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    2016 China Sports Culture & Sports Tourism Expo Held in Xinjiang

    Written by: Renjiang Yang Yingchun
    Posted on: December 01, 2016 | | 中文

    China Sports Culture & Sports Tourism Expo Held in Xinjiang (source - Yutang Sports)

    China's Sports Culture Expo and Sports Tourism Expo (hereinafter "Two Expos") opened in Xinjiang and lasted from September 2 to 5, 2016.

    This was the first time that the Two Expos were held in Northwest China, and the traditional sports games of minority ethnic groups of China were fully displayed on a grand scale. The experts and exhibitors highly regarded the resources of ice and snow in Xinjiang. What was interesting was that many people who had never been to the region before were deeply impressed by the ice and snow resources and the games that were showcased in the 13th National Winter Games.

    2016 China Sports Culture & Sports Tourism Expo Held in Xinjiang

    Source - Global Resource International

    The 13th National Winter Games have been regarded by the experts of sports and tourism as an important starting point for Xinjiang's ice and snow sports and tourism, and they believe that the two will soon win national and international fame. In fact, it also shows a good example of integration between sports and tourism.

    Started in 1997, the ice and snow tourism in Xinjiang has gradually taken shape over a period of two decades. It was in a leading place in China at the time of the 13th Winter Games when it had more than 60 ski resorts, 28 of which were rated above S class. With the improvement in quantity and quality of the ski resorts, an increasing number of skiers have formed a solid mass base where high-level ones would emerge from the top. The original ski resorts, already excellent in quality, were expanded and improved with new equipment for the Winter Games. Nanshan Mountain Ice-Snow Sports Zone was awarded as one of China's Top Ten Tourism Resorts in 2016, and Tianshan Mountain International Ski Resort and National Ice and Snow Park in Altai were also selected in the group of National Scenic Spots Fields. It can be expected that more and more skiers and tourists will be attracted to Xinjiang.

    2016 China Sports Culture & Sports Tourism Expo Held in Xinjiang

    Sina Sports sets up an occupational training camp for athletes

    Two Expos, a platform for an all-round integration of sports, culture and tourism, can achieve great success even beyond these three fields.

    In July, 2,500 alpinists and amateur mountaineers from all over the country came to Heavenly Lake, a scenic spot located in the northern part of Tianshan Mountains, to attend a sports event named ‘Famous Mountain Climbing Fitness’, the biggest Mountain Climbing Tournament in China. Heavenly Lake was one of the designated places of the Tournament for three years. The beautiful landscape and the tournament here attracted an unexpected number of tourists. Fukang City and Heavenly Lake also attracted a lot of people for holding, for the first time, the race of Chinese Cycling League. 

    2016 China Sports Culture & Sports Tourism Expo Held in Xinjiang

    Besides the scenic spot of Heavenly Lake, there are many other places in Xinjiang that have already held various sports events, like the International Sailing Open in Boston Lake, Lure Boat Fishing Open in Ulungur Lake of the Fuhai Country for five consecutive years and the 2016 TSG Ultra-Marathon around Sayram Lake, which have been regarded as good examples of the successful fusion of sports and tourism.

    This fusion of various industries has not only brought fame and money to the area, but also new opportunities for local herdsmen to make a fortune. The local people in Lanzhouwanzi, a village in Dabancheng District of Urumqi, have run the business of agri-tainment to attract the tourists in the nearby scenic spot of Hegu Secondary Forest Avenue. Their rooms and yurts are always full of tourists on weekends.

    Zhaosu Town of Northwest Xinjiang has already benefited from the fusion. It has been the most famous experience base for Horse Culture and the best regulated base for Horse Races in the region. Last year, its direct revenue from tourism reached 112 million Yuan and tourism offered 1,320 new jobs with the income of 22 million Yuan. As a National 4A-Level Scenic Area, Zhaosu's Cultural Park has become a scenic spot that tourists do not want to miss. In China, the horses here have the most species of foreign origin. More than 50 horse exhibitions, shows and races are held from August to October every year. Horsemanship Camp, horse fostering and pony adoption are also favored by tourists. 

    The fusion pattern has been gradually learnt by other places of Xinjiang to develop their industries of sports, culture and tourism. In the coming five years, there will be various ways of fusion between tourism and other fields such as industry, business, forestry and sports. The Xinjiang government, together with its traffic, construction and technology departments, will make joint efforts to push forward the fusion to a new stage.


    As the new year begins, let us also start anew. I’m delighted to extend, on behalf of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and in my own name, new year’s greeting and sincere wishes to YOULIN magazine’s staff and readers.

    Only in hard times can courage and perseverance be manifested. Only with courage can we live to the fullest. 2020 was an extraordinary year. Confronted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Pakistan supported each other and took on the challenge in solidarity. The ironclad China-Pakistan friendship grew stronger as time went by. The China Pakistan Economic Corridor projects advanced steadily in difficult times, become a standard-bearer project of the Belt and Road Initiative in balancing pandemic prevention and project achievement. The handling capacity of the Gwadar Port has continued to rise and Afghanistan transit trade through the port has officially been launched. The Karakoram Highway Phase II upgrade project is fully open to traffic. The Lahore Orange Line project has been put into operation. The construction of Matiari-Lahore HVDC project was fully completed. A batch of green and clean energy projects, such as the Kohala and Azad Pattan hydropower plants have been substantially promoted. Development agreement for the Rashakai SEZ has been signed. The China-Pakistan Community of Shared Future has become closer and closer.

    Reviewing the past and looking to the future, we are confident to write a brilliant new chapter. The year 2021 is the 100th birthday of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. The 100-year journey of CPC surges forward with great momentum and China-Pakistan relationship has flourished in the past 70 years. Standing at a new historic point, China is willing to work together with Pakistan to further implement the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, connect the CPEC cooperation with the vision of the “Naya Pakistan”, promote the long-term development of the China-Pakistan All-weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership with love, dedication and commitment. Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan said, “We are going through fire. The sunshine has yet to come.” Yes, Pakistan’s best days are ahead, China will stand with Pakistan firmly all the way.

    YOULIN magazine is dedicated to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Pakistan and is a window for Pakistani friends to learn about China, especially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is hoped that with the joint efforts of China and Pakistan, YOULIN can listen more to the voices of readers in China and Pakistan, better play its role as a bridge to promote more effectively people-to-people bond.

    Last but not least, I would like to wish all the staff and readers of YOULIN a warm and prosper year in 2021.

    Nong Rong Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of
    The People’s Republic of China to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
    January 2021