On December 15, the 2017 World Orienteering Ranking Event & Guangdong Provincial Orienteering League (Nanhai·Xiqiao Mountain Station) of the Ancient Lingnan Post Roads was held in the Xiqiao Mountain Scenic Area. Athletes from 16 countries — France, Austria, Australia, Italy, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, New Zealand, Sweden, Lithuania, Maldives, Hungary, Latvia, Belgium, and the UK — competed alongside domestic orienteers. In the end, Øystein Kvaal Østerbø from Norway claimed first place in the men’s world ranking event with a time of 35 minutes and 35 seconds, while the women’s champion was Laura Ramstein from Austria, with a time of 42 minutes and 39 seconds. To enrich the event, the organizing committee also showcased intangible cultural heritage unique to Xiqiao, including Foshan paper-cutting, lion head crafting, Xiqiao cakes, and Xiangyun silk.

Attendees at the opening ceremony of this event included: Liu Xiao, Deputy Director of the Aviation Radio Model Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China; Xu Juan, Deputy Director of the Radio Orienteering Department of the Aviation Radio Model Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China; Tom Hollowell, Secretary-General of the International Orienteering Federation; Yu Dinghong, Executive Committee Member of the International Orienteering Federation and President of the Hong Kong Orienteering Association; Yang Rui, Committee Member of the Regional and Youth Development Commission of the International Orienteering Federation and Chairman of PWT; Mai Liang, Deputy Director of the Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau; Zhang Yuanzheng, Deputy Director of the Foshan Municipal Sports Bureau; Yang Wenbin, Vice President of the Guangdong Outdoor Sports Association; Tang Hui, Deputy Director of the Urban and Rural Planning Division of the Guangdong Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development; Liu Lituan, Deputy Director of the Comprehensive Division of the Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau; Xie Kexin, Associate Researcher of the Provincial Agricultural Office; Liu Ning, Broadcasting Director of the Sports Channel of Guangdong TV; Li Yan, Standing Committee Member of the Nanhai District Committee of Foshan; Liang Huiyan, Director of the Nanhai District Bureau of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Tourism Bureau); Huang Songhua, Party Secretary of Xiqiao Town, among others.

At the opening ceremony, the organizing committee also invited two champion athletes from Xiqiao. They were Liang Wanxia, champion of the modern pentathlon at the Tianjin National Games and multiple-time national champion, and Tan Zhiqin, champion of the equestrian team event at the Tianjin National Games and multiple-time national champion.

According to information, this event was jointly organized by the International Orienteering Federation, the Aviation Radio Model Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, the Chinese Orienteering Association, the Guangdong Provincial Sports Bureau, the Guangdong Provincial Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Nanhai District Bureau of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Tourism Bureau) of Foshan, and the People’s Government of Xiqiao Town, Nanhai District, Foshan. The World Orienteering Ranking Event is a globally recognized, open international orienteering competition that meets international standards. Xiqiao has proposed a new industrial development model of “sports + culture + tourism + city,” and this event once again brings the world’s attention to Xiqiao.

Adventure Journey: Experience the blend of ancient and modern within a 5A scenic area

At 9:30 am on December 15, with the sound of the starting signal, athletes from around the world set off from the starting point to begin the orienteering competition. “Orienteering” is an emerging outdoor activity originating in Europe, where athletes use maps and compasses to visit designated checkpoints on the map, with the winner being the one who reaches all checkpoints in the shortest time. This event featured a middle-distance race, with four categories: World Ranking Group, Elite Group, Open Group, and Experience Group. The competition area covered attractions such as Tianhu Park, Sifeng Academy, and Yongguang Pavilion. Though not long in distance, the course tested both the athletes’ intelligence and physical strength.

Sifeng Academy was once one of the four major academies on Xiqiao Mountain during the Ming Dynasty. Although its former glory has faded, the faint outlines and remaining weathered walls still hint at its past splendor and prosperity. Passing through ancient mountain villages, where old homes coexist with the forest, many relics are hidden among the dense woods. Lingnan architecture with its distinctive “pot-handle” walls and memorial archways inscribed with “Initial Steps into the Clouds”... all evoke a strong mountainous charm. From ancient academies to old villages, what changes is not only the scenery but also the state of mind experienced amid the shifts of history. Contestants thus immerse themselves in the most evocative Lingnan culture and humanistic charm during the race.

Ecological Innovation: Setting an Example for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

The excellent ecological environment is also a key reason why top-tier events choose Xiqiao Mountain. Xiqiao is fully committed to creating the “Foshan National Ecological Park” to preserve its green mountains and clear waters.

In fact, with the improvement of the ecological environment, Xiqiao’s golden brand characterized by Lingnan culture and tourism has been further polished. A Lingnan cultural and tourism town that integrates functions such as vacation tourism, eco-leisure, Zen wellness, academic exchange, film and animation, and cultural creativity is gradually becoming known to the world. This year, as Nanhai proposed to focus on the south mulberry-based fishpond wetland area of Xiqiao Mountain to build the “Foshan National Ecological Park,” Nanhai launched a three-year action plan for the optimization and upgrade of Xiqiao Mountain, planning to invest 15 billion yuan to comprehensively upgrade Xiqiao Mountain and its surrounding areas. Currently, Xiqiao Town has made the creation of a national ecological park a central task of the town’s party committee and government, as well as a key project in implementing the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress, striving to create a natural ecological civilization model of harmonious coexistence of the water-farmland-lake life community in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

As Xiqiao Town accelerates its ecological civilization construction, a green development blueprint for creating a “National Ecological Park” has taken shape. Huang Songhua, Party Secretary of Xiqiao Town, said: “Xiqiao Town will adhere to the concept of green development and accelerate ecological civilization construction. By integrating the construction of a Lingnan cultural and tourism town with the creation of a national ecological park, we will enhance the pattern of a ‘5A scenic area on the mountain and a 5A city at its foot,’ improve Xiqiao’s ecological advantages, and build a beautiful Xiqiao and a strong industrial town.”

Discovery Journey: Rebuilding the Brand of a Famous Mountain of Neo-Confucianism

Wenhan Qiaoshan is the most Lingnan. Xiqiao Mountain is not only the renowned “Mountain of Neo-Confucianism” across the land during the Ming and Qing dynasties, but also the “Lighthouse of Pearl River Civilization” over 6,000 years ago, and a “Famous Mountain of Southern Guangdong” where Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism coexist. In fact, Xiqiao has long been engaged in the excavation and preservation of its local culture — from the scholar culture of Songtang, to the Neo-Confucianist culture of Xiqiao Mountain, to the Lingnan culture of Xiqiao... giving rise to numerous cultural and tourism brands. In the new era, culture has become self-aware, bringing greater cultural confidence to Xiqiao and Nanhai.

Every year during the Scholar Culture Festival, Songtang Village is filled with visitors. The history of four scholars from a single village has earned Songtang the reputation of a Scholar Village. In the village, in front of the ancestral hall of the Ou family, rows of neatly standing “flagpole stands” tell the story of the glory of this ancient village steeped in culture. Likewise, to revive the “Mountain of Neo-Confucianism” brand of Xiqiao Mountain and bring out its modern value, on November 10, 2016, the “Notice of the People’s Government of Nanhai District, Foshan City on Issuing the Three-Year Action Plan for the Optimization and Upgrade of Xiqiao Mountain” listed “Reshaping the Mountain of Neo-Confucianism” as the primary task. In August 2017, the People’s Government of Nanhai District formulated the “Three-Year Action Plan for Revitalizing the ‘Mountain of Neo-Confucianism’ Brand of Xiqiao,” which proposed to achieve four outcomes within three years: “a series of Neo-Confucianist culture documentaries,” “a collection of Neo-Confucianist academic books,” “a Neo-Confucianist culture-themed exhibition,” and “a protection project for academy ruins.” These will guide the construction of industrial hubs such as Tingyin Lake area, Kang Garden, and ancient villages, and continue to develop brand activities such as the Xiqiao Mountain Initiation Ceremony, Tingyin Lake Dragon Boat Races, Lion King Competitions, and Neo-Confucianist cultural experience tours. By merging Neo-Confucianist thought with socialist core values, the “Mountain of Neo-Confucianism” brand of Xiqiao Mountain will be established as one of intellectual depth, cultural richness, broad influence, and profound experience.

Cultural-Tourism Integration: Innovating the “Sports + Tourism” Industry to Spur Transformation

From Lion King Competitions to marathons, from dragon boat races to New Year’s Day hiking and orienteering — Xiqiao keeps pace with the times to launch one brand event after another. As the main hub for the development of Nanhai’s cultural and tourism industry, Xiqiao Mountain has been entrusted with great expectations and a grand mission. As Huang Zhihao, Standing Committee Member of the Foshan Municipal Committee and Secretary of the Nanhai District Committee, put it, Xiqiao Mountain should become the center of Lingnan cultural tourism, a highland of Pearl River culture, and a highland of Lingnan culture.

With the hosting of a series of top-tier events, Xiqiao Mountain has begun applying for the status of a National Sports Industry (Demonstration) Base. The Xiqiao Mountain Scenic Area has been rated as the “2016 China Sports Tourism Boutique Scenic Area,” the Xiqiao Mountain Lion King Competition as the “2016 China Sports Tourism Top Ten Boutique Events,” and Xiqiao Town in 2017 was awarded the title of “Second Batch of National Characteristic Towns” by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development. If Xiqiao Mountain successfully becomes a National Sports Industry (Demonstration) Base, its uniquely characteristic sports industry in Nanhai and Xiqiao will become a representative “Chinese business card” in the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the deepening of cooperation under the “Belt and Road” initiative.

The innovative development model of the “sports + tourism” industry promotes regional tourism cooperation and development, and the integrated development of culture, sports, and tourism is the growth path of “Xiqiao Mountain” and “Cultural Nanhai.” Based on the “Mountain of Neo-Confucianism,” the strategy of “brand sports + brand tourism” not only allows Nanhai’s sports brand events to be better showcased through the platform of Xiqiao Mountain, but also enhances the tourism brand value of Xiqiao Mountain through sports brand projects, thereby forming a cultural-sports-tourism matrix centered around Xiqiao Mountain. Looking ahead, based on the principle of “cultural-tourism integration in a city, and integrated development of industry and urban areas to enhance quality,” Xiqiao Town will focus on attracting investment in the Tingyin Lake area, introducing internationally renowned brands, integrating tourism resources, and driving further development in the surrounding areas. Through the deep integration of “culture + tourism + city,” a cultural-tourism pattern of “Guanyin on the mountain, Tingyin below” has emerged. This mountain-based urban development model propels Xiqiao toward becoming a competitive domestic and influential international mountain-water tourism new town, achieving a “transformation” for both the famous mountain and the famous town. (By He Zhikun and Mai Yuhao)