6Month4Day,2017The China Zoucheng "Lüxinchun Cup" National Mountain Outdoor Sports Challenge concluded successfully in Zoucheng, Shandong Province, known as the "Hometown of Mencius." This historic and cultural city hosted such an event for the first time. After two days of competition, the outdoor team from Zunyi Medical University won the championship with5hours,26minutes, and35seconds, and received4ten thousand yuan in prize money. The Beijing Kusai team and the Taiwan Bokodo Outdoor Team took second and third place, respectively.
The professional group of this event featured over100participants, including top outdoor teams from across the country such as Zunyi Medical University and Beijing Kusai. The competition included7extreme outdoor sports events, such as mountain climbing, cross-country running, mountain biking, kayaking, orienteering, rock wall rappelling, and the Burma Bridge. Over the two days, participants completed a course totaling approximately97kilometers. In addition, the mass participation group had over900participants, with a total of over1000people taking part in the event.
Although the course of this competition was shorter compared to other national mountain outdoor cross-country challenges, it made the race intensely competitive from the start, adding excitement and suspense to both the process and outcome. Looking at the two-day event, the first stage saw the Zunyi Medical University outdoor team finish in3hours,2minutes, and42seconds, while Beijing Kusai finished in3hours,5minutes, and8seconds. The top two teams were separated by just under3minutes, and the third-place Taiwan Bokodo Outdoor Team finished in3hours and9minutes, trailing the second-place team by less than4minutes — a rare occurrence in national mountain outdoor sports challenges. Additionally, Zoucheng, recognized as a "China Beautiful Countryside Construction Demonstration County," featured a highlight of the event: the "Beautiful Countryside Traverse." Over the two days, participants journeyed through picturesque rural villages such as Beiqi Village and Shigudun Village, enjoying the beautiful rural scenery.
The starting point for the first day’s events was set at the east gate of the Yishan Scenic Area, a national4A-level attraction. Yishan, named for its "myriad bizarre rocks piled up like threads," features striking rock formations and steep cliffs. Participants cycled away from Yishan Scenic Area to the Moting Reservoir, a provincial wetland in Shandong, for the kayaking segment. After exiting the water, they hiked to the renowned Shigudun Village, a beautiful rural destination in Zoucheng, to take on the orienteering challenge. The rock wall rappelling segment was held at Xiaolutai in Yishan Scenic Area, a historic site where Confucius is said to have ascended Yishan. According to the "Mencius · Jin Xin Shang," Mencius said: "Confucius ascended the Eastern Mountains and saw how small Lu was; he ascended Mount Tai and saw how small the heavens were." Hence the name Xiaolutai. From here, participants rappelled down while taking in the sweeping views of the Qilu landscape. Overall, the Taiwan Bokodo Outdoor Team, Beijing Kusai Outdoor Team, and Zunyi Medical University Outdoor Team displayed strong performances, forming the leading pack shortly after the start. The three teams took turns leading, with the competition remaining neck-and-neck until the final climbing segment. It was then that the Zunyi Medical University Outdoor Team gained the upper hand, which they maintained all the way to the finish line, while Beijing Kusai and Taiwan Bokodo secured second and third places, respectively.
:”Winning this competition was very tough. We’re quite evenly matched with Beijing Kusai and Taiwan Bokodo, and because this course is relatively short, all three teams pushed extremely hard from the beginning, staying in full sprint mode for both days. Our kayak performance today was particularly strong, helping us take the lead, and we’re happy to have maintained that advantage to the end.Li Zongcheng, the chief judge of the event, said in an interview with reporters:”In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of mountain outdoor sports challenge events held across the country, and domestic athletes have also improved rapidly. The overall design of this competition places greater emphasis on public participation and the spectator appeal of the events. By hosting this event, we hope to promote the popularization of outdoor sports in Zoucheng City and advance their development nationwide.
According to reports, this event is a national mountain outdoor sports challenge race designed by the Mountaineering Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China and the Chinese Mountaineering Association. It was approved by the General Administration of Sport of China and organized by Zoucheng City to foster the integrated development of sports and tourism, further boost the growth of the fitness and leisure sports industry, and leverage the city’s natural resources such as mountains and water, as well as the cultural advantages of being the hometown of Mencius. The race is centered around key initiatives including sports, tourism, culture, and the development of beautiful rural areas.
This event is jointly organized by the Mountaineering Sports Management Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, the Chinese Mountaineering Association, the Shandong Provincial Sports Bureau, and the Shandong Provincial Sports Federation, and is hosted by the Jining Municipal Sports Bureau and the People's Government of Zoucheng City.