“The fitness long-distance running for the upcoming New Year, aiming to promote a healthy lifestyle, is one of the characteristics of Yichang. I hope all our citizens will take part in it and run to the new era together! Now, I declare: the 2018 Yichang Spring Fitness Long-Distance Running starts!” At 9:00 am on December 29, with the starting gun fired by the CPC secretary of the city, Zhou Ji, “China Railway Shanghai Engineering Bureau Cup" 34th Session of Yichang Spring Fitness Long-Distance Running Campaign was officially begun. Municipal leaders and people from all walks of life ran together to the New Year on the newly built Juxiang Road in great passion.

　　At the beginning of launching ceremony, the vice secretary of the CPC committee and the mayor Zhang Jiasheng stressed that life lies in movement, while success lies in hard work on the way forward. No pains, no gains. The upcoming 2018 is not only the opening year for implementing the spirit of the 19th National Congress, but also the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up as well as the critical connecting year of securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and acting on “The Country’s 13th Five-Year Plan”. As socialism with Chinese characteristics has entered a new era, Yichang’s development has embarked on the new journey. Taking this campaign as the new starting point, we should never forget why we started and move forward. Let us run in great passion, vitality, and vigor. We must keep on striving with endless energy to advance green development, transformation and strive tirelessly for securing a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and building a socialist modernized city.

　　At 9:25 am, Zhou Ji announced: Yichang 2018 Spring Fitness Long-Distance Running has started now! Soon afterwards, he fired the starting gun. Thousands of officials and citizens ran from the starting point, witnessing the foot marks of the city’s development , sharing the joy of the great change of their home and feeling the rhythm of the pulse of the times. Enjoying the health both in mind and body and stimulating the fighting will in exercise, we will stride forward to higher and stronger goals with greater enthusiasm, ambition, proactive spirit.

　　It was learnt that the long-distance running campaign to usher in New Year is an annual characteristic fitness in Yichang, which has been held for 34 consecutive sessions. Since 2005, it has been held on the newly-built urban road. This time the running road section, Juxiang road, is one of the important segments of “Free Traffic Project”, starting at Gangyao Road and ending at East Station Road in a total length of 6.144 kilometers. On the day of campaign, the parallel session of Long-Distance Running was launched on the Yihuang first class road in Yiling district.

　　The city leaders, Song Wenbao, Liu Xuefu, Wang Guobin, Yuan Weidong, Liu Jianxin, Wang Juncheng, Shang kui, Zhou Qing, Lu Jun, Tan Yeming and more than 11,500 people from 233 departments of Yichang participated in the long-distance running activity. (Reporter: Lei Pengcheng; Correspondent: Liu zhengjin)