Why was the National Event Held in Guanxian County?

GUANXIAN, China, Sept. 11, 2024 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/–

In early September, the 2024 China Liaocheng (Water City in North of the Yangtze River – Pearl of Two Rivers ) Sports Tourism and Cultural Festival kicked off with the “Embrace Clear Waters, Fish Across the Land” National Natural Water Fishing Competition and the Guanxian County Fishing Invitation Tournament. Over 300 teams and more than 600 fishing enthusiasts from across the country gathered by the Majia River in Guanxian County. They built friendships through fishing and enjoyed the beautiful waters.

Image: Opening Ceremony Scene

Why was the National Natural Water Fishing Competition and Fishing Invitation Tournament held in Guanxian County? Guanxian County features nine major water systems, with interconnected rivers and channels that create a comprehensive water network covering an area of 13.5 square kilometers. This makes it an ideal destination for fishing, leisure, and tourism. Fishing has developed into a burgeoning sunrise industry in the area, employing over 10,000 professionals and attracting more than 5,000 fishing enthusiasts. This competition takes place at the Majia River Ecological Tourism Scenic Area in Guanxian County, a national 3A-rated tourist site covering nearly 3,000 mu with over 30 species of wild fish, more than 90% forest coverage, 224 species of resident birds, and an average of 16,000 negative oxygen ions per cubic meter, making it a “natural oxygen bar” and a prime location for fishing and tourism.

Image: Event Scene

In recent years, Guanxian County has leveraged “events” as a platform to comprehensively promote fishing culture, showcase premium agricultural products, and develop tourism routes. This aims to turn the fishing industry into a new consumption hotspot, facilitate the deep integration of “sports + culture + tourism + agriculture” in the county, continually enhance the reputation of Guanxian County as “Red Guanxian County, Hometown of Chinese Pears, Birthplace of Wu Xun, and Land of Lingzhi.” The county has successfully hosted events such as the Second Shandong Plum Blossom Fist Exchange Conference, the Shandong Cha Quan Open Competition, and the Shandong Jump Rope Competition, along with various sporting and tourism activities like the Pear Blossom Festival, Cherry Festival, Camping Festival, and Rural Cultural Tourism Festival. This has led to numerous provincial and national honors, including recognition as one of the first model counties for resource conservation and intensive use, and a national model for forest health and wellness development, as well as recognition as one of Shandong’s first strong tourism counties and the most competitive tourism county in the province. Last year, Guanxian County achieved tourism revenue of 1.408 billion yuan, attracting 2.5827 million visitors.