Editor's note: Xin Ping is a commentator on international affairs, writing regularly for Xinhua News Agency, CGTN, Global Times, China Daily, etc. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Same as many audiences who have enjoyed 16 days of exciting sports events during the 19th Asian Games held in Hangzhou, I was quite impressed by the "digital fireworks" displayed at the opening ceremony, the "machine dogs" that helped to retrieve the discus on the track field, and the splendor of Asian culture exhibited at the closing ceremony. This Asian Games has won the hearts of its audiences with the record-breaking achievements of many athletes and its hi-tech and green way.

Apart from these eye-catching marvels, what touched me most was that this game has offered Asian countries, after several years of the COVID-19 pandemic, a great opportunity to restore communication, connection and cooperation. The Asian people need an occasion to reunite and the Hangzhou Asian Games didn't let them down.

I could say so when I saw the scene at the pole vault field when the best three competitors were bracing each other up. "If there was a way for three golds, I would have loved it." The 27-year-old Filipino pole vaulter, EJ Obiena said emotionally, who had broken the Olympic record with a jump of 5.90 meters at the Hangzhou Asian Games. After finishing their games, Huang Bokai of China, who was second to Obiena, and Hussain Al Hizam of Saudi Arabia, who won the bronze medal, still chose to stay on the field, applauding Obiena from the sidelines.

"The three of us are 'teammates,' and we both want to see him jump higher," Huang explained. But why did the three players from different countries call each other "teammates"? It turned out that all three were currently training in Europe with renowned Ukrainian pole vault coach Vitaly Petrov. "We are more than competitors in one game. We leaned on and encouraged each other in the training time we shared together. I wish them to jump higher. So do they. We are good friends who help each other in life." Obiena recalled the affection that he got from the friendship among the three. For them, the value of sportsmanship and benign competition lies not only in making breakthroughs of limits but also in achieving common progress. It is never a game of winner-takes-all.

Cultural exchanges also reinforce unification and vice versa. As the Mid-Autumn Festival this year coincided with the beginning of the Games, athletes of different nationalities were profoundly immersed in the unique atmosphere of the traditional Chinese festival. The custom of eating moon cakes struck a chord with athletes from Southeast Asia while a vibe of harmony and mirth expelled the sense of nostalgia. In the cultural house of the Asian Games Village, athletes enjoyed themselves with activities such as making lanterns, Chinese knots, and paper cutting.

"Under the guidance of a teacher, I wrote my name on the folding fan with a brush. It was an unforgettable and meaningful experience." A Nepalese athlete referred to the fan as a vehicle that carried his most wonderful memories of the Hangzhou Asian Games as well as the Mid-Autumn Festival. Likewise, a Singaporean athlete said in a touching tone, "I really like it – the cultural events all through the Games time. It connects me back to my roots." The Asian Games offered the best platform to demonstrate the diversity of cultural heritages bestowed upon Asia. Getting to know every culture and respecting it is the right way to know the nation and people where the culture has thrived, thus shoveling away misunderstandings.

"The power of sport, the power of the Asian Games is to unite us all in life," commented Raja Randhir Singh, the OCA acting president. This unification embodies the spirit of philanthropism and cooperation unique to humans and offers us the courage to face challenges in real life. That is why when the delegations from Syria and the DPRK entered the stadium in the opening ceremony, they received deafening applause and great cheer. Those Asian countries isolated by some global power are united together in the Asian family. And it is also true that when geopolitics set up solid boundaries among countries, the Asian Games help establish close bonds among peoples.  

As history has told us, whenever the human race acted for the common good of all nations instead of behaving like beasts in the jungles, crises, no matter how severe they were, could be solved. What the Hangzhou Asian Games has offered is exactly this, i.e., the spirit of unification instead of confrontation. And this is what Asia and the world are in desperate need of today.

At the time of writing this article, more than 4,651 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza, while over 1,400 people have been killed in Israel. When players from all over the world hurried to offer their proposals, the spirit from the Hangzhou Asian Games could serve as a reminder and a way out of the dilemma.

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