China's 11th Ethnic Games opened in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, on Sunday night.

Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, officially declared the 11th Ethnic Games open.

More than 7,000 athletes from 34 delegations around China, including a Taiwan Province delegation, will compete in 17 traditional sports encompassing 140 full events and 194 exhibition events during the 9-day Games, which wrap up on September 16.

China's Ethnic Games aims to promote harmony among China's different ethnic groups since it was first held in 1953.

"The Ethnic Games provides a platform for everybody to understand different cultures," athlete representative Yang Wenwu from southwest China's Yunnan Province said.