Tidal Asia Chases the Light towards the Future Asian Games | Asia | Tidal Asia Chases the Light

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On the banks of the Qiantang River and Xizi Lake, the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, which has attracted widespread attention, are about to open. From Beijing in 1990, to Guangzhou in 2010, and then to Hangzhou in 2023, over a period of 33 years, we have witnessed the modernization and transformation of ancient civilizations, repeatedly linking Asia closely together.

What is the difference between the third landing in China and the Hangzhou Asian Games? How will it change China, Asia, and the world?

In Marco Polo's writings, Hangzhou in the 13th century was the most brilliant and excellent city in the world. A Western scholar commented on the residents of Hangzhou during the Southern Song Dynasty as follows: "Due to their humility and courtesy, rich sense of humor, as well as the fun of social life and the art of conversation, they have become the most exquisite and cultured personality type that Chinese civilization has ever produced." Hangzhou's brilliant history and cultural heritage will become a profound and sincere humanistic echo of this Asian Games.

In modern China, Zhejiang Province, where Hangzhou is located, is a demonstration zone for common prosperity, embodying the expectations of the Chinese people to solve the problem of imbalanced and insufficient development. The competition venues for this Asian Games are not only located in big cities like Hangzhou, but also in small cities such as Chun'an, Tonglu, and Deqing. The venues are widely distributed, allowing more people to experience the Asian Games atmosphere at their doorstep and obtain high-quality cultural and sports services.

More than 12500 athletes have registered for the Hangzhou Asian Games, with a total of 40 major events, 61 sub events, and 481 sub events. In addition to the host city of Hangzhou, there are also 5 co hosting cities, with the highest number of registrations, number of events, and complexity of event organization in history. It is the largest and highest level international comprehensive sports event held in China after the successful convening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

The Hangzhou Asian Games adheres to the requirements of "simplicity, safety, and excitement" and implements the concept of "green, intelligent, thrifty, and civilized". Representatives from 45 Asian countries and regions will exchange sports skills, enhance friendship and understanding, and write a new chapter in the "Asian Community of Shared Future" during the Asian Games.

This is a sports event that symbolizes unity, friendship, and progress, as well as a cultural feast that blends traditional culture and modern spirit. The Qiantang River tide has been famous since ancient times. This time, the tide will start from here and flow towards Asia and the world.

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The promotion of national development by hosting a large-scale sports event not only has rich cases worldwide, but also has been a firsthand experience for many Chinese people.

The 1990 Beijing Asian Games was the first international comprehensive sports event held in China, leaving a lasting memory of youth for a generation; The unparalleled 2008 Beijing Olympics, known as the "coming of age ceremony" of China's reform and opening up, is also a new starting point for China's new journey towards modernization; In 2010, as the first non capital city in China to host the Asian Games, Guangzhou told the world the Chinese story of "southern flavor"; The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics have made Beijing the first "double Olympic city" in human history, greatly enhancing the confidence of the Chinese people in achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

In addition to reaping economic and social benefits, a successful large-scale sports event will also showcase the host country's open, inclusive, and friendly international image, which has multiple benefits for world civilization and international relations.

As the world enters the post pandemic era, the instability and uncertainty of the international situation become more prominent, and the global challenges faced by humanity become more severe. Dealing with these challenges requires not only economic and technological strength, but also cultural and cultural civilization strength. The spirit of hard work, progress, unity and cooperation in sports is providing this power and playing an important role in promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.

American writer Franklin Foer believes that football is "more adapted to the process of globalization than all other economies on this planet" and is a perfect example of successfully managing various confrontations in today's world. Represented by the Olympic Games, it is a common practice and political consensus in the international community for all participating parties to lay down their weapons during large-scale international sports events.

The slogan of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is "Towards the Future Together", which vividly explains the Olympic motto of "Faster, Higher, Stronger, and More Unity". At the opening ceremony, "Little Snowflakes" with the names of participating countries and regions gathered to form "Big Snowflakes", showing the world China's efforts to promote common human development and share the future. In the process of improving relations between China and the United States, "ping pong diplomacy" has also played a dramatic role.

"Heart to heart integration, @ future", the theme slogan of the Hangzhou Asian Games, aims to expect people from all countries to achieve integration and embrace beauty on the stage of the Asian Games, and also looks forward to close unity among Asian countries to join hands in facing future challenges.

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A single flower blooming alone is not spring, a hundred flowers blooming together fills the garden with spring.

Looking back at the historical context of the Asian Games, its original intention was to promote connections between Asian countries, enhance the level of Asian sports, and unite the Asian people. In 1951, the first Asian Games in New Delhi, India were held against the backdrop of many Asian countries breaking free from colonial rule, achieving independence and liberation, reflecting the desire for mutual respect and equal treatment among emerging Asian countries.

"In Asia, mountains are high heads; rivers are like hot blood; trees are rooted; clouds shake hands." In 1990, "The Asian Wind" echoed through the streets and alleys of Beijing. One important significance of the Beijing Asian Games for China is that it has broken the blockade and so-called "sanctions" imposed by hostile forces internationally, and promoted the further development of the reform and opening up cause.

The values of promoting mutual respect and equal treatment are the common principles for participating in and appreciating sports events. The "Etiquette for Civilized Observation of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou" states: "Respect all participating countries and regions. During the flag raising and song playing stages, please stand up and pay attention, and do not walk around the field randomly." "Regardless of the outcome, give due respect to the outstanding performances of athletes from all countries."

Civilization can only be distinguished by its colorful colors, but there is no distinction between high, low, or good. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, all 45 Olympic Committees from Asian countries and regions have registered to participate. Although there may be differences in national thinking, emotions, and relationships between different countries and regions, all visitors are guests and will be warmly and sincerely welcomed by the Chinese people.

In the Asian Games, big and small countries compete on the same stage, and competition results are not the only criterion for measuring the competition. Regardless of the size and strength of the participating delegation, the audience should give equal applause, applauding the winners and encouraging the losers.

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Chinese civilization has always advocated appreciating the splendid civilization created by our own nation while also appreciating the civilizations of other ethnic groups, promoting harmony among different civilizations through mutual appreciation, and achieving the ideal of great harmony and beauty. In the eyes of philosophers, excellent traditional Chinese culture has always been harmonious but different, inclusive, and "diversity" is the element and driving force for the survival and development of the Chinese nation.

The Hangzhou Asian Games is not only a stage to showcase China to Asia, but also a platform to showcase Asia's diverse cultures to the world, allowing the flowers of different regions and unique civilizations to bloom together.

Among numerous high standard sports events with international influence, the project settings of the Asian Games not only have international significance, but also reflect strong national and regional characteristics. In the five regions of East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, and West Asia, there are projects representing the region, including martial arts, Kabadi, martial arts, dragon boat, and wicker ball.

Youth is the foundation of sports, and the project design of the Asian Games also pays attention to incorporating popular fashion elements that young people like, so that young people from different fields and interests can feel the passion of the competition. At this year's Asian Games, esports has become an official event for the first time, generating a total of 7 gold medals. Viewers need to draw lots to purchase tickets for esports events. Breakdancing, originating from hip-hop culture, and skateboarding and roller skating, which are popular among young people, will also be contested by athletes on the Asian Games stage.

Before and after the Hangzhou Asian Games, a series of cultural exchange activities will be held to present a cultural feast for participating delegations and audiences. Recently, the "Colorful Asia: Asian Costume Exhibition" held at the China Silk Museum has been presented to the audience. 140 pieces of clothing from 27 Asian countries and regions showcase the rich and colorful Asian culture, and have become witnesses of Asian friendship.

The beauty of beauty, the unity of beauty, and cultural differences should not be the root cause of world conflicts, but should become the driving force for the progress of human civilization. With the goal of "Chinese characteristics, Asian style, and splendid diversity", Hangzhou warmly embraces guests from all over the world, making this Asian Games an important opportunity to promote cultural progress and build an Asian community with a shared future.

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Hangzhou has a history of 8000 years of civilization and 5000 years of city building. Over such a long period of time, the nourishment of cultural exchange and mutual learning has achieved its diverse and inclusive atmosphere.

The origin of Chinese civilization in the Yellow River Basin was once a consensus in the field of history. However, the discovery of the Sanxingdui site in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River and the Liangzhu ancient city site in the lower reaches has empirically overturned the originally complete "Yellow River monism". Historians have gradually realized that people of different races and regions are divided and merged, living and disappearing, gradually merging into a unified civilization - the Chinese civilization.

Chengdu, which successfully hosted the World University Games this year, and Hangzhou, which is about to welcome the Asian Games, are located not far from the two cultural heritage sites. In the dark, this is not only a historical coincidence, but also demonstrates from one side that civilization's openness, inclusiveness, and mutual learning have brought endless power to urban development.

As early as the early Song Dynasty, Hangzhou was a major hub for overseas trade. At that time, the central government established the Market Shipping Department here to manage trade, and also opened "Fan Fang" for foreign residents. In the early years of the Southern Song Dynasty, the national market shipping revenue reached 15% of the total fiscal revenue. In today's era of promoting high-level opening up to the outside world, the historical imprint of Hangzhou and other cities opening up to the outside world still often triggers people's thinking.

Domestic and foreign experiences have shown that hosting large-scale events is an opportunity for host cities to expand their openness and expand their global presence. The 1988 Seoul Olympics became an important turning point in South Korea's modernization process; The 2008 Beijing Olympics showed the world an open, inclusive, rule-based, and responsible China; Indonesia also sees hosting the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games as an important opportunity to enhance its international status and reputation.

As the world's second largest economy and largest manufacturing country, China has moved from the edge of the world stage to the center. However, in terms of urban communication efficiency, some cities in China still have room for improvement, and there is still a gap compared to cities of the same level in developed countries. Many foreigners have limited understanding of Chinese cities. Hosting international sports events, cultural events, and conferences will help create a "city name card" for China to go global.

International sports exchange itself is also an important part of opening up to the outside world. Many of the world's top athletes are both opponents and friends of each other. They empathize with each other and promote each other, allowing people to see the value of sports spirit and feel the role of sports in promoting the development of human civilization.

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Since ancient times, the Qianjiang River Tide has been the most thrilling natural landscape in the Jiangnan region. The saying "Riding on the Tide" comes from a Song poem that describes the Qianjiang River tide.

The main graphic of the emblem of the Hangzhou Asian Games "Tide" consists of six elements: fan, Qiantang River, Qianjiang Tide Head, race track, Internet symbol and the sun graphic symbol of the Asian Olympic Council. The race track represents sports competition, the Internet symbol matches the characteristics of Hangzhou city, and the surging river represents the spirit of standing up to the tide.

"Intelligence" is one of the organizing concepts of the Hangzhou Asian Games, and the integration and innovation achievements of technologies such as 5G, Internet of Things, big data, and artificial intelligence will be fully demonstrated. At the opening ceremony on September 23, billions of digital torchbearers from around the world will light the main torch stand of the Asian Games together with torchbearers from the real world, creating the first digital ignition in the history of the Asian Games.

The dazzling fireworks are a major highlight of the opening and closing ceremonies of major sports events, but as long as fireworks are set off, there will always be smoke and dust in the air. Therefore, the Hangzhou Asian Games opening ceremony team is determined to change "physical fireworks" to "digital fireworks". By utilizing innovative technologies, the "green content" of the Asian Games has been enhanced, conveying the development concept that "green mountains and clear waters are like mountains of gold and silver".

As the "Internet City", Hangzhou has attracted a large number of young people, who share the opportunities and dividends of Internet development here. The latest data shows that in Hangzhou, there is one anchor in every 244 people and one in every 12 people engaged in live streaming related industries. The number of registered live streaming related enterprises exceeds 5000, ranking first in the country.

These young people who have grown up in the Internet era will also participate in and experience the Asian Games in different ways, injecting youth power into the Asian Games. Among them, there are both the green and youthful competition volunteers "Little Qinghe", as well as the IT support team that provides "hardcore" technical support and professional support for the successful hosting of the Asian Games.

Young people are also creating new cultures through inheritance. Zhang Wen, the chief designer of the mascot for the Hangzhou Asian Games, is a young teacher at the China Academy of Fine Arts. Inspired by Bai Juyi's poem "Memories of Jiangnan, the most memorable is Hangzhou", he named the mascot combination "Memories of Jiangnan". The names of the three mascots, Chen Chen, Cong Cong, and Lian Lian, are derived from the iconic Gongchen Bridge in the Hangzhou section of the Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal, the representative cultural relic Yu Cong unearthed from the Liangzhu Ancient City Site, and the infinite blue lotus leaves in the West Lake.

Integrating excellent traditional culture, youth creativity, and urban vitality, the Hangzhou Asian Games will surely shine with dazzling youthful brilliance.

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When preparing for the 1990 Beijing Asian Games, due to limited national financial resources, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Asian Games received nearly 200 million donations through fundraising that year, with a total donation amount of 270 million yuan. More than 100000 items of various kinds were donated to the workplace from all over the country, including raincoats from Guangdong, fans from Zhejiang, snacks from Shandong... These were combined by staff to form around 50000 gift bags.

Nowadays, China no longer needs a large-scale sports event to prove itself, and the Asian Games are no longer an event that can be held with the help of the whole nation.

Due to the postponement of the Asian Games, 56 competition venues have been opened to the public after completion, and over 6.6 million people have made reservations to use them. This not only truly showcases a "people-oriented" Asian Games, but also effectively meets the growing demand for public sports facilities and spiritual and cultural needs of the public.

At the 42nd General Assembly of the Asian Olympic Council, newly elected President Sheikh Talal Fahd Sabah expressed his expectations for the Hangzhou Asian Games: "I believe Hangzhou is ready, and this will be an excellent Asian Games."

The surprises that Hangzhou brings to Asia and the world, in addition to the exciting opening and closing ceremonies and competitions, will also appear outside the venue and on the medal table.

If the hosting of the Beijing Asian Games marks China's rise as an economic giant, then the hosting of the Hangzhou Asian Games will not only reflect China's economic strength in the new era, but also become an important stop for China to implement the new development concept and promote high-quality development.

Today's China is not only the China of China, but also the China of Asia and the world. The door to China's opening up will only continue to widen. The hosting of the Hangzhou Asian Games will also convey to the world a contemporary image of China with cultural confidence, warmth, introversion, and innovative development, a trustworthy, lovely, and respectable image of China.

Scholar Fei Xiaotong once proposed the proposition of "cultural self-awareness", believing that "only by understanding one's own culture, understanding and being exposed to multiple cultures, can one have the conditions to establish one's position in this emerging multicultural world, and then through independent adaptation, learn from each other's strengths and weaknesses.". Faced with the current unilateralism, protectionism, and anti globalization trends, we urgently need to find our own "cultural consciousness", adhere to exchanges and mutual learning, and continue to write new brilliant civilizations.

The main venue of the Hangzhou Asian Games, the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, is like a uniquely shaped lotus bowl, composed of 28 large petals and 27 small petals, known as the "Big Lotus". The Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Tennis Center, located next to it, is called "Little Lotus". Lotus, a traditional Chinese cultural element, symbolizes openness and hospitality.

The spark of the Hangzhou Asian Games was collected from the Liangzhu Ancient City Site, a civilization holy site that has proven the 5000 year history of Chinese civilization. This symbolizes the light of civilization igniting the flame of the Asian Games and also symbolizes the inheritance, promotion, and inexhaustible continuation of sports spirit.

Looking forward to the blooming of lotus flowers and the eternal light of civilization, the future of China will embrace the world with a more open attitude and contribute to the world with more vibrant cultural achievements.

Commentator of this newspaper