Over 5,000 artists open national games of ethnic minorities in Sanya

The opening ceremony of the 12th National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities of the People's Republic of China is held on Nov 22 evening in Sanya, Hainan province. Photo by WEI XIAOHAO/CHINA DAILY

The opening ceremony of the 12th National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities of the People's Republic of China featured more than 5,000 artists performing in front of 35,000 people on Friday evening in Sanya, Hainan province, said Zhou Chunhua, head of the major events department and news and publicity department of the games' organizing committee, at a media briefing in Sanya on Friday night.

Sha Xiaolan, chief director of the opening and closing ceremonies, said each segment of the opening ceremony featured symbolic elements such as the Chinese knot, ornate pillars, and concentric circles. The performance also highlighted the cultural characteristics of the Hainan province, particularly Sanya, and integrated them with the unique aspects of the games, aiming to offer the audience a refreshing audiovisual experience, he added.

Executive producer Wu Yan said the creative team for the opening ceremony employed interactive lighting techniques throughout the Sanya Baopo International Sports Center, transforming the venue into a multidimensional ethnic concentric circle. "The audience could feel the rhythm of the lights, enhanced by drone and AR effects, creating a vast visual representation of the sea and stars," she said.

The 12th National Traditional Games of Ethnic Minorities of the People's Republic of China, whose planning began in early 2022, is the highest-level and largest-scale comprehensive sports event held in Hainan before the independent customs operations of the Hainan Free Trade Port in 2025.

The games, which run from Nov 22 to Nov 30, include 17 competitive events and three types of performance events. They showcase a variety of traditional ethnic sports, including archery skills, bamboo kayaking, and other events such as pearl ball, shuttlecock kicking, and firework catching. For the first time, the sport of coconut tree climbing, inspired by the daily lives of the Li and Miao ethnic groups in Hainan, also feature.

Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions send delegations for the first time to participate in various events and the opening ceremony. The Hong Kong delegation, consisting of 112 members, will compete in shuttlecock kicking, traditional martial arts, and dragon boat racing, as well as perform in the dragon dance event. The Macao delegation, comprising 49 members, will compete in traditional martial arts and perform in the lion dance event.

The closing ceremony will continue the joyous and delightful atmosphere established during the opening ceremony, with a focus on expressing the emotions of farewell, said Wu Yan.