An international esport center is to be built in Shanghai Hongqiao Center Business District, the first fully functioning professional e-sport center in China.

The center will cover 500,000 square meters, and it is projected to see around 10,000 people daily come through its doors. In addition to this, it will accommodate hundreds of esport companies from home and abroad, and be the home to around 2,000 jobs.

The center will include eight areas, including specialized sections for esport competition, games research, epsort industry and big data research and a cutting-edge esport experience zone. It is expected to open in 2020.

The esport market in China is seeing rapid development. The number of esports players has been growing at an annual average rate of more than 20 percent over the last three years, and will exceed 430 million in 2018.

The center is expected to be a national esport industry demonstration base, as well as a national e-sport data analysis and development center, with the hope it will help to promote the development of epsorts in Shanghai.  

 The layout for the to be constructed international esports center in Shanghai, which will open in 2020. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]