The closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games took place at the National Stadium on March 13, 2022. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

On the evening of March 13, with the sound of a violin played by a girl with a visual impairment, as the Heritage Flame of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games was extinguished at the Bird's Nest, a "Date with Snow and Ice" from winter to spring came to a perfect end and became the starting point of a new journey for humanity's ice and snow sports. Through the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the world once again saw a warm Beijing and a responsible China, and showed the turbulent world a beautiful picture of humanity's unity. 

China has fulfilled its solemn promise to stage "two games of equal splendor." If the Beijing Winter Olympic Games changed the world landscape of ice and snow sports, the Beijing Paralympic Winter Games raised the level of Paralympic Winter Games to a new level. Athletes from all over the world and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have highly praised the organization of the Beijing Paralympic Winter Games and the venue services from their own personal experience, and the world's impression that with "China in charge, one can be at ease" has been proved and strengthened once again. All the venues of the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will open to the public after the Games, and the results of the two Games are being extended to all aspects of people's daily life. 

In the Beijing Paralympic Winter Games, the Chinese delegation ranked first in both gold count and overall medal count, its best performance in a Paralympic Winter Games, and highlighting China's unremitting efforts to promote the development of the cause for the disabled. On the field, Chinese Para Alpine skier Sun Hongsheng who lost his arms slid down from the starting point of more than 2,000 meters above sea level; the whole audience gave a standing ovation to Iranian snowboarder Sedigneh Rouzbeh's stumbling "longest 540 meters;" Belgium's 57-year-old Para Alpine skier Linda Le Bon proved to the world that the snow sport is not just for the young. Paralympians from all delegations ushered in the highlight of their lives at the Beijing Paralympic Winter Games, while the wider global community of more than one billion disabled people and humanity as a whole felt the greatness of sportsmanship from the Beijing Paralympic Winter Games.

In the past one month or so, the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have brought so much warmth and touching moments to the world, especially the light of unity and cooperation formed inside and outside the contests. They have brought hope to people who were plagued by the epidemic and injected more confidence into the troubled world. During the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, "unity" has entered deeply into people's hearts. One of the most moving details of the opening and closing ceremonies of the two Games was this repeatedly shown scene: "Small snowflakes" bearing the names of all participating delegations surrounding a giant snowflake-shaped cauldron. Such a scene demonstrates the harmony and unity that can be achieved between different countries and civilizations through joint efforts.

Today, "unity" is becoming more and more precious in this turbulent world. The COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, and not long ago the Ukraine crisis started. At such an important moment, mankind needs unity more than ever. However, we regret to see that some countries are still keen on ganging up and engaging in cliques. They try to divide the world into blocs by ideology, making the international situation already full of uncertainty even more complicated and unstable. As the Olympic events held after "together" was included in the Olympic motto, two Winter Games in Beijing are not only a success for China, but also for the world. They are not only a victory for sports, but also for unity.

At the closing ceremony of the Beijing Paralympic Winter Games, the giant concentric circles were transformed into a classic record spinning slowly on a gramophone, which has played the notes of friendship and love and conveyed the concept of unity and inclusiveness. "Together for a Shared Future" - the light of unity and cooperation formed by the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games will definitely cut through the gloom and storm, as well as light up the future path for mankind to move forward in joint hands.