Xinzhou’s Most Beautiful Road
2018 China Mountain Marathon Series - "Washi Cup" Wuhan Xinzhou Station & National Annual Finals Kicks Off
"Beep..." At 9:00 AM on December 2nd, as the starting horn sounded, the 2018 China Mountain Marathon Series - "Washi Cup" Wuhan Xinzhou Station and National Annual Finals began at the square of the Wenjin Academy in Xinzhou District, Wuhan. After five Olympic champions including Tao Luna led the way, nearly 3,000 runners set off through light rain and mist along the "most beautiful road" in eastern Wuhan — the red tourism mountain highway in Xinzhou. They trekked over hills and roads, fully embracing the passion of sports. This was the first time the event was held in Wuhan.
This race was the final leg of the 10-stop 2018 China Mountain Marathon Series. The event was jointly organized by the Chinese Mountaineering Association and the Hubei Provincial Sports Federation, hosted by the Wuhan Municipal Sports Bureau, Wuhan Municipal Tourism Commission, and the People's Government of Xinzhou District, and exclusively operated by Beijing Nantianxing Sports Industry Development Co., Ltd. It is reported that the China Mountain Marathon Series is a national-level mountain marathon event approved by the General Administration of Sport of China, launched in 2016, and is the country's authoritative professional mountain marathon competition.
Five Olympic Champions Lead the Run
On the day, Wu Qi, Chairman of the Chinese Olympic Foundation and former Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Olympic Committee, declared the event open. Zhao Lihong, Deputy Secretary of the Xinzhou District Party Committee and District Chief, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony. Wang Yongfeng, Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Mountaineering Association and internationally renowned mountaineer, attended the ceremony and was invited to lead the run. Li Wenmao, Head of the New Projects Department of the Chinese Mountaineering Association, Wang Shenshun, Director of the Wuhan Municipal Sports Bureau, as well as relevant leaders from the Hubei Provincial Sports Bureau, Wuhan Municipal Sports Bureau, and Wuhan Municipal Tourism Commission, Wei Jiuming, Director of the Xinzhou District People's Congress Standing Committee, and leaders from the Xinzhou District Party Committee, District People's Congress, District Government, District Political Consultative Conference, and Beijing Nantianxing Sports Industry Development Co., Ltd. were also present.
Zhao Lihong, Deputy Secretary of the Xinzhou District Party Committee and District Chief, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony. Photo by Qiu Xinming
The day’s races, themed "Run Towards the Mountains, an Extraordinary Journey," featured three events: a 42-kilometer individual mountain marathon, a 21-kilometer individual mountain marathon, and a 10-kilometer mass fitness race. Five Olympic champions were invited to lead the run, including Tao Luna, shooting champion at the 2000 Sydney Olympics; Zheng Lihui, men’s gymnastics team champion at the 2000 Sydney Olympics; He Kexin, women’s uneven bars and team champion at the 2008 Beijing Olympics; He Wenna, trampoline champion at the 2008 Beijing Olympics; and Li Shanshan, women’s gymnastics team champion at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Nearly 3,000 participants came from multiple provinces such as Yunnan, Guizhou, Fujian, Henan, and Guangdong, as well as various cities and prefectures within Hubei Province.
Mountain “Most Beautiful Road” Becomes Race Route – Runners Take in “Most Beautiful” Scenery
The red tourism highway, serving as the main axis of the race route, traverses the mountainous areas of eastern Xinzhou. With its lush greenery and picturesque scenery, it connects multiple attractions in a string of pearls and is hailed as the “most beautiful road” in eastern Wuhan.
Along the route, runners set off from the Wenjin Academy, named after the historical tale of “Confucius Sending Zilu to Ask the Ferry,” and passed by the beautiful Shaotan River, the lion-shaped Shiziyan Rock, the poetic and idyllic Dawushan Mountain, the Chenglouzhai Fort built during the Taiping Rebellion, and the Daojianguhe Scenic Area known for its unique mountains and clear waters. Whether running towards the mountains or following the waterways, the scenery changed at every step, offering delightful views.
Olympic champions He Kexin and Li Shanshan praised the environment along the race route, saying “the air is very good.” Li Shanshan, who hails from Huangshi, Hubei, mentioned that her grandparents are from Xinzhou. She had visited Xinzhou often before and felt that the area has changed greatly, with well-built roads. She was happy to be invited to participate in this event.
The finish line of the 42-kilometer individual race is at the Daojianguhe Scenic Tourism Area, known as an exceptional place for meditation and enjoying scenery. The entire scenic area consists of 72 beautiful peaks and one large artificial lake. The lake is crystal clear with rippling blue waves, and the landscape of lake and mountain is breathtakingly beautiful. The area includes over 20 attractions such as the famous Chutian Temple Baoyuan Chan Temple, Wanfo Pagoda, Bao’anzhai Forest Park, the Unique Stone Ox, and Hongyang Tree.
The Chenglouzhai Tianxiang Tea Garden Auto Campsite is the finish line for the 21-kilometer individual race. Here, the scenery is picturesque with pleasant weather and a long history of tea cultivation. “Chenglouzhai Tea” has won numerous provincial and national awards.
In the day’s events, the 42-kilometer individual race had a cumulative elevation gain of over 1,000 meters. The 21-kilometer individual race had a cumulative elevation gain of 600 meters. The 10-kilometer mass fitness race had a cumulative elevation gain of 240 meters. Hundreds of professional marathon athletes participated in the 42-kilometer and 21-kilometer individual races.
After fierce competition, Wang Tao from Gansu Province won the men’s first place in the 42-kilometer individual race with a time of 2 hours, 35 minutes, and 51 seconds. Zhang Kaiqin from Yunnan Province took the women’s first place in the 42-kilometer individual race with a time of 3 hours, 1 minute, and 46 seconds. Xiao Zuohua from Hubei Province won the men’s first place in the 21-kilometer individual race with a time of 1 hour, 17 minutes, and 19 seconds, and Zhang Na from Liaoning Province claimed the women’s first place in the 21-kilometer individual race with a time of 1 hour, 40 minutes, and 28 seconds.
The men’s first place in the 2018 China Mountain Marathon Annual Finals went to Luo Tao from Guizhou Province, and the women’s first place went to Yang Guangmei from Guizhou Province.
Wang Tao, the first-place male finisher in the 42-kilometer individual race, is currently a senior undergraduate student at Northwest Normal University. He said: “It was raining and very cold today, but running felt great! The competition was intense—I stayed almost neck-and-neck with the second and third place runners the whole way. Only in the last 200 meters before the finish arch did I manage to break away and win. The Xinzhou course is beautiful, with relatively less climbing, which aligns well with my current marathon training focus. Next year, I hope to run in several more mountain marathon legs.”
It is reported that Xinzhou District is located in the northeastern part of Wuhan, on the northern bank of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and serves as the “water and land gateway” of eastern Wuhan. It covers a land area of 1,500.66 square kilometers, with a registered population of 987,000.
In recent years, the development of One Port and Three Towns in Xinzhou—Yangluo International Port, Aerospace New Town, Yangluo New Town, and Wenjin New Town—has been accelerating. Yangluo International Port is the only natural deep-water harbor on the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River. On July 21, 2013, during his inspection of Yangluo Port, General Secretary Xi Jinping explicitly called for turning the entire Yangtze River basin into a “golden waterway.” Since then, domestic and international attention has focused on Xinzhou Yangluo. Today, Yangluo International Port has developed into the container port with the highest throughput on the upper and middle Yangtze, ranking among the world’s leading inland river ports and serving as an outlet to the sea for central and western provinces.
The Wuhan National Space Industry Base, located in Xinzhou Aerospace New Town, is China’s first commercial space industry base. The influx of related industries centered around the aerospace sector has been strong, and a modern industrial new town with initial scale, premium facilities, and excellent living and working conditions is rapidly rising.
Xinzhou is also renowned as the “Hometown of Construction,” “Hometown of Education,” “Hometown of Mushrooms,” “Hometown of Philanthropy,” and “Hometown of Folk Arts.” The district boasts excellent ecology and enjoys the best air quality in Wuhan.