Society

Asian Games site set to be public sphere

By Qiu Quanlin (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-03-24 07:54

Guangzhou - It used to be a water-filled arena in downtown Guangzhou that stunned athletes from China and overseas, as well as visitors, at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Asian Games.

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Now, tiny Haixinsha Island is set to become an open area for entertaining the local people. And how will they do that?

One idea local authorities have for turning the island into an entertainment center is to organize something like 10 consecutive shows that replicate the opening and closing ceremonies of the Asian Games, held here last November.

"We want to let more people have a taste of the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, which has a cultural legacy," explained Xie Haitao, director of Haixinsha Square's organization office.

According to a survey by Guangzhou's Jinan University, more than 80 percent of the local people think the opening ceremony, on Nov 12, 2010, was a stunning performance: a way to show Lingnan (or South China) culture.

The series of shows, scheduled from April 29 to May 8, will cover many of the great performances of the opening ceremony, according to Xie.

"But, it is not just a simple copy of the opening ceremony. We'll try to provide a 'real' atmosphere for visitors," Xie added.

For example, members of the audience will have a chance to be "lucky torch bearers" at each show, where they can light the cauldron.

However, the shows, which cost 180 yuan ($27) to 880 yuan each, will not include fireworks, which were included in the original show.

According to Xie, the shows will be the first of their kind to reproduce the opening ceremony of a large international sports gala.

"Afterwards, we plan to have regular entertainment on the square if the series of performances of the Asian Games opening ceremony is successful."

Ahead of time though, some local people are concerned about the operation of Haixinsha Square and are saying that charging admission will tarnish the Asian Games legacy.

The square was officially opened to visitors on Jan 1, with an admission charge of 20 yuan for a day tour, and 30 yuan for a night tour.

Su Zequn, vice-mayor of Guangzhou, said the authorities will stop charging entrance fees once the loans used in building the square are paid off.

The Guangzhou City Investment Group was responsible for building the square, which cost as much as 1 billion yuan.

One problem is that many of the park's facilities, including the Asian Games flame tower, are not open to visitors.

"The square isn't as beautiful as it was during the Games. All the facilities should be open, otherwise, it's worthless building such a stunning park," was the comment of Huang Xiumei, a visitor from Hunan province.