A basketball match for local young employees kicks off at the gym of the Zhoushan Youth Sports School on May 18. [Photo/zhoushan.cn]

The second sports festival of Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province opened on May 18, with a basketball match for local young employees held at the Zhoushan Youth Sports School's gymnasium.

The festival, hosted by the city's sports authorities, features 31 sports activities and lasts until the end of June. 

According to Fang Jinjun from the local sports authorities, this year's sports activities are more varied than those of the first festival four years ago. Included are go and chess for teenagers, badminton for young people and gateball for the elderly, as well as hiking, mountain climbing and running.

Zhoushan has been improving its infrastructure in recent years to encourage local residents to exercise more. The city now boasts more than 3,320 fitness centers and 400 kilometers of exercise trails. In addition, 99 local school gymnasiums are open to the public, attracting 127,000 people last year.