A SPORTS park was officially inaugurated in Bantian Subdistrict, Longgang District, on Sunday, providing another venue for residents to participate in sports and leisure activities, the Daily Sunshine reported.

The opening of the new park bumps the total surface area dedicated to cultural and recreational activities up to 224,000 square meters in the district. Bantian has long been regarded as a neighborhood that lacked adequate sports facilities for its residents.

In response to this, the subdistrict has been initiated more parks and recreational projects that cater to residents’ needs.

In addition to the new park, many unused factories in the area were converted into gymnasiums, swimming pools, badminton courts and so on. The area now even boasts Shenzhen’s largest indoor archery range.

According to the report, on the premises of former sports facilities, the Bantian Subdistrict Office added 25 walking tracks, 54 ping-pong tables, three basketball courts, six children’s playgrounds and seven sets of fitness equipment in the area.

All of the facilities are free to use for all Shenzhen residents. The office has also set up organized sports matches and both amateur and professional sports teams to further engage residents.

Pi Yonghua, the Party chief of Bantian Subdistrict, said that they would continue to invest in more projects that develop the area’s cultural and sports offerings. One of the blueprints is to link six independent mountain parks with each other, making it the largest park group in central Shenzhen.

Pi also confirmed that more sports parks and gymnasiums are expected to be built in Bantian in the future.

Bantian is home to one of the world’s largest telecom manufacturer, Huawei Technologies, which has tens of thousands employees, including foreign nationals.

(Zhang Qian)