The team has left footprints in many locations across Songyuan
"Hiking not only helps us stay fit and relieve stress, but also promotes the beauty of our hometown," said Zhao Xuelin, 50, founder of the Songyuan Dadi Feige Outdoor Sports Alliance. Over the past year, the team’s hikers have averaged 30 kilometers per week, and so far their total distance has reached over 2,600 kilometers.
Team members hike about 4 kilometers each evening
Since September 4, 2011, every evening, a group of dozens sets out from Songyuan Administrative Square, hiking along the Songhua River dike to Songyuan Bridge and back—a round trip of about 4 kilometers.
These are members of the Songyuan Dadi Feige Outdoor Sports Alliance. On the 22nd, an East Asia reporter met the alliance’s founder, 50-year-old Zhao Xuelin. "I’ve always loved sports—exercising is definitely better than staying home playing mahjong or drinking!" Zhao said. He used to be an avid cyclist and, in anticipation of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, cycled solo to Beijing from May 5 to 11, 2008.
Zhao said he created a hiking QQ group online to organize his cycling friends for weekly hikes as a way to enrich his life. On March 19, 2011, the Dadi Feige Outdoor Sports Alliance founded by Zhao was officially established. Zhao organized 46 hiking enthusiasts to set off from the north bank of the Songhua River in Songyuan. In three and a half hours, they walked 16 kilometers to Suolun Village in Xingyuan Township, Songyuan Economic and Technological Development Zone. "That day, we marched along the road under our team flag with over 40 people—it was so much fun!" Zhao recalled.
Hiking distance has reached over 2,600 kilometers
"Since our founding, we’ve held hiking activities every weekend, and every evening since September 4, 2011," Zhao explained. Since the alliance was established, they’ve averaged 30 kilometers per week, adding up to over 2,600 kilometers in total so far.
"Each hiking route is planned by me in my spare time through bike scouting," Zhao said. Their routes mainly center around the Songhua River’s banks near Songyuan’s Songhua River Bridge, Songyuan Bridge, and Longhua Bridge, extending to places like Sanjiangkou in Songyuan, the upper reaches of Hadashan, and Chagan Lake—generally within a roughly 50-kilometer radius.
"So far, the team has nearly 400 members, the youngest being 24 and the oldest 55," Zhao said. Before every weekend event and each nightly session, he announces the route, and members can sign up voluntarily based on their own schedules.
Hiking helps you understand your hometown better
Zhao said one male member stopped playing mahjong and drinking less often after joining the hikes, while also improving his physical health.
"This is a healthy activity. We often walk through various parts of Songyuan, admiring the beautiful scenery here. We frequently take photos of the views along the way and share them online," Zhao said. His goal is to encourage people to exercise through hiking, while also helping participants get to know, love, and promote their hometown.
In September 2011, Zhao and other alliance members once camped by the Songhua Riverbank. Before leaving, they cleaned up all the white trash left along the shore.
"During the activity, everyone was chatting and laughing, so the journey didn’t feel long at all. Along the way, we relieved work and life pressures and even carried out an environmental protection effort," Zhao said.
Zhao also has a vision to establish a hiking club, creating detailed rules and regulations for activities to better organize events and allow more participants to enjoy the fun that sports bring.