体坛英语资讯：11th Chinese National Games opens in Jinan_娱乐

体坛英语资讯：11th Chinese National Games opens in Jinan

体坛英语资讯：11th Chinese National Games opens in Jinan2

The cauldron is lit at the opening ceremony of the 11th Chinese National Games in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, Oct. 16, 2009.

He also wished athletes could promote sportsmanship in the 13-day long competitions. Taking part in the biggest-ever National Games are 10,991 athletes of 46 delegations from all provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions, Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, the People's Liberation Army, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and various sports associations of the trades such as railways, coal mining, forestry, finance and banking and aviation.

体坛英语资讯：11th Chinese National Games opens in Jinan3

Photo taken on Oct. 16, 2009 shows the art performance at the opening ceremony of the 11th Chinese National Games in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province

The athletes' parade was followed by an Olympic-style art performance, a brilliant combination of dazzling light, music and dance, fireworks, and cultural extravaganza. The ceremony reached the climax with an intricate cauldron lighting, which saw thousands of performers on the field line up and stretch to the foot of the cauldron with each holding a torch, meaning the cauldron was lit by all the people.

体坛英语资讯：11th Chinese National Games opens in Jinan4

Photo taken on Oct. 16, 2009 shows a view of the opening ceremony of the 11th Chinese National Games in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province

Getting more of China's 1.3 billion people involved in sport was one of the legacy aims of the Beijing Olympics, where China topped the medal table on 51 golds last year. China's sports governing body has given the priority to the mass participation of sports after the Beijing Games and vowed to include more people in the national fitness program, with the latest effort making Aug. 8, the date when the Beijing Olympics was held, an annual National Fitness Day.