The Jimo district of Qingdao, Shandong province, is bursting with vibrant colors — a mesmerizing spectacle. [Photo by Liang Xiaopeng/For chinadaily.com.cn]

Qingdao plans to open 100 new pocket parks by the end of this year, according to the city's garden and forestry bureau. The 100 new parks are expected to be distributed across the city's 10 districts. 

This year has seen the improvement and standardization of the city's pocket park system.

Qingdao plans to open 100 new pocket parks by the end of this year.  [Photo by Liang Xiaopeng/For chinadaily.com.cn]

In response to high demand from residents for sports and fitness facilities in parks, the city's garden and forestry bureau plans to enhance urban park fitness services through new construction and renovations, intending to build over 50 types of sports fields, more than 500 table tennis facilities, and 50 storage lockers in parks throughout the city, establishing a comprehensive "15-minute fitness circle" to make fitness more accessible to the public.

The Jimo district of Qingdao, Shandong province, is bursting with vibrant colors — a mesmerizing spectacle. [Photo by Liang Xiaopeng/For chinadaily.com.cn]

More focus will be put on optimizing park spaces to create experiential environments for all ages, especially children and the elderly. The city has been vigorously promoting child-friendly urban development policies and has made parks and green spaces more child-friendly.

Further efforts will be made to meet the high demand for youth-friendly sports and fitness facilities by building more such facilities at parks. Emphasis will be placed on the "one park, one theme" design concept, giving each pocket park its own theme and thus enriching the city's culture.