Gejiu city in northwest China's Yunnan province is hosting a paragliding competition from October 1st to 3rd. The event has already drawn huge crowds from China and abroad with its breathtaking maneuvers.

10 stunt pilots from France, Austria and Norway, and more than 30 paragliders from China are taking part in the competition. There are three sections: free-style stunt flying restricted routine stunt and spot landing.

In Paragliding the pilot sits in a harness suspended below a hollow fabric wing. Pilots gain height by air currents and winds, and can often climb to altitudes of a few thousand meters. Despite not using an engine, these flights can last many hours and cover many hundreds of kilometers.

Host city Gejiu is the capital of Yunnan’s Honghe prefecture. It is located on top of a mountain, and sits to the north of the Honghe river valley, which flows from Tibet to Vietnam. Mild winds blow from the southwest the whole year round, making it very suitable for paragliding. There’s at least 200 days in a year in which the weather and air currents are ideal for the sport. And paragliders from around the world all say Gejiu is a paradise for flying.

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