As several large sporting events, such as the Chengdu FISU World University Games and upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games, boost China's sports industry, sports machine manufacturers in Ningbo, Zhejiang province have been receiving bulk orders from foreign customers.

Workers at Ningbo Kangruida Sports Equipment Co Ltd are busy making household running machines.

"We've designed more than 100 running machines to meet the needs of customers. They are popular in foreign markets," said Zhu Jiaqi, a manager at the company, "We've sold over 120,000 running machines in foreign markets this year. Our exports saw a year-on-year growth of 95 percent, reaching 100 million yuan ($13 million)."

Data from Ningbo Customs indicates that the city's running machine exports reached 500 million yuan in the first half of 2023, up 18 percent year-on-year. Exports of canoes and kayaks also grew by 3.6 percent year over year to 96 million yuan during this period.

Ningbo Viking Mould & Plastic Co Ltd, a kayak manufacturer, is currently dealing with an order of kayaks from abroad.

"Summer is big for kayak exports. We are working full time manufacturing while receiving large orders," said Hu Xiaoyun, the company's manager, "We exported more than 15 million yuan worth of kayaks in the first six months of this year. Our main customers are from Europe, the United States, and the Middle East."