Jingshan, a county-level city in central China’s Hubei Province known as the “Hometown of Chinese Tennis,” has generated 138亿元 in comprehensive tennis-related output value over the past three years by transforming sports tourism and community tournaments into economic growth, chinanews.com.cn reported.
The Fifth China Village Tennis Tournament Opens in Jingshan
On October 31, the Fifth China Village Tennis Tournament commenced at Wenfeng Park in Jingshan, accompanied by local handicraft markets and community festivities. The event, which evolved from local neighborhood gatherings, has become a core driver for local tourism and commerce. Official figures show that the city’s three-year “tennis plus” initiative has attracted 858万人次 of visitors, generating 71.7亿元 in tourism revenue.
Four Decades of Infrastructure Development
Jingshan’s economic integration of tennis stems from a 40-year localized grassroots sports movement that began in 1983 with the establishment of the region’s first senior tennis team in Wenfeng Village. Through sustained investment in athletic facilities and talent training, the city has constructed 356 standard tennis courts. This infrastructure provides a density of 5.67 tennis courts per 10,000 residents, serving a local population of over 100,000 active tennis enthusiasts.
Grassroots Tournaments Spark Local Business and Entrepreneurship
The transition from a localized sport to a national brand accelerated in 2023 when the Wenfeng Village committee and the local tennis association launched the Hubei Village Tennis Tournament, which expanded into the nationwide China Village Tennis Tournament by 2024. During the tournament windows, organizers coordinate accompanying agricultural fairs, food markets, and cultural exhibitions to extend visitor spending across accommodation, dining, and retail sectors.
Local vendors and residents have reported direct financial gains from the influx of tournament visitors. Zuo Meng, who sells tennis-themed hair accessories and plush merchandise at tournament pop-up booths, stated that her annual operating revenue in 2025 approached 70,000 yuan. Zuo also leads a team that trains more than 200 local mothers in crochet techniques, raising average monthly incomes by over 1,000 yuan per person.
Wenfeng Village Transforms Through Returning Youth and Real Estate Growth
According to Hu Zhipong, the expanding tennis economy has prompted numerous young residents to return home to open restaurants and guesthouses. Other homeowners have rented out properties to families accompanying children enrolled in local tennis training programs, yielding additional annual increases of 30,000 to 50,000 yuan per household.
Future Integration of Tourism and Commerce
Shuai Zhengxue, head of the Jingshan Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism, stated that the city intends to use community tennis events to stimulate broader tourism and merge agricultural, cultural, tourism, and commercial retail sectors, aiming to link mass fitness promotion directly with rural revitalization initiatives.
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