Pingtan to host cross-Straits taekwondo contest

The sixth Cross-Straits Taekwondo Communication Contest is set to kick off in Pingtan, Fujian province on July 13.

About 430 contestants from 21 teams, including 62 from Taiwan, will participate in the one-day contest. The contest is an annual event that began in 2012 and has been held for five consecutive years in the city.

The players will be divided into two categories—individual and group—and will compete in various disciplines, such as those involving forms, or poomsae, and taekwondo dance.

"The age of this year's participants ranges from 4 to 30 years old," introduced Li Chengzhong, president of the Pingtan Association of Taekwondo. "And local residents will be able to watch the contest for free."

Li added that he hoped that the event would help promote taekwondo to people from both the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

Pingtan, the closest city on the mainland to Taiwan, has been actively promoting closer cross-Straits ties by hosting a series of cultural and sports events. The city also holds cycling, swimming and sailing events for people from the mainland and Taiwan each year.

A group of youngsters get ready to showcase their taekwondo moves during the fifth Cross-Straits Taekwondo Communication Contest in Pingtan, Fujian province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]