South China's Huizhou City opened a 218-kilometer loop highway encircling its iconic Nankunshan and Luofushan mountains and surrounding tourist spots on June 29th with a large-scale cycling event, signaling a major push to establish itself as "South China's Outdoor Sports Capital" and revitalize its rural economy through sports-led development.
Over 3,000 cyclists, including 138 participants from Hong Kong and Macao SARs, Taiwan province, and foreign countries, embarked on the inaugural ride along the newly completed loop. The route forms a distinctive figure-eight, connecting the two iconic Lingnan mountain ranges, nine towns, over 50 administrative villages, and more than 200 scenic spots, serving nearly one million residents along its path.
A Turkish biking enthusiast said attending sports activities in the GBA helps him integrate into local life.
Sports Driving Rural Revitalization
The highway is central to Huizhou's strategy of leveraging sports tourism to boost local economies. By hosting events like cycling, hiking, marathons, and rock climbing, the city aims to attract visitors, spurring growth in accommodation, dining, agritourism, and related services in surrounding villages.
Nearby villages along the route.
"Before, these were mostly muddy dirt roads, causing inconvenience and environmental issues," said a Huizhou official. The ambitious renovation in Boluo County involved demolishing outdated structures to build sports facilities, hotels, and homestays. Outdoor resorts were developed in collaboration with villagers, and sports enterprises were actively recruited.
Bikers rode through mountain.
The relocation of Mofang, a leading outdoor sports organization in China, from Shenzhen to Boluo exemplifies this success. Its March cross-country race attracted 1,200 participants, filling 95% of nearby hotel rooms.
Huizhou's iconic Nankunshan-Luofushan mountains form a vital ecological corridor that offers hiking, retreat, etc.
Villagers Reap Benefits
Residents report transformative economic gains. Li Lihong, who opened a farmhouse restaurant in 2011, said: "Sports tourism brought events and improved our infrastructure, galvanizing rural revitalization with flooding in tourists. I expanded from one restaurant to over a dozen homestay rooms. Now, our annual income exceeds 1 million RMB."
Villager Li Lihong
Xu Guoping, a former office worker who returned to open a restaurant, noted: "The village's appearance and economy changed dramatically. My monthly profit is over 100,000 RMB. I've just added a homestay, fully booked on weekends."
Villager Xu Guoping
Strategic Regional Development
The highway is a flagship project of the "Nankunshan-Luofushan Leading Zone," initiative launched in September 2024. Backed by Guangdong Province, the zone capitalizes on Huizhou's ecological strengths—including 58.2% forest coverage—to build clusters in wellness, sports, and tourism, optimizing land use and driving regional growth.
Huizhou's location within the Greater Bay Area provides strategic access: major cities like Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Dongguan, and Zhaoqing are within a two-hour commute, facilitating visitor influx. Today's event drew significant participation from these neighboring hubs.
The first rider to cross the finish line received a bouquet made of locally produced lychee.
The scenic route offers travelers vistas of expansive lakes, lush forests, and terraced rice paddies, blending natural beauty with sports infrastructure to fuel Huizhou's ambitious economic and recreational vision.
Reporter | Huang Xinyi
Photo | Huang Xinyi, Ou Nanying, Publicity Department of Huizhou Municipal Committee
Editor | Hu Nan, James, Shen He
