The production team of the opening ceremony of China's 15th National Games, including performers and the chief director, has offered a peep into the ceremony's diverse cultural elements and main cauldron lighting designs ahead of the grand sports event's inauguration. Scheduled for 20:00 on Sunday, the ceremony will be held at the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center, celebrating the shared roots and unity of Guangdong Province and the neighboring Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions (SARs), and blending the Lingnan culture, including martial arts, lion dance, Yingge dances, and Cantonese opera.
The performers completed their final full-scale rehearsal on Thursday night.
The ceremony consists of three chapters, namely 'Shared Roots,' 'Shared Bonds,' and 'Shared Dreams.'
Themed "Realizing Dreams for the Future," the performance revolves around the idea of "concentric circles," reflecting the joint hosting by Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao.
"There are many innovative designs in the opening ceremony. In martial art performance, in addition to the traditional, awe-inspiring large-scale martial arts performance with thousands of people, there are also some delicate designs like mine, which you may have never seen before, paying homage to classical swordsman films. I think they are very surprising and I'm sure you will like them," said Xie Miao, performer of martial art at the ceremony.
The ceremony will also showcase to the spectators the Yingge dance, a vibrant tradition rooted in south China.
Recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2006, this centuries-old performance is based on the stories of the 108 heroes of Liangshan Mountain from the Chinese classic novel Outlaws of the Marsh.
The youngest member of this 100-people Yingge dance team is only 13 years old, and they will perform in the center position during the performance highlighting Lingnan culture.
"When we first heard that we could participate in the 15th National Games, many of our team members couldn't believe it, Now we can bring our folk culture -- the Yingge dance -- to the stage and show our best to the world," said Yao Hongming, leader of the Yingge dance team.
Lingnan lion dance, with unique regional style of expression, is another important cultural symbol of the Lingnan culture.
"The Lingnan lion dance performance features a total of 100 lions, including the top lion underneath the cauldron and three smaller lions representing Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. The colors orange, pink, and green are the colors of the 15th National Games emblem, expressing the shared destiny among Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao," said Lyu Lina, leader of the Lingnan lion dance performance.
The 15th National Games, the first national sporting event jointly hosted by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, saw its opening ceremony bringing together artistic elites from the three regions.
Famous artists from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao will jointly perform the classic Cantonese Opera "Silver Clouds Chasing the Moon."
"Cantonese Opera is a very representative art form in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, because it was these three places that jointly applied for intangible cultural heritage status for it. The 15th National Games will also be co-hosted by the three regions, so I think Cantonese Opera further represents something that we accomplish together." said Mak Hiu-iao, Cantonese Opera performer.
According to chief director of the opening ceremony Lang Kun, the shared roots and unity of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao will be felt throughout the ceremony.
"The distinctive characteristics of the Greater Bay Area will constantly stand out throughout the ceremony. Since Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao are co-hosting the event, the entire opening ceremony -- from planning and execution to performance -- is a collaborative effort among the three regions. Together, the three regions form the largest 'concentric circle,' and we just take this concept to create the chapters of shared roots, shared bonds and shared dreams. In this way, we can together step into a colorful world," he said.
Lang also promised that the cauldron lighting method this year will be an "unprecedented one".
"The presentation of the cauldron and the method of lighting are something spectators have probably never seen before, or some may get a glimpse somewhere before, but a concentrated display like this is something they've never seen before. Even veteran director Chen Weiya who has worked on the opening and closing ceremonies of many major sporting events said it is unprecedented and will become sensational," he said.
The National Games, held every four years, is China's highest level and largest national multi-sports event. The last edition in 2021 saw over 12,000 athletes compete in the northwestern province of Shaanxi.
Chief director, performers offer a peep into 15th National Games' grand opening
Chief director, performers offer a peep into 15th National Games' grand opening
