15th National Games opens with high-tech showcase of GBA culture

As China’s first multi-sport event jointly hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, the 15th National Games opened yesterday with a ceremony blending cutting-edge technology and rich cultural heritage to spotlight the spirit of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony and declared the Games open at the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Kirsty Coventry and IOC Honorary President for Life Thomas Bach also attended the ceremony.

Delegations from Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao parade into the venue together during the opening ceremony of the 15th National Games held at the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, yesterday. Photos from Xinhua

The 75-minute program included the ceremony protocol, a cultural and artistic performance, and the torch relay and lighting process.

In line with the Games’ emphasis on frugality, the 20,000-sqm stage featured no mechanical installations on the ground. Instead, organizers leveraged the technological prowess of the GBA, utilizing robotics and virtual reality (VR) to reinterpret traditional Lingnan culture for the modern era.

The opening ceremony aimed to break from tradition, presenting a fusion of ballet, street dance, and symphonic music designed to resonate with younger audiences.

The performance wove together cultural elements familiar across the host regions, including Cantonese opera, lion dance, Yingge dance, dragon boat racing, Hong Kong pop music, and Guangdong embroidery. Iconic landmarks like Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor, Macao’s Ruins of St. Paul’s, and Guangzhou’s Canton Tower were also integrated into the visuals.

Performers present a lion dance in a warm-up show ahead of the 15th National Games’ opening ceremony at the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center in Guangzhou yesterday. 

“We’ve selected cultural symbols and shared memories deeply rooted in the hearts of people across Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao,” said Wang Xi, an official from the organizing committee. “Through modern artistic expression and innovative technology, we aim to let audiences feel both the passion of sports and the cultural charm of the GBA.”

The ceremony’s climax was the lighting of the main cauldron. The torch itself held significant scientific meaning — its flame was sourced from combustible ice, a natural gas hydrate, extracted and ignited via remote control from a depth of 1,522 meters in the South China Sea.

Fire collected from the four cities of Hong Kong, Macao, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen merged into a “flame of unity” to light the main tower. Chief director Lang Kun stated that the lighting sequence perfectly reflected the artistic concept of “Heaven and Sea as One,” with synchronized displays in the air, on the ground, and on water, creating a visually stunning moment that broke from conventional formats.

As the primary host, Guangdong has fielded its largest-ever delegation for the Games, aiming to achieve a historic medal haul on its home turf. The delegation comprises 1,072 athletes, of whom nearly 200 are from Shenzhen.

Shenzhen will host 12 elite sports, including badminton, boxing, archery, basketball, and swimming, and is also slated to hold the Games’ closing ceremony Nov. 21.