There are only 21 days until the Shenzhen Universiade opening ceremony, and the world is shifting its attention to Shenzhen. Secretary-general and vice-chairman of the 26th Shenzhen Summer Universiade committee, Shenzhen deputy mayor Xu Qin gave a brief about Universiade preparations at the State Council News Office Press Conference held on the 22nd.

Neither celebrity nor firework at the opening ceremony

According to Xu Qin, Shenzhen is a city of innovation. The birth of Shenzhen itself was a product of innovation, which means that the Shenzhen Universiade must pursue the spirit “Start Here, Make a Difference”. Innovation is the root of Shenzhen’s development, and the Universiade is no exception.

It was revealed that the coming opening ceremony is different in style from any other opening ceremony for a large competition event. The Universiade emphasizes the concept of “returning to sports”, and seeks to display its concise, green, low-carbon and energetic features. More specifically, the features include neither firework nor celebrity, emphasizing that athletes and college students are the stars, and highlighting the interaction between the audience and the performers. Xu Qin said, “People asked me whether the opening ceremony will be splendid, I told them, the opening ceremony is very special, it’s concise but not simple.”

Citizens have the option of green commuting

In order to minimize the disturbances on citizens, “odd-even” traffic restrictions will not be imposed during the Shenzhen Universiade. According to Xu Qin, citizens can volunteer to declare disuse of vehicles throughout the whole course of the Universiade, during particular stages of the Universiade, or on even or odd dates, to traffic police departments. Giving citizens the option of green commuting ensures traffic flow and safety while respecting the wishes of citizens.

Xu Qin stated, he will actively participate in this event as soon as possible. Being innovative is being thrifty Innovation doesn’t mean spending money. It was introduced that Shenzhen insists on innovation on the basis of hosting a thrifty Universiade. For example, the Universiade launched the first on-line virtual torch relay, and from its launch on May 10th to 8 p.m. on July 21st, the total number of participants has reached 629,0000, including 770,000 participants who registered under their real names. Participation in the event covered over 90% of Chinese colleges and universities, with over 1000 colleges and universities from overseas participating. The features of green and low-carbon were displayed through this virtual torch relay, as both human and hard resources were saved.

Another example is the construction of venues. While meeting the standards of the Universiade, the construction and facilities of the venues sought to be low-carbon, environmentally friendly, thrifty and ready for usage both during and after the Games. The Universiade Village takes up an area of 492,000 square meters, and will become a part of Shenzhen University’s new campus after the Games.

Achieving innovative, pioneering and creative interactive development through hosting Universiade

As of creativity, Shenzhen was awarded the title of “City of Design” by UNESCO. Designers from Shenzhen have won awards from almost every top-notch design contest or international exhibit from all over the world. In the future, Shenzhen will seek to create a mature and complete creative industry chain; strengthen protection of intellectual property rights and create a perfect creative environment; strengthen cultural tolerance and attract creative personnel, and make Shenzhen a creative city on an international level.