Opening ceremony an explosion of light and color

Years of work led to stunning fireworks display that was aesthetically, technically challenging

As 31 torchbearers came together to light the Sun Bird ring in the Dong'an Lake Sports Park Stadium in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, on Friday night, it rose into the air, emitting a glow as it ascended. As it neared the roof of the stadium, it set off fireworks in 12 golden rays to symbolize the Sun Bird unearthed at the Jinsha archaeological site in Chengdu, in a mesmerizing display.

As the divine bird extended its wings, a ring of fireworks wired into the rim of the stadium burst alight and set off a row of fireworks outside the venue, which then lit up the torch tower, creating a dazzling climax to the ceremony.

But the Sun Bird was not the only highlight of the night. As the countdown ended, the sky was filled with a fiery bloom of hibiscus flowers, the emblem of Chengdu city, in magnificent golden colors.

"I've never seen fireworks like this before. It was just like the Olympics," said Sofus Rasmussen, head of the Norwegian delegation.

"They were maybe what the athletes talked most about after the opening ceremony. To be honest, they haven't been talking of much else," he added.

Chen Weiya, chief director of the opening ceremony, explained that lighting the main torch using fireworks was a lengthy and creative process.

"This fireworks display was not only artistic but also exemplified an intricate design and a well-defined theme," Chen said.

The extraordinary 100-second fireworks display was the culmination of three years of meticulous work by Cai Canhuang, the chief fireworks designer for the opening ceremony, and a team of 200 people.

The 38-year-old began exploring fireworks in 2009 and became a fireworks designer in 2019. His expertise led him to work on both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 24th Winter Olympic Games in Beijing in 2022.

He says the displays at FISU and the Winter Olympics are driven by distinct ideas.

"The display at the Winter Olympics aimed to create a romantic, serene atmosphere, while the games seek to showcase the vitality and youthfulness of university life, to create a more exuberant and dynamic ambience."

According to Cai, the display at the opening ceremony was designed to reflect the event's theme and style.

"The theme for the display was 'Golden Dreams', which was aligned with the themes of the games, 'Make Dreams Come True', so the fireworks were mostly of a golden color, symbolizing the vitality of young athletes in their prime and their pursuit of their dreams," Cai said.

He explained that the design was inspired by the Sun Bird artifact found at Jinsha, and that the golden color of its sun rays perfectly represents the ideals of youthful dreams and aspirations.

"We aimed to evoke a feeling of radiant and limitless youthful energy, brimming with enthusiasm and splendor," he said.

He said that the most significant technical challenge was the long-distance relay of fireworks to the torch tower.

"The tower is 200 meters from the venue and 400 meters from the center of the stadium. The question for our team was how we could light a torch located outside the stadium using fireworks," he said.

Throughout the preparation, the team experimented and adjusted, with the goal of creating a fireworks display that would meet every expectation.

There were rehearsals on July 18 and 23.

"The rehearsals were crucial to the proper lighting of the fireworks and helped us identify many issues that we promptly addressed. Their overall effect was very impressive."

The rehearsals resulted in two magnificent fireworks spectacles for the citizens of Chengdu, especially the second one, and the vicinity of the main stadium was flooded with a sea of people eagerly anticipating the show.

The blooming of every pedal of the hibiscus flower owed its magnificence to the meticulous work of the designers, as well as to the ingenious and dedicated efforts of the technical team.

The fireworks display team for the opening ceremony was comprised of four core sections: the creative team, operations and supervision team, expert advisory team, and implementation team.

Cong Xiaomin, an expert on the advisory team, said the display had unique characteristics that involved people from a variety of backgrounds, including the design team, security team, electronics team and even firefighters.

"The technical team functioned as a bridge, responsible for deciphering the design and the creative ideas from the director and creative team. They translated these concepts into feasible technical solutions and collaborated with the fireworks manufacturer to achieve a satisfactory outcome," Cong explained.

Despite the magnificent display, Cai doesn't have much time to celebrate as he is fully engrossed in preparations for the fireworks for the closing ceremony.

That said, as a wushu (a collective term for martial arts) graduate from Beijing Sport University, Cai said that he is eagerly looking forward to the games and feels a deep connection to the event, especially since the inclusion of wushu taolu (routines) and wushu sanda (a form of kickboxing) competitions.