Jiangshan, a county-level city in Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, is selected as the main venue for the 2020 National New Year Mountain Climbing event. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Jiangshan, a county-level city in Quzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, was selected as the main venue for the 2020 National New Year Mountain Climbing event, according to a recent announcement by the General Administration of Sport of China.

The climbing event is the first nationwide fitness activity held in China every year.

This year's event will highlight the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, which are set to take place in Beijing from Feb 4 to 20, as well as the importance of national fitness.

The CCTV sports channel is expected to air a one-hour live broadcast of the event, and more than 30 mainstream media outlets will provide exhaustive all-day coverage.

The China Mountaineering Outdoor Industry Conference and the finals of the 2019 China Sky Running competition will also be held concurrently with the event.

The climbing event, which started in 1996, has made mountain climbing on the first day of the new year a tradition in many Chinese cities, and this is the fifth year that Jiangshan has hosted the event. It attracts thousands of mountain climbers and hikers from around China every year.

Jiangshan has been striving to develop its sports industry over the past few years in the hopes of becoming a "city of sports".

The city holds a minimum of 10 provincial-level or higher sporting events every year, including events specially organized for local farmers and company workers. A number of high-quality sports and leisure projects have also sprung up throughout the city, including a drifting activity at Fugai Mountain.