On the morning of the 21st, the official move-in ceremony for the Korean team was held at the Hangzhou Asian Games Athletes’ Village’s Flag Square. About 30 athletes and officials attended the ceremony, including Choi Yun (60), head of the Korean National Team, and Jang Jae-geun (61), vice head of the Jincheon National Athletes’ Village. The team was greeted with a lion dance and wushu performance to the sound of drums. Dressed in raincoats, the Korean athletes strengthened their resolve as the national flag was raised along with the national anthem. “Attending the official induction ceremony makes me realize that the Games are just around the corner,” said Jang.

Two days before the start of the Asian Games on Aug. 23, Hangzhou is buzzing with excitement, with the Games slogan “Heart to Heart, @Future” displayed on everything from giant billboards at tollbooths entering the city to buses passing by. The Games’ mascots, Chong Chong (琮琮), Lian Lian (蓮蓮) and Tian Tian (宸宸), are also everywhere. Chongchong represents the remains of the Liangzhu, a Neolithic culture discovered in Hangzhou over 5,000 years ago, and Lianlian represents the petals of the West Lake lotus, the symbol of Hangzhou. Tiancheng is named after a bridge on the Jinghang Grand Canal that connects Beijing and Hangzhou.

The third Summer Asian Games to be held in China, following Beijing 1990 and Guangzhou 2010, the event will be held in 2023 after being pushed back a year due to the spread of the coronavirus in China, but will be officially known as the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games. The main venue, the Olympic Sports Center Stadium, is known as the “Big Lotus” for its lotus-shaped architecture. With 11,970 athletes competing for 481 gold medals in 40 sports, South Korea has sent a record number of 1,140 athletes and officials. Led by swimming, archery, fencing, taekwondo, and soft tennis, South Korea aims to win more than 50 gold medals and finish third overall.

Following the arrival of the main team the previous day, the national swimming team arrived in Hangzhou today. Top swimmers Hwang Sun-woo (20) and Kim Woo-min (22) will lead the way, aiming for at least six gold medals, their best ever performance. Hwang Sun-woo will begin his quest for a trifecta in the 100-meter freestyle on the first day of the business schedule on Thursday. Kim Woo-min will be aiming for the “swimming quadruple” that Park Tae-hwan never achieved. He hopes to win the 400m freestyle, 800m, 1500m and 800m freestyle relay.

Lee Kang-in, 22, a late addition to the soccer team, also stepped on Chinese soil. South Korean athletes Ahn Se-young in badminton and Faker (real name Lee Sang-hyuk) in esports were among the eight world-class athletes competing at the Asian Games, according to AFP.

What kind of city is Hangzhou?

Hangzhou is a metropolitan city of 12 million people in Zhejiang province. It is known for its beautiful natural landscapes, with the expression “If there is a 토토사이트 pavilion in the sky, there are Suzhou and Hangzhou on the ground” (上有天堂, 下有蘇杭). The main tourist attraction is West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During the Japanese occupation, the provisional government was based here from May 1932 to November 1935. The birthplace of Jack Ma, 59, founder of online retailer Alibaba, whose headquarters are located here. It is also the hometown of movie star Tang Wei, 44, who won the best actress award at last year’s Qinglong Film Festival for her role in the movie A Decision to Break Up.