The opening ceremony of the desert hiking contest was kicked off at Tsinghua University on Monday. [Photo/Chinadaily.com.cn]

A Silk Road hiking challenge sponsored by the Executive MBA Education Center at Tsinghua University, the Publicity Department of the Gansu Provincial Party Committee and Zhangye Municipal Government kicked off Tuesday at Tsinghua University, Beijing.

Sponsors said at the opening ceremony that more than 400 EMBA students from Tsinghua University will be divided into 15 groups for the more than 100 kilometer hiking contest along the Gansu Corridor. The corridor is a part of the Northern Silk Road running northwest from the bank of the Yellow River to the Tarim Basin and Central Asia.

The contest contains many components, such as cross-country running, weight-bearing climbing, camping, horseback riding and a series of lectures on history and culture. There will be multiple awards for the participants.

The event is one of the most important parts of the recognition and action courses at the universitiy's School of Economics and Management.

Wang Yong, director of EMBA Education Center, said that hiking is the most simple and original way for people to return to self, to simplicity and to nature.

"As we all know, people are under enormous pressure in recent years because of the rapid changes in social formation and the economic growth pattern. So we need to change to a healthier lifestyle, and give ourselves more time to think deeply. In our contest, the ranking is not that important. Return to self, that’s the major purpose," Wang said.