What wonderful stories has China told to the outside world during the three Asian Games?

As the opening date of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou approaches, Hangzhou, an ancient city on the banks of the Qiantang River, is showing itself to Asia and the world with a new look. Athletes from all over Asia will embark on an unforgettable journey here with passion, confidence and hope.

The Asian Games is also a cultural event, when the competition on the field is fixed, the cultural charm and wonderful moments contained in the Asian Games are also shining. From the 1990 Beijing Asian Games, to the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, and then to the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, the Asian Games came to China three times and forged an indissoluble bond with China, and the Asian Games stories are more worthy of people's taste and memory.

　　▲On September 18, the opening ceremony drill of the Hangzhou Asian Games was held in Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center, Zhejiang, and the brilliant light show lit up the night sky. (Photo from China News Agency)

One

Seventy-two years ago, when the first Asian Games were held in New Delhi, India, in 1951, the new China was not yet able to form a decent delegation. When the time entered the 70s of the 20th century, Chinese athletes finally stood on the stage of the Asian Games with their heads held high.

In 1974, in Tehran, Iran, Chinese shooter Su Zhibo used his last shot to write China's new history at the Asian Games - the first gold medal of the Asian Games. At that Asian Games, the Chinese Legion won 33 gold medals, sending a strong signal to the world that a sports power is about to rise.

At the 1978 Asian Games in Bangkok, the total number of gold medals for the Chinese team rose to 51. Chinese sports began the journey of "rushing out of Asia and going to the world" and rapidly grew into an important force in the international sports arena.

The 1982 New Drian Games was another milestone in China's sports history. That year, for the first time, the Chinese team surpassed the Japanese team, which had dominated the leaderboard, to occupy the top spot in the gold medal table of the Asian Games. The landscape of Asian sports has since been reshaped, and China has started its leading role in the Asian Games.

At the subsequent 1986 Asian Games in Seoul, the South Korean team and the Chinese team competed fiercely in the gold medal table. It wasn't until the last day that the Chinese track and field team crossed the line first in the men's 4×100m competition, allowing the Chinese team to surpass South Korea's 93 with 94 gold medals.

From the official competition to the top of Asia, the Chinese team not only maintained the first gold medal in the Asian Games for 10 consecutive years, but also left behind the former Asian sports overlord Japan. It was through the stage of the Asian Games that Chinese gradually felt the charm of competitive sports and experienced the truth that a strong national movement is a strong sport.

Two

"In our Asia, mountains are high heads; In Asia, the river flows like blood..." 33 years ago, the penetrating singing voice of "Asian Heroes" sounded in the Beijing Workers' Stadium, and the 11th Asian Games in Beijing kicked off under the watch.

To this day, "Asian Heroes" still evokes Chinese strongest memory of the Asian Games – the first international multi-sport event that Chinese ushered in on his doorstep.

The mascot of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics "Bingdundun" also became the "top stream" for a time, just like the "panpan". During the 11th Asian Games in Beijing, the running mascot "Panpan" with a gold medal covered almost every corner of people's daily lives. At that time, the streets and alleys of many cities could see this giant panda holding a gold medal in his left hand and praising with his right hand, and even many children's dream was to go to Beijing to watch the Asian Games and take photos with "Panpan". The most vivid images in this memory also include the Tibetan girl Dawa Yangzong, who collected the Asian Games flame at the foot of the Nianqing Tanggula Mountain, and the 1 yuan and 6 dimes donated by the little girl Yan Haixia.

The 11th Asian Games in Beijing is not only an Asian Games, but also a demonstration of national strength and the will of the people. This determination and confidence has also inspired the courage of Chinese athletes. In the arena, they have the courage to challenge, surpass themselves, and create miracles with hard work. In the end, the Chinese delegation won 183 gold medals. It wasn't until 20 years later, when China was once again the host, that the gold medal record was broken.

Three

In 2010, the Asian Games came to China again. The host of this competition is the city of Guangzhou.

At that time, the Beijing Olympic Games had just been successfully held, and Guangzhou would show the world what kind of China it was most concerned about.

Chen Wei, chief director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Guangzhou Asian Games, once told reporters that in 2008, the Beijing Olympics unfolded a picture axis to show the world the broad and profound Chinese culture; The 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou raised eight sails on the Pearl River, showing the Chinese style, but also indicating that China's giant ship is setting sail to the center of the world stage.

The opening ceremony of the Asian Games in Guangzhou abandoned the tradition of holding in the stadium and instead presented it in Haixinsha on the Pearl River. On that illuminated night, the scene of athlete representatives from 45 Asian countries and regions cruising along the Pearl River into the opening ceremony venue is still talked about today.

At the 11th Asian Games in Beijing, it took 15 minutes to sort out the results and publish the results in the press center at the small printing house dedicated to the Asian Organizing Committee. In Guangzhou, it only takes less than 10 seconds for the results of the competition to be confirmed by the referee to be uploaded to the official website of the Asian Games and released to the world. The 90-fold acceleration is a leapfrog development of science and technology between the two Asian Games.

If the 11th Asian Games in Beijing encapsulates the figure of a developing country forging ahead in the reform and opening up, the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou highlights the new image of an Eastern power with extensive influence in the world.

Four

In 2018, when the 18th Jakarta Asian Games came to an end, the Asian Games officially entered "Hangzhou time". After careful preparation, an Asian Games full of the four characteristics of "green, intelligent, thrifty and civilized" will be presented to the world.

Over the past 49 years, from the first time to the first time to the first time to the third time as the host, China and the Asian Games have embraced each other and grown together. China's Asian Games trajectory highlights the changes in Chinese sports and Chinese society.

After 49 years, the arena is still exciting, but the landscape of Chinese sports has expanded from the arena to a larger field.

The 49-year-old flame has witnessed the profound changes in China's view of sports and the diversified exploration of sports values. At the time of the opening of the Hangzhou Asian Games, national fitness has been elevated to a national strategy. Venues, parks and even homes are vivid portrayals of "Healthy China". At present, the total number of people in China who regularly participate in physical exercise is more than 400 million, and a "large group" pattern led by the government, coordinated by multiple departments and participated by the whole society has initially taken shape.

In the deepening reform and comprehensive transformation, China's sports are stepping out of the era of competitive sports and embarking on the track of coordinated development of competitive sports, national fitness and sports industry. When sports begin to truly play multiple functions in the social, economic, cultural and diplomatic fields, the dream of a sports power is converging into the torrent of the Chinese dream. (End) (Original title: Three Asian Games, drawing the trajectory of China's vigorous development of sports)

Reporter/Wang Dong