fencing and ice hockey. Retired athletes have been brought in to provide fitness guidance, and the facility receives about 240,000 visits a year.
By the end of 2025, Jiangsu had 372,300 sports venues, with an average of 4.52 square meters of sports space per person, according to official figures.
Similar transformations are taking place elsewhere in China.
In Wuhan, Hubei Province, a new 12,200-square-meter sports park recently opened beneath the Erqi Yangtze River Bridge. Only months earlier, the site was a cluttered, underused urban space. It now offers free outdoor basketball courts and table tennis tables for public use.
In Chengdu, Sichuan Province, a long-neglected patch of community land has been turned into a popular sports destination featuring badminton, basketball, tennis and table tennis courts alongside a children's play area. The park has also introduced orienteering activities, creating an outdoor recreation space designed to appeal to different age groups and interests.
Shanghai has taken the concept skyward. In Xuhui District, the rooftop of a shopping mall has been turned into an approximately 2,000-square-meter sports venue, complete with three-a-side and five-a-side football pitches.
Wang Bing, head of a sports development institute in Beijing, said the rise of such facilities reflects a broader shift in China's approach to public fitness infrastructure, from expanding access in terms of numbers to improving the quality and relevance of what is provided.
China's National Fitness Plan for 2026-2030 sets a target of having about 40 percent of the population participate in regular physical exercise by 2030.
"These compact spaces represent a shift in how facilities are supplied, starting with people's actual needs," Wang said. "Wherever there are large numbers of residents but insufficient places to exercise, cities should look for opportunities to reclaim underused space."
Wang added that a successful facility should offer a more complete experience, with features such as age-friendly and child-friendly design, adequate lighting, places to rest and access to fitness guidance.
MORE THAN PLACES TO PLAY
Unlike the construction of large stadiums and sports complexes, the growth of these neighborhood facilities is rooted in incremental urban renewal, making use of existing land and infrastructure rather than relying on extensive demolition and new construction.
"Such projects do not require major demolition or rebuilding. In many cases, existing vacant land can be improved through landscaping, terrain adjustments and other relatively modest interventions, allowing sports facilities to be delivered at lower cost and in a shorter time," Wang said.
While limited in size, these spaces can serve a broad cross-section of the population. Older residents can find places for exercise and recreation, young people can play ball sports, and children can enjoy dedicated play areas, he added.
Scattered throughout urban neighborhoods, these facilities are also reshaping people's daily routines. By bringing exercise within easy reach, neighborhood sports facilities reduce the time and effort required to stay active, making physical activity a more natural part of everyday life.
"Urban development is not just about building skyscrapers and landmark structures," said Chen Xiao, a Nanjing resident. "Having a small place for sports and recreation right downstairs is a kind of happiness within easy reach."
The facilities are also becoming gathering places that strengthen neighborhood ties. At a gateball court in Suqian, Jiangsu Province, Wu Wenguang, who is in his 60s, turns up almost every day.
"The venue is free, and it is not just older people who come. Quite a few young people have also tried gateball," he said. As people gather to play, chat and cheer one another on, the courts are helping foster new forms of community life, turning exercise into a shared social experience.
In many cities, the ambition goes further. Rather than simply laying down sports surfaces and installing equipment, planners and operators are working to integrate fitness with broader leisure and commercial activities.
In Chongqing's Liangjiang New Area, a space beneath a bridge combines sports courts with a hotpot restaurant and a motorcycle-themed campsite, creating a mix of recreation and commercial activity that attracts more than 500,000 visits a year.
Wuhan's new sports park beneath the Yangtze River Bridge has similarly incorporated coffee shops, burger outlets and retail businesses. The approach seeks to turn previously overlooked spaces into destinations that attract visitors while stimulating local consumption.
Some localities are also experimenting with government-purchased services and partnerships with professional operators. Youth training programs, community competitions and recreational events are being introduced to give the facilities a more active role in neighborhood life.
In these models, a sports ground can become something akin to a community living room, a place not only to exercise but also to meet, learn and socialize, said Zheng Jiakun, a professor at Shanghai University of Sport.
Keeping the growing network of facilities in good condition presents another challenge. To address it, cities are increasingly turning to digital management systems.
Suzhou, for example, has established a digital platform cataloging information on more than 10,000 public fitness equipment installations. Residents can scan QR codes on the equipment to report faults and request repairs, helping shorten the time needed to address problems.
Zheng observed that growing numbers of retired physical education teachers and former professional athletes are volunteering or taking on roles in local fitness programs.
"They can provide better fitness guidance to residents right in their own neighborhoods, many of whom may well be their neighbors," Zheng said. "Their participation can help bring the principles of scientific exercise into more people's daily lives." ■
