Yingshan, Sichuan: A bowl of noodles and a game activate the city's fireworks atmosphere

In April, in Yingshan County, Nanchong City, Sichuan Province, spring tide surges and fireworks rise. When a bowl of spicy and fresh Yingshan cold noodles meets a passionate half marathon, what kind of sparks will collide?

On the evening of April 17th, the first Nanchong Yingshan Liangmian Food Culture Season kicked off on Wenbo Road in the county town. On the morning of April 19th, the "Healthy Yingshan · Happy Running One Ring" 2026 Yingshan Half Marathon started shooting at the New Era Square in the county town. A bowl of noodles and a game unexpectedly meet in this spring, where food connects sports passion, fireworks atmosphere, and urban vitality, together playing a symphony of deep integration of culture, tourism, sports, and commerce.

One Side of the Covenant Cold Noodles Fragrant Li Pin Yingshan

Boss, have a bowl of cold noodles and add more red oil! "At around 8 pm on April 17th, the streets of Wenbo were bustling with people and filled with fragrance. As soon as the launch ceremony of the first Nanchong Yingshan Cold Noodles Food Culture Season ended, Wenbo Road instantly turned into a "sea of cold noodles". Long queues of diners formed in front of various cold noodle stalls. The vendors quickly grabbed a handful of golden and translucent noodles, poured them with secret red oil, garlic water, and sprinkled them with chopped green onions. The bowls of Yingshan cold noodles, which were delicious in color, aroma, and taste, were mouth watering.

The taste of my hometown is still the most authentic! "Grandpa Li, a diner, held a bowl of cold noodles and sighed while eating." The red oil is fragrant but not dry, and the noodles are smooth and chewy. Paired with bean sprouts, it's amazing! "He told me that he works in another city all year round, and the first thing he does every time he returns to Yingshan is to find a cold noodle shop to satisfy his cravings. This food festival, all the good cold noodle shops gathered together. I ate three at once, it was so satisfying

In front of another stall not far away, Chen Xin from Chengdu is live streaming with her phone in hand. Family, look! This is the famous Yingshan cold noodles! "She introduced to the camera while picking up a chopstick of noodles and putting them in her mouth, then showed a surprised expression." Wow, it's really delicious! The spicy and refreshing taste is particularly appetizing. Everyone must come to Yingshan to taste it if they have the chance! "She told me that she was here to participate in a marathon and arrived one day early, just in time for the opening of the food festival. I snatched the consumption voucher in advance and received the tasting voucher. Tonight's dinner was all cold bread

Cold noodles are the protagonist, but the cuisine in Yingshan is far more than that. "Xinghuo Salted Duck, Shuangliu Yinmi Sugar, Yingshan Red-Stewed Duck... These are our treasures in Yingshan!" In the food exhibition area, the stall owners warmly greet customers. In the specialty product exhibition and sales area, there is a dazzling array of agricultural products from various towns and villages in the county, such as Xingde Red Oil, Runfeng Beef, Mingde Tea, and Green Water Bamboo Shoots. Many diners have tasted the delicious food and turned to specialty product stalls.

It is reported that the theme of this food culture season is "Encountering Yingshan with One Face". The on-site activities will last until May 5th, and the online activities will last until May 31st. During this period, six series of activities will be held, including "My Favorite Yingshan Cuisine", Yingshan Cold Noodles Famous Store Selection, Featured Product Exhibition and Sales, Ten Thousand People Cold Noodles Tasting, Art Performance, and Consumption Voucher Issuance.

At the launch ceremony, the winning representatives of "My Favorite Yingshan Cuisine" and "Yingshan Cold Noodles Famous Store" went on stage to receive their awards. Our store has been open for over 20 years, relying on a bowl of cold noodles. "The owner of" Culture Palace Tang Cold Noodles, "who won the" Yingshan Cold Noodles Famous Store, "took the medal and smiled uncontrollably." Thank you for your recognition, we will continue to pass on this old flavor

A marathon race showcasing vitality

On the morning of April 19th, the New Era Square in the county town was already crowded with people. More than 6000 runners from all over the country gather here, including professional athletes, amateur enthusiasts, and many family groups. I came specifically from Guangyuan, and I heard that Yingshan cold noodles are very famous. After running, I must go and try them, "said running friend Pang Shengguo while warming up.

At 7:30 am, as the host counted down "3, 2, 1", the leaders and guests of the podium fired their guns together, and the contestants surged out of the starting point like a tide.

This event features a half marathon (21.0975 kilometers) as one event. The race track surrounds the first ring road of Yingshan County, connecting urban landmarks such as Baita Park, New Era Square, and Sports Park. The city's style, ecological landscape, and cultural heritage are deeply integrated, showcasing the new face of Yingshan's urban construction and providing runners with a flat and comfortable participation experience. This track is very flat, with good scenery along the way, and it's very comfortable to run, "commented contestant Sha Zhengyou.

Along the track, comprehensive and effective security measures are in place. Each fixed medical point is equipped with professional medical staff, mobile rescue forces patrol and guard the entire process, and professional equipment such as ambulances and AED defibrillators are on standby at any time; Each supply station provides sufficient drinking water for runners, as well as food supplies such as bread and bananas, to fully meet the needs of athletes. Along the way, the crowd spontaneously formed cheerleaders to cheer and support the athletes.

After intense competition, Yang Xiaohua, Sha Zhengyou, and Ji Haorixia from Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province respectively won the top three spots in the men's group; Liu Junhui, Fu Jiayi, and Li Xiantao from Guizhou Province respectively won the top three spots in the women's category.

The organizing committee also set up a dedicated cold noodle tasting booth at the marathon finish line, providing free authentic Yingshan cold noodles to participating athletes. This competition is taking place during the hot season of the first Nanchong · Yingshan Liangmian Food Culture Season. The main venue of the food season is only one line away from the competition venue. After sweating, participating runners can taste intangible cultural heritage cuisine and experience the authentic smoke and fire of Yingshan for the first time, achieving seamless linkage between sports events and food culture. Great! After running, we had a bowl of cold noodles, which was both refreshing and satisfying! "Liu Tingting, a local athlete from Yingshan, won fourth place in the women's group. She ate the cold noodles in big gulps while giving a thumbs up.

On the day of the competition, the staff at each booth were busy making cold noodles on site. We started preparing at three or four in the morning, and today we did the usual amount for a week. "Cold noodle vendor Tang Bing was so busy that he was sweating profusely, but his face was filled with a smile.

One side, one competition, two-way rush to promote development

A bowl of noodles, connecting the past and future of Yingshan; A game showcasing the vitality and passion of Yingshan. When cold noodles meet a marathon, the collision not only satisfies the taste buds and brings joy to sports, but also has multiple effects of cultural tourism integration, boosting consumption, and urban marketing.

We will organically integrate the cold noodle food culture season with the marathon race to achieve the effect of '1+1) 2', "said the person in charge of Yingshan County's Commerce, Economy and Foreign Affairs Bureau. During the offline activities, there will be cultural performances, live streaming sales, discount promotions and other activities every day, allowing tourists to" come but don't want to leave, leave but still want to come ".

After nightfall, Wenbo Road becomes even more lively. The intangible cultural heritage performances of Sichuan opera, such as face changing and spitting fire, took turns to appear, while magic, puppet shows, and other programs were exciting and varied, receiving continuous applause from the audience below. Our family of three wandered from afternoon to evening, eating cold noodles, buying specialty products, and watching performances. It was so worth it! "Citizen Liu Yu and his family returned home with a full load.

The business in the restaurant has doubled in the past few days. Thank you to the government for taking over! "Said a restaurant owner happily. Marathon events have also brought direct benefits to industries such as hotels, catering, and transportation. The occupancy rate of hotels in the county continues to rise, and some hotels are even struggling to find a room.

For Yingshan, cold noodles are the city's calling card, and marathons are a communication window. Through one-on-one competition, Yingshan not only showcases its cuisine and sports to the outside world, but also the enthusiasm, inclusiveness, and vitality of this city. Through this marathon, I learned about many delicious foods such as Yingshan Liangmian. I will come again next year, "Wu Zhaodi from Langzhong told me. Currently, the 2026 Langzhong Hanfu Festival is also in full swing, with visitors dressed in traditional Chinese clothing throughout the city, creating a strong traditional cultural atmosphere. We warmly welcome friends from Yingshan to visit the ancient city, wear Hanfu, and taste delicious food in Langzhong. We also look forward to more cultural and tourism activities in both places, so that the vitality of Yingshan can collide with the ancient charm of Langzhong and create more sparks

A bowl of cold noodles, strung together the fireworks of the world; A run, showcasing the vitality of the city. On the stage of county-level development, food culture and sports spirit can play a chord, and the fireworks atmosphere of the city and the grand narrative of the city can be presented together. This encounter in spring allowed visitors from all directions to taste the "spiciness" of Yingshan and see the "passion" of Yingshan's development. And this bowl of noodles and the story of this run are far from over, brewing more possibilities for the future of Yingshan.

The person in charge of Yingshan County Government stated that the next step will be to continue deepening the integrated development model of "sports+food+cultural tourism+commerce", regularly holding cold noodle food culture seasons and marathon events, tapping into consumer potential, improving service levels, polishing the "Small County Excellent City · Fireworks Yingshan" urban business card, and promoting high-quality development of the county's economy. (Peng Chuanheng)