A break dance performance in front of the venue. Photo by Wang Gang
Hangzhou, February 21 (China News Network) -- At the closing ceremony of the just-concluded Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, a "weeping willow map" bid farewell to this grand event with "folding willows and sending affection". On the banks of the Grand Canal in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, new willows are waiting to sprout in the cold wind to welcome the arrival of a new grand event.
On the 21st, the countdown to the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou (hereinafter referred to as the Hangzhou Asian Games) was 200 days, and a "happiness photo studio" was set up in the Canal Sports Park in Gongshu District, Hangzhou, and many people came to "punch in" to take a souvenir and freeze the expectations for the Hangzhou Asian Games.
For many of them, that expectation has taken root years ago.
Liao Xiong, a photographer who lives near the park, has used his professional photography equipment to record the whole process of the construction of the "National Ball Center" of the Asian Games venue since the demolition of the original plot. In his camera, there are workers carrying steel pipes against the sun, there are the first prototypes of the venue, there are cherry blossoms in Spring Park, and there are white "snow roofs" on the winter venues... In 5 years, Liao Xiong used nearly 100,000 photos to witness the "birth" of the venue.
The seasons change, and the Canal Sports Park has changed from a wasteland to a beautiful garden. Looking at the children running in the park in the sun, Liao Xiong seems to have been able to see another grand scene in 200 days. "During the Hangzhou Asian Games, I also want to continue to use the camera to record this sports event at my doorstep."
Liao Xiong used frame-by-frame images to participate in the Asian Games venue from scratch, and for Zhao Qinggong, the venue builder and deputy director of the relocation department of the Gongshu District Urban Village Headquarters, every brick and tile here is a trace of this expectation.
Foreign friends take photos at the "Happiness Photo Studio". Zhang Raindrops photo
"Thousands of people participated in the construction of the park and the venue, and we paid sweat and hardship, but also harvested happiness and happiness." Zhao Qinggong said that what he and the workers are most looking forward to is to be able to sit in the stadium one day and watch the competition and cheer for the athletes.
Through the artificial lake and urban river in the southern area of the Canal Sports Park, and walking through the "Comprehensive Fitness Center", you can see the golden "National Football Center". It is the venue for the table tennis and break dancing events of the Hangzhou Asian Games, and will be "transformed" into a comprehensive indoor gymnasium after the game.
"The venue has 8 entrances and probably more than 40 function rooms, and we have to accurately remember the functions of each room and the process of running the event." Sun Xiaoling, a member of the stadium operation team, told reporters that in the past half a month of work, she has walked nearly a hundred times in the "National Ball Center".
People in front of the mascot sculpture of the Hangzhou Asian Games. Photo by Wang Gang
"In order to ensure the smooth running of the event, we also need a lot of equipment. For example, the break dance project has become an official competition project of the Asian Games for the first time, and the relevant competition equipment has no previous procurement experience to refer to, and we need to accumulate experience in the test match and strengthen the run-in to better serve the official competition in September. Sun Xiaoling said.
For her and her team, the "expectation" for the Hangzhou Asian Games is that the event will go smoothly. For Pan Yu, a break dance volunteer in Gongshu District, the "entry into Asia" of break dance is a "great joy" for the entire industry.
"In recent years, more and more people have been practicing breakdancing, and the breakdancing atmosphere has become better and better." He lamented that this popular symbol, which was popular in China in the 1980s and 1990s, may once again set off a trend with the arrival of the Asian Games. "We will mobilize breakdancing enthusiasts around us and strive to show this sports love to more people."
People take photos in front of the "Happiness Photo Studio". Zhang Raindrops photo
At the entrance of the venue, breakdancing volunteers are bringing a vibrant break dance performance, and the explosive power of one difficult action after another has infected many audiences present. Among the onlookers, there are also some foreign faces that are fascinated.
"Breakdancing is very popular in the United States, and I can see breakdancing performances on many TV shows, but I didn't expect it to become an official event of the Asian Games, and I was very curious and looking forward to this competition." Antonio from the United States said.
The blonde", a "foreigner" who has lived in Hangzhou for 10 years, is thrilled to witness a sports extravaganza in this familiar city. "If I could, I would like to volunteer during the competition, do some translation work for everyone, and serve athletes from all over Asia." (End)