The World Takes Notice — GOLFZON Keshian Yanbian (Yanji) CITY GOLF Holds Grand Opening

This digital sports project is regarded as a flagship example of GOLFZON China’s work in converging digital technology with the sports industry. In particular, it is expected to serve not only as a catalyst for the development of the health and physical-fitness industry in the Yanbian region and for revitalizing the local economy, but also as an opportunity to bring fresh energy to China’s sports, culture, and tourism industries as a whole. It is also expected to play the role of a new platform for introducing Chinese sports culture to the world.

The opening ceremony was attended by leading government officials, including Wang Jibao, Standing Committee member of the Yanbian Prefecture and Party Secretary of Yanji City; Hu Fujun, Deputy Governor of the Yanbian Prefecture; Jin Guofan, Director of the Yanbian Prefecture Sports Bureau; and An Xianxue, Deputy Mayor of Yanji City. Other prominent figures from various sectors also took part, including Wang Hongfu, Vice President of Yanbian University; Kwon Soon-gi, Chairman of the China-Asia Economic Development Association; Kong Xuanyou, former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs; Kwon Jeong, Chairman of the National Korean-Chinese Entrepreneurs Golf Association; Li Xianhu, Chairman of the Korea-China Silk Road International Exchange Association; and Choi Ryeo-mae, Chairman of Black Tee Golf. In addition, Kim Young-chan, Chairman of GOLFZON Group; Park Young-jo, Chairman of GOLFZON China; Park Sung-bong, Chairman of GOLFZON China; Park Geol, Chairman of Keshian; An Chang-ho and Choi Myung-hak, Vice Presidents of Keshian; and Hong Young-song, General Manager of GOLFZON Keshian (Yanbian) CITY GOLF, were also present to celebrate the new beginning of the digital sports industry.

In his congratulatory address, An Xianxue, Deputy Mayor of Yanji City, said, “Yanji City is continuously advancing the upgrading of its urban functions and the diversification of its industries, and the sports industry is one of the key sectors being fostered in terms of stimulating consumption and strengthening urban competitiveness,” adding, “GOLFZON Keshian (Yanbian) CITY GOLF will become an important example of innovative development in the sports industry.” He continued, “As a new space that combines a refined sports experience with an urban lifestyle, it will provide citizens and tourists alike with a high-quality platform that brings together sports, relaxation, and exchange,” and said, “We expect it to play a positive role in the integrated development of the region’s culture, tourism, and physical-education industries.”

Park Geol, Chairman of Keshian, said, “GOLFZON Keshian (Yanbian) CITY GOLF will become a landmark sports facility representing Yanji City and a new standard for the digital sports industry,” adding, “it will also bring new vitality to Yanbian’s economic development and to the revitalization of the region’s culture and physical-education industries.”

Park Sung-bong, Chairman of GOLFZON China, said, “GOLFZON China seeks to create greater cultural and industrial value through digital golf,” adding, “GOLFZON Keshian (Yanbian) CITY GOLF will provide a new digital driving force for the development of the sports industry in the Yanbian region, while also having a positive impact on the growth of various related industries.” He went on to explain, “By combining it with the GOLFZON China Open, we plan to build a new consumption model that integrates sports, commerce, and cultural tourism, and to create a structure in which digital technology makes a tangible contribution to industrial development and to the local community.”

GOLFZON China has continuously pursued the convergence of digital technology and golf as a sport. The company explains that, on the basis of immersive sports experiences and smart operating systems, it is expanding the popularization of golf and building a new digital sports culture.

GOLFZON Keshian (Yanbian) CITY GOLF was built on a total floor area of 32,000 square meters, of which the playing area accounts for 23,000 square meters and ancillary facilities for 9,000 square meters. The total investment reached 150 million yuan.

Developed as a large-scale digital sports platform, the facility is set to operate as a multi-purpose space encompassing sports, leisure, fitness, competition, social, and business functions. Notably, it was completed in just four months from groundbreaking to opening, earning praise for demonstrating what has been called “Yanji speed.” GOLFZON China explained that administrative support from the Yanbian Prefecture government and the Yanji City government, collaboration with the Keshian Group, and cooperation from the local community all played a major role in this process.

GOLFZON Keshian (Yanbian) CITY GOLF is also expected to have a positive impact on revitalizing the local economy.

Beyond the growth of related industries such as facility construction and equipment manufacturing, the hosting of various sports events and competitions is also expected to expand tourism and consumption demand.

In particular, having served as the venue for the 2025 China Indoor Golf Open and the finals of the GOLFZON China Open, it drew domestic and international players and thousands of spectators to Yanji, and it is projected to continue contributing to the revitalization of local commerce—including dining, lodging, and retail—by attracting a sports and leisure consumer population going forward. In addition, GOLFZON Keshian (Yanbian) CITY GOLF is expected to serve as a core platform for introducing the achievements of China’s digital sports industry at home and abroad, while also contributing to enhancing Yanji City’s urban brand value and cultural influence.

GOLFZON China explained that this project has once again proven the potential and competitiveness of the “CITY GOLF” model.

In 2024, in line with the national trend toward upgrading the sports industry and elevating urban consumption, GOLFZON China first proposed the “CITY GOLF” concept, and that September it unveiled GOLFZON Tianjin CITY GOLF, the world’s first such facility.

And then, in about a year, a second CITY GOLF—larger in scale and higher in completeness—was built in Yanji.

Through this, GOLFZON China assessed that the CITY GOLF model is establishing itself as a new growth engine for the digital sports industry. Currently, several cities across China are also expressing interest in introducing CITY GOLF, and the company projected that demand for thousands of CITY GOLF facilities will arise nationwide in the future. It also suggested the possibility that the industrial ecosystem forming around CITY GOLF could grow into a market worth trillions of yuan over the long term.

GOLFZON China said, “GOLFZON Keshian (Yanbian) CITY GOLF will become a flagship example of expanding the boundaries of sports through technology, broadening industrial possibilities through innovation, and meeting public demand through service,” adding, “as a new model that combines digital sports with urban development, we will continue to contribute to the growth of China’s digital sports industry and to the spread of a healthy sports culture.”