As the 15th National Games of China gathers momentum, many cities in south China's Guangdong Province are taking this opportunity to promote popular local sports.
Zhuhai City, renowned for its extensive coastline, hosted the road cycling race, an historic first for the National Games, with the course spanning Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region.
"Currently, the city has built 1,290 kilometers of greenways and 133 kilometers of fitness trails, allowing cyclists to seamlessly switch between vibrant urban landscapes and stunning natural scenery. Here, riders encounter diverse challenges where mountains meet the sea, as well as the poetic beauty of coastal island trails, turning every cycling journey into an immersive experience with mountains and ocean," said Huang Zhenqiu, deputy director of the executive committee of Zhuhai competition area of the 15thNational Games.
In Guangdong, many cities possess their own distinctive sporting identities. By showcasing these signature sports, the cities not only highlight their unique appeal but also inject fresh vitality into urban life.
"Yangjiang is known as the 'Hometown of Kites' in China, with a high level of public participation in kite-flying. On Chongyang Festival (the Double Ninth Festival that falls on the ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese lunar calendar), families of all sizes would come out to fly kites they have made themselves, entrusting their best wishes to those soaring high in the sky," said Liang Zhi'ang, an inheritor of provincial-level intangible cultural heritage, Yangjiang kite flying.
"Jiangmen's distinctive sporting character is volleyball. The sport enjoys a strong grassroots foundation here, with more than 3,300 amateur teams," said Liu Chaoqiu, deputy director of the Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism, and Sports Bureau of Jiangmen City.
Boasting a diverse landscape, Maoming City is capitalizing on its mountains, coastline and wetlands to host the orienteering events.
"With over 1,300 square kilometers of mountainous terrain, a 180-kilometers of coastline, and abundant wetland and hilly resources, our city is ideally suited for orienteering," said Wang Xiaohui, deputy director of the executive committee of Maoming competition area of the National Games.
Southern Chinese cities leverage National Games to promote popular local sports
