The Sichuan station of national fitness yangge (drum) competition kicked off in Guangyuan, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Sept 2.

A team of 10 dancers from Panjin city, Liaoning province, appear on a yangge dance competition held in Guangyuan, Sichuan province. [Photo/share.gyxww.cn]

As "Jasmine Flower" played out through the venue, a team of 10 dancers from Panjin city, Northeast China's Liaoning province, appeared on stage in traditional white Chinese dress, with floral fans in their hands. Among them, a young face stood out., that of team coach Fang Dong, a post-90s individual.

Fang said that fitness has no age limits, though yangge dance is now mainly popular among the elderly.

In Northeast China, yangge dancing has a long history and is widely known as a popular and representative folk dance.

After seeing the registration information online, Fang immediately signed up with his team. They spend 30 hours on a train to reach the dance stage.

"In our rehearsal breaks, we visited the Jianmen Pass scenic area, which was majestic and thrilling." After the competition, he plans to stay in Guangyuan for several days to savor the local specialties and go sightseeing with his team members.

Athletes from 11 teams are ready for the competition. [Photo/share.gyxww.cn]

It is reported that this competition has attracted approximately 300 athletes from 11 teams from provinces such as Jiangsu, Guizhou, Liaoning, and Sichuan.

All participants arrived in Guangyuan on Sept 1. In the evening after the opening ceremony, they competed in yangge, waist drum fitness, and hand drum freestyle routines. On Sept 3, there were compulsory routine competitions and award ceremonies.