Editor's note: The translators HE Jingyu and PENG Haiyan are students of School of Foreign Languages and Literature of Beijing Normal University.

By Shangguan Yun, CNS   Feb 4th, 2022

On the evening of February 4, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony commenced, coinciding with the “Beginning of Spring”, one of the 24 solar terms in Chinese lunar calendar.

The opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the National Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 4, 2022.

“Spring breeze brings about prosperity.” During the preparation of the opening ceremony, China has made great efforts to integrate the traditional culture into Beijing Winter Olympics, picturing a masterpiece of “Chinese romantics”.

At the opening ceremony, the 24 solar terms were imaginatively applied to the countdown. The “Beginning of Spring” is the first one in the 24 solar terms, which coincides with the 24th Winter Olympic Games.

The opening performance featured an animated boy blowing on a dandelion and sending the white seeds into the air. These seeds turned into fireworks. They went into sky and shifted into the Chinese characters “立春” and the English word “SPRING”. It is the first time that the firework stylings of Chinese and English characters have appeared together.

The opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at the National Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Feb 4, 2022.

A drip of qua blue ink fell from the sky, turning into a gust of bustling water of the Yellow River that came down from above. This design, grandeur and majestic, drew inspiration from the poetic line “…the Yellow River come[s] from the sky,” showing the great fantasy of the Chinese people and their praise for the mother river.

It was thrilling when the Olympic Rings showed up. Emulated by light beams, a puck struck the ice cube, breaking it apart to reveal the crystals in the shape of the Olympic Rings. “Breaking the ice” means breaking barriers and mutual understanding.

The athletes were led into the arena by placard carriers in elaborate tiger-head hats. All the placards were in the shape of a snowflake. The six points of each snowflake were shaped like the “Chinese knot,” a form of hand knitting that represents prosperity and solidarity.

The Chinese people have always believed that the world is a commonwealth. The opening ceremony impressed us with its romance, beauty, and warmth, and the whole world shall remember this unique show of China.

The opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Besides the opening ceremony, the whole sports event will remain unforgettable to every participant as a cultural carnival.

“The world is looking to China, and China is ready.” Back in 2008, China witnessed its first Olympic Games. 14 years later, the 24th Winter Olympics has been opened, making Beijing the world’s first city to host both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.

The profound traditional Chinese culture has devoted the unusual features to the Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

Stadium construction, medal design, and even the bouquets for awards all embody the timeless Chinese culture. The design of the Big Air Shougang was inspired by the Flying Apsaras in Dunhuang frescoes.

As the 2022 Winter Olympics coincided with the Spring Festival in the Year of the Tiger, athletes from afar felt the mood of Chinese New Year through festival Chinese knots, traditional festival diet, etc., and they appreciated all the preparation work of the event.

On January 31, the New Year’s Eve of the Chinese Year of the Tiger, journalists from all over the world in the Main Media Center also felt the strong atmosphere of the Chinese New Year. The picture shows how traditional Chinese paper cutting attracted foreign journalists to have a try.

Deep in the humanistic core, both the Spring Festival and the Olympic Games advocate peace and value reunion, sharing the yearning for a better life.

By an earlier vote during the138th IOC Session, “together” had been added to the Olympic slogan of “faster, higher, stronger”, which was the first revision of the Olympic motto for more than a century.

The Spring Festival is an important feast for the Chinese people and a synonym for reunion. Ritual-like activities including offering sacrifices to ancestors, staying up late (“Shousui”) and paying New Year’s greetings (“Bainian”) show the charm of China’s human ethics and lifestyles, expressing the longing for peace and harmony.

The Beginning of Spring is often near the beginning of the year, when natural season meets human customs and people welcome the spring while celebrating the New Year, which means a brand-new beginning.

As the Winter Olympics meets the Chinese New Year, “unity” and “reunion” boast richer meaning this winter. The Beijing Winter Olympics is impressing the world with splendid traditional Chinese culture, and the charm of cultural exchanges and mutual learning.

Now the various events of the Winter Olympics are well under way. China welcomes guests from all over the world to enjoy winter sports, together for a shared future.

http://www.chinanews.com.cn/ty/2022/02-04/9668621.shtml