Photo: Cui Meng/GT

A sparkling record started spinning on the phonograph with the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games logo imprinted in the center of the stage, marking the beginning of the closing ceremony held on Sunday, with other Chinese elements to share "warm memories" with the world.

It is time to say goodbye, but with cherished memories about the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, saying farewell to the city and the grand sports event is difficult, as many netizens commented on social media platforms.

The stunning opening and closing ceremonies of the Games are one of the highlights of these cherished memories. The closing ceremony held on Sunday also contained diverse Chinese elements conveying a message of warmth and Chinese-style romance.

A phonograph appearing on the stage at the beginning impressed spectators. With the laser engraving, the edge of the phonograph gradually revealed the outlines of the six sports of the Winter Paralympic Games, while wonderful images of the nine days of competitions emerged in the phonograph.

Zhang Yimou, chief director of the ceremony, compared the phonograph with the willow twigs at the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics, saying that the phonograph is a symbol of recorded human memories, according to China Central Television.

Time was another significant concept that was emphasized on the closing ceremony. In the center of the stage, 13 sets of timpani were arranged in a circle to form the face of a clock. The powerful drums beat like the pulse of the athletes.

Sixty performers started to move the clock's hands, and symbols including traditional Chinese representations of heaven and earth and the 24 solar terms were gradually revealed.

"Installing the huge vinyl players design is not all just about taking its creative shape. It delivers a very typical Chinese nostalgic feeling that China will always store and keep the nice memories about the Games, like a piece of art that has value regardless of time," Zhang Xiao, a stage designer in Shenzhen, told the Global Times on Monday. 

"The full-size round shape also appeared to be a very classic element in stage design. The 'circle' is very much a visual element preferred by us Chinese to suggest 'harmony' and 'unity,' when it was designed on stage against the dark background. It brings a moment of calm for all of us to review the nice times [of the Beijing 2022 Games]," Zhang added. 

As the phonograph rolled across the landscape, a troupe of girls with visual impairments took the stage to play violins, and with their flow, the torch for the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games was extinguished.

After watching the closing ceremony, most Chinese netizens expressed their reluctance to say farewell to the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. "I have begun to miss Bing Dwen Dwen and Shuey Ryon Ryon. I will keep the memory all the time and wait for the next time," a Sina Weibo user commented.

A university student and volunteer in Beijing said on Monday that he will forever remember the 50-day experience of serving the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games.