"Finding a safe sports space used to require a 20-minute drive with my child. Now, it's just a 5-minute walk downstairs—kids can play freely while parents exercise. It's incredibly convenient!" said Ms. Feng from Cuizhuyuan Residential Area, happily wiping her badminton racket at the newly opened embedded sports field near Cangwu Green Park's east gate in Lianyungang. The vibrant facility, featuring soccer matches for adults, mixed badminton/pickleball courts, and intergenerational ping-pong games, has become a popular urban fitness hotspot—a testament to Haizhou District's "10-Minute Fitness Circle" initiative.
This year, Haizhou District prioritized solving residents' exercise accessibility challenges by transforming idle urban spaces into community fitness hubs. Older neighborhoods now feature senior-friendly equipment; pocket parks integrate smart treadmills and cycling stations amid greenery; suburban trails display real-time workout data via digital screens. To date, 547 sports facilities and 314 public fitness stations have been installed, catering to all age groups and turning "exercise near home" into daily reality.
"We adopt a 'Sports+' integration approach, seamlessly blending fitness infrastructure with urban ecology and community life," explained Haizhou's Culture and Tourism Bureau. The district now boasts a multi-tiered network: doorstep fitness corners, professional venues like Liuzhizhou Mountain Sports Park, and specialized facilities such as the Lianyungang Paragliding Base—all within a 10-minute walk.
The transformation is reshaping lifestyles. "My grandson used to beg for mall playgrounds. Now he drags me to the park at dawn—he plays in sandpits while I use equipment," chuckled Grandma Li at Yujingyuan Pocket Park. In Fenghuang Yuanzhu Community, retiree Ms. Li joined walking clubs: "Weekly group hikes keep us healthy and socially connected—fitness is now our neighborhood's favorite topic."
Beyond infrastructure, activities drive engagement. Leveraging provincial sports events, Haizhou has hosted over 150 competitions in five years—from community fun games and senior dance-offs to youth basketball leagues and marathons—drawing 500,000 participants across demographics. Mornings on trails, evenings at community courts, and weekends in sports parks now pulse with active residents, cementing healthy living as Haizhou's new norm.
From "hard-to-exercise" to "easy fitness," from "having venues" to "vibrant events," Haizhou's completed 10-Minute Fitness Circle elevates public health services while fostering urban vitality. In every smiling face mid-workout, the program reflects growing community well-being, propelling Lianyungang toward advanced fitness service systems.
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