From June 26 to July 1, the "2018 Ziyuan International Rafting Elite Challenge and Sports Culture Week" was held in Ziyuan County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. With the theme of "Ziyuan: Sharing Beauty with the World," the event showcased the county's unique natural and cultural landscapes, delivering an electrifying extreme sports competition to the world!
Hosting Water Sports Events to Inject Fresh Vitality
The "2018 International Rafting Elite Challenge and Sports Culture Week" was divided into three main segments: the International Rafting Elite Challenge, the China Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP) Gold League, and the International Rafting City Development Forum. This year’s competition saw outstanding performances from all athletes, achieving remarkable results. In the long-distance race of the International Rafting Elite Challenge, participants navigated the thrilling Huanglong Rapid, Ghost Rapid, Narrow Gate Rapid, and Qingniu Rapid on the Wupai River. The short-distance race included sections such as Baishi Rapid, Three Rock Rapid, and Zhangmu Rapid.
It is reported that the Wupai River features a mid-mountain canyon landscape with dramatic elevation changes and fast-flowing water, characterized by "treacherous waters, peculiar rocks, serene forests, and beautiful waterfalls." In 2001, it was designated as a "Rafting Training Base" by the Water Sports Administration Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, making it the only site in China capable of meeting all six levels of training and competition requirements for international canoe slalom events. Ziyuan’s rafting is renowned both domestically and internationally. The famous poet He Jingzhi once praised, "Zijiang Rafting is the best in South China." It combines the grandeur of the Yangtze River’s Three Gorges with the elegance of the Li River, along with its own unique charm of tranquility, resembling a long gallery of landscape paintings.
Photographed by Hong Jianqiang
Sports + Tourism + Culture to Build a Rafting Brand
Ziyuan can be described as a town famous for rafting. In 2001, the National Rafting Invitational Tournament was successfully held on the Wupai River in Ziyuan County, marking the beginning of rafting events. The hosting of the 2017 Ziyuan Rafting World Cup ushered in a new chapter for the area’s rafting endeavors. This year’s "2018 International Rafting Elite Challenge and Sports Culture Week" series extended into the realm of sports industry development, combining sports with culture to create an international rafting brand event that integrates sports, culture, environmental protection, health, and tourism.
The hosting of international rafting events for two consecutive years has given Ziyuan a unique "rafting feature card." As a rafting town, Ziyuan has inherent advantages in rafting tourism. Rich tourism resources such as Tianmen Mountain and Bajiao Village have laid the foundation for the comprehensive development of tourism in the region. A key challenge for Ziyuan tourism is how to make more travel enthusiasts aware of the area. In recent years, Ziyuan has been practicing the principles of ecological priority, green development, and harmonious coexistence between humans and water. It has organized popular water sports events such as rafting, off-road challenges, and SUP paddleboarding. By leveraging representatives from the domestic and international water sports industry, environmental protection organizations, and rafting cities, Ziyuan has hosted the International Rafting City Development Forum. Through engaging and accessible communication methods, Ziyuan is being developed into an internationally renowned eco-rafting tourism destination that combines rafting sightseeing with ethnic cultural experiences.
Photographed by Hong Jianqiang
In the north of Guangxi, the source of prosperity. Compared to previous rafting events, the 2018 International Rafting Elite Challenge and Sports Culture Week expanded its format, introducing the Ziyuan International Rafting City Development Forum for the first time and hosting the China Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP) Gold League, aiming to present the most authentic and beautiful side of Ziyuan to the world. In the future, Ziyuan will continue to innovate, attracting more visitors with the beauty of rafting and ecology, bringing more surprises to guests from afar, and striving to build an international rafting brand with Ziyuan’s unique characteristics under the "Belt and Road" initiative.