China's 2026 Equestrian Endurance Riding Competition opened in Fengning Manchu Autonomous County, north China's Hebei Province on Saturday, bringing together professional riders and equestrian enthusiasts from across the country while boosting summer tourism on the grasslands.
More than 200 riders from dozens of equestrian clubs nationwide competed in the 40-km and 80-km endurance races at the Tianma Flight Town (meaning "heavenly horse flying") on the Bashang Grassland, where vast grasslands and summer temperatures averaging around 20 degrees Celsius have made it a popular destination for horse riding and summer getaways.
The competition has also drawn visitors eager to experience equestrian culture and enjoy the cool weather on the grasslands.
In recent years, Fengning authorities have leveraged equestrian events together with grassland cuisine, low-altitude aviation and other tourism offerings to promote integrated development of sports and tourism. The Bashang Grassland receives more than two million visitor arrivals each year.
"We are promoting the integration of sports with tourism, services and consumption. Through such competitions and events, we aim to further integrate sports with the cultural and tourism industries," said Li Qiang, an event organizer.
The event is scheduled to close on Sunday.
Equestrian endurance riding competition opens in north China county
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Adrijana Mesarovic on Monday, who is in China to attend the 26th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) in Xiamen City, east China's Fujian Province.
Noting that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Serbia comprehensive strategic partnership, Han said that bilateral relations have achieved leapfrog development over recent years under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state. In May this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping met again with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, charting the course for building a China-Serbia community with a shared future in the new era.
China is prepared to join hands with Serbia in implementing the important consensus of the two leaders, cementing political mutual trust, leveraging the preferential arrangements under the bilateral free trade agreement, and deepening cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure and emerging industries, Han said.
China also encourages its enterprises to invest in Serbia and further advance China-Serbia friendly and cooperative relations, he noted.
Mesarovic said Serbia highly values high-level mutual trust between the two countries and reaffirms its adherence to the one-China policy. She expressed gratitude for China's strong support for Serbia's national development and said Serbia is ready to strengthen development synergy with China and continuously deepen cooperation in various fields to benefit the two peoples.
Chinese vice president meets Serbian Deputy Prime Minister
