Rowing regatta debuts in Guangxi

The 2021 Rowing Master Regatta opened on Saturday in the county of Pingle in Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, attracting entrants including professional athletes and amateurs from across the country.

The two-day event is the first national rowing masters competition hosted in Guangxi, with more than 500 participants from over 30 companies such as Vanke and BMW, and universities and colleges including Peking University, Tongji University and Sun Yat-sen University.

Competitors were divided into six groups ranging from masters, experts and college students to parents and children, couples and teenagers. A total of 38 teams and individual competitors took home first-place finishes, according to the organizer.

The competition was held along the Lijiang River. This Pingle section of the river is wide with a weak current, making it ideal for water sports, according to local officials.

During the event, the county held parallel activities including other water sports, a running race, a seminar on the development of ecological sports, and a signing ceremony for promoting the transformation and upgrading of the sports industry.

The county is striving to explore a new way to develop ecological tourism and make Pingle a demonstration county combining sports and culture, and thus contribute to Guilin's construction as a world-famous city for tourism, said Zhou Zhengying, Party secretary of Pingle.

The event will help the development of the cultural and tourism industry and attract more visitors and investors to Pingle, Zhou said.

The rowing regatta was the second national-level sports event in Pingle in October after a fencing competition was held earlier in the month.

In recent years, Pingle has developed its tourism by integrating the sector with sports. It has held a series of national-level competitions such as sailing and fencing, as part of its efforts to promote the sports industry.

Official data showed that visits to and revenue in Pingle from January to October increased by 57.13 percent and 48.59 percent year-on-year, respectively. The two figures jumped by 482.75 percent and 445.67 percent compared with those of 2016.

Pingle, known as Zhaozhou in ancient times, has a history of about 1,800 years and was once the capital of some vassal states. The county is home to attractions such as Sanjiangkou scenic area, the Lijiang River, Jinziling Mountain Ridge, the Qinglong Yanyue Mountain, an ancient banyan tree in the village of Rongjin, a sea of flowers along the Lijiang River and a folk culture tourist resort.

Utilizing its historical and natural treasures, the county has constructed an ecological tourist resort to provide visitors with a relaxing and enjoyable experience.

In October, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region's government pledged to accelerate the construction of a world-renowned tourism destination and build Guilin into an international city for tourism.

The Pingle county government hopes to develop more high-level cultural brands featuring sports, culture, health and ecology, local officials said.

Yu Hedeng, Shi Limei and Li Ziyu in Guilin contributed to this story.