According to China National Radio’s “CNR News,” on the 22nd, the Central Radio and Television Station’s “Beautiful China Journey – Gansu’s Construction of Ecological Civilization” reporting team continued their coverage in Guazhou County, Gansu Province. The 8th “Silk Road of Xuanzang” MBA Gobi Challenge was also being held in Guazhou. At the scene, reporters observed that besides participating in the event, students from various business schools were also enthusiastic about ecological conservation.
The “Silk Road of Xuanzang” MBA Gobi Challenge is a cultural competition among Chinese-speaking business schools. The race route is set in the Mohoyanqi Gobi, at the border of Gansu and Xinjiang, historically known as the “800-li Desert.” Guazhou County lies within this area. The expected course consists mostly of desert and Gobi with sparse vegetation, making the journey a physical and mental challenge for participants. According to the rules, EMBA students from participating schools will trek 112 kilometers across the Gobi through team-based organization. This physical and mental experience aims to facilitate personal breakthroughs, promote inter-school exchanges, and showcase the positive, enterprising, and socially conscious energy of the Chinese business community.
In fact, ecological protection has been a consistent theme throughout past competitions. For example, eco-friendly tableware is provided instead of disposable chopsticks, participants are required to bring their own water bottles, special battery recycling stations are set up, and there are initiatives discouraging the littering of cigarette butts along the way. All participants are informed before the event that they must not damage shrubs during the trek, as these plants are hard to grow in the extremely arid Gobi environment. Such details reflect the high level of attention given to ecological preservation.
However, unlike previous editions, all participating teams will also establish a Gobi Ecological Fund to contribute to local ecological improvement efforts in Guazhou.