Jordan hosts first official drag race to promote motorsport, tourism

The first official drag race event in Jordan's history was held at the Dead Sea track on Friday, stirring excitement among local drivers and motorsport fans.

Organized by Jordan Motorsport Federation, the races aim to contribute to the development of motorsport in the Kingdom, and will open new horizons for supporting tourism and related economic sectors.

In straight-line drag racing, drivers race on a closed straight track measuring approximately 400 meters long, with victory awarded to the competitor who reaches the finish line in the shortest time.

Friday's event included several competitive categories for standard and modified vehicles. A precise electronic timing system was used to record each car's time independently.

Fans at the races were hopeful that the event's success will lead to more official races of this kind in the future.

"Youth in Jordan are passionate about motorsport. Jordan has consistently excelled in drifting and hopes to achieve even greater development and breakthroughs in drag racing in the future," said Ihsan Al-Samhouri, a spectator.

According to the event organizer, plans are underway to gradually expand the scale of the drag racing competition, with hopes to stimulate the growth of related industries.

"This event will promote tourism, benefiting sectors such as hotel accommodations, car rentals, catering, and other service industries. Next year, we aim to further expand the competition, and we expect both participant and spectator numbers to significantly increase," said Omar Zaarour, director of the drag race.

Jordan hosts first official drag race to promote motorsport, tourism

About 400 cultural relics from two Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) shipwrecks are on display at the Grand Canal Museum in Beijing for the first time.

Loaned from South China Sea Museum in south China's Hainan Province, the 370 pieces are from shipwrecks on the northwest slope of the South China Sea. The first ship's artifacts are mainly ceramics, while the second's include logs, snail shells and antlers.

Xin Lixue, director of the China (Hainan) Museum of the South China Sea, said this is the first time these cultural relics have been displayed outside the South China Sea Museum.

"I'm also very excited that these cultural relics can be displayed in the capital, Beijing. I think this is to present to everyone the best things we have salvaged so far, so they can fully understand the splendid culture of our ancient Maritime Silk Road. Today's people can also expand international exchanges and jointly promote the development of all our ethnic groups," said Xin.

Dating back approximately 500 years, these merchant ships sank to a depth of about 1,500 meters during a voyage along the Maritime Silk Road. This marks the first discovery of merchant vessels from the early sixteenth century that had set sail and were returning.

In addition to the abundant relics, the exhibition uses dynamic lighting and sound to recreate a virtual underwater world, showcasing the deep-sea environment and the advanced technology behind deep-sea archaeology.

The exhibition will run through March 15 next year.

Deep-sea archaeological exhibition in Beijing displays relics recovered from shipwreck