A rural happy run event was held in Shiquan Village Square of Maqiao Town, Rucheng County on August 24.

The event had a 5-km run and a 10-km run. The former organically connected Shiquan Village, Waisha Village, Gaocun Village and other ancient villages and official roads.

The 10km race track also extended through attractions including Lianxi Academy, two-way traceable green trails and Shanghuangmen Ancient Street.

The event was divided into team groups and competitive groups.

In addition to 800 passionate participants openly recruited, it also attracted more than 1,000 local cadres and people for its diverse expansion projects.

Maqiao Town is 14 kilometers away from the county town, and Leishui River runs through the entire area. It is one of the main channels for the Red Army’s Long March to pass through Rucheng County, and also the hometown of the founding general Zhu Liangcai.

It has produced exemplary figures such as Zhu Ying, who tutored the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, and Zhu Jingguan, the top scholar of the Song Dynasty. It has left precious footprints of famous Neo Confucianism scholars such as Chen Xianzhang and Zhan Ruoshui.

It is home to traditional villages such as Shiquan Village, Waisha Village, and Gaocun Village, with rich Red, historical and cultural resources. It has become an important part of the dual traceability of Rucheng's “millennium ancient county” and “millennium Neo Confucianism”.

As the main battlefield for the Red Army’s Long March to break through the second blockade line and a historic and cultural city in Hunan Province, in recent years, Rucheng County has focused on cultural tourism, and made joint efforts to build various projects such as the comprehensive development project for rural revitalization along the Leishui River, the demonstration project for the concentrated protection and utilization of traditional villages, gathering dense and rich cultural relics and cultural tourism resources.

To further promote its development as a “Millennium Ancient County with Millennium Neo Confucianism, the county government has turned scenic spots into competitive tracks.

Seizing the opportunity of last year's Hunan Province (Winter) Rural Cultural Tourism Festival in Rucheng, more than 3,000 people and tourists were organized to participate in the rural happy run, which involved in Quanshui Town, Luyang Town, Maqiao Town and related departments along the way, with colorful activities like running, creation materials collecting and sightseeing carried out intensively.

Chinese source: rednet