The "Silk Road" International MBA Gobi Challenge is currently the only and largest platform for in-depth exchanges among mainstream Chinese business schools, with all participants being EMBA students from various institutions. Over the past eight years, the event has grown rapidly and now includes numerous leading Chinese and international business schools such as Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management, Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, Fudan University School of Business, CEIBS, and the Nanjing University School of Business, among others. The cumulative number of participants has reached approximately 2,000. From May 20 to May 26, Austrian NORTHLAND will support the Nanjing University EMBA Outdoor Association Dream Team (aka: Nanjing University EMBA Team) in competing in the 9th Silk Road Gobi Challenge.
[Technology Ensures Comfort, Showcasing Outdoor Individuality]
As the equipment sponsor for the Nanjing University EMBA Team, NORTHLAND provided the team members with ultra-lightweight windbreakers and feather-light jackets. The ultra-lightweight windbreakers offer excellent protective performance, effectively shielding participants from wind and sand during the trek, while also using EXOTHERM LITE technology to significantly reduce physical strain during the hike. The newly upgraded feather-light jackets feature specially woven fabrics with a UPF40+ sun protection rating—light yet durable, impervious to the scorching desert sun. The hidden zipper design under the armpits allows for quick ventilation by opening the invisible zip and releasing body heat through the perforated mesh when it gets unbearably hot, ensuring the team stays dry and comfortable throughout their journey.
[Thousands of Miles of Sandy Terrain, Challenging Personal Limits]
This is an outdoor competition with distinctive characteristics. The race route is rich in cultural meaning and symbolic significance, covering the perilous path that Master Xuanzang traversed 1,300 years ago—a region that is also an important cultural heritage site along the ancient Silk Road during the Han and Tang dynasties. The average altitude along the entire course is 1,500 meters, with temperatures reaching up to 35 degrees Celsius and a diurnal temperature variation of 40 degrees. Extreme drought and water scarcity make this a challenging test for hiking enthusiasts. The usually busy and hardworking EMBA participants will leave behind the complexities of city life here, rediscover the trials faced during their entrepreneurial journeys through a simple and pure trekking experience, and reconnect with themselves.
[Comfortable Journey, Free Spirit, Discovering Positive Energy Within]
Crossing the finish line isn’t the goal—what matters is the dialogue with oneself along the way and the discovery of inner positivity. This aligns perfectly with NORTHLAND’s brand philosophy of “Comfortable Journey, Free Spirit.” Through walking, it offers a spiritual cleansing for those who dare to dream, and that’s the greatest impact the Gobi Challenge has on individuals and teams alike.