Feature: Cooling off with safe summer sports in China's Jiangsu

The Star

2 days ago

NANJING, July 22 (Xinhua) -- As scorching summer heat blankets eastern China, the province of Jiangsu is turning up the volume on diverse, cool-to-the-touch sports activities to keep residents active and safe.
At an indoor ice sports club in Jiangsu's Nanjing, over a dozen families squared off in a friendly round of floor curling. Cheers and laughter echoed across the rink as children lined up stones and calculated angles.
"This is my first time playing curling, and it feels like a game. It's so much fun!" said 10-year-old Xie Shuyao, who joined with her parents. "Next, I want to try ice skating. It looks so cool."
In a region without abundant natural snow or ice, facilities like these have become the key to building a year-round winter sports ecosystem. Jiangsu has now built nearly 50 dedicated ice and snow venues covering over 640,000 square meters, offering residents a refreshing alternative for summer recreation.
As daytime temperatures soar, many sports enthusiasts are shifting their workouts into the evening. In Wuxi's Binhu District, lighted football fields are packed with amateur matches and children's training sessions deep into the night, fueled in part by the runaway success of the local "Su Chao" - a grassroots football league phenomenon.
"The wild popularity of the 'Su Chao' has ignited a huge wave of interest in football," said Huang Qi, an operations manager at a local football complex. "We're now fully booked more than a month in advance."
The nighttime momentum does not stop there. At Wuxi's first AI-powered sports park, runners glide along a smart track laced with infrared sensors. Each step triggers LED lights to flare forward, lighting a luminous path under the stars.
"Night runs used to be risky with dim paths," said Zhou Qian, a local resident. "Now the track lights up with every step and syncs with my phone to show my heart rate and pace. It's safer and a lot more fun."
The intelligent facility, backed by Internet of Things and big data technologies, is part of a growing movement in Jiangsu to turn public fitness into a smart, inclusive experience for all ages.
Meanwhile, water sports are also making waves across the province. In the city of Xuzhou, residents are taking to lakes and rivers for swimming, kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding. But with the surge in popularity comes a renewed focus on safety, especially for children.
"In summer, the risk of drowning increases significantly, especially among children," said Yin Long, a technician with the State Grid Xuzhou Power Supply Company. "That's why we've developed an AI-based platform for real-time water safety monitoring."
Using 5G-enabled power transmission tower cameras and drone patrols, the system can rapidly identify incidents and even issue voice alerts via drone to urge caution, reducing the risk of water-related accidents.
"Before, we relied on manual patrols, which couldn't cover every hour or every area," Yin said. "Now, innovation is making summer sports not just fun, but far safer."