

The participants from Xiamen achieve excellent grades in the 2023 Pyeongtaek Port Marathon. [Photo/WeChat account: XIAMENFAO]
A team of five amateur marathon runners from Xiamen visited the Republic of Korea from Oct 21 to 23, during which they took part in the 2023 Pyeongtaek Port Marathon.
This marked the first time in three years that Xiamen has sent representatives to participate in the race. Xiamen has international friendly exchange relations with Pyeongtaek.
The two cities have for many years been using the marathon as a platform to promote cultural exchange and sports development. Xiamen has been invited to participate in the marathon for 10 consecutive years. Runners from Pyeongtaek have also been frequently invited to participate in marathons in Xiamen.
The team leader He Yong finished third in the men's category, while Wang Hongmei and Zeng Ting claimed third and fourth places in the women's category respectively. This was Xiamen's best showing in the history of the event.
The Xiamen runners, which were the only participants from China, also held exchanges with athletes from other countries and regions after the race.

The Xiamen participants share experiences and exchange insights with athletes from other countries and regions. [Photo/WeChat account: XIAMENFAO]
China has decided to extend its visa waiver policy to ordinary passport holders from Canada and the United Kingdom starting from Feb 17.
Forty-one new port-of-entry duty-free shops have been established nationwide, with Xiamen Xiang'an International Airport, Xiamen Wutong Passenger Wharf, and Xiamen International Cruise Center included on the list.