By Stephanie Li丨SFC, 21st Century Business Herald
As the curtain rises on the 15th National Games at the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center Stadium, the opening ceremony transcends mere sporting fanfare—it stands as a groundbreaking celebration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area’s spirit.
For the first time in the event’s history, the Games are co-hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, infusing the ceremony with profound significance beyond athletic excellence.
Guided by the thematic framework of "Common Roots, Shared Hearts, Joint Dreams," the spectacle weaves a vivid tapestry of Lingnan’s cultural heritage and cutting-edge innovation. It offers audiences an immersive journey that bridges the past and future, blending time-honored traditions with modern ingenuity in every performance.
It is worth mentioning here that China is one of the few countries that organizes such a multi-sport event once every four years. Teams representing different provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities and industrial sectors fight it out for the honor of their sponsors.
The upcoming National Games will be a sports gala that attracts wide attention, in which 36,000 athletes are going to compete for 585 medal events in 57 sports categories. To get a perspective, the Paris Olympics held last year drew 10,500 athletes who competed in 329 medal events representing 32 sports categories.
Of the 57 sports categories in the contention during the National Games, 34 are very much similar to those contested in the Olympic Games. The rest are mostly traditional Chinese sports such as dragon boat racing, wushu and shuttlecock kicking. Another unique thing about these games is that some contests have been held prior to the opening ceremony because there are simply too many events.
At the ceremony’s core lies a seamless fusion of traditional Lingnan culture and state-of-the-art technology. Iconic elements, including dynamic lion dances, graceful Cantonese opera sleeves, thunderous Yingge dances, and intense dragon boat race reenactments, take center stage, but not as static relics. Instead, AI, VR, AR, and holographic projections breathe new life into them, creating a mesmerizing "dialogue between ancient and modern."
Imagine lion dancers leaping into AIGC-generated golden rivers, their movements syncing with virtual splashes that reach the audience; Yingge performers strike wooden sticks as holographic city walls rise around them, while dragon boat races "sail" above the stadium via AR. Even lesser-known intangible cultural heritage—Cantonese embroidery, enamel, and mosaic porcelain—are reimagined through innovative design, revealing Lingnan’s cultural depth.
This fusion embodies the Greater Bay Area’s "daring to be first" spirit. As Chief Director Lang Kun noted, the ceremony aims to showcase Lingnan’s heritage while passing on the bay area’s "people-first" innovative essence. The creative team ensured technology enhances rather than overshadows tradition: lion dance headgear integrates cooling chips with handcrafted bamboo frames, and Yingge facial designs are 3D-scanned before being painted by masters.
Youthful energy and inclusivity define the ceremony, reflecting the Games’ commitment to broad engagement. Over 60% of the 5,000 performers are college students from across the bay area. And the programming embraces "youthful expression” as well, merging symphonies with DJ sets, ballet with wooden cotton petal projections, and street dance with giant Guangdong embroidery backdrops. Cantonese opera, once niche, now claims prime time, drawing cheers as the audience raises phone flashlights, proving traditional culture resonates with younger generations when innovatively presented.
The ceremony is also a powerful symbol of unity, highlighting seamless collaboration between Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao. Iconic landmarks—the Guangzhou Tower, Victoria Harbour, and Ruins of St. Paul’s—blend into the stage design, while the historic torch relay set a precedent: simultaneous runs in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Macao.
Torchbearers—athletes, model workers, frontline staff—carried the flame through city-specific routes, with smart robots, self-driving vehicles, and low-altitude aircraft showcasing technological prowess. The four flames merged in Guangzhou, symbolizing regional unity. The opening’s torch-lighting moment deepens this bond: a Hong Kong cyclist, Macao dragon boat captain, and Guangzhou diver lit the flame from their cities, converging into one in the main stadium.
The 15th National Games opening ceremony offers more than a sporting kickoff. It paints a vivid portrait of the Greater Bay Area, where tradition and innovation coexist, youth and experience collaborate, and unity thrives. Through breathtaking performances, tech innovations, and heartfelt storytelling, it honors the past and paves the way for a shared future. For global audiences, it is an invitation to witness the Greater Bay Area’s dynamism, a region where dreams converge and possibilities are endless.
Editor: LI Yanxia
Host: Stephanie LI
Writer: Stephanie LI
Sound Editor: Stephanie LI
Graphic Designer: ZHENG Wenjing, LIAO Yuanni
Produced by 21st Century Business Herald Dept. of Overseas News.
Presented by SFC
