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Golf in China is a growing industry, with numerous golf courses being established, especially in the province of Hainan. There are around 358,000 core players (Aged over 18 and play more than 8 rounds a year) among Chinese population, with a growth rate of 7.5%.〔China Golf Industry Report (2011), http://www.forwardgolf.com.cn/en/newsshow.asp?id=1109〕 That figure is projected to grow to about 20 million by 2020. For the general public, golf is considered to be prohibitively expensive. However, it is seen as the top recreational sport for businesspeople and officials. The sport attracts both foreign investment and overseas golfers, who come from such countries as South Korea, Australia, and Japan for the relatively inexpensive fees. China holds such tournaments as the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, TCL Classic on Hainan Island, the Volvo China Open and the BMW Asian Open. Among the country's most successful golfers are Zhang Lianwei and Liang Wen-Chong. ==History== Chuiwan, a stick and ball game with some similarities to golf was played in China as early as 1000 AD, with evidence existing from the Song dynasty.〔(''Verification of the fact that Golf originated from Chuiwan'' ), Ling Hongling, Professor of Physical Education, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, P.R. China〕 The sport was banned up until the middle of the 1980s by the Communist Party of China as being too bourgeois. The first golf course constructed in China opened in 1984. It was the Chung Shan Hot Springs in Zhongshan, based on a design by Arnold Palmer.〔 The first international tournament held in China was the 1995 World Cup at Mission Hills in Guangdong province.〔 China's first regularly scheduled tournament was the 2004 BMW Asian Open. In 2005, the Volvo China Open was held in China, followed by the HSBC Champions in 2006.〔 Despite a ban in 2004 that limits the number of golf courses in China due to environmental impact concerns, the number has more than tripled since 2004. At that time, only 170 courses existed. By 2009 there were almost 600.〔Gwinnell, Philip; Han, Bin (2010), ''China's Emerging Jewel, Hainan, The Definitive Guide'', ISBN 978-7-5501-0016-9., p.277〕 Around 2008, growth rate of the golf industry is 25 to 30 percent per year. In 2011, the rate is moderated by a much larger base, decreased to 7.5%(45 New courses).〔 At the 2007 National People's Congress, acknowledging that the construction of new golf courses is not only a waste of public money, but also an illegal use of space, Premier Wen Jiabao said to the Congress that contracts in building new golf courses should be highly discouraged. The government currently imposes a 24 percent tax on golf clubs.〔 In October 2015, the Chinese Communist Party banned all its members from joining golf clubs among other displays of extravagance as part of China's anti-corruption campaign. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Golf in China」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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