The 2024 National Swimming Open was launched in the Tuojiang River, Fenghuang Ancient Town, Xiangxi Prefecture on May 26, attracting 1,917 participants from home and abroad.
A participant from Shandong Province’s Weifang City said that it’s a novel experience for him to compete in the picturesque ancient town, and he would participate if there are still competitions next year.
A Türkiye player from a swimming club in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province said: “It’s a great experience. I am very excited to feel the charm of natural scenery in sports competitions.”
“We pay special attention to the integration of this competition with local culture. We hope that through this competition, more people will learn about the cultural heritage and unique charm of Fenghuang Ancient Town, and more people’s love for sports will be inspired,” said Zhu Yongjun, executive representative of Changsha Wenjun Sports Cultural Development Company.
Before the competition, Fenghuang County held a thousand-people long-table banquet to warmly entertain domestic and foreign swimmers with colorful folk performances such as Miao songs, Miao drums and a Miao silver costume show. Distinctive Miao food like duck with duck blood cakes, stir-fried pork with peppers and plain-fried wild bamboo shoots greatly satiated their appetite.
Fenghuang County has been awarded a national exemplary organization for national fitness activities and an advanced organization for mass sports in Hunan Province.
In recent years, relying on its rich cultural tourism resources, the county has actively inherited excellent traditional culture of the nation, and organized ethnic traditional activities, presenting a unique and authentic folk cultural feast to tourists.
