From April 16 to 20, 2025, the 2025 “Shangdong Cup” ITF World Tennis Masters Tour MT200 was successfully held at the Shangdong Sports Center in Dongxiaokou Town. This event was not merely a competitive platform for tennis enthusiasts worldwide; it also holds great significance as an important window for Dongxiaokou Town to showcase the grand transformation achievements of the “Huitian Region” (short for Huilongguan and Tiantongyuan areas) and to outline the future blueprint.
“Tennis” Gathering of the Whole Nation: Swinging on the International Stage
The ITF World Tennis Masters Tour (formerly the ITF Internfational Seniors Tennis Tour) is an international amateur tennis event organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for tennis enthusiasts aged 30 and above. Since its inception, the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour has grown to include over 30,000 registered players. Within just two years, more than 500 tournaments have been held in over 70 countries and regions worldwide, with participation exceeding 50,000 players from around the globe.
The 2025 “Shangdong Cup” ITF World Tennis Masters Tour MT200 was jointly organized by the Chinese Tennis Association and Changping District People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, and co-hosted by the Changping District Sports Bureau and the People’s Government of Dongxiaokou Town. It marked the first publicly held ITF World Tennis Masters event in Beijing and was a grand tennis event that combined both international and public appeal. Authorized by the ITF, the tournament attracted over 500 amateur tennis enthusiasts from around the world, setting a new record for the scale of amateur tennis events in Beijing and fully highlighting its international characteristics. The event was centered around the core concept of “public participation and age-friendliness.” It maximized the number of categories, featuring a total of seven age groups and 32 individual events, covering a wide range of age groups from middle-aged to elderly players. Notably, the doubles category for players aged 70 and above was a first-of-its-kind in China. The participant pool included not only professional players but also “tennis beginners,” who were encouraged to showcase their skills on the court. These new changes fully demonstrated the tournament’s inclusiveness and welcome attitude towards tennis enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels while also reflecting its public nature.
Empowering the Event: Creating a New International Sports Landmark
The Shangdong Sports Center, the core venue of this event, is located in the second phase of the “forest oxygen bar” in the North Olympic Forest Park. It features 16 international-standard tennis courts. The colorful and vibrant courts perfectly match the atmosphere and characteristics of the ITF event. The center’s intelligent facilities and eco-friendly design offer high-quality experiences for both players and spectators. During the event, activities such as the players’ welcome reception, the tennis-themed market, and the food blocks were also launched to deeply integrate competitive sports with diverse cultures. Since the Shangdong Sports Center was put into use in 2023, Dongxiaokou Town has been using the development of characteristic sports industries as an engine and aiming to create a high-quality and high-standard Internet-popular tennis base. This has driven the gradual formation of a public supporting area, an extension of the sports industry, and the sports industry innovation and development gathering area around the town, which have effectively released the dual effects of promoting mass fitness and rural revitalization.
Urban Transformation: Weaving a Vibrant Green City, Painting a Passionate Huitian
Dongxiaokou Town is located on the northern extension of Beijing’s central axis, covering an area of 17.2 square kilometers. As the core area of the “Huitian Region” action plan, it has achieved a leapfrog transformation in recent years through the dual drive of “ecological restoration + urban renewal.” The first aspect focuses on ecological renewal. Dongxiaokou Town is an important node in the capital’s “first green isolation area” and the northern ventilation corridor. It has about 18,700 acres of forest land and parks. The North Olympic Forest Park belt connects Hexin Park, Dongxiaokou Urban Leisure Park, Dongxiaokou Forest Park, among others, forming a “central green corridor” together. The second aspect is about industrial upgrading. Adjacent to Haidian District and Chaoyang District, Dongxiaokou Town covers an audience of about 1.6 to 1.7 million people for the sports industry in the “Huitian Region,” Xisanqi, Dongsheng, and northern Chaoyang. The Shangdong Sports Center, built on the basis of ten thousand acres of green land, and other high-standard, professional sports venues, as well as various sports events, have activated the strong momentum of the sports industry in a joint effort. The third aspect is cultural development. Focusing on the theme of “National Style North Central Axis, a Garden-Like Beautiful Dongxiaokou,” the town has deeply explored the local cultural characteristics and historical heritage. On one hand, it actively protects and inherits traditional culture, revitalizing cultural relics such as “Qingshan Temple” and “Bodhisattva Temple.” On the other hand, it focuses on “Vibrant Dongxiaokou” to carry out various cultural and sports activities, creating a unique and charming cultural brand.
Future Vision: The “Sports+” Strategy Activates a New Engine for High-Quality Development
In the future, Dongxiaokou Town will leverage its vast green land resources to develop forest-based economies and continue to plan and build new sports-themed parks and cultural sports venues. It will also revitalize underutilized spaces to construct indoor sports arenas. The town is in the process of establishing a town-owned sports and culture company to engage with the market, focusing on attracting sports industry chain enterprises to build a sports industry ecosystem. While hosting the first Beijing station of the ITF World Tennis Masters Tour, Dongxiaokou Town will actively seek to organize other sports events such as Pickleball Challenges and Park Marathons. By continuously hosting high-level sports events, the town aims to create a well-known sports event brand—“Shangdong” Sports Events. These efforts will drive a “dual upgrade” of the ecological environment and sports industry, and build a modern town that is ecologically livable, economically prosperous, and culturally vibrant.