| 2022 Asian Games opening ceremony | |
| Time: | 20:00 – 22:10 CST (UTC+8) |
| Place: | Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China |
| Coordinates: | 30.2316°N 120.2242°W |
| Theme: | Tides Surging in Asia |
| Filmed By: | IGBS on behalf of CMG |
The 2022 Asian Games opening ceremony was held on 23 September 2023, at the Hangzhou Sports Park Stadium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. The ceremony began at 8:00 PM China Standard Time (UTC+8) and finished at 10:15 PM local time, lasting two hours.[1]
The 2022 Asian Games ceremony was choreographed by Sha Xiaolan (沙曉蘭), who was one of assistant directors to Zhang Yimou during the opening and closing ceremonies production unit.
The ceremony reutilised the World's Largest LED Mesh Screen provided by Zhongrun Optoelectronics with an area equivalent to 9 IMAX giant screens. This screen was also used during the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympic ceremonies.[2] It is highly transparent, light, waterproof and easy to be installed. Zhongrun Optoelectronics also provided the dance floor with anti-slip and high temperature resistance. Meanwhile, YES TECH delivered 2000sqm of LED displays and innovative solutions with their flagship MG7S series, the world’s first indoor-outdoor versatile and floor tile screen application.[3]
The opening ceremony, billed as a "green event", made heavy use of drone arts and electronic flashes did not feature any fireworks.[4] One segment also had a theme of "Water in Autumn Glow", a reference to Hangzhou's water resources and role as the terminus of the Grand Canal, it was marked the Mid-Autumn Festival in China. Dance performances with a backdrop featuring city history was also present.[5]
President Xi Jinping officially opened the 2022 Asian Games.[6] Chinese Olympic Champion and swimmer Wang Shun lit the cauldron.[7]
The national flag of China was brought into the stadium by 8 Armed Police[8] personnel. A choir performed the "March of the Volunteers", the national anthem of the People's Republic of China.[9]
The 2022 Asian Games Parade of Nations was part of the opening ceremony. The national team from each of the 45 nations participating in the Asian Games paraded behind their national flag into the Olympic Stadium. The flag bearers were athletes of each national delegation chosen to represent the athletes, either by the National Olympic Committee or by the national team. As custom starting with the 2020 Summer Olympics, two flag bearers represented each nation.
| Order | Nation | Chinese name | Pinyin | Flag bearer | Sport | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 阿富汗 | Āfùhàn | ||||
| 2 | 巴林 | Bālín | ||||
| 3 | 孟加拉国 | Mèngjiālāguó | Niaz Mohied, Sabina Hatton | Chess, Football | ||
| 4 | 不丹 | Bùdān | ||||
| 5 | 文莱 | Wénlái | Mohammad Adi Salehin, Roslan Basma Rah | Martial arts | ||
| 6 | 柬埔寨 | Jiǎnpǔzhài | ||||
| 7 | (DPR Korea) | 朝鲜 | Cháoxiǎn | Park Myung-won, Bang Chul-mi | Shooting, Boxing | |
| 8 | (Hong Kong, China) | 中国香港 | Zhōngguó Xiānggǎng | Yao Jincheng, Mo Wanying | Rugby, Martial arts | |
| 9 | 印度 | Yìndù | Harmanpreet, Singh Loverina Borgohain | Cricket, Boxing | ||
| 10 | 印度尼西亚 | Yìndùníxīyà | Hunta, Zulfinandira Mauriska | Volleyball, Martial arts | ||
| 11 | 伊朗 | Yīlǎng | Jawad, Froginahid Kiani | Shooting, Taekwondo | ||
| 12 | 伊拉克 | Yīlākè | ||||
| 13 | 日本 | Rìběn | Akito Shimizu, Misaki Emura | Shooting, Fencing | ||
| 14 | 约旦 | Yuēdàn | ||||
| 15 | 哈萨克斯坦 | Hāsàkèsītǎn | Aslanbek Shymbergenov, Nadezhda Dubovitskaya | Boxing, Track and field | ||
| 16 | 韩国 | Hánguó | Gu Bon-gil, Kim Seo-young | Fencing, Swimming | ||
| 17 | 科威特 | Kēwēitè | ||||
| 18 | 吉尔吉斯斯坦 | Jíěrjísīsītǎn | ||||
| 19 | (Lao PDR) | 老挝 | Lǎowō | |||
| 20 | 黎巴嫩 | Líbānèn | ||||
| 21 | (Macao, China) | 中国澳门 | Zhōngguó Àomén | Zhou Wenhao and Zheng Yonglin | Swimming | |
| 22 | 马来西亚 | Mǎláixīyà | Shah Firdaus, Sahrom Siva Sangari | Bike, Squash | ||
| 23 | 马尔代夫 | Mǎěrdàifū | ||||
| 24 | 蒙古 | Měnggǔ | ||||
| 25 | 缅甸 | Miǎndiàn | ||||
| 26 | 尼泊尔 | Níbóěr | ||||
| 27 | 阿曼 | Āmàn | ||||
| 28 | 巴基斯坦 | Bājīsītǎn | ||||
| 29 | 巴勒斯坦 | Bālèsītǎn | ||||
| 30 | 菲律宾 | Fēilǜbīn | Ernest John, Obinnama Gileen Didal | Track, Skateboard | ||
| 31 | 卡塔尔 | Kǎtǎěr | ||||
| 32 | 沙特 | Shātè | ||||
| 33 | 新加坡 | Xīnjiāpō | Amita Berthier, Jowen Lim | Fencing, Wushu | ||
| 34 | 斯里兰卡 | Sīlǐ Lánkǎ | ||||
| 35 | 叙利亚 | Xùlìyà | ||||
| 36 | 中华台北 | Zhōnghuá Táiběi | Wang Guanhong, Luo Jialing | Swimming, Taekwondo | ||
| 37 | 塔吉克斯坦 | Tǎjíkèsītǎn | ||||
| 38 | 泰国 | Tàiguó | Weerapon Jongjoho, Tanyaporn Prucksakorn | Boxer, Shooter | ||
| 39 | 东帝汶 | Dōngdìwèn | ||||
| 40 | 土库曼斯坦 | Tǔkùmànsītǎn | ||||
| 41 | 阿联酋 | Āliánqiú | ||||
| 42 | 乌兹别克斯坦 | Wūzībiékèsītǎn | ||||
| 43 | 越南 | Yuènán | Nguyen Thi Huong, Nguyen Huy Huang | Shooting, Swimming | ||
| 44 | 也门 | Yěmén | ||||
| 45 | 中国 | Zhōngguó | Qin Haiyang, Yang Liwei | Swimming, Basketball |
Countries entered in English alphabetical order, with Afghanistan entering first and the host country, China, entering last.[10] The song "Our Asia" which was the official song from 1990 Asian Games the Beijing was played during this segment.[7]
Certain countries entered under various combinations of short names and formal names. For example, South Korea entered under its formal name "Republic of Korea" under K in English, but its short name 韩国 in Chinese (rather than its formal name 大韩民国). The Republic of China (commonly known as Taiwan) entered as "Chinese Taipei" under T due to the 1979 Nagoya Resolution. China entered under its short name "China" (中国) in both languages.
The Sri Lanka rugby team was barred from competing under the designation "Sri Lanka" due to the suspension of Sri Lanka Rugby and instead competed under the designation "Independent Athlete Participating Under OCA Flag" (Chinese: 以亚奥理事会名义参赛的独立运动员).[11] The team opted out of the opening ceremony.[12] Sri Lankan athletes competing in other sports were unaffected.
Speeches were made by the following:
Both Zhidan and Hao are also the Chairmen of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee.
Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and President of the People's Republic of China, announced the opening of this Asian Games, and then virtual fireworks were presented on television.
The flag bearers of the Olympic Council of Asia flag were:
Chinese badminton player Zheng Siwei from Zhejiang and table tennis player Sun Yingsha took the oath on behalf of all athletes. Chinese track and field referee Yang Zhongmin and shooting referee Gao Jiaqi took the oath on behalf of all judges and officials. All four took the oath in English.
The ancestors of Liangzhu in 3300 BC, the citizens of Lin'an in 1202 AD, and the citizens of Hangzhou in 2023 AD staged a time-space dialogue between ancient and modern times, reflecting the rapid changes in Hangzhou.
Dancers dance on the ink scroll. Then the scenery in the venue changed, showing a scene of lakes and mountains, and traditional skills such as chess, calligraphy and painting were displayed on the side stage. The world cultural heritage Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is also on display.
Make full use of 3D Wia technology, 3D projection and other high technologies to show the endless Qiantang tide and the charm of sports.
It displays the ecological beauty of contemporary "green water and green mountains" and the concept of Asian people walking hand in hand. Zhejiang traditional opera and Yue opera were also displayed in this session.
The last six torchbearers of the opening ceremony were:
While the physical torch was being passed on in the venue, the giant "tide waver" representing the 105 million Asian Games Digital Torchbearers of this Asian Games crossed the Qiantang River, rushed to the stadium, and lit up one side of the venue with Wang Shun, the last torch bearer who lit the wave-shaped cauldron. The inspiration came from The main torch device of the Qiantang River tide lights the flame of this Asian Games.
The opening ceremony ended with the theme song "Together with Love Asia".
Cambodia – King Norodom Sihamoni[4]
Hong Kong – Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu
Jordan – Prince Faisal bin Hussein (representing King Abdullah II of Jordan)[6]
Kyrgyzstan – Deputy Prime Minister Edil Baisalov (representing President Sadyr Japarov and Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov)
Kuwait – Crown Prince Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (representing Emir Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah)[6]
Malaysia – Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat Johari Abdul (representing King Abdullah of Pahang and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim)[6]
Nepal – Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal (representing President Ram Chandra Poudel)[6]
Qatar – Crown Prince Sheikh Joaan (representing Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani)
Thailand – Princess Sirivannavari (representing King Vajiralongkorn and Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin)[13]