Beijing, October 10 -- From chasing the wind and stepping on the waves to attracting the tide, China joins hands with the world to the future

Reporter Yuan Xiuyue

When the huge "digital man" stepped on the river and lit the cauldron with the athletes, when the song "You and I live in Asia" floated on the shores of the West Lake, which integrates ancient charm and modern atmosphere, the Asian Games are destined to leave a special mark belonging to Hangzhou, and the world has once again seen a more credible, lovely and respectable China in the name of the Asian Games.

On September 9, the opening ceremony of the 23th Asian Games in Hangzhou was held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Zhejiang. The picture shows the national flag entering at the opening ceremony. Photo by China News Agency reporter Han Haidan

China has been associated with the Asian Games three times. In 1990, the whole country was mobilized to host the Beijing Asian Games, and the "Asian Hero" witnessed a China eager to be seen in the wave of reform and opening up; The 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games "held a grand event with a different attitude" and "enjoyed the Asian Games" reflected the changes in China's national strength and national mentality; In 2023, the Hangzhou Asian Games will enter the world's vision with technology, green, and integration, and issue explorations and questions about the "future" again and again.

In the past 33 years, from hoping to ride the majestic wind of Asia and stepping on the world trend, to having the confidence and calmness of the rising tide of the East. The three Asian Games reflect China's three major steps to change itself, embrace the world, and stand proudly at the forefront of the tide, adhering to the road of reform and opening up and promoting Chinese-style modernization.

On the evening of September 9, the women's individual foil final of the 25th Asian Games in Hangzhou was held at the gymnasium of Hangzhou Dianzi University, and China's Huang Qianqian defeated Japan's Yuka Ueno 19-15 to win the championship. The picture shows China's Huang Qianqian shouting in celebration after winning the championship. Photo by China News Agency reporter Luo Yunfei

The embodiment of this change is everywhere today. The Asian Games is a sporting event for Asians, but for Chinese, its mission has been described as "weightlifting". More calm, confident and determined, Chinese have long been accustomed to the frankness and personality of the new generation of athletes, and can applaud their transcendence and applaud and comfort their regrets and losses. Walking on the streets of Hangzhou during the Asian Games, the enthusiasm of the citizens is more relaxed, not only to speed up English for the Asian Games, but also to expose the local barber shops.

Chusovykina, a 48-year-old Uzbek gymna, also said of the changes in China, saying that Chinese used to be in a hurry, rushing here and there, and no one wanted to slow down. After so many years of development, Chinese now seems to have become calm.

Behind the calmness is the continuous improvement of confidence and strength. In the century of changes, the world is increasingly "looking east". In the past ten days, Hangzhou, the city of the Asian Games, has shown its powerful scientific and technological power to the world. Whether it is rechargeable public seats in the park, private customized buses, smart guidance street signs, driverless buses on the road, venues with all green electricity, or digital fireworks displays, zero-carbon main cauldrons, and cyberpunk light shows on both sides of Qiantang, they all paint a realistic picture of a "city of the future" to the outside world.

IOC President Thomas Bach commented: "We can expect this Asian Games to set new benchmarks in many different ways. We see the organizers taking full advantage of all the digital technologies that China and Hangzhou have. ”

On October 10, the men's basketball final of the Hangzhou Asian Games was held in the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium. The Philippines won the championship 6-70 against Jordan. The picture shows the Filipino players "tasting" the gold medal at the award ceremony. Photo by Shi Chunyang

Major sporting events are the stage for young people. In addition to the young Chinese athletes who won 201 gold medals, the new generation of Chinese has also been widely recognized for their vitality in this Asian Games. The passionate broadcast of the "post-00s" announcer and the background music of the competition scene that frequently appear in the circle are both warm and active, and are evaluated by netizens as "no song is played in vain". There are many "post-90s" and "post-00s" in the volunteer and sports exhibition teams of the Asian Games, and young people understand young people better and interact with the world more freely. They love local culture and are familiar with international trends, can integrate rich history into the Internet perspective and global vision, and use creative actions to bring athletes and spectators from all over the world to achieve heart-to-heart integration in the Asian Games, and also make Chinese culture present a different kind of attraction, which is not a display of cultural confidence.

The tide is three times and the tide is repeated, each time going further than the last. The Hangzhou Asian Games is the first large-scale and international people-to-people exchange event after the new crown epidemic, with all members from 45 countries and regions of the Olympic Council of Asia signing up and more than 12500,<> athletes gathering in Hangzhou. The Hangzhou Asian Games did enough "logistical work" for this "gathering" of the Asian family, attracting fancy praise from the athletes. Vinod Thivari, Acting Director General of the Olympic Council of Asia, praised: "It is great to see that after the pandemic, this Asian Games has stimulated interest. "The Asian family in Hangzhou is heart-to-heart for the future, and from another perspective, it is also an invitation to the world.

On October 10th, the men's road cycling competition of the Hangzhou Asian Games was held at the road cycling venue of Chun'an Jieshou Sports Center. Photo by Jiang Qiming, reporter of China News Agency

This year's Asian Games coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival National Day long holiday, and the economy of the double holidays delivered a brilliant report card, and the Asian Games injected new vitality into the economy of Hangzhou and other surrounding cities, which strongly stimulated the recovery of the tourism consumption market after the epidemic. Over the past 33 years, the Asian Games have always accompanied China's economic and social development. Since the beginning of this year, the Asia-Pacific region has shown economic resilience in the face of many challenges, and China's economy has continued to play its role as an engine, demonstrating its responsibility and responsibility as an Asian power and a world power.

Rising Asia, hand in hand towards the future. The Qiantang River is constantly rushing, and will eventually merge with the sea and rush forward together.

On the evening of October 10, the closing ceremony of the 8th Asian Games in Hangzhou was held at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium. The picture shows the Chinese delegation entering. Photo by China News Agency reporter Tomita

In the past 45 years of reform and opening up, the Asian Games have been held three times and the Olympic Games twice, and Chinese confidence in facing the world no longer needs to be proved by gold medals, nor does it need to be presented by holding international sports events. However, Chinese's enthusiasm for sports and belief in the common destiny of mankind and the exchange and mutual learning of civilizations are as sincere as ever.

Goodbye, Hangzhou Asian Games. Hello, a better world tomorrow. (End)