Cruise liner port restores vitality with sailboat regatta
Sailboats race near the Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal in north Baoshan District on Saturday.
Sailboats and canoes operated by the world's top players raced at the Mouth of Yangtze River on Saturday, bringing crowds back to the city's cruise liner port which has been suspended for more than a year due to the pandemic.
The Shanghai Cruise Port International Regatta was launched at the Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal in north Baoshan District on Saturday morning.
Twenty-eight sail boating and canoe teams both from home and abroad are competing and showing off sailing skills near the East China Sea during the two-day regatta.
Russian and Australian sailing athletes who live on the Chinese mainland are invited to take part in the game. The event is part of Baoshan's efforts to develop yacht and rowboat sports along the Yangtze River waterfront in addition to the cruise liner tourism. The lucrative cruise industry has been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Baoshan aims to drive Shanghai's ambition to become a world's famous sports city as well as to further develop its riverside resources," Su Ping, deputy director of Baoshan, told the opening ceremony.
Cruise ships around the world were the sites of the earliest clusters of infection, forcing cruise operators to shut down operations and countries to close their ports of welcome.
The regatta attracts a large number of citizens to the once busy cruise liner port.
At the Shanghai port, once the busiest in Asia and the world's No. 4, all cruise liner operations have been suspended since January 30, 2020, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.
The terminal received the last eight luxury cruise liners between January 22 and 29, 2020, carrying 30,595 inbound and outbound passengers, along with more than 10,000 crew.
The regatta is expected to promote sailboat sports to local citizens, while showcasing Baoshan and Shanghai's achievements in urban development and ecological protection to the world, according to the district government.
The organizer of the event said Shanghai has a long history of rowing and sailboating. The Shanghai Rowing Club was established in 1859 by British settlers who came to the city after Shanghai opened its port to the world in 1843. Rowing and sailboat racing were once popular sports along the downtown section of the Suzhou Creek.
The district launched the Baoshan Water Sports Center on Saturday at the cruise liner port to promote water sports among citizens and tourists.
Since its opening in October 2011, the Wusongkou terminal has welcomed 2,200 cruise ships carrying over 14 million passengers. Several liners from the world's top cruise liner companies – Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC and Genting – have made their maiden voyages in Asia from the Wusongkou terminal. The terminal is now able to receive four luxury liners at the same time after a major expansion in 2019.
Sailboats in close formation near the Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal.
A children's fashion show.
Other water sports are promoted.
