The leaders and guests attending 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, President of the Hong Kong Orienteering Association; Yang Rui, Committee Member of the Regional and Youth Development Commission of the International Orienteering Federation, President 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 Party Committee Rural Work Office; Liu Ning, Broadcasting Director of the Sports Channel of Guangdong TV Station; Li Yan, Standing Committee Member of the Nanhai District Committee of Foshan City; Liang Huiyan, Director of the Nanhai District Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau; Huang Songhua, Secretary of the Party Committee of Xiqiao Town, and others.
At the opening ceremony, the organizing committee also invited two champion athletes from Xiqiao. They are Liang Wanxia, champion of the modern pentathlon at the Tianjin National Games and multiple national champion, and Tan Zhiqin, winner of the equestrian team championship at the Tianjin National Games and multiple national champion.
According to reports, this event is co-hosted 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 Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (Tourism Bureau) of Foshan City, and the People's Government of Xiqiao Town, Nanhai District, Foshan City. The World Orienteering Ranking Event is a globally recognized, internationally standardized open orienteering competition sanctioned by the International Orienteering Federation. Xiqiao has proposed a new industrial development model of “Sports + Culture + Tourism + City,” and the hosting of this event once again brings the world’s attention to Xiqiao.
Journey Through Time: Experience Ancient and Modern Changes Within a 5A-Level 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 line 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 features a middle-distance race with four categories: World Ranking Group, Elite Group, Open Group, and Experience Group. The competition area includes attractions such as Tianhu Park, Sifeng Academy, and Yongguang Pavilion. Although the course is not long, it tests the athletes’ intelligence and physical endurance.
Sifeng Academy was once one of the four major academies on Xiqiao Mountain during the Ming Dynasty. Though its former glory has faded, its faint outlines and remaining weathered walls still hint at its past splendor and prosperity. Passing through ancient mountain villages, where old settlements coexist with the forest, many relics are hidden among the dense woods. Lingnan-style architecture with “pot-ear” walls and an archway inscribed with “Initial Step into the Clouds”... all evoke a strong mountain ambiance. From ancient academies to old villages, what changes is not just the scenery, but also the state of mind experienced while traversing through historical shifts. Contestants thus get to experience the most culturally rich aspects of Lingnan culture and local heritage during the race.
Ecological Development: 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 to be held on Xiqiao Mountain. Xiqiao is fully committed to creating the “Foshan National Ecological Park” in order to preserve its clear waters and green mountains.
In fact, with the improvement of the ecological environment, Xiqiao’s iconic status as a hub for Lingnan cultural tourism has been further enhanced. A Lingnan cultural tourism town that integrates functions such as holiday travel, eco-leisure, Zen wellness, academic exchange, film and animation, and cultural creativity is gradually becoming known to the world. Since the beginning of this year, with Nanhai proposing to focus on the south mulberry-based fishpond wetland area of Xiqiao Mountain to build the “Foshan National Ecological Park,” Nanhai has launched a three-year action plan for the optimization and upgrade of Xiqiao Mountain, with plans 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 government and a key project for implementing the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress, striving to create a model of harmonious coexistence within 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, Secretary of the Xiqiao Town Party Committee, stated: “Xiqiao Town will adhere to the concept of green development and accelerate the construction of ecological civilization. We will integrate the development of a Lingnan cultural tourism town with the creation of a national ecological park, enhance the pattern of ‘a 5A-level scenic area on the mountain and a 5A-level city at its foot,’ improve Xiqiao’s ecological environment advantages, and build a beautiful Xiqiao and a strong industrial town.”
Discovery Journey: Rebuilding the Brand of a Famous Mountain of Neo-Confucianism
Wenhuan 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 the “Famous Mountain of Southern Guangdong” where Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism coexist. In fact, Xiqiao has long begun the excavation and preservation of its local culture—from the Hanlin culture of Songtang to the Neo-Confucian culture of Xiqiao Mountain, and then to the Lingnan culture of Xiqiao... giving rise to numerous cultural tourism brands. In the new era, culture is awakening, making the culture of Xiqiao and Nanhai more confident.
Every year during the Hanlin Culture Festival, Songtang Village is filled with visitors. The history of one village producing four Hanlin scholars has earned Songtang the reputation of a Hanlin 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 cultural atmosphere. Similarly, to revive the “Mountain of Neo-Confucianism” brand of Xiqiao Mountain and leverage 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 first major 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 feature documentary on Neo-Confucian culture,” “a series of academic books on Neo-Confucianism,” “a thematic exhibition on Neo-Confucian culture,” and “the protection of an academy site.” These efforts aim to lead the construction of various industrial carriers such as the Tingyin Lake area, Kangyuan, and ancient villages with Neo-Confucian culture, and continue to develop brand activities such as the Xiqiao Mountain Initiation Ceremony, Tingyin Lake Dragon Boat Racing, the Lion King Competition, and Neo-Confucian cultural experience tours. By integrating Neo-Confucian thought with socialist core values, the goal is to build the “Mountain of Neo-Confucianism” brand of Xiqiao Mountain with intellectual depth, cultural richness, broad influence, and profound experience.
Cultural-Tourism Integration: Innovating the Sports + Tourism Industry to Spur a “Metamorphosis”
From the Lion King Competition to marathons, from dragon boat races to New Year’s Day mountain climbing and orienteering—Xiqiao keeps pace with the times by launching one branded event after another. As the main hub for the development of Nanhai’s cultural tourism industry, Xiqiao Mountain has been given high expectations and a grand mission. As Huang Zhihao, member of the Standing Committee of the Foshan Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Nanhai District Party Committee, said, 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 applied to be named a National Sports Industry (Demonstration) Base. The Xiqiao Mountain scenic area has been awarded the title of “2016 China Sports Tourism Boutique Scenic Area,” the Xiqiao Mountain Lion King Competition has been named one of the “2016 Top Ten Boutique Sports Tourism Events in China,” and in 2017, Xiqiao Town was honored with 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, in the context of building the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and deepening cooperation under the “Belt and Road” initiative, the distinctive sports industry of Nanhai and Xiqiao will become a representative “Chinese business card.”
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 “branded sports + branded 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, enabling the famous mountain and town to achieve a “metamorphosis.” (By He Zhikun and Mai Yuhao)