Cyclists celebrate with champagne in the winner's circle after the second stage of the Fourth Poyang Lake International Cycling Race in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province on November 24. Event organizers arranged for the top three cyclists, winner Tulu Kanggai (center), Russian competitor surnamed Karimov (left) and Bana to dress as Qing Dynasty officials. Photo: xinhuanet.com

Winners of a cycling competition in Jiangxi Province spurred sarcastic responses from Web users after they accepted their awards dressed as officials from the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). 

Comments such as "weird" and "pointless" dominated online discussions of the event, which organizers of the Fourth Poyang Lake International Cycling Race in Fuliang county of Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province on November 24 had the race's top three cyclists dress as Qing officials in the winner's circle.

"They really took these guys for fools," commented one Web user.

A spokesman for the Jingdezhen Sports Bureau explained that an important part of the annual competition is promoting local culture and tourism.

"We copy the ancient awarding rituals to cyclists to better display the government culture in the county enjoying thousand-year history, " said Cheng Lianhe, general manager of the tourism company who helped promote the event.

The race, which kicked off on November 23, includs a seven-leg route around Poyang Lake, a famous tourist destination in Jiangxi Province. A total 127 cyclists from over 20 countries and regions participated in the event.

xinhuanet.com