With the 2025 Asian Winter Games in China's northeast Heilongjiang Province just three weeks away, the torch lighting ceremony was held on Monday. Gou Tianqi brings us some of the highlights from Harbin.
A flame burns fiercely in the icy, snowy landscape at nearly -20°C.
The torch lighting ceremony for the 2025 Asian Winter Games took place successfully on Monday at the Sun Island Park in Harbin.
WANG ZHENG Chief Director of the Torch Lighting Ceremony "We hope to showcase the unique aspects of Heilongjiang's ice and snow culture through this event. That's why we created a winter wonderland scene at the site. On both sides of the Sun Stone, we built mountain-shaped ice sculptures, which reflect Harbin's ice art and the concept of 'ice and snow are as valuable as gold and silver'."
The cultural performance for the torch lighting ceremony featured a children's choir singing "Ice and Snow Warm the World."
WANG ZHENG Chief Director of the Torch Lighting Ceremony "We wanted to convey the Olympic spirit of rising up, unity, and friendship through the lyrics of the song. One sentence goes: 'Because of love, we rush towards each other.' The children's choir added warmth and a sense of sanctity to the song."
After the torch lighting was completed, the flame was transferred to the torch lamp. The offline torch relay will kick off on February 3rd.
But before that…
GOU TIANQI Harbin, Heilongjiang "Now the torch relay has already started, online. And this is also a big highlight this year. All we have to do is find Harbin 2025 Asian Winter Games' official account on WeChat, and both you and me, and whoever else that's interested, can be torchbearers and take part in the torch relay process. Gou Tianqi, CGTN, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province."