On the evening of July 28th, the 31st Chengdu Universiade inaugurated its grand opening in Chengdu, Sichuan. This Universiade's opening ceremony was a concatenation of pleasant surprises, brimming with noteworthy highlights that evoked a wave of online praises.

In an exclusive interview with Yangcheng Evening News, Chen Weiya, the General Director of the opening ceremony, said that the entire event was meticulously orchestrated to control within the timeframe of 100 minutes with a 15-minute performance, thus making it the shortest one among all international sporting events.

Despite the brevity of time, the team ceaselessly improved every single aspect, from fireworks, lighting, audio, and stage effects, to costumes and props, ensuring that each fleeting second was an embodiment of spectacle for the audience.

Let us delve into the highlights of the current opening ceremony.

1. the "Golden Sun Bird" totem

One of the striking elements of the opening ceremony was a totem of the Golden Sun Bird excavated from Chengdu's Jinsha Site (an archaeological site). As an artifact dating back centuries ago, it symbolizes humans' relentless pursuit of light, dreams, and the perseverance and positive spirit inherent in the Tianfu (Chengdu) culture.

The Golden Sun Bird totem witnessed the whole process from the countdown to the final lighting of the sacred flame. Its presence was manifested not only through light and shadow but also through a special laser device on-site, emitting dazzling light as the image of the Golden Sun Bird at different moments.

2. University students

The Universiade is an athletic extravaganza for university students, making them the protagonists of the opening ceremony. The artistic performance "Youth Chasing Dreams" at the opening ceremony of Chengdu Universiade was composed of three sections: the light of youth, the vitality of youth, and the friendship of youth.

As Chen Weiya explained, the number of performers and youth volunteers participating in the Universiade opening ceremony was the fewest in the history of international opening ceremonies.

Among them, more than 900 were artistic performers. The total came to approximately 2000 along with youth volunteers and ceremony guides.

"Out of these 2000 individuals, 99% were university students, with only a handful of professional performers used for aerial stunts," added Chen.

3. Shu embroidery

Chen Weiya revealed that many significant creative ideas were infused into various segments of the ceremony. The athletes' entrance was aptly named "Gorgeous Future", where projections were used to create a "Path of Splendor" woven from Shu embroidery, one of China's four famous embroideries, on the athletes'; path. This was symbolic of the young people embarking on their journey to success.

4. Pandas

Sichuan, the home of pandas, adopted the adorable "Rongbao" panda as the mascot for Chengdu Universiade. The opening ceremony was replete with elements of pandas as 31 Rongbaos marched into the venue together with the athletes. Their endearing presence contributed to a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere.

5. Local culture

In addition, the audience could also other elements unique to Sichuan, such as Sichuan Opera's face-changing ("Bian Lian" in Chinese) art, hotpot, and bronze artifacts. Through performances, video images, and performance art, representative historical and cultural elements of Sichuan were integrated into the opening ceremony.

"Sichuan and Chengdu boast an abundance of cultural elements. We want the world to know Chengdu - a city that's enchanting, beautiful, and brimming with artistic charm," said Chen Weiya.

成都大运会开幕式亮点解读

7月28日晚，第31届成都大运会开幕式在四川成都圆满结束。此次成都大运会开幕式可谓是一路惊喜，亮点纷呈。网友们纷纷感慨：大运会开幕式审美真的绝了！

成都大运会开幕式总导演陈维亚接受羊城晚报记者专访时表示，成都大运会开幕式总时长控制在100分钟之内，是历届国际大赛开幕式时间最短的，而表演时间只有短短15分钟。时间虽然短，但创作团队在烟火、灯光、音响、舞台特效、服装道具等方面，每一个细节都不断地雕琢打磨，让观众在每一秒钟都能感受到精彩。

一起来看看成都大运会开幕式的亮点。

1.“太阳神鸟”

在开幕式上最重要的元素是在成都的金沙遗址出土了几千年前的图腾——太阳神鸟，它承载了人们追求光明和梦想的渴望与决心，希望彰显天府文化中自强不息、昂扬向上的积极精神面貌。从开幕式现场倒计时开始，到最后圣火点燃结束，太阳神鸟这一图腾始终存在。它不仅以光影的形式存在，现场还有一个特殊的激光装置，在不同时刻作为太阳神鸟的意象发出耀眼的光芒。

2.大学生

大运会是大学生的体育盛会，开幕式上大学生也是绝对的主角。成都大运会开幕式文艺表演《青春追梦》由青春之光、青春活力、青春友谊3个段落组成。陈维亚介绍，成都大运会开幕式的参演演员和青年志愿者人数是历届国际性开幕式最少的，其中参与文艺表演的演员有900多人，加上青年志愿者、仪式引导员等共约2000人，“2000人中，99%是在校大学生，仅有一些高难度空中技巧表演项目起用了专业演员。”

3.蜀绣

陈维亚说，许多重要的创意都被融入开幕式的各个环节中。其中，运动员入场仪式环节被命名为“锦绣前程”，利用投影在运动员行进的路线上，用七彩光路营造出由中国四大名绣之一——蜀绣织就的“锦绣之路”，寓意着年轻人走上成就之路。

4.熊猫

四川是熊猫之乡，而本届大运会的吉祥物也是可爱的熊猫“蓉宝”。成都大运会开幕式“熊猫含量”十足，共有31只蓉宝和运动员们一起进场，憨态可掬的吉祥物营造出了轻松快乐的氛围。

5.本土文化

除此之外，开幕式上，观众们可以看到川剧变脸、火锅、青铜文物等具有独特四川特色的元素。通过表演、视频影像、行为艺术等方式，巴蜀大地上具有代表性的历史文化元素都被运用到了开幕式中。

“四川和成都有着非常丰富的文化元素。我们要让世界感受到成都这个神奇、美丽、极具艺术感的城市。”陈维亚说。

文 | 羊城晚报特派成都全媒体记者 李钢 邹丽珍
图 | 新华社
译 | 陈萱