Chinese take to the fairways

People spent 1.7 trillion yuan on leisure last year

BEIJING - The number of golf lovers in China increased by 30 percent to hit 1 million in past year, as people are more eager to spend money on leisure, according to recent research.

Chinese people spent at least 1.7 trillion yuan ($248.9 billion) on leisure activities in 2009, or 13.6 percent of total retail sales and 5 percent of GDP, said the 2010 Annual Report on China's Leisure Development, released on Wednesday by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).