Host city wins sustainable benefits

Focusing on inspiring young people with the Olympic spirit, a legacy plan for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games has recently been issued to ensure that the event brings long-term benefits and sustainable development to Beijing, a co-host city.

Zhao Wei, head of the cultural activities department of the Beijing Winter Olympic organizing committee, said he expected the Olympic cultural heritage to interest teenagers and attract them to participate.

"Leveraging the experience of the Games in 2008, we will leave an impressive Chinese cultural imprint on the Winter Olympics," Zhao said.

To encourage wider participation and promote international cultural exchanges, the committee and its partners will focus on sports, society, economy, culture, environment, urban development and coordinated regional growth, according to the plan.

The organizing committee will cooperate with national cultural art institutions, including the Chinese Folk Literature and Art Association, the China Calligraphers Association and the Chinese Musicians' Association to launch cultural and art activities, in a bid to attract more participants and demonstrate the soft power and influence of the Chinese culture.

With the vision of sustainable development, the committee will utilize legacies around core areas of the Olympic Sports Center in Beijing, including the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park and the Beijing International Horticultural Exhibition.

It will set up a Winter Olympics art village in the area to launch cultural activities featuring ethnic groups, folk customs and intangible cultural heritage.

It will also build relationships with Olympics committees from other countries and regions to launch Winter Olympics-themed activities in the headquarters of international organizations, such as the United Nations in New York and the European Union in Brussels.

Taking the opportunity of the Winter Olympics, the organizer is also working to build the regional brand by hosting cultural activities featuring the Great Wall and Spring Festival to incorporate traditional theater performances, pop music festivals and visual art exhibitions regularly.

In addition to the cultural elements, the plan will also focus on promoting the combination of Olympic culture and modern technology.

Beijing 2022 will also establish online platforms based on advanced technologies, including 5G communication, cloud computing, big data, virtual reality and the internet of things.

The organizer will set up a resources and information network for the Olympics by cooperating with relevant parties ranging from government departments to cultural agencies. It will create a new form of relaying the torch on internet in a bid to encourage more teenagers to take part in the event.

The committee will also build sightseeing spots along the host city's squares, parks and major streets as part of its push to incorporate the Olympics into people's daily lives. It will select a large square in a bustling area to be the Winter Olympics cultural square and promote the event's atmosphere by launching cultural exhibitions and interactive activities there.

In addition, the committee will add more cultural activities featuring the Winter Olympics on special occasion, including the countdown of 1,000 days to the opening ceremony on May 11 and the Olympic Day on June 23, according to the plan.

liangkaiyan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 04/27/2019 page6)