Pingle holds 1st fencing competition

By YUAN SHENGGAO | China Daily | Updated: 2021-10-08 00:00

Share - WeChat

The 2021 Fencing Open Competition held in Pingle, Guilin city of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, on Oct 2 and Oct 3, has brought national attention to the county known for its picturesque karst landscape, friendly people and long history.

This is the first national fencing competition Guangxi has hosted and it attracted nearly 1,000 fencers. More than 70 national－and international-level referees from across the country also participated in the event.

Competitors were divided into seven age groups: U6, U8, U10, U12, U14, U16 and U17+. The competition events of individual and team competitions of foil, epee and sabre in the men's and women's groups were held at the Hema Stadium and Pingle Middle School Gymnasium. A total of 84 individuals and teams in the aforementioned age groups won winners' medals during the two-day event.

Guilin is striving to build itself into an international tourism city, and the county made elaborate preparations for the event. The fencing competition represents the latest example of how Pingle has promoted the development of its sports industry to attract investment and tourists while also tapping into its cultural tourism potential.

Pingle is working to establish a high-end sports brand that integrates sports, culture, health and tourism.

"Pingle will carve out a new model that integrates sports and education, turning the county into a demonstration area for the integrated development of sport and education," said Zhou Zhengying, secretary of the Pingle Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Pingle, known as Zhaozhou in ancient times, has a history of about 1,800 years and was once capital of some vassal states.

Its famous scenic spots include the Sanjiangkou scenic area, the Lijiang River, Jinziling Mountain Ridge, the Qinglong Yanyue Mountain, an ancient banyan tree in Rongjin village, the flower sea along the Lijiang River and a folk cultural tourist resort.

The 1,000-year-old Zhaozhou culture has created Pingle's unique cultural resources, including its Mazu culture, Zhoufu culture, boatman culture, Yao ethnic culture and gourmet culture.

The central authorities are helping Guilin to build itself into an international tourist resort destination. They've rolled out supportive policies to that end, which are also applicable to Pingle. The county is a key participant in building a "sightseeing corridor" that connects Guangxi and neighboring Guangdong province, which is also called the Guangdong-Guangxi Gallery.

According to Pingle authorities, the county will do all it can to develop water sports-related tourism projects, and make flowers, water and culture its three "calling cards "to attract tourists and investment.

The county focuses on developing a beautification project of the banks of the 15-kilometer Lijiang River section in Pingle. It's also focusing on fencing, rowing, sailing and other high-end sports events and other cultural projects to boost the integrated development of sports, culture and tourism.

Local officials said they hope to stimulate tourist consumption in Pingle and build up its reputation as the most beautiful host of high-end sports events in the country. Holding the 2021 Fencing Open Competition and other similar events will help to accomplish that goal.

Pingle is also building a sports industrial park and studios for sports celebrities to attract relevant resources and promote the development of sports rehabilitation, sports media, sports schools and sports internet and integrated for sports, tourism and culture.

Yu Hedeng, Wang Xuezheng and Li Ziyu in Guilin contributed to this story.