Wenzhou residents learn to dance at a civilian gym. [Photo/66wz.com]
As the only pilot city in China encouraging non-government sectors to engage in sports-related undertakings, Wenzhou, a coastal city in Zhejiang province, has seen strong results over the past three years.
The civilian gym, an idea proposed by the Wenzhou sports authorities in 2017 to bring quality and affordable fitness infrastructure to local residents, has been realized in Wenzhou, with a total of 303 such gyms having been established by the end of 2021.
"The gyms can be seen everywhere here in Wenzhou. They are fully equipped and charge only 2 yuan ($31.42 cents) per visit or 365 yuan per year," said Meng Xiang, a fitness fanatic who developed an interest in exercising a few years ago to lose weight and now regards it as a hobby and way to relax.
Though the civilian gyms have become popular, the local sports authorities have not stopped thinking about how to improve its services and bring more fitness infrastructure to the public.
By 2025, the Wenzhou government plans to open 80 new private competitive sports training centers and establish more than five national and provincial high-level sports back-up talent bases.
By 2025, it plans to boost the total value of sports goods manufacturing and sports services industries in the city to more than 50 billion yuan, and increase the added value of the sports industry to 2.1 percent of the city's total GDP.
