INTERNATIONAL: A rehearsal of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics opening ceremony took place at the National Stadium as fireworks lit up the sky on Saturday night, 22 January during which a warm-up activity performed by Chinese square dancers in about 30 minutes was particularly eye-catching.

The opening ceremony of Beijing 2022 will start at 8 p.m. on February 4. Before that, a warm-up performance will be presented by square dancers aging from five to over 70 years old, expressing their excitement for the Olympic Winter Games.

Chinese performers will display the spirit and style of elderly people in China to the world. Though they are getting old they are in good spirits.

The square dancers consist of children, pupils, middle school and college students, the middle-aged and also the elderly, most of whom come from Beijing and north China's Hebei Province. Ordinary people of various age groups can show themselves on this international stage, celebrating the Olympics as well as the Chinese New Year.

The opening ceremony, scheduled on February 4, coincides with "Lichun," the first of the 24 solar terms in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, indicating the start of spring.

The costume is designed with the theme of 'Lichun,' as February 4 happens to be the day of Lichun. Chinese hope to tell their stories of spring to the world through their vibrant performance.

The plans for the Olympics and Paralympics opening and closing ceremonies were confirmed in March 2021, and the rehearsal now is in the final stretch after months of preparation. As 90 percent of the performers at the opening ceremony are students, practices and rehearsals are all carried out at weekends.

In line with Beijing's efforts to stage a "safe, streamlined and splendid" Games, there will not be large-scale performance that stretch for a long time. The number of performers is cut from about 15,000 in 2008 to 3,000, with length shortened to about 100 minutes due to cold weather and the COVID-19 pandemic.