4,000 hiking enthusiasts hit rugged trails in Southwest China's Chongqing

CHONGQING -- Nearly 4,000 hikers from across China gathered on Saturday to compete in the 10th Jinfo Mountain hiking race, in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality.

Jinfo mountain, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site for its karst landscape, has attracted a growing number of hikers in recent years to experience its natural beauty of steep cliffs, gorges, peaks, caverns, stone forests and waterfalls.

Saturday's event featured three race categories: competitive, fitness, and family. Competitors from competitive category navigated a challenging 14.5-kilometer mountain course, including vertical ascents and a high-altitude trail carved into cliffs.

Liu Jun of Hubei province won the men's race in one hour and 32 minutes, while Chengdu's Liu Jianhua claimed the women's title in one hour and 55 minutes. Fitness and family group participants completed a six-kilometer scenic route that combined physical activity with natural sightseeing.

Jinfo Mountain is one of China's top eco-tourism destinations, with forest coverage exceeding 95 percent and cool, oxygen-rich air during the summer months.

The race, launched in 2015, has grown into a signature national outdoor event, boosting tourism and local economies.