Recently, taking advantage of the 15th National Games mass sports events held in Maoming, GDToday invited vloggers from the United States, Russia, China's Hong Kong SAR, and other countries and regions to deeply experience Maoming's natural beauty, cultural charm, and the sweetness of lychees, collectively witnessing the new developments in this lychee town.
Photo provided to GDToday
Embrace Maoming: An invitation to more international visitors
The participating bloggers also shared highlights and insights from the event through their respective social media platforms. Alysa Kees, an American girl growing up in Guangdong, interacted with Maoming's local internet celebrity Chen Lirong during the event, showcasing the perfect combination of the mascot of the 15th National Games, the white dolphin, and Maoming's lychees.
In her video, recalling her childhood experiences of picking lychees with her parents, she expressed that being in Maoming's lychee plantations felt like returning to her childhood, and such immersive experiences helped her better understand rural China. Her video attracted likes and comments from overseas netizens: "I love lychees so much! I'm so jealous of you."
Vlada Potapova from Russia introduced the long history of lychee cultivation in her video. "Nature, art, life, technology—every dimension tells the story of lychees," she said. While witnessing the opening of the first mass sports event final of the 15th National Games, she exclaimed, "This is not just a sports event but a feast of life, culture, and dreams!"
Angeli Sofia Morillo Villasmil from Venezuela not only shared the taste of fresh lychees in her video but also introduced lychee-derived products such as beverages and ice cream. She said, "Maoming's lychees are sweet, but the people here are even sweeter. My trip to Maoming made me feel the harmony between humans and nature."
Samuel Berhanu Wondafrash from Ethiopia mentioned that China ranks first in the world in terms of lychee cultivation area and fresh fruit production. While visiting Baiqiao Service Area, the first expressway service area themed around lychee culture, he exclaimed, "China truly deserves the title of 'infrastructure maniac'!"
15th National Games hold significant importance for Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao
Leung Ho Man from China's Hong Kong said that his father was born in Maoming, making it his hometown. "I am very excited and happy to see such a national-level event held in my hometown," he said. At the same time, he believes that the joint hosting of the 15th National Games by Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao is of great significance.
Zeng Yuxian shared her curiosity and fresh perspective in exploring the "Hometown of Lychees" as a Hong Kong girl. Her video focused on the orientation event and rural scenery in the lychee capital, showcasing the perfect combination of the National Games and rural culture, and encouraging everyone to visit Maoming.
Zhu Xuexia, also from China's Hong Kong, shared her unique cultural and sports journey in Maoming. She not only witnessed the finals of the first gold medal event of the 15th National Games, experiencing the passionate moments of competitive sports, but also visited an 800-year-old ancient lychee tree, tasted unique lychee-flavored ice cream, and explored the profound cultural heritage of lychees in the region.
Reporter | Chen Jinxia
Editor | Hu Nan, James, Shen He
