In this scorching summer when "staying at home in Beijing" is all the rage, most people choose to stay indoors. However, for teenagers eager to connect with nature and experience team life, "staying at home" is not part of their summer plans.
On August 2, 2016, the "2016 National Youth Outdoor Sports Activity Camp Summer Camp (Beijing Station)", jointly organized by the Youth Department of the General Administration of Sport of China and the Department of Physical, Health and Arts Education of the Ministry of Education, and co-hosted by the Chinese Mountaineering Association and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports, opened at the National Mountaineering Training Base in Huairou, Beijing. A total of 60 teams, comprising 475 youths aged 8 to 12 along with team leaders and coaches, will participate in the camp activities. According to preliminary statistics, the event gathered over 560 participants including campers, team leaders, coaches, and staff, marking the largest single-session scale of a camp summer camp hosted by the Youth Department of the General Administration of Sport of China.
Liu Fumin, Director of the Youth Sports Department of the General Administration of Sport of China, declares the camp open
Li Zhixin, Director of the Mountaineering Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, delivers a speech
All campers
The opening ceremony
On the first day of the event, over 300 young outdoor enthusiasts participated in activities such as speed climbing, tree climbing, rope descending, water ziplining, jungle exploration, and hiking—truly an adventure up the mountains and across the waters. Over the following four days of outdoor camp life, the young campers will engage in eight activities and one competition, enjoying the fun of camp life in nature and spending a unique summer camp experience.
The 5-kilometer hike begins as campers head for the Huairou North Camp
Record-breaking participation, covering 28 provinces and municipalities
At 8:30 a.m., the opening ceremony was held, attended by Liu Fumin, Director of the Youth Sports Department of the General Administration of Sport of China; Li Zhixin, Director of the Mountaineering Sports Management Center; Ding Xianghua, Director of the Business Development Department; He Fengxiang, Director of the National Mountaineering Training Base; and Wang Yunlong, Acting Director of the Training Department.
Below, the various teams formed by campers and coaches were impressively large. It is reported that these young campers come from 28 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Henan, Heilongjiang, and Xinjiang, as well as the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Cao Rongwu, Secretary-General of the Youth Committee of the Chinese Mountaineering Association and camp leader, introduced that compared to previous events, this year’s camp has broader coverage and a larger scale. The 475 participating campers and the strong 90-person working team both set historical records. The camper composition covers multiple ethnic groups and includes international participants. He said, "Compared to other camps, typical events host around 50 people, while provincial-level events generally involve about 100, rarely exceeding 200. This shows just how large this event is."
Since 2015, the Beijing Station "Camp" has been hosted by the Mountaineering Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China. With the success of last year's event, its reputation and brand value have gradually emerged. Compared to last year, this year’s "Camp" saw a significant increase in participation, with many returning participants from the previous year.
Understanding teamwork through outdoor living
After the opening ceremony, young campers from across the country were regrouped into 32 small teams and four larger groups to take part in different activities. Two of the larger groups experienced outdoor activities such as rock climbing, rope descending, and ziplining within the mountaineering base, and also learned survival skills like hammock-making and rope ladder climbing. The other two larger groups, led by coaches, went to the Huairou North Camp, where they learned outdoor safety knowledge and completed a 5-kilometer hike at the Jiugukou section of the Great Wall, camping there overnight. Li Hongyu is one of the many campers. From Qiqihar, Heilongjiang, he took an entire day’s train ride, arriving at the camp only last night. But today, no signs of fatigue could be seen on his face as he happily joined in the various activities. He said, "Even though I took a whole day’s train, it was worth it. The activities here are things I’ve never tried before. I got to broaden my horizons and learn a lot. And in just one day, I’ve already made five or six new friends. It’s really fun doing outdoor activities together."
First time on a zipline
Before the activity, coaches carefully explain safety precautions to campers
Zipline
Tree climbing activity
Rope ladder activity
Rope descending activity
Campers make their own hammocks
This year’s event centers around the theme of "Happy Growth, Safe Outdoor." In the coming days, campers will take part in outdoor sports experiences such as rock climbing, Great Wall hiking, orienteering treasure hunts, and jungle exploration; outdoor safety education including wilderness camping and first aid learning; as well as new additions like stargazing for nature education and cultural education themed around mountaineering culture. During this period, all campers from different regions and organizations will be regrouped into 32 teams based on region, gender, and age, then assigned to one of four larger groups. Throughout the event, these four groups will rotate through different activities. This approach allows campers to meet more children from diverse backgrounds and greatly challenges their interpersonal, integration, and teamwork skills.
Regarding the innovations and breakthroughs of this year’s event, Li Zhixin, Director of the Mountaineering Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, said in an interview: "We hope that during these few days of the camp summer camp, youths can make new friends, help one another, rise to challenges, overcome difficulties, and gain knowledge and joy through sports. We also hope to use the platform of the summer camp to call on society as a whole to pay attention to the healthy growth of our youth. Every industry should offer whatever support and help it can. The greatest significance of holding the summer camp is to leverage the educational role of sports, allowing children to gain more psychological benefits through movement. While experiencing the charm of sports, they exercise, reflect, and grow in happiness."
Ensuring safety with professionalism
As the scale of the summer camp expands and the variety of activities increases, campers have more opportunities to broaden their horizons, interact with higher-level coaches, and engage with more peers. However, this also places higher demands on the organization and arrangement of the event.
Professional protection as campers tackle the pole-walking challenge
It is understood that this event selected the best mountaineering, outdoor, rock climbing, and camp coaches from across the country to form various project teams. All members of the project execution team hold relevant qualification certificates. The team leaders guiding the small groups in various activities have all undergone professional national training for youth outdoor camp instructors, with some even being part of the instructor trainer team. Meanwhile, the logistics support team, composed of key personnel from the National Mountaineering Training Base, is fully responsible for transportation, security, accommodation, and other logistical tasks.