Cultural Integration: What to Expect for Beijing 2022

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China.org.cn

Jan 28, 2022, 09:00 ET

BEIJING, Jan. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by China.org.cn on the upcoming 24th Olympic Winter Games:

In a few days, the XXIV Olympic Winter Games will officially commence. This will be the second time the Olympics are being held in Beijing, and this time, it coincides with the most important holiday in China — the Spring Festival.

Cultural Integration: What to Expect for Beijing 2022

The Chinese people have various customs during the Spring Festival holiday. For example, the day after the opening ceremony will be chu wu, meaning the fifth day of Chinese lunar new year. On this day, people usually have dumplings. On the 15th day, or the Lantern Festival, we would light up lanterns and eat yuanxiao (sticky rice balls with tasty fillings). Besides, during the holiday, people would go to temple fairs and have fun. What's good to know is, these gourmet foods and celebratory customs won't be beyond reach for athletes and the press during Beijing 2022. We can tell from the plans by the Organizing Committee that these upcoming Winter Games will be a grand event illustrated by traditional Chinese elements.

But this is only one aspect in this cultural extravaganza of an Olympics. In fact, since the moment Beijing won the bid, Beijing 2022 has been destined to be a winter sports gala where the east and west come together, and tradition converges with modernity.

In China, activities associated with snow and ice enjoy a time-honored history. For example, during Ming and Qing Dynasties (around the 1500s), people took bingchuang, "ice bed" by its name, as a recreational activity. And bingchuang looks much like the luge in today's Winter Olympic sports event. At that time, drinking wine while riding the bingchuang in the breeze was considered stylish and graceful. Another example is figure skating. In the Qing Dynasty (1640-1912), figure skating was part of bingxi, a recreational activity that was officially acknowledged as one of the national customs back then. Bingxi performers would skillfully imitate animals when skating — like a swallow skimming over the water, or like a crane standing on one foot.

It's not hard to tell that the Chinese's pursuit of harmony between humanity and nature and their wish for a peaceful society were echoed in these winter activities.

Therefore, when a Gen-Z girl in her red Hanfu (a type of traditional Chinese clothing) skied down the slope, she won numerous likes because of her adventurous spirit and spontaneousness, as well as the humanity-nature bond shown in this amazing scene. The Olympic medal Tongxin embodies the traditional Chinese philosophy of harmony between heaven, earth and human beings; the star trails, cloud patterns and Olympic rings represent a powerful fusion of the Olympic spirit and the Chinese culture. The construction and renovation of the Olympic venues in Beijing and Zhangjiakou also bear proof to how China practices the eco-friendly ideology and how it has stepped up efforts to realize harmony between humanity and nature.

Traditional Chinese snow and ice culture, with harmony at its core, integrate with western winter sports culture that features competitiveness, and pushing beyond the limits. And prime traditional Chinese culture bonds with the common values shared by all of humanity. These are the most enchanting aspects of Beijing 2022.

The slogan for Beijing 2022 is "Together for a shared future." A future that highlights cultural integration and communication, inclusiveness and unity, is the vision Beijing 2022 is trying to paint for the world.

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Cultural Integration: What to Expect for Beijing 2022
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2022-01/28/content_78017183.htm

SOURCE China.org.cn