Runners race to rural revitalization
Professional and amateur runners, along with local families, run and jog along 18-kilometer and 5-kilometer routes through paddy fields and forest.
An international field of more than 5,000 runners raced through the countryside of Baoshan District on Saturday.
Professional and amateur runners, as well as local families, ran and jogged along 15-kilometer and 6-kilometer trails through open countryside, paddy fields and forest.
Fun and family runners were invited to harvest grain while enjoying the fresh air in the city's three showpiece rural revitalization areas near the mouth of Yangtze River.
Tangwan Village, one of the first demonstration villages in Shanghai, took runners through its well-preserved farmland and forests. Over 40 percent of village is covered in forest, interspersed with waterways and flower gardens.
About 400 villagers live in the idyllic countryside of Tangwan watertown, typical of Jiangnan (south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River). Along the route, runners were invited to stop and fish for hairy crab.
Luojing wants visitors to enjoy its agricultural scenery and see how much produce originates in the town, said Yang Xin, director of the township government.
These races through Luojing are now in their third year and have become more popular as word spreads of the beautiful countryside along the way.
For families, the race is a great way to combine fitness and fun.
Professional and amateur runners choose 18-kilometer or 5-kilometer trails through the forest.
Runners pause to watch a lion dance.
