Exercise is becoming increasingly common in the daily lives of the people of Nanyang, Henan province.

The National Commoner Sports Games held in Nanyang in 2012 ignited people's enthusiasm for exercise. Sports centers, stadiums, walking trails, and sports grounds sprung up overnight, while activities such as walking, biking, and running started becoming popular. Exercising has now become a popular trend throughout the city.

In 2015, the National Fitness Sports Meeting in Nanyang made people even more interested in exercise. The local government started holding sports activities across the city to promote people's fitness awareness. More and more sports clubs and athletic associations began popping up across Nanyang.

In 2018, the city carried out 327 fitness projects involving 55 walking trials and five multi-functional stadiums for people interested in being healthy. There are currently 30,579 sports instructors offering professional guidance for sports activities.

With renovated stadiums and upgraded facilities, people now have more venues for enjoying sports. Public stadiums in Nanyang offer cheap or free tickets to encourage more people to exercise.

During the one-week Spring Festival holiday, the Nanyang Sports Center was full of people. They had to line up to use the outdoor basketball and table tennis courts. The center's badminton gym and indoor tennis stadium were also packed throughout the holiday. An average of 30,000 people visited Nanyang’s public sports centers per day in 2018.

"Regular exercise can build up our bodies and improve our mood, which is necessary for a happy and healthy society. So many people have signed up for sports competitions recently that we had to extend the timeframe for the events," said Wu Zongxian, undersecretary of the Nanyang sports bureau.

In the future, Nanyang plans to introduce more sports enterprises and brands and hold more international sports competitions to improve people's health and develop the city's reputation.