After their weekly dinner at home together every Saturday, Wang Jiaxing and his family usually go about their own business.

Residents in the city of Liu'an, Anhui province, practice taichi in a public square on July 13. Throughout the country, interest in sports and exercise has been riding on enthusiasm for the upcoming Beijing Olympics. Chen Li

Wang, a 60-year-old retiree, meets his buddies at the neighborhood fitness corner.

His wife, Liu Shifang, 56, a former teacher, joins her dancing mates at the nearby public square.

His son, Wang Chunhong, 33, goes to a nearby school gym to play badminton with friends.

Next door, Wang's 8-year-old grandson Wang Pei practices taekwondo.

Theirs is a life typical of the millions of urbanites across the country.

With the country busy gearing up in the past seven years for the Beijing Olympics next month, Chinese have also been benefiting from a sports industry booming along with the run-up to the Games.

A regular at the open-air fitness corner, Wang is often seen chatting with neighbors as he carries out his exercise routine.

"It is very convenient to exercise at this corner every day," Wang says.

"I cannot really play any sports, but I would still like to keep fit by using these simple sports facilities here.

"Most importantly, it costs nothing, and most pensioners like myself always make full use of them."

His wife Liu believes that dancing to music blared from a portable tape recorder with a group of elderly sisters is much more fun.

The small square within residential blocks where the group members show their moves transforms into a veritable dance floor in the evening.

"I have been dancing with them for two years, from 8pm to 10pm every day," Liu says.

"Every other day, we have a dance instructor teaching us folk and ballroom dancing. On other days, we dance what like," she says.

"We pay 10 yuan ($1.5) a month to our group leader to cover all the necessary expenses.

"It's very cheap, isn't it?"