The eighth Xiamen-Kinmen swimming race took place on July 31, with 182 swimmers from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao joining the event.
The event is a seven-kilometer relay race that involves two swimmers working as a team. The route started on the shores of Shuankou village in Kinmen, and stopped at the Yefengzhai tourism site located on the coastal road of Xiamen Island.
Recording a time of 1 hr 33 min 18 sec, two brothers Zhuo Peiqi and Zhuo Chengqi from Taiwan won the championships in Group A of the men’s event. Their achievement broke the domination of mainland athletes in the men's event since 2013.
Group B of the men's event is for competitors aged between 31 and 55. Yin Molin, who used to play for Harbin city in Heilongjiang province, won for a fourth time in this category.
The women's event was still led by athletes from Fujian province. Li Yilin defended her title, teaming up with a new partner.
The event was sponsored by the Chinese Swimming Association, the Xiamen government, and the Kinmen government. The seamless cooperation between these parties in staging the event signifies the inseparable ties between the mainland and Taiwan.
The route of the eighth Xiamen-Kinmen Crossing. [Photo/whatsonxiamen.com]
China announced and implemented on May 15 a policy allowing visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country's coastline.
China and Georgia are set to waive visa requirements for travelers starting May 28.
