With the same dream on ice and snow shining brightly, and Asia united in heart to compose a glorious chapter together, the 9th Asian Winter Games grandly opened in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province on the evening of February 7. President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony and declared the opening of this Asian Winter Games.

Cai Qi, leaders and honored guests from various parts of Asia, and others attended the opening ceremony.

Under the night sky, the Harbin International Convention and Exhibition Sports Center was brightly lit and full of colors. Before the opening ceremony, the people from all over Heilongjiang presented performances full of regional characteristics, and the atmosphere at the scene was very lively.

At 19:58, in the melody of Peace - Community with a Shared Future for Mankind, Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, together with International Olympic Committee President Bach and OCA First Vice President Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, entered the rostrum and waved to the audience. Prolonged warm applause resounded throughout the venue.

Accompanied by the affectionate melody of I Love You, China, eight honor guards marched with vigorous steps, escorting the national flag of the People's Republic of China into the venue. The whole audience stood up and sang the national anthem of the People's Republic of China, and the bright five-starred red flag rose slowly.

The short film Glistening Time was played on the big screen. Children dressed in new spring clothes and carrying ice lanterns lit up the city landmarks of Harbin. 随后，the welcome performance Ice Lanterns Lighting the Dream began, and the ice-edged handkerchief flowers twirled, expressing the warm feelings of the host in welcoming guests from all directions.

At 20:08, the athletes' entrance ceremony began. In the cheerful melody of Ice and Snow Asia, the sports delegations from 34 countries and regions entered the venue one after another and were warmly welcomed by the whole audience. When the passionate melody of Singing the Motherland rang out, the host delegation of China entered last. Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan stood up and waved, and the whole venue was in a jubilation with applause and cheers rising and falling. The Chinese delegation consisted of 257 people, including 170 participating athletes, and they will compete in 6 major events and 64 minor events of this Asian Winter Games.

In her speech, Liang Huiling, the president of the Organizing Committee of the Harbin Asian Winter Games and the governor of Heilongjiang Province, on behalf of the organizing committee and more than 30 million people in Heilongjiang, extended a warm welcome to the athletes from various countries and regions in Asia, and wished them to break through themselves, show their elegance, achieve their dreams and harvest friendship on the field.

Gao Zhidan, the president of the Organizing Committee of the Harbin Asian Winter Games and the president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, said in his speech that under the kind care and strong leadership of President Xi Jinping, a wonderful Asian Winter Games was about to kick off. Let us fully share the thousands of aspects of Chinese modernization, jointly paint a magnificent picture of the new glory of Asian sports, and jointly play a gorgeous movement of the Asian community with a shared future.

In his speech, OCA First Vice President Timothy Fok Tsun-ting affirmed the important role played by China in the development of Asian winter sports. He thanked the Chinese government, the Chinese Olympic Committee, the Heilongjiang provincial government, the Harbin municipal government and the organizing committee of the Asian Winter Games for their careful preparation and unity and cooperation, as well as the support of the athletes, spectators and staff, and praised Harbin as a dreamy ice and snow capital.

At 20:51, an exciting moment came in the opening ceremony. President Xi Jinping announced: The 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin is open! Suddenly, the whole venue boiled over, and the applause and cheers lasted for a long time. The bright fireworks bloomed in the night sky.

Six outstanding Chinese athlete representatives entered the venue holding the OCA flag. Accompanied by the OCA anthem, the OCA flag was slowly raised, flying high together with the five-starred red flag.

Athletes Ning Zhongyan and Cai Xuetong, and referees Zhang Chunhui and Chen Wenhong respectively took oaths on behalf of all the participating athletes and referees.

After that, on the big screen, the short film The Spirited Winter attracted the attention of the whole audience: The people of Harbin, who have fun with ice and snow, showed the urban enthusiasm of the "Dual Asian Winter Games City".

The artistic performance kicked off and was divided into three parts: the first part, Fiery Ice and Snow, began with loud chanting. The ice-harvesting men held ice picks and danced on the ice. The "first ice" broke through the river, and the red silk fluttered in, lighting up the emblem of this Asian Winter Games, "Surpass". The ballet dancers danced gracefully in the ice and snow, painting a beautiful picture of harmonious coexistence between man and nature. In the second part, Passionate Speed, the figures of the Asian Winter Games athletes flashed across the light and shadow screen, bursting out the spirit of racing on ice and snow. The happy crowd played and danced together, and the cute "big snowman" appeared on the field, joining in an ice city carnival together. In the third part, High Mountains and Long Waters, the dancers were dressed in Asian characteristic costumes, showing the vivid picture of "appreciating one's own beauty and sharing the beauty with others" with their passionate dances. The unique "balcony concert" extended from the stage to the audience seats, and the beating notes touched the heartstrings of sharing a common destiny and being one family in Asia.

At 21:24, the main torch lighting ceremony began. The big screen was live-linked with the sub-venue of Harbin Ice and Snow World. Four torchbearers, Yang Yang, Han Xiaopeng, Wang Zhen and Zhang Hong, relayed the torch, winning warm applause from the whole audience. The children carrying ice lanterns walked forward hand in hand with the torchbearers and jointly lit the main torch tower. The "Snow Rhyme Lilac" bloomed brightly, and the Asian Winter Games torch burned brightly.

The whole audience sang the theme song Light Up Asia together, and the entire venue turned into a sea of joy.

The international honored guests attending the opening ceremony included Sultan Hassanal of Brunei, President Sadyr Japarov of Kyrgyzstan and his wife Zarina Japarova, President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra of Thailand, and National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik of the Republic of Korea and his wife Shin Kyung-hye.

Wang Yi, He Lifeng, Wang Xiaohong and Chen Yiqin attended the opening ceremony.

Li Jiachao, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Samson Chan Hao-fai, the Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, attended the opening ceremony.

Officials of the OCA and others attended the opening ceremony.