Flame for 9th Asian Winter Games lit in Harbin

Wang Zheng, the chief director of the ceremony, introduced that the whole event emphasized the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. The stage design was centered around respecting nature, blending the icy landscapes with rich cultural charm.

The event saw the launch of an online torch relay on the same day, which allows more people to take part in this grand sports and cultural event regardless time and space. The offline torch relay will start on Feb 3.

The capital city of northeast China's Heilongjiang province, Harbin will host the Games for the second time from Feb 7 to 14, having previously hosted the event's third edition in 1996.

According to the recently released competition schedule, ice hockey and curling events will begin earlier, on Feb 3 and 4, respectively, with the overall schedule spanning 12 days.