On the evening of June 27, the "2018 Ziyuan International Rafting Elite Challenge and Sports Culture Week" grandly opened in Ziyuan County, Guilin, Guangxi. The opening ceremony was hosted by CCTV hosts Yuan Wendong and Shi Dan. Attendees included Joe Willis Jones (Joe Willis Jones), President of the International Rafting Federation, Li Ruilin, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Water Sports Administration Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, Zhang Xiaowu, Standing Committee Member of the Guilin Municipal Party Committee and Executive Deputy Mayor, among others.
The event was divided into three main segments: the International Rafting Elite Challenge, the China Stand-Up Paddleboarding Gold League, and the International Rafting City Development Forum. At 8:00 p.m. that evening, the opening ceremony commenced with the majestic national anthem of the People's Republic of China. Twenty teams from 16 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, and the Czech Republic, entered the venue one after another. Over the course of three days, they will compete in rafting amid the stunning landscape of verdant mountains and crystal-clear waters, delivering a spectacular visual feast that perfectly blends strength and beauty for rafting enthusiasts worldwide.
The unique ethnic minority songs and dances of Ziyuan at the opening ceremony captivated countless spectators. Performances such as the Miao Flower Song, rafting water dance, high-level acrobatics, and Tai Chi showcased the charm of Ziyuan’s landscapes in vivid detail. Miao grand chants, the pestle dance celebrating the harvest season, the oil-tea dance, along with Ziyuan’s ethnic costume show and the traditional opera genre known as "Cai Diao," praised for being “a joyful art form filled with the earthy fragrance of the land,” all highlighted the distinctive Miao and Yao cultural essence of Ziyuan.
"Today’s heroes rise through their own efforts—never idle away the time." Ziyuan County boasts beautiful mountains and clear waters, as well as uniquely shaped rocks and serene forests, encompassing the defining features of China’s famous mountains, rivers, and waterfalls. In recent years, leveraging its superior ecological advantages, Ziyuan has developed tourism and specialty industries tailored to local conditions. To fully tap into the tourism potential of the area, the county has actively explored a new development model integrating sports, tourism, and poverty alleviation, fostering new highlights in tourism. A number of international sporting events have been held in Ziyuan, laying a solid foundation for the sustained and healthy development of both the tourism economy and sports industry.
Wei Shaoyi, Secretary of the Ziyuan County Committee of the Communist Party of China, stated that in 2017, Ziyuan successfully hosted the Ziyuan Rafting World Cup thanks to its unique natural and competitive conditions, opening a new window for Ziyuan to step onto the international stage and showcasing the magical charm of colorful Ziyuan to the world. The 2018 International Rafting Elite Challenge has once again come to Ziyuan, and the expansion and upgrade of the event into the realm of the sports industry will undoubtedly propel Ziyuan onto a higher and larger international platform, further enhancing the Ziyuan brand and its value.
The "2018 Ziyuan International Rafting Elite Challenge and Sports Culture Week" is jointly organized by the International Rafting Federation, the Water Sports Administration Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, the Sports Bureau of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and the People's Government of Guilin City, and is hosted by the Guilin Sports Bureau and the People's Government of Ziyuan County. Through the hosting of this event, Ziyuan has once again connected with international competitions, which will surely lead to another upgrade in the tourism and cultural industries.