Photo: Cui Meng/GT

The opening ceremony of China's 14th National Games kicked off in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Wednesday. By launching in one of China's most cultural and historically enriched cities, the 2021 National Games opening ceremony had many highlights that combined the spirit of sports with Shaanxi's red and folk cultures. 

China's 14th National Games kick off at Xi'an Olympic Sports Center on Wednesday evening. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

Red culture echoes the spirit of sports 



As Shaanxi Province is known as the birthplace of China's red culture, the opening ceremony combined the promotion of the sports scene with a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). 

The three sections - National Roots, Yan'an Spirit and Chinese Dream - that formed the art performance at the ceremony showed how the resilience, national pride and pursuit of greatness in red culture echoes with the spirit of sportsmanship. 

The first section delved into the country's cultural roots by focusing on the people of ancient China. Performers wearing ancient Chinese costumes interpreted the history of the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC), the capital of which was located in what is today the provincial city of Xianyang near Xi'an, and then moved on to perform beautiful Tang Dynasty (618-907) style dances, as Xi'an, then known as Chang'an, was the prosperous dynasty's capital. 

The Yan'an Spirit recapped the history of the Long March, when Red Army soldiers left their bases and marched forward to break the siege of Kuomintang forces from 1934 to 1936. The section exhibited the resilience and bravery of the CPC and also introduced Yan'an, an old city in northern Shaanxi, seen as the cradle of the Chinese revolution, to the world. 

The highlight of the Chinese Dream was the dance performance Crested Ibis, named after the rare bird that was chosen as the 2021 National Games' mascot. The climax came as the chorus sang a moving rendition of I Love You, China. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends the opening ceremony of the 14th National Games in Shaanxi Province on Wednesday night. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

Local folk art and Olympic stars 

At the ceremony, another highlight that stunned netizens with its "grandeur" was a Qinqiang performance, a type of Chinese folk opera that originated in Shaanxi Province back to the Qin Dynasty and is a national intangible cultural heritage. 

The powerful and distinctive tones and singing styles of the Qinqiang Opera at the ceremony impressed many netizens, who used words such as "grandeur," "diversity of Chinese culture" and "cultural confidence" to describe it. 

"Qinqiang is known for its rugged and down-to-earth sound that comes from local everyday life. This type of 'local art' shows how diverse Chinese folk arts are, and showing it on such a big stage also defines our cultural confidence," Wang Xueying, a cultural observer, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

Besides amazing performances, many Chinese Olympic champions took part in the ceremony such as China's history-making sprinter Su Bingtian, the much liked table tennis gold medalist Ma Long as well as Yang Qian, and the Chinese sport shooter who won China its first gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games.