Ignite the sacred fire! The 16th Hubei Games kicks off
2023-04-13 13:04:18
By Chen Si, Yichang International Communication Studio
More than 2,500 Yichang athletes, and 16 thousand people in total, attended the opening ceremony for the 16th Hubei Provincial Sports Games on April 12 at the Yichang Olympic Sports Center Stadium.
Photo by Zhou Xingliang
The event was divided into two parts: the main ceremony and the large-scale cultural show.
As the first part of the ceremony, 30 teams of athletes and judges entered the center one after the other, following the teams holding the National Flag of the PRC and Hubei Provincial Games Flag. Yichang’s team was the last to enter.
Photo by Fu Beibei
The second part of the ceremony was a cultural show. As Yichang is a riverside city, the show focused on the theme of water. The city's long history, boat trackers in Three Gorges area, the Three Gorges Project, and urban landscape featuring mountains and water, were all highlighted throughout the performance.
The opening ceremony concluded with the torch lighting. In the form of a spiral with a top displaying the sun prototype, the tower is modeled after the “Sun-god” pattern stone carving of early Chinese relics excavated in Yichang.
A total of six people, all from Hubei Province, were on hand during the torch lighting relay. The group consisted of five Olympic champions and two Yichang natives.
The last to go in the torch relay was Yichang’s Olympic badminton champion Zhao Yunlei. After receiving the torch, she ran and lifted the flame lighting the main torch tower of the 16th Hubei Games, marking the start of the event.
Photo by Fu Beibei
Throughout the opening ceremony, elements full of Yichang's regional characteristics such as Qu Yuan (c. 340 B.C. – 278 B.C.), Wang Zhaojun (c. 52 B. C. – 19 B. C.), boat tracking, the Qing River, the Three Gorges Dam and pianos were represented.
Modern technology equipped the stadium with a 114-meter-high imaging surface, virtual reality, human-screen interaction and multi-dimensional presentation to incorporate both culture and sports.
This year's games are divided into three categories consisting of 111 major games and 2,108 minor games: youth sports, mass sports, and social clubs. The total number of participants is expected to reach more than 30 thousand, making it the most compared with previous provincial games.
More than 2,500 Yichang athletes, and 16 thousand people in total, attended the opening ceremony for the 16th Hubei Provincial Sports Games on April 12 at the Yichang Olympic Sports Center Stadium.
Photo by Zhou XingliangAs the first part of the ceremony, 30 teams of athletes and judges entered the center one after the other, following the teams holding the National Flag of the PRC and Hubei Provincial Games Flag. Yichang’s team was the last to enter.
Photo by Fu BeibeiThe second part of the ceremony was a cultural show. As Yichang is a riverside city, the show focused on the theme of water. The city's long history, boat trackers in Three Gorges area, the Three Gorges Project, and urban landscape featuring mountains and water, were all highlighted throughout the performance.
Photo by He Nengchun
The opening ceremony concluded with the torch lighting. In the form of a spiral with a top displaying the sun prototype, the tower is modeled after the “Sun-god” pattern stone carving of early Chinese relics excavated in Yichang.
A total of six people, all from Hubei Province, were on hand during the torch lighting relay. The group consisted of five Olympic champions and two Yichang natives.
The last to go in the torch relay was Yichang’s Olympic badminton champion Zhao Yunlei. After receiving the torch, she ran and lifted the flame lighting the main torch tower of the 16th Hubei Games, marking the start of the event.
Photo by Fu BeibeiModern technology equipped the stadium with a 114-meter-high imaging surface, virtual reality, human-screen interaction and multi-dimensional presentation to incorporate both culture and sports.
Photo by Fu Beibei
