The opening ceremony of Hailan International E-sport Center, the first project of the Hangzhou E-sports Town in Xiacheng district, is held in the city, Zhejiang province, Nov 16. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Hailan International E-sport Center, the first project of the Hangzhou E-sports Town in Xiacheng district, officially opened in the city in Zhejiang province, Nov 16.

Spanning an area of 4.8 hectares, the center is designed to be a complex platform that integrates e-sports cultural research, business incubation as well as a training base for professional sports teams.

A Chinese esports cultural research center is established at the opening ceremony of Hailan International E-sport Center in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Nov 16. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A Chinese e-sport cultural research center is also established at the opening ceremony.

Dedicating to strengthening communication with industry associations and enterprises as well as promoting the exchange of e-sports culture and knowledge, the center aims to become one of the leading research centers and talent bases for e-sport in China through a series of academic meetings and research projects.

As the first of its kind in Zhejiang province, the E-sports Town has attracted 125 e-sports businesses with registered capital hitting 1.52 billion yuan ($219 million) by the end of September.

A dance performance featuring e-sports is staged at the opening ceremony of Hailan International E-sport Center in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Nov 16. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]