Zhong Hua on: Go to the Covenant of Ice and Snow to Create a Better Future - Written on the occasion of the opening of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, February 2 Title: Go to the Covenant of Ice and Snow to Create a Better Future -- Written on the occasion of the opening of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics

Zhong Hua theory

When dreams shine into reality, history will engrave this heavy stroke.

On February 4, the day of spring, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics will kick off, and the Olympic fire will be lit again in the "Bird's Nest".

It was a hard-won covenant of ice and snow. Through the wind and snow, stepping through guanshan, breaking through the haze of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the Beijing Winter Olympics has been moving towards spring.

This is an Olympic event that belongs to all mankind. Sunny, prosperous, open and full of hope, China is opening its arms to welcome guests from all over the world and share the glory and dream of the Olympic Games.

The snow reflects the clear sky, the sky is full of glory, the glory of Shenzhou, the earth is spring. In the historical coordinates of the new era, the Dream of the Winter Olympics meets the Chinese Dream, and the new journey surges with new impetus, let us go to the future together!

(i)

"We will honor our promise to present the world with a simple, safe and wonderful Olympic event." On January 25, President Xi Jinping confidently declared when meeting with IOC President Bach.

Unforgettable, on July 31, 2015, before the International Olympic Committee voted on the ownership of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, President Xi Jinping's strong and powerful voice resounded throughout the venue: "I believe that if you choose Beijing, Chinese people will be able to dedicate a wonderful, extraordinary and outstanding Winter Olympic Games to the world in Beijing!" ”

The promise of a great power is as heavy as Mount Tai; the words of a great power must be carried out. After more than 6 years of meticulous preparations and more than 2,000 days and nights of hard work, the preparations for the Beijing Winter Olympics have been fully prepared, and China has not failed the world in the new era.

The holding of the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games is a major decision made by the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core to take charge of the overall situation of the great rejuvenation strategy of the Chinese nation and the unprecedented changes in the world in a hundred years, focus on realizing the goal of "two hundred years", a major landmark event held at an important historical node on the mainland, and an important opportunity to show the national image, promote national development, and invigorate the national spirit.

From proposing the concept of "green, shared, open and clean" to clarifying the requirements of "simple, safe and wonderful" running the Olympic Games; from proposing the goal of "driving 300 million people to participate in ice and snow sports" to promote the construction of a sports power and a healthy China, to emphasizing the overall prevention and control of the epidemic and organizing events, and guiding all localities to hand over the two excellent answer sheets for the preparation of the Winter Olympic Games and local development... General Secretary Xi Jinping personally planned and personally promoted the bidding and preparation of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, made five field visits to prepare for the Games, and made important instructions and instructions many times, continuously injecting strong ideological and action forces into the successful operation of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

In the unremitting efforts of "hurrying up early and not late", the "Winter Olympic Blueprint" has become a reality step by step, all 12 competition venues have been completed ahead of schedule, 3 Winter Olympic villages have been delivered and used as scheduled, the Beijing-Zhang high-speed railway and the Beijing-Li high-speed highway have been opened to traffic, and the number of participants in ice and snow sports in the country has reached 346 million people... Bach can't help but sigh: "Despite the impact of the epidemic, the preparations for the Winter Olympics are progressing very smoothly, which is almost a miracle!" ”

This Chinese miracle, which has impressed the world, is the result of the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, the scientific guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era, and the result of the unity and struggle of hundreds of millions of Chinese people.

(ii)

From the Summer Olympic Games to the Winter Olympic Games, China's love affair with the Olympic Games has been constantly written, and the Chinese nation's pursuit of dreams has never stopped.

In 1917, the young Mao Zedong exclaimed: "The constitution of the nation is becoming lighter and thinner, and this phenomenon is even more worrying." In the years when mountains and rivers were broken and poor and weak, whether it was the deafening "Olympic Three Questions" issued by the Chinese people, or the lonely figure of Liu Changchun at the Los Angeles Olympic Games, they all told the bumps and helplessness of the old Chinese Olympic road. After the founding of New China, the Communist Party of China led the people in tenacious struggle, and the once-distant Olympic dream became a reality. From the first time the five-star red flag was raised at the Olympic venue in 1952 to the "zero breakthrough" of China's Olympic gold medal in 1984; from the realization of the dream of the 2008 Centennial Olympic Games to 2022, when Beijing became the only "city of the two Olympic Games" in the world - the history of Chinese people participating in the Olympic Games, bidding for the Olympic Games, and preparing for the Olympic Games, it is a vivid epitome of the Chinese nation ushering in a great leap from standing up and getting rich to becoming strong, and it is a profound interpretation of the Chinese people winning the historical initiative and strengthening their historical self-confidence.

Ice and snow dance, the vicissitudes of the right path. Coming from the depths of history and running towards a better future, the Beijing Winter Olympics provide a colorful new window for reading China. President Shahid of the 76th session of the Un General Assembly said that the Beijing Winter Olympics "showed the best side of China".

This is the vigorous atmosphere of China's development and progress in the new era. Answering the comprehensive examination paper of national strength in preparing for the Winter Olympics, "Made in China" has shown great skill, scientific research personnel have bravely climbed the peak, craftsmen in big countries have made unremitting efforts to improve, various reforms have been deepened, opening up and cooperation have flourished, and the Chinese people are confident and tolerant, and they are full of vigor, a vivid scene of tigers roaring and dragons rising!

This is the boldness of a big country that overcomes difficulties. The preparation for the Beijing Winter Olympics is not only facing the severe challenges of the epidemic, but also facing the countercurrent of the politicization of sports, as well as the endless emergence of new problems and new situations. "How can you get plum blossoms without a chill to the bone?" Under the strong leadership of the party, the Chinese and the people are racing against time and difficulties, and all parties have made concerted efforts to ensure that the Beijing Winter Olympics will be held as scheduled, fully demonstrating the remarkable advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and boldly declaring that no force can stop the Chinese people from realizing their dreams.

This is an elegant and broad civilization charm. Reading the Beijing Winter Olympics, one after another "Chinese-style romance" bloomed wonderfully: the sports icon of "Little Red Man" originated from the peak of seal engraving art "Hanyin", the torch relay tinder lamp shape was inspired by the "China's first lamp" Western Han Dynasty Changxin Palace lamp, the design of the National Ski Jumping Center "Snow Ruyi" borrowed from the traditional cultural symbol "Ruyi", the courtyard landscape of the Winter Olympic Village created a classical garden mood of "stepping on snow and looking for plums", just like the medals of concentric circles and jade bi contain the pursuit of the world's unity... When the Chinese knot and the five Olympic rings shine together, when Chinese culture and Olympic culture coexist, there is an encounter between beauty and commonality in the world.

(iii)

"From the Beijing Winter Olympics, we can see China's future." After witnessing the preparations for the Winter Olympics, many foreign media reporters expressed such feelings. The Beijing Winter Olympics is not only a "covenant of ice and snow", but also a reflection of the "covenant of development" between China and the future.

This agreement conveys the temperature of "people first". Riding on the "east wind" of the Winter Olympics, the mainland ice and snow sports play the "song of the four seasons", press the "fast-forward button", the national fitness is widely carried out, the people care about the "where to go to fitness" and other problems are being solved, and sports play an increasingly important role in the healthy growth of young people... The development of sports is ultimately to continuously meet the needs of the people for a better life and promote the health of the whole people and the all-round development of people.

"The Communist Party is all about doing things for the people, that is, to make the people's lives better day by day, and to live better and better every year." On the eve of the Spring Festival, General Secretary Xi Jinping braved the severe cold of the wind and snow to come to Linfen City, Shanxi Province, to send the concern and condolences of the Party Central Committee to the villagers. Whether it is the Olympic arena or the development examination field, the Chinese Communists have always adhered to the people-centered approach and achieved with practical actions that "what the people are worried about, I will read; what the people hope, I will do."

This agreement polishes the background of green development. The National Aquatics Center has explored the energy-saving scheme of "water ice conversion", the Yanqing Competition Area has practiced the design concept of "Mountain Forest Venues and Ecological Winter Olympics", 100% of the conventional energy of all venues during the games uses green electricity, and all the newly built venues have formulated a post-game utilization plan... Known as the "greenest", the Beijing Winter Olympics vividly interpreted the concepts of "green water and green mountains are golden mountains and silver mountains" and "ice and snow are also golden mountains and silver mountains", and painted a moving picture of ecological priority, green and low carbon to the world.

This agreement surges with the vitality of innovation and creation. Advanced carbon dioxide transcritical direct cold ice technology lays the "fastest ice", the localization of high vanadium closed cable weaves a "solid net", the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence technology have created a "smart pavilion", and the robot "chef" cooks "hearty meals" for people... A series of dazzling "black technology" shows the "futuristic sense" of the Winter Olympics, showing the imagination space and infinite charm of innovation and development.

This agreement has opened up the meridians of regional development. In recent years, under the strong guidance of the preparation for the Beijing Winter Olympics, the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei has run out of "acceleration", and a picture of the development of the same frequency resonance and concentric synergy is unfolding: complementary industrial development, joint construction and sharing of public services, joint prevention and joint management of the regional environment, Beijing-Zhang accelerated the construction of a "one-hour life circle", and pragmatic cooperation has enabled Chongli people to hold up the "snow rice bowl" at their doorstep and live an increasingly prosperous life...

Some people say that the best way to predict the future is to create the future. The future has come, in the shining light of the new development concept, in the figure of every strivers.

(iv)

"The most important thing about the Olympics is not victory, but participation; just as the most important thing in life is not success, but struggle". Coubertin once explained the Olympic spirit in this way. The process of running the Beijing Winter Olympics well is precisely the successful practice of the new Olympic motto of "faster, higher, stronger - more united", and the fusion of the Chinese national spirit and the Olympic spirit is stirred in the land of Shenzhou and in the hearts of the Chinese people.

There is a kind of responsibility called perseverance: in the lofty mountains, the builders braved the low temperature of minus 40 degrees Celsius, gnawed down the "hard bones" in the implementation of the project, and carved out the magnificent posture of "Snow Flying Swallow"; there is a kind of strength called hard work: on the training ground, athletes sweat and fight hard for the wonderful performance on the field; there is a kind of inheritance called dedication: from the "Bird's Nest Generation" to the "Ice New Generation", the volunteers completed a blood-boiling youth relay...

Ice and snow are like mirrors, reflecting the eternal spirit. Looking back at the extraordinary course of preparing for the Beijing Winter Olympics, the great creative spirit, the great spirit of struggle, the great spirit of unity, and the great dream spirit of the Chinese people are surging forward, glowing with the brilliance of the new era, and accumulating the great power of striving to work together and build dreams together. Running the Beijing Winter Olympics well will greatly enhance national pride, enhance national centripetal force, and gather firm historical self-confidence and majestic strength to achieve the second centenary goal and the Chinese dream of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Not long ago, a video of Xinjiang herders riding horses in the snow to send athletes to the Winter Olympics was screened. On the vast snowy field, people galloped on horseback, and the five-star red flag in their hands was unfurled in the wind. A touch of "Chinese red" is an affectionate blessing and a spiritual inspiration. Victory belongs to every dreamer, glory belongs to every striver!

(5)

"Let the sunshine of hope illuminate mankind" – At the beginning of the new year, President Xi Jinping issued a strong voice of the era of "creating a better world in the post-epidemic era" in his speech at the 2022 World Economic Forum video conference. This is a major issue of common concern to the people of all countries in the world and a major issue that has a bearing on the future and destiny of mankind.

At present, the COVID-19 epidemic is still raging around the world, and various global issues are complex and difficult to solve. Where are human beings going? The countries of the world are not in more than 190 small boats, but in a big boat with a common destiny, and strengthening cooperation and helping each other in the same boat is the only correct way out. As UN Secretary-General António Guterres has said, "The Olympic spirit is a beacon of human solidarity". The "greater unity" advocated by the Olympic Movement is what is most needed in the current era, and the theme slogan of the Beijing Winter Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, "Together to the Future", expresses the common aspirations of all mankind.

Like the warm sunshine in the cold winter, the Beijing Winter Olympics, as the Olympic motto, joined the "more unity" and held the first Winter Olympics, bringing the world together with the spirit of peace, friendship and unity, building a bridge of communication and exchange, and writing a new chapter in promoting the common values of all mankind and building a community with a shared future for mankind. Christopher Dolby, Executive Director of the IOC's Olympic Division, is convinced that this event will show how the world can overcome difficulties and become stronger together.

Unity is strength, and only by advancing together can we have a future. Nearly 3,000 athletes from about 90 countries and regions participated in this Winter Olympics, which is the winter Olympics with the largest number of gold medals. Not long ago, the list of international dignitaries attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and related activities was officially announced. This list reflects the active support and eager expectations of the international community for the Beijing Winter Olympics from one side.

For the first time, the United Nations issued a stamp for the Winter Olympics, engraved with the vision of "sports for peace"; in Cairo, Egypt, words such as "Beijing Winter Olympics" and "Beijing 2022" lit up on the Cairo Tower; at the Confucius Institute of Vocational Education in Ethiopia, students danced the gesture dance of "Together to the Future"; in Milan, Italy, a red lantern ignited people's enthusiasm for "welcoming the Winter Olympics"; at the ice hockey rink in the center of Washington, D.C., "China Red" shone all over the venue, and many spectators sent blessings for the Beijing Winter Olympics... Every flying snowflake is portraying the shape of a dream; every gathering of strength is igniting the flame of hope.

"Wind and rain send spring home, flying snow welcomes spring." The Beijing Winter Olympics coincide with the traditional Chinese New Year festival. Chinese pursue reunion and advocate "home and everything", which is a belief and a strength. From the "small reunion" of every household to the "big reunion" of the Olympic family, the Beijing Winter Olympics will be an important moment, sending a strong signal to the world: unity and overcoming difficulties together, a better future must belong to us!

(6)

From February 2nd to 4th, the torch relay activities of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games were held in Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou. The "Flying" torch will visit the "ancient footprints" of the Chinese nation, appreciate the majesty of the Badaling Great Wall, listen to the tide of the Millennium Grand Canal, enjoy the "Great Rivers and Mountains", and finally come to the "Bird's Nest" to light the main torch of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Fire is a symbol of human civilization. In ancient Chinese mythology, there is a legend of "the Flintstone clan drilling wood for fire", and in ancient Greek mythology, there is also the story of Prometheus taking fire for mankind, all of which convey human beings' pursuit of light and yearning for happiness.

Through the storms of history, the Olympic fire has always been burning. It is the fire of peace and justice, the fire of unity and friendship, the fire of civilization and hope. Gathered under the Olympic flag, athletes exert their passion in the ice and snow, and the people of all countries are working together to move towards a better future!