Ice and fire combine to stir the emotions

The highly anticipated opening ceremony of the Asian Winter Games was short, but spectacular.

The weather was extremely cold, but everyone involved felt the warmth and passion.

"It created a unique contrast by placing the lighting ceremony at the world's largest ice and snow theme park, allowing the audience to feel warmth and vigor in the midst of the ice and snow," Zhou Wei, deputy director of the ceremonies and events department of the Games' organizing committee said at a news conference that followed the opening ceremony on Friday.

The design of the cauldron, in the shape of a blooming lilac flower, was selected from 32 design proposals and was completed by a team from the Academy of Arts and Design at Tsinghua University.

"They drew inspiration from Harbin's city flower," said Zhou. "Based on Harbin's spirit and ice and snow culture, the design team integrated the curves of the resilient and elegant lilac flower with the pure and peaceful symbolism of the snowflake, reflecting the city's open and inclusive embrace."

The flame burns at the center of a giant snowflake Ferris wheel, symbolizing "Love among Asia", echoing the "Dream of Winter" conveyed by the torch relay and perfectly interpreting the theme of the Games.

"The moment the giant snowflake Ferris wheel radiated with fire and fireworks erupted outward, it produced an enduring image of the ceremony," said Zhou. "This winter, the Harbin Ice and Snow World was specially designed with representative buildings from various countries and regions in Asia, fully embodying the Games' theme."

The performance venue for the opening and closing ceremonies — the Harbin International Conference, Exhibition and Sports Center — is an existing venue that was renovated and upgraded to meet the needs of the two events.

"The opening ceremony stage incorporates multiple functions, such as a performance area and flag stand, creating a good viewing experience in a limited space, fully embodying simplicity without being plain, and grandeur without being extravagant," said Zhou.

Performers selected

The selection process for the performers at the opening and closing ceremonies began in September.

After a systematic and thorough selection process, nearly 3,000 performers were chosen from four art troupes, 10 universities, and five children's institutions in the province.

Through multiple rounds of auditions, about 1,000 performers were finally selected and rehearsals began in November.

"The opening ceremony fully embodies the collective power of Harbin's residents," said Zhou. "In addition to college student volunteers, people from all sectors of society actively participated in the preparation work for the opening ceremony, contributing their efforts," said Zhou. "The combination of professional performers and the general public reflects the participation of the whole nation in the grand event."

The opening ceremony integrated Harbin's profound cultural characteristics with ice and snow sports, and thematic elements of the Asian Winter Games.

"The representative folk songs, dances, musical instruments and intangible cultural heritage projects showcased the unique charm of the country's northern landscapes and vividly interpreted the belief that ice and snow can be treasures," said Zhou.

Ice and snow elements

Harbin is well known for its ice and snow, but the directorial team transformed the extreme cold into artistic beauty and unleashed the fiery passion of sports, according to Sha Xiaolan, chief director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games.

"We arrived in Harbin half a year ago and conducted in-depth on-site research," said Sha, who was also the mastermind behind the highly acclaimed ceremonies at the 2023 summer edition of the Games in Hangzhou. "Almost every part of the program featured elements of Harbin, starting from the welcome ceremony."

"The opening with the ice lanterns stirred childhood memories, as ice lanterns are familiar to every Harbin resident, along with square paper-cutting and the ice harvesting chant," he said. "The rhythm of the second program transitioned into a graceful ballet, with two Olympic champions embarking on a path to chase their dreams alongside the children."

"The performance venue was originally an exhibition center, so it couldn't support hanging equipment from above, and the floor couldn't accommodate underfloor spaces or the installation of mechanical devices for elevation," said Sha.

"Therefore, we had to give up aerial performances and ground elevation. We designed a highly dynamic screen to display the backgrounds, glasses-free 3D images and stage designs."

"At the moment when the flame was lit, almost everyone's eyes were filled with tears," said Sha. "It presented a perfect performance. In the end, we embraced each other, shouting 'complete success'," he said.

Sui Wenjing, who won the pairs figure skating gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, became a member of the directorial team at the Harbin event.

"After the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games, I enrolled in the Beijing Dance Academy to study choreography and directing, aspiring to become a director," said Sui.

"The experience of this opening ceremony has greatly encouraged me, because the innovative fusion made me believe that figure skating can be experimental and presented in more scenarios."

"In the future, I hope to continue creating more works using figure skating as a medium," she said. "Whether at large-scale events or within my professional field, I aim to diversify the platforms upon which figure skating is performed, and spread more Chinese culture."