First walking festival to be held in November in Bama

The "Huayu Cup" Guangxi Bama International Healthy Walking Cultural Festival 2018, the first of its kind, will be held in Bama from Nov 23 to 28, according to a press conference convened on April 18.

"You are welcome to come to Bama this autumn to be immersed in an environment with beautiful scenery, unique health and longevity culture and the Yao and Zhuang ethnic groups' colorful customs by going on a walking tour," said Wang Jun, secretary of Bama county's committee, extending an invitation to all trekking enthusiasts at the conference.

With a theme of "Healthy walking a lifetime; Meet in Bama", the event was jointly held by Bama Yao autonomous county, the Beijing Walking Association (BWA), and Huayu Consortium in Shenzhen. From now on it will be an annual event.

According to Shi Shaojie, president of the BWA, Bama is a perfect spot for walking. From November last year, the organizing committee of the event invited experts and walking enthusiasts to make an on-the-spot inspection of the trekking routes, and they chose four.

Shi Shaojie makes a speech at the press conference. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

One of the four selected trekking routes in Bama county. [Photo by Zheng Haoyue/news.cnr.cn]

The routes have great appeal for domestic and foreign trekkers. It's estimated that more than 3,000 people from countries and regions like the United States, Germany, Britain, Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong will participate in the event.

There will be several highlights: hundreds of senior Bama residents, aged above 100 will take part in the activity, famous world walking champions will join in, and electronic passports for walkers will be used for the first time.

Several of the people aged above 100 in Bama county [Photo by Zheng Haoyue/news.cnr.cn]

Wang said that the event is aimed at demonstrating Bama's unique advantage in natural environment and rich resources and improving its influence and international standing.

Activities will also include the first forum on China's healthy walking culture and a forum on the development of the women's health industry in China.