Sports goods made in Guizhou, Fujian provinces reach markets worldwide

A female worker makes shuttlecocks in the badminton production workshop of Guizhou RSL Sports and Cultural Industry Development Co., Ltd., in Guiyang, southwest China's Guizhou Province, July 16, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhou Xuanni)

In a mountainous area of southwest China's Guizhou Province, an unlikely sporting goods powerhouse has emerged, now producing one-tenth of the world's badminton shuttlecocks.

A sports and cultural industry company based in the economic development zone in Jinping county operates one of the world's largest shuttlecock manufacturing facilities, churning out 180,000 shuttlecocks a day.

According to Long Zhengwu, director of the general office at the economic development zone, the company's sales rose nearly 13 percent year on year in the first nine months of this year, while its production value surged nearly 50 percent.

Meanwhile, in Nenzhai village, Tonggu town of Jinping county, goose farmer Pan Yufeng expects to raise 10,000 geese this year. "The first batch of 4,100 has already been sold," Pan said.

From commercial goose farming to shuttlecock manufacturing, a specialized industrial chain has taken shape.

The story began in 2017, when the county's fight against poverty entered a critical stage. Back then, the company was drawn by the abundant labor force from a nearby poverty-relief resettlement site near the economic development zone. It leased more than 5,000 square meters of standard factory space as a temporary production base.

By 2024, the company was producing more than 59.64 million shuttlecocks annually, generating a production value of 426 million yuan (about $60.3 million).

This success has energized the entire sports equipment industrial chain in Jinping county.

At a new materials company in the economic development zone, the badminton racket production workshop is bustling with activity.

"Orders have been steady this year — about 150,000 rackets for domestic markets and 50,000 for overseas," said Ou Xiaokang, the company's procurement officer.

Currently, the company's production value has grown 10 percent year on year, with rackets mainly shipped to Thailand, Singapore and South Korea.

The economic development zone now hosts 10 sports equipment manufacturers, producing badminton racket covers, sports bags, athletic shoes and more, directly creating over 2,000 jobs for local residents. In 2024, these 10 companies achieved a combined production value of 614 million yuan, a figure expected to exceed 900 million yuan in 2025.

In 2024, Jinping county's badminton production capacity exceeded 72 million shuttlecocks, realizing an output value of 569 million yuan, with products exported to more than 60 countries and regions.

At a sports equipment company's production facility in Tong'an district, Xiamen, southeast China's Fujian Province, an intelligent production line completes the entire manufacturing cycle for a treadmill in a single day.

The company's 125,000-square-meter factory currently operates at full capacity. "We're in the peak production and sales season. Orders are already scheduled for next year. Over 70 percent of our treadmills are exported to more than 100 countries and regions, with Europe, America and Southeast Asia accounting for substantial shares," said Huang Jinsheng, assistant to the company's general manager.

Beyond its flagship treadmills, the company produces over 600 types of fitness equipment. Its production value this year is projected to reach 700 million yuan, up about 30 percent year on year.

Nearby, another machinery company's production workshop shows similar momentum. Its treadmill exports exceeded 100 million yuan in value this year, primarily serving European and American markets.

"Behind each treadmill is the transition from 'made in China' to 'intelligent manufacturing in China,'" said Fang Junxiong, the company's general manager. Over the years, treadmills have continuously evolved — becoming lighter and more compact in appearance, smarter and more user-friendly in function, featuring increasingly advanced shock absorption technology, and incorporating entertainment, social networking and health management capabilities.

Tong'an district has become one of Asia's largest fitness equipment manufacturing and export bases, and China's only national-level demonstration zone for the quality and safety of exported fitness equipment.

Currently, the district is home to hundreds of fitness and sports equipment manufacturers and supporting enterprises, including 45 enterprises above designated size. In the first 10 months of this year, these 45 companies realized an output value of 5.834 billion yuan.