Seventh Pilgrimage of Hsuan Tsang Gobi Desert Challenge

BHC Navigation, China, has successfully sponsored the Seventh Pilgrimage of Hsuan Tsang Gobi Desert Challenge, which is an important outdoor challenge. The company provided NAVA handheld GPS devices for the competition's participants.

One of the participants commented that the NAVA handheld GPS is easy to use and rugged. The participants have used the NAVA handheld GPS to record their routes and tracks during the challenge. They said that they would also like to put the records into Google Earth and to share the data with other outdoor enthusiasts. By doing so, they can improve their route planning in the Gobi Desert.

Hsuan Tsang, a Buddhist monk in the Tang Dynasty (618—907), walked from Tang Capital to India and brought back the Sutra, or Buddhist holy book, and translated it into Chinese on his return to China. This is truly legendary, and to commemorate Hsuan Tsang, this challenge has been organised annually for the last seven years.

The challenge was started at TAER temple in Guazhou, Gansu, China on 22 May 2012. After four days and three nights of severe competition, it finally ended at Baiduizi, Guazhou city on 26 May 2012. 

More than 20 teams took part in this challenge. All team members walked for at least 112 kilometres in the Gobi Desert. With the harsh environment and long journey, this challenge mirrored the significance of the Pilgrimage in bringing together Dream, Activity and Insistence.