Exclusive: Inside Sanya's Immersive Asian Beach Games Opening Ceremony

At the Asian Beach Games in Sanya, opening ceremony chief director Huang Peiling told Sport Scene's Shen Xiang that the show is built around three core themes: vitality, openness and joy. These ideas shaped the entire creative process and are meant to define the image of China presented to Asia and the world.

Staged at the Asian Beach Games Park, an open coastal theater, the ceremony breaks from the traditional stage‑and‑seating format. Huang describes it as a "zero-distance" experience: large installations of dugongs and sea turtles "swim" from the stands to the main stage, brushing past spectators. Audience members can touch, shake hands with, or even "kiss" the creatures, a playful way to express harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

In the final chapter, Deep Sea Dream Chasing, the team brings a deep‑sea scene to the stage for the first time. Two giant jellyfish float slowly toward the center while six divers descend in a circular pattern, creating the feeling that performers and audience are submerged together.

Technically, one aerial performance pushed the team to innovate beyond conventional wire work. Instead of standard suspended choreography, eight martial arts volunteers drive container‑like structures toward the central stage with powerful movements in midair. The routine requires aerial rigs that can change shape rapidly, demanding high precision in wire technology. Through these high‑energy aerial dances and swift transformations, Huang says the show aims to symbolize China's speed and prosperity.

Ultimately, Huang frames the ceremony as an open invitation: welcome to Sanya, to Hainan, to Tianyahaijiao. With the Hainan Free Trade Port moving toward customs closure, she hopes visitors from across China and around the world will come to witness its development, and feel the vibrant atmosphere as they walk along Sanya's Coconut Dream Corridor.