On December 14, the 2019 Lingjiu Mountain · First National Forest Extreme Sports Games, themed “New Sports Ecology, Ultimate Zero Distance,” grandly kicked off in Lingjiu Mountain National Forest Sports Town, Kecheng District, Quzhou, Zhejiang. This event pioneered the integration of extreme sports with forest elements, becoming the largest comprehensive forest extreme sports competition in China to date, attracting nearly 2,500 athletes and over 2,000 self-driving enthusiasts from across the country, as well as from Quzhou and surrounding areas.
At 8:00 AM, the opening ceremony of the 2019 Lingjiu Mountain · First National Forest Extreme Sports Games was held at the venue on the east side of Zhongyuan. Attendees included Wang Shunda, Vice Mayor of Quzhou City; Hu Guoping, Member of the Party Group and Deputy Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Sports Bureau; Han Jiling, Secretary-General of the Chinese Extreme Sports Association; Xu Lishui, Secretary of the Kecheng District Committee; Yang Shugang, Director of the Office of the Social Sports Guidance Center under the General Administration of Sport of China; Song Jupu, Former Deputy Political Commissar of the PLA General Staff Department and Chief Advisor of Shizhi Sports; Li Qihua, Chairman of the Zhejiang Provincial Wushu Association; Luo Xiangbo, Former Deputy Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Tourism Bureau and Honorary President of the Zhejiang Self-Driving Tourism Association; Jiang Guoqiang, Deputy Secretary and Acting District Chief of the Kecheng District Committee; Wang Hui, Director of the Quzhou Municipal Sports Bureau; Xu Dengfu, Director of the Kecheng District People’s Congress; Xu Liantu, Chairman of the Kecheng District CPPCC; Xu Mingqiang, President of the Zhejiang Self-Driving Tourism Association; Zhan Meijun, Deputy Secretary-General of the Zhejiang Sports Industry Federation; Xu Cunzhen, Secretary of the Kecheng District Politics and Law Commission; and all participating athletes and judges. The opening ceremony was presided over by Liu Min, Standing Committee Member and Deputy District Chief of the Kecheng District Committee.
Four top-tier domestic extreme sports events, new tracks, new challenges
As the inaugural event, the 2019 Lingjiu Mountain · First National Forest Extreme Sports Games will run from the 14th to the 18th. The competition features four top-level domestic extreme sports events: Forest Extreme Parkour Elite Race, Forest Extreme Roller Skating Elite Race, Forest Extreme Downhill Cycling Elite Race, and Forest Extreme Bicycle Climbing Elite Race.
It is reported that this is the first time in China that extreme parkour and extreme roller skating have been integrated with forest elements, setting multiple national records. The Forest Extreme Parkour Elite Race track has a straight-line distance of 40 meters, with a racing route of about 60 meters. The average slope is 45 degrees, the maximum drop is 2.8 meters, and the minimum is 0.3 meters, featuring seven continuous stepped platforms suitable for trick displays — an unprecedented setup in domestic parkour courses. The throw ramp big trick track for the Forest Extreme Roller Skating Elite Race pushes physical limits even further, featuring China’s first high 2.7-meter, 4.5-meter span large throw ramp, maximizing the potential of roller skaters and creating thrilling highlights. The Forest Extreme Downhill and Climbing Cycling Elite Race tracks are also built based on the original forest terrain and obstacles, upgrading the difficulty level overall and enhancing both challenge and spectator appeal.
Mass-participation extreme events and fun cultural activities also launched, catering to a wide audience
In addition to elite competitions, to encourage mass participation in sports and promote national fitness, and to further accelerate “sports empowering cities and sports revitalizing rural areas,” the Games also feature a series of unique forest sports carnival events exclusive to Kecheng, such as “Whipping the Spring Ox,” “Forest Chess Realm,” and “Orange Sea Joy,” as well as mass extreme sports like the Overland E-Challenge and Jungle Crossing Competition, further enriching the diversity and extension of the town’s mass extreme sports offerings.
Cultural activities with greater public participation and experiential value — such as the Mapeng Martial Arts Assembly, Forest Sports Experiences, and Forest Sports Equipment Exhibitions — were also held during the Games. For the first time, hot air balloons landed in Kecheng, allowing local residents to ride for free and experience aerial extremes. The format of “multiple days, multiple events, and a blend of competition, performance, and experience, as well as participation and spectating” invited more sports enthusiasts and Quzhou citizens to Lingjiu Mountain, immersing them in the beautiful ecological settings of forests and streams, where they could personally experience thrilling and fun forest extreme sports.
Highlighting the “forest-themed” sports IP, Kecheng District pioneers domestic extreme sports
The Games were held in Lingjiu Mountain National Forest Sports Town, Kecheng District, located 9 kilometers north of downtown Quzhou, with a planned core area of 4.7 square kilometers. In August 2017, it was selected as one of the first 96 national pilot towns for sports and leisure featured towns announced by the General Administration of Sport of China. The town is spatially laid out around one park (Lingjiu Mountain Forest Park), one stream (Miaoyuan Stream), and one town (Jiuhua Township), forming a “3+2+2” framework system: “three core sports zones + two forest trails + two wellness support zones.” The Lingjiu Mountain National Forest Sports Town features diverse landforms, interconnected landscapes, rich biodiversity, and over 85% forest coverage, including six peaks over 1,000 meters in elevation, plus the Miaoyuan and Guan streams flowing through — providing ideal conditions for developing forest extreme sports.
Aligning with the national trend of promoting national fitness and sports consumption and building a strong sports nation, the town took the lead in introducing the “First National Forest Extreme Sports Games,” significantly upgrading its service quality and enriching its core brand culture. It has quickly become a high-quality showcase of Kecheng’s scientific development philosophy and sports spirit. The high-quality, differentiated, and sustainable forest extreme sports event IP will help Lingjiu Mountain National Forest Sports Town swiftly establish its style, value, and brand, standing out in fierce market competition and leading industry innovation.
The 2019 Lingjiu Mountain · First National Forest Extreme Sports Games combines people's longing to return to nature with cutting-edge extreme sports, making a bold attempt at integrating sports with forest elements — a brand-new exploration and practice. The launch of the First National Forest Extreme Sports Games will further promote the “Sports Kecheng” brand nationwide; drive the agglomeration of sports industries, projects, and events in Kecheng and the Forest Sports Town; and enhance Kecheng’s appealing image as “fun and beautiful.” At the same time, it is of great significance for Kecheng District to build a nationally influential “Forest Extreme Sports Destination,” “Sports Leisure Tourism Destination,” and “Beautiful China · Sports Revitalizing Rural Demonstration Site.”
This event is hosted by the Chinese Extreme Sports Association, guided by the Social Sports Guidance Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, the Zhejiang Provincial Sports Bureau, and the Zhejiang Provincial Wushu Association, and organized by the People’s Government of Kecheng District and the Quzhou Municipal Sports Bureau. Co-organized by the Zhejiang Sports Industry Federation, the Kecheng District Culture, Tourism and Sports Bureau, the Kecheng District Federation of Trade Unions, the Shiliang Town People’s Government, the Jiuhua Township People’s Government, the Wantian Township People’s Government, and the Kecheng District Lüchuang Company, and operated by Shizhi Sports, Beijing Best Partners, Quzhou Hand-in-Hand Auto City Development Co., Ltd., and Mouse Tourism Development Co., Ltd.