The opening ceremony of the 2022 Asian Para Games at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Expo Center in Hangzhou, China, October 22, 2023. /CFP
Editor's note: Keith Lamb, a special commentator on current affairs for CGTN, is a University of Oxford graduate with a Master of Science in Contemporary Chinese Studies. His primary research interests are China's international relations and "socialism with Chinese characteristics." The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.
The 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games, heralded as the most spectacular ever, kicked off on October 22, 2023, with a stunning opening ceremony at the lotus-shaped Hangzhou Olympic Sports Expo Center. As the host country of the 2022 Hangzhou Asia Para Games, China revealed 439 athletes, nearly one-sixth of the total competitors. All nations received a warm welcome from the Chinese audience. Of all competing countries and regions, Team Palestine may have heard the loudest cheering from the audience on the scene, emphasizing the peaceful spirit of the Games.
Topping the medal table, the sheer size of the Chinese delegation is the very witness of China's ambition to cater to the rights of its 85 million civilians with disabilities. Empowerment, equality and inclusivity of people with disabilities, the message from China, is also China's miniaturized vision of global equality, which requires respecting all humanity regardless of their embodied form based on ethnicity, race, gender, and age.
China values inclusivity, paving the way for countries and regions on the world's largest continent, comprised of developing countries where poverty is tied to disability, to also dream for a more dignified life for all their citizens too. Thus far, husband and wife para-canoeists Manish Kaurav and Prachi Yadav, competing out of India, both achieved gold, which, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's praise, will shine the spotlight of awareness on those facing difficulties due to disability in India.
Highlighting people with disabilities and the respect they deserve are not just about "the others." Disability, temporary or permanent, can happen to all of us. Accidents happen all the time. Natural disasters and wars are the prelude to tragedies. Not to mention, we will all get old.
On a Chengdu to Lhasa rail trip 10 years ago, I met a young lady who had lost an arm in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, in which more than 87 thousand people were killed and missing. Rescued, she woke up in a hospital with her arm missing. Rather than curse her bad luck, she told me how lucky she felt to be alive.
On the one hand, her bravery is represented by athletes in Hangzhou today. On the other hand, her story represents humanity's collective positive spirit, also on display at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games. The more we respect those with disabilities and their achievements, the more we respect the finer aspects of our collective humanity. By extension, all embodied human forms should be respected as well, which are constantly under attack by market forces, racist ideology and untenable beauty standards.
Social respect and empowerment for all can't only be about the ideology of inclusivity for all of mankind. It must be also about building a society easily accessible to all. This means a truly disabled-accessible city, which not only fits the needs of people with disabilities but also meets the needs of the growing aging population.
The closing ceremony of the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games at China's National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing, capital city of China, September 17, 2008. /CFP
Every Para Games shines a spotlight on China, progress spurring it on. Before the 2008 Paralympic Games, I witnessed wheelchair access being put in place throughout Beijing's subway stations. In 2012, China issued new regulations to encourage the improvement of accessibility and the construction of a barrier-free environment in China. As per the regulation, all newly-built roads and buildings had to have barrier-free facilities at all public transit by 2020. Between 2016 and 2018, the government improved almost three million houses to make them accessible for families with disabled members.
The disabled-friendly infrastructure has witnessed another leap forward during the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics, with wheelchair ramps and elevators accessible in 60 popular tourist destinations.
In the case of Hangzhou, it thoroughly upgraded its public infrastructure to be accessible to people with disabilities, including "140,000 barrier-free spots, as well as 75 urban roads, more than 3,000 kilometers of visual impairment roads, 50 urban pedestrian bridges and tunnels, and more than 1,600 accessible public toilets." Digital infrastructure has also been laid down, offering smart assistance to people with disabilities, so they can get streamlined speedy assistance in their needs.
The plans drawn up and the infrastructure put down may benefit the whole society, especially senior citizens. It is clear that China sees the well-being of people with disabilities as intertwined with that of the entire society. Thus, the real significance of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games isn't only about its grandeur, the outstanding performance of athletes, or the bravery shown by every athlete. More importantly, the Games is the representative of all humanity in all its embodied forms, which deserves respect and equality not only on the ideological level but the material level as well.
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