On February 4, which marks not only the first solar term of the Year of the Horse — the Beginning of Spring — but also the traditional "Breaking of the Fifth" to welcome the God of Wealth, a day of double celebration, 22 top athletes participating in the Red Bull Canoe Freestyle Competition gathered in the Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan. They kicked off the competition during the Lisu people’s annual "Bathhouse Gathering."
The Bathhouse Gathering is a unique traditional festival of the Lisu people in the Nujiang region. The photo shows Lisu women enjoying the hot springs, paying no mind to the onlooking tourists.
The Red Bull Canoe Freestyle Competition is the first freestyle canoeing event held in China. The race takes place in the Nujiang Grand Canyon, part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed "Three Parallel Rivers" area. The Nujiang Grand Canyon is the longest, most mysterious, most beautiful, most rugged, and most pristine canyon in the East, and it is also the starting point of the ancient Tea Horse Road. The race section is flanked by the Biluo Snow Mountain to the east and the Gaoligong Mountain to the west, with the roaring Nujiang River rushing between them. The river features significant drops, rapid currents, and high waves, earning it the reputation of a "White Water Paradise" among whitewater kayaking enthusiasts worldwide. The approximately 50-kilometer race section in Lushui County of Nujiang is dotted with rapids rated levels 2 to 5, giving rise to the saying, "rapids after rapids, each higher than the last by ten zhang." It’s truly a prime spot for canoe freestyle enthusiasts.
On February 5, the first training day of the competition commenced. Athletes will conduct various practice sessions at the Hot Spring Rapids, making their final push toward the competition that begins on February 9. According to organizers, the event will feature a waterfall descent exhibition race, a freestyle skills competition in the Grade 3 "Eight Flips Water Cave," and a downriver speed race in the Grade 4 Long Rapids. Following these, Camp, Secretary-General of the International Canoe Federation, along with Dane Jackson, the current world No. 1 and two-time Freestyle Canoeing World Champion, will put on an exciting exhibition match.