Over 2,000 participate in New Year hiking event in central China

CHANGSHA, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- More than 2,000 people participated in a New Year hiking event at Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in central China's Hunan Province on Tuesday.

Hikers embarked from the Oxygen Bar Square in the national forest park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The professional category covered 3.8 kilometers, while the public group trekked a journey of 7.5 kilometers along lofty peaks and forests.

Apart from the hiking event, a variety of fitness activities, including Tai Chi, freestyle basketball, roller skating and freestyle football, drew in participants.

Chinese people take hiking as a tradition to embrace the new year. The National New Year's Hiking and Fitness Conference, a nationwide public fitness event since 1996, has become a significant annual gathering to celebrate the new year.