A decade on ice: Panjin hosts 2026 Northernmost Coastline Icewalk and Trail Challenge

(ECNS) -- Set against the ice-fringed tidal flats of the Panjin Red Beach National Scenic Corridor, the 2026 Liaoning·Panjin China’s Northernmost Coastline Icewalk and Trail Challenge kicked off on Monday.

Marking its 10th edition, the event has attracted about 5,000 participants from China and abroad, combining endurance sport with cultural experience and winter tourism along the country’s northernmost seaboard.

Co-organized by the Liaoning Provincial Sports Bureau and Panjin Municipal Government, this year’s challenge marks the launch of the “Meet the World in Liaoning, Savor Heritage in Panjin” series, a cultural initiative presented by the China News Service Liaoning Branch and Panjin Municipal Committee Publicity Department.

Participants set off along a unique 5-kilometer public route carved into the coastal ice formations—a landscape rarely seen in China. Professional categories included a 10-kilometer challenge and a 20-kilometer elite race, with courses designed and safety-monitored by professional teams. Medical support, rescue crews and aid stations were positioned throughout.

Along the route and at rest points, participants engaged with Panjin’s cultural offerings through a compact cultural market and hands-on workshops.

Reed-weaving handicrafts and wetland-inspired creative products drew international visitors, while others explored Guangsha Art Street, trying guqin (Chinese zither) music, reed painting using electric burning pens, and traditional calligraphy. 

“It's marvelous to draw on reed stalks with a solder pen,” said Yulia, a Russian student from Shenyang Normal University.

"It's amazing that beautiful music comes from an instrument without keys. The guqin’s sound is completely different from the piano,” remarked Mila, a seven-year-old from Russia, at an intangible cultural heritage workshop.

The group also visited the Liaohe River Folk Customs Museum, where they handled traditional farming tools and fishing boat models before sampling local estuary cuisine. 

“Delicious, so fragrant!” exclaimed Ali, a Tajikistan student from Liaoning University.

The event also supports Liaoning’s preparations for the upcoming 15th National Winter Games. Through sport, culture and tourism, Panjin aims to showcase its frozen coastline not only as a natural wonder, but as a winter destination with national appeal and global reach.

Since its launch in 2016, Panjin has used sports events to boost winter tourism, turning “cold resources” into a “hot economy.” The 10th-anniversary edition continues that vision, positioning the Icewalk & Trail Challenge as a signature winter sports brand.