The 9th Asian Winter Games were officially opened on Friday evening with a festive ceremony highlighting the snow and ice culture of the host city Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.
Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the Games open in front of 8,000 spectators at the Harbin International Conference, Exhibition and Sports Center.
Also attending were International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, Vice President of the Olympic Council of Asia Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, and South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik.
The national flag of China was escorted into the venue and raised at the ceremony to the playing of China's national anthem.
Sports delegations from the 34 participating countries and regions entered the arena in alphabetical order based on their national or regional Olympic Committee names.
As the host nation, the 257-member Chinese delegation, including 170 athletes, was the last to enter, with star speed skater Ning Zhongyan and young freeskier Liu Mengting serving as the nation's flagbearers.
The opening ceremony reached its climax when four torchbearers - two-time Olympic champion and short track speed skater Yang Yang, China's first male Winter Olympic gold medalist and freestyle skier Han Xiaopeng, Olympic race walk champion Wang Zhen, and Sochi Winter Olympics speed skating champion Zhang Hong - joined by children holding ice lanterns, lit the lilac-shaped cauldron at the opening ceremony's sub-venue, Harbin Ice and Snow World, the world's largest ice and snow theme park.
The creative program in the colorful opening ceremony offered a glimpse of Harbin's unique winter charm, including its landmarks, local cultural elements and its winter sports tradition. It also depicted an inspiring story of a little girl's winter sports journey, featuring predominantly young college performers, highlighting the growing passion for ice and snow sports in China, while also reflecting the wider winter sports movement across Asia.
Running from Feb 7 to 14 and held under the theme "Dream of Winter, Love among Asia", this year's edition of the Games is set to be the largest ever in terms of overall participation, with over 1,200 competitors from 34 countries and regions competing in 64 events across 11 winter sports disciplines.
This is the third time the regional games are being held in China, and it marks Harbin's second time as host after the city previously staged the event back in 1996. It is also the first major international ice and snow event held in China since the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
9th Asian Winter Games open in China's "ice city" of Harbin
9th Asian Winter Games open in China's "ice city" of Harbin
9th Asian Winter Games open in China's "ice city" of Harbin
The Chinese animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 began preview screenings in London on Friday ahead of its official release in the country and Ireland on March 21, attracting excited crowds to watch the film in advance.
The film made its debut in the UK at London's BFI IMAX, home to the country's largest IMAX screen and is scheduled to screen in over 250 cinemas of 100 cities across the UK and Ireland during the first week of release.
The film's Europe-wide distributor, Trinity CineAsia, announced that it has acquired theatrical distribution rights for Ne Zha 2 across 37 countries in Europe, including the UK, Ireland, and Germany. This scale of film release is exceptionally rare in the history of overseas distribution for Chinese-language films, reflecting the strong confidence of local cinemas in the movie's market potential.
"The fact that it is here and, you know, that we are getting a lot more influx of films from all across Asia from China, South Korea, Japan, South Asia as well. I think it's really good to kind of like widen the palate, because we all want to escape our little cinematic bubble and see what the rest of the world has to offer," said Jack Martin, a film reviewer, in an interview with the China Central Television (CCTV).
"Ne Zha 2" has shattered global box office records to become the No. 1 box office animated film of all times and also the first non-Hollywood production to crack the global all-time top 10 box office chart.
Rooted in 16th-century Chinese mythology with a bold reinterpretation, the movie has attracted attention of global audiences with its stunning visuals, well-crafted storytelling, and deep cultural heritage.
"And I think all these elements show that Ne Zha 2 is both a film that's modern, but also has its roots in something very deep and very ancient," said Cedric Behrel, managing director of Trinity CineAsia, in an interview with the CCTV.
Many audiences attending the preview screening in London have shared their thoughts about the movie in interviews with the CCTV.
"It was moving like heartwarming. Yes, I'll go home now and talk to it to all my friends," said a moviegoer.
"I thought that the humor of the film was really great, but it balances so perfectly with some of the more dramatic and heartfelt moments of it. And yeah, I really, really enjoyed it. And the language barrier was not a problem at all," said another moviegoer.
"We might not speak the same language, but at its heart is a very universal theme of friendship and just trying to do right in the world. And I think that a lot of people really resonate with that. I can see why it's done so well in China already," said Jack Martin.
James Smith, an social media influencer, shared his views about the movie in Chinese language during the interview. He thought the movie can serve as a bridge for foreigners to understand Chinese culture.
"I watched Ne Zha, the 2019 box office hit, in China. When I heard that its sequel was set to debut in the UK today, I rushed to the cinema to see it. It's definitely a great movie, filled with humor, touching moments, and encouragement. My friends often ask me how they can better understand China, because they think I know something about the country. I would say that you can watch the Ne Zha 2, as I believe it's a great film and through which you can learn something about Chinese culture," he said.
Ne Zha 2 begins preview screenings in London, captivating local audiences
