Overseas athletes compete, explore local culture at 2026 Chengdu Rowing Regatta

China

Overseas athletes compete, explore local culture at 2026 Chengdu Rowing Regatta

2026-10-04 20:36 Last Updated At：21:08

The 2026 Chengdu Open Rowing Regatta brought Chinese and overseas athletes to southwest China's Sichuan Province from Thursday to Friday, with athletes testing their skills on the water while enjoying the city's culture and pandas during the National Day holiday.

The two-day event featured 37 teams, with 12 university crews, competing across University and Open divisions. Rowers took on an 800-meter straight-course sprint and, for the first time, a 3.3-kilometer pursuit race, four times the length of traditional regattas.

Chengdu Sport University dominated the University Division, claiming both event titles.

"The race course is beautiful. Everyone has been incredibly kind and welcoming. And we are very excited to race today. After the competition, we are looking forward to experiencing Chengdu City and having more food and talking to more people. We are really enjoying our stay in China," said James Wright, an athlete from Stanford University.

After the competition, international athletes explored local landmarks, including the renowned Giant Panda Breeding Research Base.

"I love the food, especially the Sichuan hot pot has been my favorite thing so far. I have also been so surprised and taken aback by how welcoming and how good host people are here," said Rohan Crowe, team manager of the Oxford University team.

Millennium-old grottoes in China's Hebei see tourism boom during National Day holiday

A series of events, including themed exhibitions and night tours, have been rolled out at the thousand-year-old grottoes in Handan City, north China's Hebei Province, during the week-long National Day holiday that began on Thursday, creating an all-day cultural and tourism experience for visitors.

With a rich cultural heritage dating back nearly 1,500 years to the Northern Qi Dynasty (550–577), the Xiangtangshan Grottoes have drawn on their distinctive cultural identity to bring the stories of the grottoes to life through visual and immersive presentations.

The events include night tours, exhibitions of lost cultural relics and on Cizhou Kiln, the largest folk kiln system in ancient northern China, and quiz challenges, enabling visitors to experience the charm of a thousand-year-old kiln while touring the millennium-old grottoes.

In addition, the live-action performances are paired with themed art exhibitions, offering an all-day experience where visitors can study the grottoes by day and enjoy live performances by night.