On Aug 19, an open ballroom dancing competition was held in Guangyuan city, Southwest China's Sichuan province, to mark this year's China Girls’ Festival, an annual traditional festival to commemorate Empress Wuzetian of the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

The event was hosted by the Sichuan Provincial Social Sports Guidance Center and the Sports Bureau of Guangyuan.

The opening ceremony of the open ballroom dancing competition [Photo/share.gyxww.cn]

The two-day competition, as one of a series of activities for the festival, saw 80 groups across five events, with more than 600 people from 57 teams from provinces and autonomous regions, including Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Chongqing, Sichuan, Shanxi, and Inner Mongolia, participating in the competition.

To seize the opportunity of a strong recovery in the sports market and further tap the potential of the sports consumption market, Guangyuan has launched the issuance of sports consumption coupons for 2023.

A total of 170,000 yuan ($23318.22) of sports consumption coupons has been issued in the first phase, and another 430,000 yuan worth of consumption coupons will be issued in the second phase from Aug 28 to Sept 9.

The opening ceremony of the open ballroom dancing competition [Photo/share.gyxww.cn]

Citizens and tourists whose mobile phones are located in Guangyuan can log into the UnionPay APP, where they will have the opportunity to receive one cash coupon of four denominations ranging from 10 yuan to 40 yuan, as well as one discount coupon ranging from 30 yuan to 400 yuan, which can be used for to make purchases.

During the girls' festival, activities such as a boat race, a Yangge, or drum Yangge competition, and the women's half marathon will be held to increase consumerism and promote the quality and expansion of sports consumption in Guangyuan.