This year, the Suzhou municipal sports bureau has focused on the planning and construction of trails. Suzhou has three main kinds of trails -- trails around the lake, hiking trails and park trails. They can meet the different needs of the public.

A trail is a kind of road for people to walk and run, coordinated with sports facilities and the surrounding environment. The road is usually built using a variety of pavements, such as mud, grass, sand, plastic, wood, sawdust and cobblestone. The material helps protect runners from hurting their ankle, knee, hip or spine. On some trails, the public can bike, rollerskate and skateboard.

According to a survey, 83 percent of people prefer to jog, and trails have become increasingly popular among the public. Suzhou has built trails around the lake covering more than 50 km. Benefiting from its topography, Suzhou has built a number of hiking trails. Park trails are widely distributed in Suzhou. Trails are mainly built with materials like cobblestone, asphalt and cement, with a general length of hundreds of meters.

Currently, each region in Suzhou has made plans to construct trails. In addition, the city has concentrated on a project to rebuild leisure fitness roads in accordance with trail construction requirements, including the repair of damaged roads and connections between disconnected roads. Some fitness facilities will be built around the trails. To meet the different needs of local citizens, ping-pong tables; basketball, volleyball and soccer courts; and small fitness paths will be built as well.

All counties in Suzhou have vigorously promoted trail construction. For example, Zhangjiagang has built no less than 60 trails, with a total length of 140.86 km, during the past six months. Kunshan has set up a leading group to promote its trail construction.