Eastern Chinese city Taizhou adds charm to 19th Asian Games

On Sept. 23, the 19th Asian Games will open in Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province. This is the third time that China has hosted the largest comprehensive sports event in Asia after the 1990 Beijing Asian Games and the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, and it is also the first time for an eastern Chinese city to host the event.

The Hangzhou Asian Games is set to offer visitors picturesque landscapes, top-notch facilities and services, and an open, harmonious and inclusive atmosphere.

These extraordinary experiences are the characteristics of Zhejiang, which are perfectly reflected in its Taizhou City, a coastal region renowned for its natural views, manufacturing prowess and Hehe culture.

For example, in the torch relay of the Hangzhou Asian Games, Taizhou in central Zhejiang is a very important and distinctive stop.

Taizhou is surrounded by mountains and seas, and is home to national 5A-level scenic spots of Tiantai Mountain, Shenxianju scenic area and the ancient city of Taizhou.

With a coastline of 651 kilometers, Taizhou is home to 691 islands. Endowed with magnificent views of mountains and sea as well as the graceful villages on the south bank of the Yangtze River, Taizhou is a popular tourist destination featuring the typical cultural tourism elements in the country's eastern coastal areas.

The torch relay started from the city's iconic Hehe Park which is built to promote Hehe culture, an important part of traditional Chinese culture that values harmony, the Golden Means, mutual understanding, tolerance, benevolence and coexistence with differences. Hehe culture is also highly consistent with the Olympic spirit of mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.

Taizhou is an important cradle and symbolic area of Hehe culture. The story of the two gods of harmony from Tiantai Mountain and Guoqing Temple is widely spread. In recent years, Taizhou has held a series of activities such as the Hehe Culture Global Forum in a bid to further promote and practice the unique culture. Later this year, the 2023 Hehe Culture Global Forum will be held in a grand and high-standard manner to boost the influence of Hehe culture.

The 8-kilometer torch relay passed Taizhou's many landmarks, including the central business district, public square, library, cultural center, sci-tech center, museum, art museum, college and sports center.

Along the route, one can not only come across the magnificent and dazzling high-rises, experiencing the prosperity of Taizhou as the birthplace of China's private economy and joint-stock cooperative economy, and the pioneer of market economy, but also see a variety of sports, culture and entertainment venues, gaining a clue of why Taizhou can be rated as one of China's happiest cities for seven times.

A total of 170 torchbearers joined the torch relay, with the youngest being 14 years old and the oldest 67 years old.

They came from all walks of life in Taizhou, including a world sailing champion and a Paralympics champion, as well as a worker dedicated to over three decades of development in a remote island and a national role model in charity work. The team and their stories well demonstrate the perseverance, tenacity and vitality of the people in Taizhou.

Lvy Yicong, the second torchbearer, is from Chinese automaker Geely Auto Group. In just seven years, Lvy has risen from a grass-root assembly line apprentice to a national technical master, who can detect more than 40 kinds of abnormal car sounds with his ears alone, and troubleshoot more than 2,000 kinds of car faults. The standby car running behind him is the new model rolled out by Geely Auto Group's Taizhou production base.

In addition, as the official designated vehicles for the Hangzhou Asian Games, more than 2,000 Geely cars will appear in airports, railway stations and competition venues. The service fleet is not only the largest of its kind in the history of Asian Games, but also a high-tech facility demonstrating the Asian Games' pursuit of smart organization.

These cars are equipped with satellite communication systems, which can realize centimeter-level accurate management and dispatching by connecting the Asian Games traffic command center via satellites. It is worth mentioning that satellites communicating with automobiles are also manufactured by a Taizhou enterprise, including the first commercial satellite named after the Asian Games.

On the field of the Asian Games, one can see the exciting performance of six athletes representing Taizhou, including a 17-year-old young sharpshooter, a seasoned world chess king, and the competent ace spiker in Chinese men's volleyball team. They will compete for glory in shooting, karate, rattan ball, volleyball and chess.

From torch relay to event services and competitions, Taizhou is adding luster to the Hangzhou Asian Games with its rich and unique resources, showcasing the vibrant Zhejiang vibe and glamorous Chinese style.

Source: Global Communication Center of Hehe Culture