2024 Understanding China Conference – Sports- A Unique Lens on Understanding China

南方财经全媒体记者 李依农 李缘 广州报道

How to “Understanding China” in Sports？

When we talk about \”Understanding China,\” we often focus on economy, technology, or culture. But there’s another crucial element—sports. This year’s Understanding China International Conference in Guangzhou has, for the first time in its history, introduced a sports forum. How can sports become a unique language to tell the stories of Guangdong, the Greater Bay Area, and China? Let’s turn our attention to the forum.

Li Xiaopeng, Olympic Gymnastics Champion, International Gymnastics Hall of Fame Member

The shining gold medal is not only a recognition of my four years of perseverance, but also a return for the wholehearted support from my country and its people. It also reflects the athletes\’ pursuit of higher, faster, stronger, together, which is the essence of the Olympic spirit. As long as we persevere, one day we will stand on the stage of our dreams.

\”Understanding China through Sports\” is full of strength and imagination. The moving sports scenes unfolding around us are the most vivid embodiment of the Chinese spirit resilience, unity, joy, and collective strength. This is China in the world of sports.

Xian Dongmei, Olympic Judo Champion

My daughter was born in January 2007, but I had to start competing in 2008, just over a year later. In reality, I only had three months. After three months, I made my comeback. I lost 21 pounds in three months and regained my fitness. And we practice judo, which is a combat sport requiring a lot of physical strength. During this time, I really had moments of doubt, moments of compromise, and even thoughts of giving up. But my love for sports and my passion for the sport were so strong that I pushed through, gritted my teeth, and kept going.

Yi Siling, Olympic Shooting Champion and Head Coach of the Guangdong Shooting Team

Sport is a great window to \”understanding China.\” On one hand, sport has brought a new engine for economic growth, becoming a new driving force for economic development. It also stimulates the formation of rich business models and industrial chains, promotes employment and social consumption, and facilitates the transformation of the economic structure. On the other hand, sport helps improve the physical fitness and health levels of the people, becoming an important indicator of people\’s sense of happiness. Through the promotion of national fitness programs and various sports activities, more people are enjoying sports and exercise

Luo Yutong, Olympic Diving Champion

I’m thrilled to witness the development of Chinese sports, especially at this year’s Paris Olympics. As a diver, it brings me great joy to see China’s diving team, from 1984 to 2024, sweep all the gold medals for the first time. This was a dream for all of us in the diving community, and we made it a reality at this year’s Paris Olympics.

Diving has taken me around the world, allowing me to experience many countries and understand the world better. I hope people worldwide can understand China through sports.

Sports in Cultural Exchange

In recent years, sports have become an important bridge connecting China with the world. At the same time, Guangdong is a window of openness and a bridge for cultural exchange. How sports contributing to people to people exchange among countries? Let’s find out from international students.

Stacey:I\’m here in China for almost 2 years. I really like sports. In winter time I like to go snowboarding and in summer I play basketball.

I think in China sports are everywhere. If you go out for evening walk, you can see many people doing morning exercises and the evening exercises as well. And I see a lot of gym are open, So you can join everywhere. I think one of also my favorite sports is pingpong. So when we\’re playing, it\’s like a very nice way to communicate to be together. And I think playing pingpong is very Chinese style of having your evenings.

Wang Long: Chinese traditional sport, Tai Chi Chuan, is a very nice sport. I think it\’s very good and very useful, especially for health. Here in China, especially in Guangzhou, if you go out in the morning, you’ll see many elderly people practicing Tai Chi Chuan. It\’s a very nice sport, and I like it a lot. Before, I tried it once with a very professional Tai Chi Chuan master, who taught me some of the moves. It was a very nice experience. I would say this sport helps you stay calm and teaches you how to control yourself in every movement. It’s a very useful sport, and I really like it.

Tai Long: In China, there are many sports, and I’ve noticed that a lot of elderly people enjoy staying active. The Chinese government provides a great environment for sports, benefiting the population. I’ve also noticed that young people in China enjoy sports. They love playing table tennis, basketball, and many other sports. It’s great for their health.

I like table tennis. Whenever I have the chance, I play with my Chinese friends. I also find it interesting that older people often do these kinds of movements, which are good for the body. China is a country that loves sports, and Guangzhou is a place where sports are especially popular.

Cheering for the 15th National Games

In November 2025, the 15th National Games will be co-hosted by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao for the first time, with the opening ceremony held in Guangzhou. Let’s hear about expectations and wishes for the upcoming National Games.

Li Xiaopeng, Olympic Gymnastics Champion, International Gymnastics Hall of Fame Member

The 15th National Games will be the first time that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area co-hosts country’s highest-level national multi-sports event. In my view, this is not just a grand gathering in the sports world, but also a great opportunity for the world to better understand China.

Yi Siling, Olympic Shooting Champion and Head Coach of the Guangdong Shooting Team

As one of the key host cities, Guangzhou has extensive experience in hosting large-scale sports events and will ensure the smooth operation of the games. I believe that with the collaboration of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, the 15th National Games will be an exciting event that conveys passion and dreams, further driving economic development and sports exchanges in the Greater Bay Area.

Xian Dongmei, Olympic Judo Champion

Next year, the 15th National Games will be held in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which presents an important opportunity for the development of sports in the regions. We look forward to the 15th National Games being a spectacular event that encourages nationwide participation.

Luo Yutong, Olympic Diving Champion

I believe the 15th National Games will be a grand event showcasing the Greater Bay Area\’s comprehensive strength in sports, injecting new vitality into the region\’s cultural, sporting, and socio-economic development.

Shen Minghao, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC GDUFS Committee and Vice President of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies

We have the consumer group and the market here. GDP per capita is rising, and so is per capita consumption. Therefore, I believe we will secure more and more event resources in the future. Event resources are a part of the attention economy. Only with events can you attract people\’s attention. Moreover, events are also part of the platform economy. They are multi-sided platforms where organizers host the events. On one hand, they attract lots of athletes to compete; on the other, they draw in large audiences. The audiences are not just on-site; the number of online viewers is many times larger—perhaps 10 times, 100 times, or even more. The digital economy is becoming increasingly developed.

Chief Producer: Yu Xiaona

Supervising Producer: Shi Shi

Editor: Li Yinong

Reporter: Li Yinong, Li Yuan

Video Editor: Li Qun, Cai Yutian

New Media Coordination: Ding Qingyun, Zeng Tingfang, Lai Xi, Huang Daxun

Overseas Operations Supervising Producer: Huang Yanshu

Overseas Content Coordinator: Huang Zihao

Overseas Operations Editors: Zhuang Huan, Wu Wanjie, Long Lihua, Zhang Weitao

Produced by: Southern Finance Omnimedia Group

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