Zhuhai's culture, sports, and tourism industries will prioritize accelerating their high-quality development, officials announced during a June 16 press conference.

Zhuhai is now actively implementing the national fitness initiative and building the "Healthy China" strategy, said Lin Xiaojun, deputy director of the Zhuhai Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism, and Sports.

June 16 press conference. [Photo by Chen Jiazhe / WeChat account: zhtqb12345]

The per capita sports field area in Zhuhai currently ranks top in Guangdong province, which exceeds 4 square meters (43 sq ft) per person. The number of football fields per 10,000 Zhuhai residents hit over 1.2, ranking second in the province. Additionally, all public sports facilities in Zhuhai's communities, towns, and villages have now become accessible and free to the public.

The Zhuhai Fitness Center, with a total area of 25,173.85 sq m (6.2 acres), is currently being built at a cost of 2 billion yuan ($280 million) in New Xiangzhou. The project has three tower buildings and has finished capping its training hall, hotel, and office building. The fitness hall is expected to open to the public before the 2024 Spring Festival and will be able to facilitate 26 sports activities such as basketball, table tennis, badminton, shooting, dance, and taekwondo.

Efforts have also been devoted to the development of sports sectors that feature tennis, modern motorsports, and offshore sailing.

The South China headquarters of the Chinese Yachting Association is expected to settle in Zhuhai, helping the city become "the capital of China's yachting industry." It is also set to drive the growth of sea sports and island tourism.

Of note, Zhuhai and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin have been selected to host a range of competitive and mass sports for the Guangdong session of China's 15th National Games in 2025.

Zhai Ming, another deputy director of Zhuhai Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism, and Sports, noted that a batch of cultural events will also meet the public in the second half of 2023.

The 2023 Zhuhai Citizen Art Festival has already kicked off, and it will organize a series of activities such as singing and dance competitions as well as music concerts.

Cultural brands from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will be further cultivated through exchange meetings on intangible cultural heritage, concerts, and events such as the fifth Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Cultural Creative Design Competition.

According to Zhai, this year's Greater Bay Area Cultural Creative Design Competition will be themed on rural vitalization. It will encourage designers to carry out the development and design of creative products centered on rural intangible cultural heritage items, digital villages, and homestays.

The seventh China International Circus Festival will stage at the Chimelong International Ocean Resort in Hengqin from Nov 4 to 11, and the Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians will also be held around that time. Moreover, the 2023 Guangdong International Tourism & Culture Festival will take place in Zhuhai towards the end of November.

A series of cultural events focusing on intangible cultural heritage will be available in the second half of this year. Folk activities and a fair on intangible cultural heritage items will take place on Qi'ao Island on June 22 to welcome this year's Dragon Boat Festival. Additionally, an invitational tournament for Shatian folk song singers in Zhuhai, Zhongshan, and Jiangmen will be held in November. 

Doumen District's eighth folk culture exhibition will run throughout the year, and exchange meetings on intangible cultural heritage from the Greater Bay Area will be arranged throughout the next six months.

Zhong Guohuai, director of the Zhuhai Tourism Development Center, put forward that the city will give priority to the development of island tourism, music, fashion, and sports. It will strive to achieve an increase in both tourist numbers and consumption.

Zhong added that Zhuhai will also strengthen supervision of the tourism market. The city will also deepen cooperation with tourism departments in Hong Kong and Macao and grasp opportunities brought by allowing vehicles with Hong Kong and Macao single-plates to drive into Guangdong province.

Of note, 24/7 supervision and high-quality services will be provided at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Zhuhai Port.

In the upcoming summer holiday, Zhuhai has prepared a batch of cultural tourism events. Those who have just finished the college entrance examination will be eligible for ticket remissions when visiting the New Yuanming Palace. Additionally, 400 free tickets and discounted tickets have been provided by the Zhuhai Opera House for them as well.

The Chimelong Spaceship, the core project of Phase II of the Zhuhai Chimelong International Ocean Resort in Hengqin, will open during this year's summer holiday, bringing a brand-new leisure experience for visitors.

Zhuhai Aerospace Land will offer interesting activities such as a Space Carnival and monthly lectures to tourists. Other events such as seaside concerts and outdoor film screenings will be held at City Balcony.