Rizhao is a beautiful and vibrant coastal city in Shandong province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Rizhao, a coastal city in East China's Shandong province, has been ramping up efforts to build itself into a seaside sports leisure consumption resort, according to local media.

In August 2020, Rizhao was included in the first batch of 40 national sports consumption pilot cities in China.

In the past two years, Rizhao has continued to improve the development of its local sports industry. It has adopted multiple measures to promote the growth of sports consumption and the upgrading of its consumption structure.

In March 2021, Rizhao issued an implementation plan to promote the construction of a national sports consumption pilot city. A special working team led by the city mayor has been set up to advance the work.

In December 2021, the local government launched guidelines for the construction of a national sports consumption pilot city. According to the guidelines, Rizhao aims to become a "seaside sports and leisure consumption resort with active market and upgraded quality" by 2035.

In recent years, Rizhao has taken the opportunity to prepare for the 25th Shandong Provincial Games by speeding up the construction of stadiums and gymnasiums. It has built and renovated 22 large-scale sports venues. The Rizhao Tennis Center, the Rizhao Swimming Center, Rizhao Football Park, Xianghe Sports Park and other venues have been completed and put into operation.

Rizhao is also building all kinds of new sports venues and facilities close to people's homes to promote extensive public fitness activities. Efforts have also been made to cultivate local events for sports brands.