From September 3 to 6, the "Healthy Rave" festival, celebrating extreme sports and youth subculture, took place at Revolution Square in Vladivostok, Russia. The event showcased top athletes and artists from around the globe, featuring a variety of street culture activities including breakdancing, hip-hop, BMX, skateboarding, and parkour.
Zhang Zhiyong, a prominent figure in the Chinese BMX scene, was a special guest at the festival. Not only did he serve as a judge and performer, but he also introduced the "Ride Huangjiang" cultural tourism brand from Dongguan City's Huangjiang Town to a global audience.
Zhang began his BMX journey at the age of 12 and has consistently been a national champion for over a decade. Currently, he serves as the freestyle BMX coach at the Huangjiang Sports School in Dongguan. During the festival, his impressive riding skills and extensive experience earned him high praise from athletes worldwide. Additionally, the mascots he brought with him, "Xiao Qiqi" and "Le Hehe," became popular symbols at the event.
In recent years, Huangjiang Town has been actively developing its sports tourism brand through the establishment of an international-standard BMX facility, hosting competitions, and promoting original IP imagery to foster integrated development in sports and tourism. Zhang stated, "Bringing the 'Ride Huangjiang' brand to Russia not only promotes BMX sports but also showcases the development of Chinese sports culture to the international community."
Throughout the festival, Zhang engaged in meaningful exchanges with athletes from various countries, sharing training experiences and discussing the advancement of their respective sports. He emphasized the importance of international cooperation, saying, "I hope these exchanges can promote deeper collaboration between China and Russia in BMX and other sports."
Reporter: Xie Maishi
Photo: Nanfang Plus
Editor: Huang Qini, James Campion, Shen He
