The opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games in 2025 will be held in Harbin on the evening of the 7th. After the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, China once again hosted a major international comprehensive ice and snow event, which opened another window for showcasing China's image and telling China's story well. The preparation work for the event has been praised. The Harbin Asian Winter Games is China's third time hosting the event, and the opening and closing ceremonies will be held on February 7th and 14th respectively. 120 torchbearers participated in the Asian Winter Games torch relay ceremony held in Harbin on the 3rd, and the main torch tower of the event will be lit at the opening ceremony tonight. This year's Asian Winter Games has a total of 6 major events, 11 sub events, and 64 sub events. Among them, 31% of the events are entering the Asian Winter Games for the first time, including 2 speed skating events, 1 short track speed skating event, 1 curling event, 3 skiing and mountaineering events, 9 freestyle skiing events, and 4 snowboarding events. More than 1270 athletes from 34 countries and regions in Asia have registered to participate in this year's Asian Winter Games, making it the event with the largest number of participating countries, regions, and athletes. Among them, Cambodia and Saudi Arabia are registering for the competition for the first time, marking a further expansion of the Asian ice and snow sports landscape. The preparation work for the event has been praised. The Harbin Asian Winter Games is China's third time hosting the event, and the opening and closing ceremonies will be held on February 7th and 14th respectively. 120 torchbearers participated in the Asian Winter Games torch relay ceremony held in Harbin on the 3rd, and the main torch tower of the event will be lit at the opening ceremony tonight. This year's Asian Winter Games has a total of 6 major events, 11 sub events, and 64 sub events. Among them, 31% of the events are entering the Asian Winter Games for the first time, including 2 speed skating events, 1 short track speed skating event, 1 curling event, 3 skiing and mountaineering events, 9 freestyle skiing events, and 4 snowboarding events. More than 1270 athletes from 34 countries and regions in Asia have registered to participate in this year's Asian Winter Games, making it the event with the largest number of participating countries, regions, and athletes. Among them, Cambodia and Saudi Arabia are registering for the competition for the first time, marking a further expansion of the Asian ice and snow sports landscape. The Chinese Legion strives for excellent results. This is the first time that the Chinese sports delegation has participated in the Intercontinental Winter Games since entering the Milan cycle. Facing the Milan Winter Olympics, this edition of the Asian Winter Games is not only an important training opportunity, but also a stage test for the past period of training and preparation. The Chinese Ice and Snow Corps, consisting of 170 athletes, will participate in all 6 major events, 11 sub events, and 64 sub events, achieving full participation in all events. In the previous two home games, the Chinese sports delegation ranked first in both the gold medal and medal tables of the Asian Winter Games. This time, competing at home again and striving for excellent results is the common goal of ice and snow athletes. Although as many as 147 out of 170 athletes in the Chinese sports delegation are new faces to the Asian Winter Games, there are also Olympic champions such as Xu Mengtao, Qi Guangpu, Fan Kexin, and Lin Xiaodong in the lineup, which has many highlights. Due to the large number of participating teams and long schedules in ice hockey and curling competitions, according to international comprehensive event conventions, the start time of related events has been moved up to February 3rd and 4th respectively. The curling mixed doubles duo Han Yu and Wang Zhiyu not only won a good start for the Chinese sports delegation at this year's Asian Winter Games, but the two have also successfully reached the semi-finals. According to the schedule, the first gold medal of Harbin Asian Winter Games will be awarded on the morning of February 8th, and the finals of events such as curling mixed doubles, short track speed skating mixed team 2000 meter relay, and freestyle skiing U-shaped track technique will be held on the morning of the same day. Considering the start time and duration of the competition, it is highly likely that the first gold medal of the event will come from the short track speed skating mixed event. In the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the Chinese team won their first gold medal in the short track speed skating mixed team 2000 meter relay event. After entering the Milan cycle, although the team lineup has been adjusted, it still maintains strong competitiveness. However, the strength of the South Korean team should not be underestimated, and there will definitely be a fierce battle between the two teams. The opening ceremony will be stunning and awe inspiring. "According to Zhou Wei, Deputy Director of the Large Activities Department of the Asian Winter Games Organizing Committee, the total planned duration of the event's opening ceremony is about 80 minutes, including about 50 minutes for the ceremony, and about 30 minutes for cultural performances, lighting ceremonies, and theme song performances. The theme of the artistic performance at the opening ceremony of this year's Asian Winter Games is "Dreams of Ice and Snow, Asia Together", and the overall structure is designed around the regional progressive levels of "Harbin, China, and Asia". The first part stands in the Ice City, telling the spiritual power and dream sentiment of ice and snow culture; The novella stands in China, telling the story of the passion for ice and snow sports, speed, and national enthusiasm; The next article is set in Asia, telling the emotional connection and walking hand in hand between ice and snow and dreams. Unlike before, the opening ceremony of this year's Asian Winter Games creatively designed a combination of main and sub venues for presentation. The main venue is located at Harbin International Convention and Exhibition Sports Center, and the sub venue is located at the world's largest ice and snow theme park - Harbin Ice and Snow World. At that time, it will be linked with the main venue on the same screen. It is reported that in order to achieve the desired presentation effect, the opening ceremony extensively utilized domestic artificial intelligence models and AR technology. In addition, the opening ceremony will maximize the use of ice and snow elements, showcasing the vitality of ice and snow sports and the charm of ice and snow culture. Zhou Wei said that a highly creative and distinctive ignition ceremony will definitely leave a deep impression on everyone; A creative opening ceremony performance will surely bring a stunning and shocking experience. (New Society)