The 2018 China · Changning Shunan Bamboo Sea Hot Air Balloon & Liya Upstream City Sky Flying Month Grandly Opens...

On November 23, the 2018 China · Changning Shunan Bamboo Sea Hot Air Balloon "Liya Upstream City" Sky Flying Month event officially commenced on Zhuhai Avenue, Changning Town, Changning County, Yibin City, Sichuan Province. The event was jointly organized by the Yibin Municipal Education and Sports Bureau, Yibin Municipal Tourism Development Commission, People's Government of Changning County, and Shunan Bamboo Sea Scenic Area Administration of Yibin City. It was hosted by Shunan Bamboo Sea Tourism Development Co., Ltd. of Yibin City, the Publicity Department of the CPC Changning County Committee, Changning County Education, Sports, Culture and Radio & Television Bureau, Changning County Tourism Development Bureau, and co-organized and operated by Beijing Shizhi Shanshui Culture Communication Co., Ltd.

At the opening ceremony, Mr. Jia Lihua, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Changning County Committee and County Governor of Changning County, presided over the event and introduced the attending leaders and guests. Mr. Dong Maocheng, Secretary of the CPC Changning County Committee, and Ms. Li Jianrou, Olympic short-track speed skating world champion, delivered speeches respectively. Twelve leaders, including Ms. Li Min, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Yibin Municipal Committee and Minister of the Publicity Department, Professor Luo Yuansong, former President of Yibin University, Mr. Shuai Yin, Director of Yibin Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, News and Publication, Mr. Xiong Longfang, Deputy Director of Yibin Municipal Tourism Development Commission, Mr. Xiao Anxiang, Deputy Director of Yibin Municipal Education and Sports Bureau, Olympic champion Li Jianrou, Mr. Liu Dakai, Chairman of Beijing Shizhi Shanshui Culture Communication Co., Ltd., Mr. Dong Maocheng, Secretary of the CPC Changning County Committee, Mr. Song Kaiyun, Director of the Changning County People's Congress Standing Committee, Mr. Zhou Xiaoping, Chairman of the Changning County CPPCC, Mr. Liu Yi, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Changning County Committee and Director of the Shunan Bamboo Sea Administration, jointly pressed the screen to launch the ceremony, and Ms. Li Min, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Yibin Municipal Committee and Minister of the Publicity Department, declared the event open.

At the opening site, Olympic short-track speed skating world champion Li Jianrou and Xiong Cunya, winner of the "Most Beautiful Changning Person" Altruism Award, together lit the first hot air balloon of the event during the ceremony. Borrowing the symbolism of the Olympic flame relay, they conveyed the noble spirit of sports. The flames soaring into the sky also ignited the enthusiasm of the local people, prompting continuous cheers and applause. Amidst the exhilarating festive atmosphere, everyone enjoyed a marvelous and fantastical hot air balloon ignition performance.

In addition, the site featured a series of rich and colorful cultural performances, including the Sichuan-style percussion piece "Bamboo Sea Mung Bean Cake," the acrobatic show "Bamboo Spirit" which won the gold award at the Sichuan Acrobatics Competition, the pipa vocal performance "Flowers Bloom Beyond the Bamboo," as well as the Sichuan cart-light performance "Bamboo Sister’s Wedding," which seamlessly integrated a hot air balloon wedding theme. These acts vividly showcased the unique charm of Changning’s local culture while successfully blending tradition with modernity, culture with sports, presenting the strengths and characteristics of the Shunan Bamboo Sea in Changning in a more multi-dimensional way.

As a large-scale outdoor activity that combines "culture, sports, and tourism," hot air balloons have garnered widespread attention and affection. It is understood that the 2018 China · Changning Shunan Bamboo Sea Liya Upstream City Hot Air Balloon Sky Flying Month is an exclusive IP event created by Changning County, as well as a groundbreaking attempt by Shizhi Sports in the field of low-altitude tourism. Themed "Dreams in the Sky · Soaring Over the Bamboo Sea," the 14-day (2-week) event ran from November 23 to December 6, featuring a total of 30 hot air balloons performing. In addition to the balloon ignition ceremony at the opening, a series of engaging and interactive hot air balloon tourism experiences—including fire-spouting parades, free flights, tethered rides, balloon blessing activities, model aircraft shows, and powered parachute performances—will allow visitors (participants) to deeply engage. Through continuous, rare, and extraordinary activities, the event will fully highlight the city brand of "The Most Beautiful Bamboo Sea, Wellness Changning," offering everyone a novel way to appreciate the boundless beauty of "vast bamboo seas and a hundred-mile river!"

To further enrich and optimize the experience for citizens and tourists, the event will also host two fun-filled, family-friendly hot air balloon outdoor experiences on November 25 and December 1 at the China Aviation Flight Camp in the Shunan Bamboo Sea Scenic Area. Through a range of parent-child activities—including hot air balloon knowledge lectures, balloon rides, model instruction and hands-on making, airborne mailbox paper plane competitions, creative balloon graffiti, flight hiking orienteering, and themed balloon markets—visitors will learn about the history and flying techniques of hot air balloons, popularize aviation knowledge, and gain a deeper appreciation of Changning’s charm while exploring the Shunan Bamboo Sea. They can also experience the unique thrill of air sports and enjoy the endless fun brought by low-altitude tourism.

Additionally, this event is a top-tier, highly experiential and visually stunning national hot air balloon low-altitude tourism extravaganza. It will accelerate the development of Changning County’s sports tourism industry, better promote the integrated upgrade of sports and tourism in the Shunan Bamboo Sea Scenic Area, comprehensively advance the creation of a "National All-for-One Tourism Demonstration Zone" and "Tianfu Famous Tourism County," gradually establish a new "sports + tourism" integrated development model for the Shunan Bamboo Sea in Changning, and provide an exceptional sports tourism platform for outdoor enthusiasts and travelers nationwide. While building the leisure scenic city of "China’s Bamboo Capital, the Most Beautiful Bamboo Sea," it will also create a unique international bamboo ecological and cultural tourism destination—"making bamboo forests a beautiful sight in Sichuan’s rural areas!"