Sports lovers in Zhongshan are flocking to air‑conditioned pickleball courts, where they can work up a sweat. Originating overseas and evolving from tennis and table tennis, this slow‑ball sport has been promoted by Hong Kong and Macao residents who have settled in Zhongshan, and has become a rising trend over the past year.

Zhongshan now boasts 16 pickleball centers with 93 courts, several times more than a year ago. The city is especially renowned across the Greater Bay Area for those indoor, air‑conditioned venues.

Observers note that for Zhongshan, pickleball is more than a sport — it is also a chance for city marketing. In the era of the bridge economy that followed the opening of the ShenZhong (Shenzhen‑Zhongshan) Link, Zhongshan also needs more such "soft links" to draw talent, investment and attention.