Walking festival to spell out Chinese Dream

The route of China's first nationwide city hike, or Happiness Footprint City Walking Festival, is expected to spell out "Chinese Dream" in perhaps the largest 'characters' ever used.

According to the organizing committee, the festival will kick off on April 18 in Xiamen, Fujian province, and participants will spend nearly three months walking across 33 cities in 10 of China's provinces.

More than one million walking enthusiasts will take part, following a carefully mapped route that will eventually spell out the English words for "Chinese Dream," according to the report.

The long-distance route will pass through 10 popular tourist sites, with each covering five to 10 kilometers. Participants can experience the diverse charms of each city during the process.

In addition, public activities with various themes will also be held at each site by China Media Culture Promotion Association (CMCPA) and Wisdom Holdings Group, a Chinese sports and brand service provider, to spread the message more effectively.

As the stress of work and study increases with the accelerating pace of modern life, walking has become a useful and popular way to keep fit, remain close to nature, and relieve anxiety.

The 2015 Happiness Footprint City Walking Festival is now open for registration through its official website (tubu.iyuesai.com), microblog and WeChat, as well as a service hotline, organizers revealed.

The "Chinese Dream" concept was first mentioned during a speech by Xi Jinping after he was elected general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee in November 2012.

Original title by Ecns.cn:First city walking festival to spell out 'Chinese Dream'