Photo: VCG

With less than 100 days left until the 15th National Games, the organizers of the 15th edition unveiled the Games' torch, awards attire, music and medal designs on Saturday in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province.

This edition marks the first time in the history of the Games that they will be co-hosted by Guangdong Province and the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

This unprecedented collaboration will highlight the cultural richness of the Greater Bay Area, which is also reflected in the Games' ceremonial designs.

Designed to echo the Games' emblem, the torch rises into a dynamic "fire-tree, silver-flower" formation that consists of the Guangdong kapok flower, Hong Kong bauhinia, and Macao lotus in a concentric three petals blessing flower.

He Ye, the lead designer, said the core design philosophy is to showcase shared prosperity.

"The core design philosophy is 'fusion' and 'glory.' That is, 'exchange and integration' and 'shared prosperity,'" he told reporters.

The structure is produced via high strength 3D printed stainless steel and temperature resistant aluminum alloy. 

Supporting artifacts were also unveiled. The Flame Lantern "Starfire Building Dreams" combines high transparency glass with three pillars representing the tri regions, while the Flame Cauldron "Ding Sheng Tong Xin," inspired by ancient ceremonial "flower goblet" vessels, will ceremonially house the flame before the torch relay.

To further explain the technological innovation behind the torch, officials shed light on the production and potential relay methods.

Zhang Liwen, an official with the torch relay division under the National Games organizing committee, told reporters that the torch relay may include the use of drones. 

"The core feature of our torch design this time is that the entire main body was made using 3D printing, namely metal additive manufacturing technology," Zhang said. 

"Currently, we are initially considering that some inter-regional relay routes among the host cities may involve such methods as low-altitude aircraft and artificial intelligence robots for the torch relay."

The countdown ceremony also presented another key visual symbol of the Games: the awards ceremony attire. 

The outfit centers on a modern iteration of the mamianqun, or horse-faced skirt, a traditional Chinese pleated skirt. 

Lin Qi, lead representative of the design team, told the Global Times that the design centers on the mamianqun, drawing its primary inspiration from the Guangdong embroidery technique and the motif of a single, prominent peony blossom.

She explained that Guangdong embroidery, one of China's four major embroidery styles, represents a treasure of Chinese culture and exquisite craftsmanship, conveying profound national cultural connotations. 

"The peony, China's national flower, blends traditional Eastern elegance with modern aesthetics. Its blooming form symbolizes the nation's prosperity and its open, inclusive spirit as a major country," she said.

The gown further incorporates intricate three-blue embroidery and other elements, symbolizing the harmonious prosperity, openness, inclusiveness, and ecological focus of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. 

The dominant pink hue of the attire signifies hope, youth, and vitality. The peony pattern, extending from the hem upwards, forms the "soul of the design." 

Balancing tradition with innovation, the design embraces simplicity without compromising on symbolic depth.

"The layered petals avoid excess, while the skirt's gradient from pink to white resembles dawn. This echoes the Eastern ideal of the peony as the 'true national beauty,' while the upward growth metaphor embodies athletes' 'spirit of striving for the first place' and China's 'prosperity and global-mindedness,'" Lin described.

Lin revealed that the design process spanned more than 130 days from late March to late July. The team studied patterns from more than 300 antique mamianqun skirts. 

Ultimately, starting from Ming and Qing Dynasty pieces in Lin's own collection, they reimagined the mamianqun for today's modern sports context. This resulted in an updated mamianqun dress that merges Eastern heritage with contemporary style.

"We aim to show the world that Chinese ceremonial dress extends beyond the qipao (a close-fitting woman's dress with high neck and slit skirt) . The mamianqun is equally capable of projecting Chinese elegance on the global stage," Lin asserted.

In addition to visual elements, organizers also sought to craft an auditory experience that embodies the cultural fusion of the region.

In music, for the first time in National Games history, the award ceremony music will be premised on the classic Lingnan piece "Colorful Clouds Pursue the Moon," incorporating bells sampled from Guangdong, Hong?Kong, and Macao and augmented with orchestral, electronic and ambient soundscapes.

The 100 day launch also officially kicked off a nationwide ticket release plan, with phased allocation by sport and venue through the Games' official platform, set to begin in late August.

The opening and closing ceremonies will be held at two separate venues - the opening in Guangzhou on November 9 and the closing in Shenzhen on ?November 21. 

The Games feature 34 sports and 419 medal events, with 1.5?million athletes expected to compete in the finals of competitive events and about 1.1?million participants in mass sports programs across 19 cities in Guangdong, Hong?Kong, and Macao.

New International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry has also said she will attend the Chinese National Games.