Visitors experience archery during an event to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in China on Oct. 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)
Niche sports, such as archery, racquetball and go-karting, are among the most popular holiday entertainments to young people in China.
LANZHOU, China, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Niche sports, such as archery, racquetball and go-karting, are among the most popular holiday entertainments to young people in China during the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday.
Statistics showed tourist attractions in China have seen surging numbers of visits at the beginning of the eight-day vacation. In a stadium in Lanzhou City, northwest China's Gansu Province, Zhang Yufeng, the owner of the Jianghu Archery Club, also witnessed a strong recovery.
"My club had been closed for six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic and just reopened a month ago," said Zhang, adding that he has received dozens of reservations for this holiday one week in advance, mostly from young people.
"Archery is not as popular as basketball and football, but it is still a sport worth a shot," said Liu Lu, a 21-year-old fitness enthusiast who came with her boyfriend and spent a whole afternoon shooting arrows. "Doing physical exercise has been a hit among the youth."
On the top floor of a downtown shopping mall, 29-year-old Sun Shaorong was sitting in a go-kart and wearing a pink helmet. The roar of the engine announced that she was ready to race with other five cars behind her.
She lapped in under 45 seconds on a 1,100-meter-long indoor driveway and overtook other competitors before the end. And it cost her 50 yuan (about 7.36 U.S. dollars) for the six-minute drive.
"I did not want to travel far and decided to enjoy my vacation in a more leisurely way," she said. "Kart racing helps me releave the pressure of work."
According to the circuit's management team, the number of visitors doubled compared with one week before, rising its daily income up to 6,000 yuan.
On social media, sports like racquetball, indoor rock climbing and go-karting are highly recommended by internet celebrities. Investors are looking to cash in, too. However, the safety and professionalism of some of these sports facilities have already raised concern.
In a newly-built racquetball court, Liu Shangying was coaching two college students on their first day of playing racquetball.
"Despite its huge popularity in many countries, racquetball is still new to Chinese people. It is a high-speed sport that needs long-term practise and systematic training," said Liu.
He also suggested that people should go to qualified institutions and participate in these sports with professional guiding and safety measures. ■
