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Church-converted climbing gym gains traction in France

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      China

      China

      Church-converted climbing gym gains traction in France

      2024-08-10 18:56 Last Updated At:23:57

      A century-old church in France has become a hub for indoor climbers after it was converted into a climbing facility in 2022.

      Located in Paris, the former church was rebuilt by Climbing District, a training spot for climbing and exercising. The church-converted climbing gym has offered climbers unique experience in a rather unusual venue as popularity for rock climbing is growing.

      "We are standing in an old chapel that dates back to the middle of the 19th century which was converted into a climbing wall in November 2022. So we went through seven months of works here, and today, we've got a wall of 13 meters' high. We welcome roughly 300 people every day," said Antoine, co-founder of the Climbing District. Debuting at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, sport climbing is relatively new to the Olympics, yet it has become a favorite activity for millions around the world. There are two disciplines in Paris, namely speed-climbing up walls and a combined event of wall-climbing plus bouldering, which is performed on lower walls without a rope.

      "It's a great place to make friends, and friends that have the same passion as you. So that's just awesome," said Kelly, a climber.

      Starting to learn sport climbing about a year ago, Kelly has now become a sport climbing enthusiast.

      "Even when I don't climb, I think about it, when I eat, when I sleep," she said, adding "I think about it all the time."

      The ongoing 2024 Paris Olympic Games has reignited people's interest in the niche sport of climbing, with the host country also using this opportunity to encourage people to get more active as figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that almost half of women and 30 percent of men are physically inactive.

      Church-converted climbing gym gains traction in France

      Church-converted climbing gym gains traction in France

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      People across China make preparations to welcome Spring Festival

      2025-01-21 06:41 Last Updated At:07:17

      A festive atmosphere is building up as people across China have been making preparations to ring in the Spring Festival next week, with lights and decorations set everywhere, and with New Year goods markets all seeing booming sales.

      The Spring Festival, which marks the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year, is the most important annual holiday in China, when people across the country return to their hometowns for Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations and family reunion. 

      In Xi'an City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, a grand lantern show is in its final stage of preparation before opening to the public ahead of the eve of the 2025 Chinese Lunar New Year. To be lit up on Wednesday, the large light sets presented at the event will draw numerous visitors, with lanterns that replicate 38 cultural relics as the highlight.

      Buying New Year flowers has been a custom for Chinese people. In Yancheng City of east China's Jiangsu Province, various flowers which have auspicious meanings are already in high demand.

      This year, tulips bred locally have been put on sale, and quickly become a favorable choice for many customers.  

      "I have never seen this kind of flower before. I think it is really bright-colored. Therefore, I decided to buy some to enhance the festive atmosphere at home," said Zhang Jinjian, a local resident.

      The Anchang ancient town in Shaoxing City of east China's Zhejiang Province has a time-honored custom of making aired sausages and spiced duck.

      As the Spring Festival draws near, plenty of visitors and tourists choose to purchase these local delicacies as ingredients for their Chinese New Year feast.

      "The number of tourists has been increasing, so the sales of our spiced meat have been quite good. Compared with the same period of last year, our sales is expected to increase by about 50,000 yuan (about 6,835 U.S. dollars). We will earn an additional 200,000 to 300,000 yuan (27,335 to 41,000 U.S. dollars) in sales during this whole winter," said Yang Jing, owner of a local spiced meat shop.

      In southwest China's Yunnan Province, the "Tiaocai dance" is a time-honored tradition of the Yi ethnic minority group. The dance is presented in the form of serving dishes while dancing to the rhythm. It usually happens on a joyous or grand occasion.

      Since the most significant annual festival is around the corner, Yi people have dressed up in traditional costumes, and got ready to welcome the arrival of the Chinese Lunar New Year with the special dance.  

      People across China make preparations to welcome Spring Festival

      People across China make preparations to welcome Spring Festival

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