An adrenaline-charged BASE jumping event in southwest China’s Yunnan province has turned a once-isolated village into a global hotspot for extreme sports, with elite athletes from around the world performing daring stunts during the May Day holiday, drawing significant international attention.
The event is taking place at the Nizhuhe Grand Canyon in Yunnan’s Xuanwei City, where 30 elite athletes from nearly 20 countries are showcasing their skills from April 29 to May 5.
This high-flying spectacle, featuring formation skydiving and wingsuit flights, is helping establish the village as a new hub for global extreme sports tourism.
BASE jumping is a high-risk, adrenaline-fueled sport in which participants leap from fixed objects such as buildings, bridges, cliffs and antennas, using parachutes to descend. The acronym "BASE" stands for Buildings, Antennas, Spans (bridges) and Earth (cliffs), and the sport demands precision, timing, and control for safe landings.
"I'm feeling good. I'm excited. Very excited," said Australian BASE jumper Freedom Salomonsson, expressing her exhilaration before leaping from the platform.
From pinpoint jumps and acrobatic dives to wingsuit flights, these seasoned athletes have transformed the once-unknown canyon into a spectacular arena of courage and skill.
"The platform hanging out from the cliff and the glass bridge, they just look spectacular to BASE jumpers. And the instant I saw it, it's like 'I have to go there and jump that,' and the dream became a reality," said Gary Cunningham, Australian BASE jumper.
Despite the sport’s daring nature, participants emphasized safety.
"This object is built solidly, and it's safe; that is important. Also, the bridge is built at a safe altitude. If you have some mishap, you can recuperate, and it's safe, and it is really a good thing to do new stuff," said Croatian BASE jumper Igor Palijas.
Some athletes added a creative twist to the event, like French jumper Freddy Montigny, who glided with a flying carpet.
"It's a mix between having fun and innovation. I'm doing the fundamental research job like a crazy scientist. And hopefully, later, it can improve maybe the wingsuit, maybe make it bigger, maybe adjust it, and everything," Montigny said.
For years, Nizhuhe was a remote village defined by poverty and rugged terrain, with locals relying on foot travel and manual labor. However, China's poverty alleviation initiatives have transformed the region, turning the dramatic cliffs into an asset for tourism.
With the successful BASE jumping event bringing global attention to this once-forgotten location, the influx of tourists has created new economic opportunities for locals.
"When all our rooms are fully booked, we can earn over 3,000 yuan (about 412.58 U.S. dollars) a day. We used to be engaged in farm work, but we've stopped farming now. We're even helping our neighbors grow with us, such as hiring them to clean, which earns them 130 yuan (about 17.88 U.S. dollars) daily," said Zhu Caihua, a local guesthouse owner.
China's expanded visa-free policies have further facilitated travel for international participants, many of whom are eager to return and explore more of the country.
"Please have me back. I’d love to come back to China. We love it here," said Sam Hardy, a British BASE jumper.
As athletes dive into the gorge, they also dive into a broader story of transformation, as Nizhuhe evolves from an isolated, poverty-stricken village into a renowned destination for thrill-seekers and adventurers, driven by China's poverty alleviation program and the growth of tourism initiatives.
BASE Jumping event draws in global athletes to boost tourism in Yunnan village
Foreign diplomats and scholars are looking closely at this year's "two sessions", saying China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) will not only chart the nation's economic and technological priorities but also reshape global value chains.
The fourth session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the nation's top political advisory body, opened on Wednesday, followed by the annual session of the National People's Congress (NPC) on Thursday. Together known as the "two sessions," these meetings offer a comprehensive view into China's development priorities.
Global observers emphasized that the 15th Five-Year Plan, a blueprint guiding the nation's economic, social, and technological priorities over the next five years, marks a decisive shift toward high‑quality growth anchored in advanced technologies, with ripple effects across the world.
"The two sessions will discuss China's five-year plan, which is heavily oriented toward China's major technological development. I believe this is important because it represents the new blueprint for China's economy, which is now oriented toward the renowned high-quality development, and this will undoubtedly impact the entire world. I think it is worth studying. This is very important for Latin America. It will help us integrate more intelligently into global value chains and into all aspects of the major development that China is promoting in iconic industrial sectors, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and space development, where Latin America also has much to contribute beyond just commercial growth," said Gustavo Sabino Vaca Narvaja, former Argentine Ambassador to China.
"The two sessions are a major political milestone in China, and this year's gathering carries even greater significance as this year marks the start of the 15th Five-Year Plan. This plan represents not only a blueprint for China, but also a guide for other countries. Instruments like the five-year plan effectively provide greater certainty and predictability for the rest of the world," said Chilean scholar of international relations Ignacio Araya Heredia.
"This is a particularly important date, especially due to the fact that the next Five-Year Plan shall be positioned and we're going to see what its main elements shall be. Serbia, which has a very high degree of steel friendship with the People's Republic of China, can expect further assistance in identifying the most prominent areas of Serbian economy and being helped by its great partner, such as it has been done in the previous period, from one part with establishing the main infrastructure projects, but also reshaping the industrial sector of Serbia, not just Serbia, but the region as a whole," said Veljko Mijuskovic, assistant professor of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Belgrade.
Beyond the policy framework, experts also pointed to China's achievements in green energy and technological innovation as models worth emulating.
Tomasz Bielinski, adjunct professor at the University of Gdansk's Faculty of Economics, said the robotics displays at the 2026 China Media Group (CMG) Spring Festival Gala reflected China's broader push in technological innovation.
"I was really impressed about the robotics. I'm very impressed with Chinese development in the technological field, we can still make great deals with Chinese businessmen and we can cooperate together to use this technology for both the good of China and the European Union. I'm aware of the innovation especially in autonomous drive on the on the Chinese side," he said.
"We hope for more of China's economic cooperation, especially in trade and also in investment. Also, and the other focus, if I talk about the focus of the development, don't forget about the green energy. We know that China is great in the electric vehicle field. So because China's electric vehicles in Indonesia nowadays, since couple of years ago, are very, very popular," said Al Busyra Basnur, president of the Indonesia-China Friendship Association.
Observers see China's new five-year plan driving high-quality development, global tech shifts
