14th National Games of China kicked off last night...

14th National Games of China kicked off last night in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province

A spectacular opening ceremony and gala performance marked the start of the 14th National Games which will see more than 12,000 athletes participating in 595 events across 54 sports from September 15-27 (more athletes than the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games).

The National Games takes place every 4 years since 1959 and is the successor event of the Chinese National Games which took first place in 1910 during the Qing Dynasty. Before arriving at the 60,000-seat Xi'an Olympic Center Stadium last night, the National Games torch had traveled for 28 days and 14 stops across Shaanxi province relayed by 1,000 torch bearers.

The athletes are representing provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions, the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, the sporting associations of the railway and coal-mining industries, as well as other sports institutions.

The opening ceremony was much dedicated to the ancient culture of Xi'an and Shaanxi province. Xi'an was capital during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). More than 10,000 student volunteers participated in the opening ceremony.

It is the first major sport event in China since the outbreak of COVID19 and strict health and registration measures and procedures are in place. Spectators are allowed providing they are vaccinated and tested negative 72 hours before attending. Face masks are mandatory.

Hong Kong and Macao, along with Guangdong Province, will co-host the 2025 edition of the National Games.

Wishing all athletes, volunteers and visitors wonderful, inspiring and successful Games in Xi'an :-)

#china #chinesesociety #chineseculture #xian #shaanxi #olympicgames