The December wind blows through the Cross Gate waterway, with the humidity and saltiness characteristic of the subtropics.

A few days ago, on December 28, there was just a boil here. 16,000 runners gathered at the starting line of the Hengqin Marathon, and when the starting gun sounded, the mighty flow of people was like a colorful river, flowing through the modern skyscraper forest of the financial island, passing through the isokapok of the Flower Sea Corridor, and extending to the streamlined building of Tianmuqintai.

If you are at the scene, you will see such a scene: the morning sun is slowly rising from the spire of Macau on the other side, and the golden light is shone on the glass curtain walls on both sides of the river at the same time. The sound of runners' footsteps and the sound of waves crashing on the embankment constitute the most beautiful harmony of the island in the morning.

This is the seventh year of the Hengqin Marathon. Seven years ago, runners here laughed at themselves for "running through one construction site after another"; And now, they are shuttling through a "garden city". The road under your feet is no longer a simple asphalt track, but a landscape corridor connecting mountains and seas, wetlands, modern buildings and living blocks.

As the arch at the end is demolished, the hustle and bustle dissipates, and the city returns to its daily tranquility. But some kind of subtle change has already occurred.

Looking back at the past 2025, the Hengqin International Tennis Center erupted in warm cheers for the 15th National Games Tennis Tournament, and the island road also passed the speed of the 15th National Games cross-border road cycling race, and then at the end of the year, the "10,000 horses" galloping - sports seems to have become one of the hottest labels in Hengqin this year.

However, if we only focus on "how many games have been held" or "how many champions have come", we may have misread Hengqin's vision.

Does the vitality of a city depend only on these two days of carnival? In this place defined as an "international leisure tourism island", sports are no longer just competition and intensity. When it meets Hengqin's unique mountain and sea pattern, warm support policies and special geographical location, it is fermenting a unique "temperature".

This temperature is related to the texture of urban growth, the reshaping of lifestyles, and the deep integration of the hearts of people in Hengqin and Macao.

01 On top of the landscape, build urban "sports aesthetics"

Hengqin's "pattern" is first written on its dense sports calendar, and also in its carefully carved urban space.

Looking at the 2025 Hengqin calendar, you will find that its content is extremely rich and diverse. There are not only top international events such as the "Tennis World Cup" Davis Cup, but also the "Tianmu Cup" famous school rowing invitational tournament, which is full of academic atmosphere, as well as the just-concluded 15th National Games, Hengqin Marathon, "Hengqin-Macao Cup" series and other projects that the whole people pay attention to and participate in, and there are about 40 sports activities of all sizes throughout the year.

Hengqin is not satisfied with being a simple "arena". It is more like an architect who knows how to aesthetics, trying to perfectly integrate the stadium with the natural endowment of the city.

At Hengqin International Tennis Center, you can feel that its design language is open, and the curve of the roof seems to be an extension of the waves. Its balance of "professionalism" and "comfort" has won unanimous praise from professionals. Brandon Nakajima, a member of the U.S. team who traveled to Zhuhai to participate in the Davis Cup, said the Hengqin International Tennis Center has "first-class facilities" and that he "really enjoyed playing in Hengqin" despite the hot weather. During the just-concluded tennis event of the 15th National Games, Yin Jianwei, the chief referee of the tennis project, lamented that it has professional event configurations such as the "Eagle Eye" system, and the facilities are complete, which is very suitable for the players' performance level; Zhang Dongrun, the coach of the Guangdong men's tennis team, bluntly said that the upgraded venue facilities "have reached a very top level", and the experience for athletes and coaches is very good.

When top players from all over the world swung their rackets at the Hengqin International Tennis Center, the spectators in the stands felt the caressing of the sea breeze; On the banks of the Tianmu River, when the rowing teams from Cambridge, Yale, Tsinghua and HKU cut through the calm water, the background was Hengqin's iconic Tianmuqin Terrace - at that moment, the modern waterfront coastline and the international elite movement reached a modern temperament harmony. On the greenways on both sides of the strait, citizens stopped and watched. Sports are no longer closed performances, but part of the city's open landscape.

The road cycling race and the Hengqin Marathon and other events of the just-concluded 15th National Games have taken the "round-the-island route" in Hengqin, pushing this "landscape sports" to the extreme. This is not only two tracks, but also a "global roadshow" in Hengqin: when the wheels speed around Hengqin at a speed of more than 40 kilometers per hour, when more than 10,000 pairs of running shoes run through the open grass of the financial island and the powder of the flower sea corridor, the speed and rhythm are symphonic here. For the contestants, this is not only a physical contest, but also a deep breath completed in the "Picture of Mountains and Seas".

And for every ordinary person, this city surrounded by "picture scrolls" is itself a huge, unwalled stadium. In Hengqin, it is difficult to find the helplessness of "having to stop here due to lack of space".

Relying on the natural base of "mountains, seas, forests and wetlands", Hengqin has created a continuous greenway system and large and small parks. Yu Guozhong, a Macau runner and vice chairman of the Macau Hotel and Tourism Chamber of Commerce, is a frequent visitor to Hengqin. In his eyes, Hengqin provides a "sense of space" that is difficult to replicate in Macau. "In 2018, I ran on the track in Hengqin for the first time. At that moment, the sea breeze was wide and the view was unobstructed. He said, "I think running on the coastline of Hengqin has the best scenery and air, and you can also see the night view of Macau on the other side." In Macau, running often has to "see the seams"; But in Hengqin, runners can have a luxurious "sense of wilderness".

Every time he comes to Hengqin to participate in a marathon, he enjoys not only the race itself, but also the "short trip" he spends with his family in Hengqin before the event, enjoying food, parks, and watching the sunset at Xingledu Campsite.

Behind this "chill" is the "hard" kung fu of urban management and sports management.

"The advancement of the Hengqin Marathon does not rely on shouting slogans, but on the co-creation of our Huafa team, government, operating company and other teams, and grinds it out behind the scenes...... In a competition with more than 10,000 people, only when the picture is accurate and the table is detailed, the scene will not be chaotic and everyone can run smoothly. Hengqin Marathon director Huang Lehe once described it this way.

In Hengqin, the granularity is calculated in terms of "microns", but the field of view is opened by "wide angle".

This kind of "micron-level" truth is reflected in the deadlock of the event planning chart, in the precise calculation of every intersection and every supply station; The "wide-angle" vision is reflected in Hengqin's layout for the future. With the planning and gradual advancement of a series of modern sports facilities and sports complexes, Hengqin is telling the world with "hard-core" professionalism: here, sports facilities are not isolated cement boxes, but breathing organs of the city.

Walking through the streets of Hengqin, people will find that these professional events and venues are like magnets, attracting people's enthusiasm for sports and attracting global attention. They prove that Hengqin not only has a "brain" to do finance, but also a strong "physique" and an open "mind". This international vision is the urban aura that Hengqin must have as an important port in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

02 Stimulate the market and reshape the daily exercise mode of all ages

If large-scale events are the "face" of Hengqin, then the national fitness atmosphere that permeates the streets and alleys is the "inside" of Hengqin.

Taking off the professional shirt, Hengqin's sports show a charming atmosphere of life and market vitality. This is due to Hengqin's precise and gentle sports support policy - it is like a "living water" aimed at irrigating an ecology.

for high-level international sports events, a one-time reward of up to 8 million yuan will be given; for large-scale mass sports activities, a one-time reward of up to 2 million yuan will be given; for Hengqin students or teenagers who participate in sports competitions and win awards, a cumulative reward of up to 500,000 yuan per person per year...... On June 20, 2024, the People's Livelihood Affairs Bureau of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin officially issued the "Measures for Supporting the Development of Sports in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin", which clearly supports and rewards sports exchanges and cooperation in Hengqin and Macao events, the construction of sports facilities, the development of sports clubs, and the development of youth sports. This has greatly stimulated the enthusiasm of market players. Under the policy dividends, more and more sports enterprises, groups and institutions choose to take root in Hengqin. But more importantly, these policies are ultimately transformed into dividends within the reach of citizens. 52 projects included in the scope of support have been carried out one after another, and the event has attracted more than 70,000 residents from Hengqin, Macao and all over the country to participate.

Under the watering of this policy living water, the development of youth sports is particularly eye-catching.

Founded in September 2022, Hengqin Youth Amateur Sports School is now a microcosm of youth sports exchanges between Hengqin and Macao. Every afternoon after school, the swimming pool of Hengqin Sports School is lively. Among the nearly 350 trainees, many are teenagers who have come from Macau to train. In the splash, it is difficult to tell which swimming cap is from Hengqin and which one is from Macau. There are not only high-level coaches such as national coaches and former Olympic champions, but also a pure atmosphere without boundaries.

For these children, Hengqin Sports School provides not only more spacious swimming lanes and more professional physical training rooms, but also a platform to a higher level of competition. This is like joining a "champion team" - the school's strong strength to win hundreds of medals in the Municipal and Provincial Games allows teenagers who are eager to break through to see a broader future. Moreover, by the pool and on the football field, children from both places communicate freely, and they follow the same rules, relaying, cooperating, and hugging for the same goal.

From the professional training of teenagers to the daily leisure of ordinary citizens, Hengqin's sports puzzle is becoming more and more complete.

The guidance of the policy has made sports in Hengqin no longer limited to traditional competitive events. In the early morning of the weekend, the flower sea promenade belongs to the family, and young parents throw frisbees on the lawn with their children; Emerging sports such as pickleball, paddleboarding, camping and hiking are thriving here. In the stadium in Hengqin, you can see that from children of a few years old to the elderly in their seventies and eighties, they are looking for their own sports fun.

Here, sports have gone beyond the scope of physical exercise and become a social language and a way of life. It reshapes the daily life of Hengqin people. After get off work, white-collar workers in office buildings can seamlessly cut into "long-distance running mode" by changing into running shoes; In addition to talking about business, entrepreneurs can sweat on the tennis court; At dusk blues moments, on the trails on the banks of the Tianmu River, in the pocket parks of various communities, you can always see a family walking after dinner, children riding scooters and frolicking, and old people gossiping. This unhurried rhythm constitutes the most real fireworks in Hengqin. Hengqin is proving with its actions that a truly livable city must not only have the "acceleration" of economic development, but also have the "lung capacity" that can slow down life.

03 From "physical connection" to "psychological integration", Hengqin's city "PB"

In Hengqin, sports also shoulder a longer-term mission: to become a link between Hengqin and Macao, from the physical "road connection" to the "heart communication" in people's hearts.

Nowadays, Macao residents come to Hengqin not only to "want to come", but also to "come well" and "come quickly". Thanks to the activation of the intelligent "face swiping" customs clearance mode, the customs clearance time has been compressed to the second level, and the silky experience of "no need to pay for the certificate" makes Hengqin and Macao like a city. According to the data, from January to November this year, the number of Macao residents clearing through Hengqin Port reached 6.87 million, a year-on-year increase of 51.9%; Macao's single-plate vehicles cleared 2.07 million units, a year-on-year increase of 45.1%. This non-sensory crossing of physical space directly catalyzes the deep integration of lifestyles - at present, more than 30,000 Macao residents have worked, lived and lived in Hengqin. They make their home here and, of course, play sports here.

If convenient customs clearance opens the "door", then the vast hinterland of Hengqin opens a "window" for Macau. For Macao residents who have long been trapped in "less land and many people" and cramped sports space, Hengqin provides an irreplaceable "extended space". This extension is not only reflected in the existing greenways and parks, but also in the blueprint for the future. With the planning and construction of a series of modern sports complexes and community sports parks in Hengqin in the future, it is gradually becoming a "new home" to fill the gap in Macao's sports facilities. Residents of the two places will share sweat and laughter in these newly built venues.

When the boundaries of physical space are broken, a psychological "sense of home" follows.

In the "Hengqin-Macao Cup" youth series to be held in 2025, the number of participants from Macao youth exceeded that of Hengqin for the first time. In the list of projects supported by Hengqin sports policies, Australasin accounts for as much as 70%.

These are not only numbers on paper, but also the convergence of countless vivid stories under the rapid realization of the "ten-minute life circle" in Hengqin and Macao.

For lawyer Huang Wei, a full-time runner at the Hengqin Marathon and a senior partner at an associate law firm, this integration is very concrete. He is not only a pursuer of "PB" (personal best) on the track, but also a connector of legal rules and business chains in Hengqin and Macao. In his eyes, who has been a "rabbit" (pacemaker) of the Hengqin Marathon, sports play the role of a "bridge".

"In the past seven years, I have run every session, watching more and more participants and spectators, and more and more friends from Macau." Huang Wei sighed. When a single-plate car crosses the port with one foot on the accelerator, when the cheering sounds of different accents are intertwined on the same track, you will really feel that the same city of Hengqin and Macao is no longer just a concept that is said on the lips.

Huang Wei's associate law firm also provides one-stop cross-border legal services for Macao enterprises, which greatly facilitates Macao enterprises to conduct business in Hengqin, which is also one of the epitome of the integration of Hengqin and Macao.

Data is the most powerful footnote: by the end of 2025, Hengqin has identified 8 Macao youth innovation and entrepreneurship bases, incubated more than 630 Macao projects, and more than 7,500 Macao-funded enterprises in the region. More and more young entrepreneurs in Macao choose Hengqin as the starting point of their dreams. Among these dream-chasing figures, there are many young people in Macau who are devoted to the sports track - they run event companies here, or devote themselves to the e-sports industry through the "Cultural and Creative Industries Special Internship Program", etc. Huang Jiahao, executive director of Hengqin Yigao Sports Development Co., Ltd., is one of the representatives. This young man, who has been deeply involved in Macao for 12 years, crossed Coloane in 2021 and started a new experiment of "IP + culture and sports" in Hengqin, and the childlike "B.DUCK RUN Little Yellow Duck Happy Run" that has landed this year is a successful case. He keenly captured the inclination of Hengqin's policy towards cultural and sports projects. For him, Hengqin carries his business development opportunities, allowing him to find the best soil for ideas to land in communication and running-in with the government again and again.

Hengqin's vast space and preferential policies carry the dreams of Macao's entrepreneurial youth; The international concept and Macao characteristic culture they bring also feed back the diversity of Hengqin.

This is the real "PB" pursued by Hengqin: to go deeper on the road of integration.

Standing at the end of 2025, looking back at Hengqin. The city is writing its own story of the Greater Bay Area in the form of sports. It is not only the rise of high-rise buildings, but also the footsteps of running on the greenway; It is not only the flow of financial capital, but also the high-fives of Hengqin and Macao youth on the field.

Hengqin's sports may not be comparable to some sports strongholds that started earlier in terms of absolute competition level and competition level, but it is better than "temperature".

This temperature comes from its respect for the ecological environment and returns sports to nature; From its care for every market entity, it makes the city full of vitality; It also comes from its responsibility for the mission of integration between Hengqin and Macao, so that the hearts of the two places are closely dependent on each other.

When night falls, looking across the river from Hengqin, the lights of Macau and the stars of Hengqin complement each other on the water. In the intertwined light and shadow, the boundaries of the city quietly dissolved, leaving only the pulse of the two places beating at the same frequency.

A flesh-and-blood, palpable and touchable home - this is the most rustic and moving urban background of Hengqin under rapid development.