Equal Joy, Equal Splendor (9.9)

This is a night of dream fulfillment; this is a night of joy for all the people with disabilities around the world. Beijing welcomed the world again on September 6 with an Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Paralympic Games at the Bird's Nest.
More than 4,000 disabled athletes from 148 countries and regions came to Beijing to share the idea of “One World, One Dream”.
420 performers with disabilities gave heartwarming presentations titled Flying with the Dream, fully illustrating the Paralympic theme of "transcendence, equality and integration."
Began with the Journey of Space, a blind singer was awakened by a sunbird, which represented the Chinese culture. They talked to each other and the blind singer told about the good wishes in his heart – to look for, discover and feel the truth of life from the mysterious vast ocean, land and sky…
Following the scene, to depict the Journey of Time, ballerinas took the stage. But a young girl under the spotlight had to sit in a wheelchair. She used to be a ballet student but lost her left leg in the Sichuan earthquake in May. The twelve-year-old girl endured tremendous suffering but never gave up her pursuit of her dancing dream. Waving with arms, the girl danced joyfully with other performers and their postures highlighting different ballet movements.
Time is a huge magic book, and the turning of its pages is the change of seasons and the cycle of life. In the sound of piano played by a blind pianist, a vivid image of natural scenery was showed in front of the full house: the white snow of midwinter, the blooming peach flowers of spring, the lotus leaves of midsummer, and the rippling wheat of golden autumn...
The last part Journey of life expressed the importance of harmonious living. 2,000 lovely children staged a gathering of life in the universe through the four images of frog, seagull, cow and duck.
The artistry didn't end there, as 750 pairs of nimble hands of the actors displayed a spectacular scene of a group of flying petrels and swans above the blue sea surface.
The ceremony reached climax when Chinese Paralympian Hou Bin, sitting in a wheelchair, showcased strength and grace by pulling himself up through the air with a rope. Perhaps more than anything else, the determined look on his face exemplified the spirit of the Paralympic Games.
The Games seek to show the noble nature of mankind, such as enthusiasm in participation, harmony and fraternity. Taking part in sport activities is an important way for the disabled people to get integrated into society. The success in the sports arena provides a foundation for the development of a positive self-image and outlook on the life of the disabled.
One disabled athletes says his self confidence will soar when participating sport because he will discover how to count on himself, believe in himself, and how to hold himself accountable for his own success or failure. Besides, when tasting victory in one's chosen sport, all the athletes have the feeling of “If I can do this, I can do anything”.
In other words, sport leads them to an independent, full and productive life. And Paralympic Games provides the people with disabilities a good chance to boost the self-esteem, self-confidence and self-reliance.
It is believed that taking part in sport activities is a fundamental right of the person with a disability, and an important approach for them to get rehabilitation and fitness. Therefore, China has delivered seven editions of National Disability Games since 1984. This game is scheduled to be held every four years and the disability sport in China has stepped on a healthy development track featuring institutionalization, standardization and internationalization.
Furthermore, China has been active in the involvement of international disability sport exchange and competitions. Since 1982, China sports delegation has participated six editions of Summer Paralympic Games and a number of world championships of various sports.
Over recent years, China has also achieved quite great progress in the development of sport for all persons with a disability. As many as 6,200 disability games and sports competitions have been delivered at county, prefectural and provincial levels across the country.
Moreover, China has made a plan to realize "everyone to enjoy rehabilitation services" for the disabled in 2015. By now, China has established over 19,000 various types of rehabilitation agencies at all levels; and has given rehabilitation training to more than 13.3 million people. Take China Administration of Sports for Persons with Disabilities for example, it integrates training, scientific research, rehabilitation, board and lodging within a land area of 238,235 sq m.
More facilities of this kind will be built in the near future since the Paralympics brings the needs of disabled people to the fore. “A successful Paralympics in Beijing will further promote disabled persons' cause throughout China.” Liu Qi, President of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) states, “The Games will reinforce the importance of building accessible installations for the disabled and thus enhance efforts to construct a harmonious society in China.” For example, over the past few years, the hosting city Beijing has equipped its subways, airports and railway stations with special facilities for the disabled. It has significantly improved the service quality to its disabled residents. Just as Tang Xiaoquan, executive vice president of BOCOG says, "The Paralympic Games is transforming Beijing into a more harmonious and accessible metropolis."
There are over 80 million Chinese citizens are disabled, about six per cent of the population, suffering from visual impairments, hearing or speech impediments, physical disabilities, mental retardation, or mental illnesses. The Chinese government has always believed that safeguarding the rights and interests of the disabled is a fundamental protection of human rights. In the meantime, the disabled should be guaranteed the right to play an equal role in society and share the fruits of China's economic and social development.
According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 50 laws involving the legal protection of the disabled in China. And the government's latest action is a national law forbidding discrimination against handicapped.
Apart from this, China has formed a special education system ranging from basic education, vocational education to higher education and adult education. By 2007, 1,667 educational institutions were set up for the blind, the deaf and children with a mental deficiency.
Especially in the recent decades, environment and conditions in China for the disabled to participate in social affairs have improved remarkably, the living standards have kept rising, and the social atmosphere of respecting and helping the disabled has been fostered.
All the measures aim at providing this group of people with better access to employment, social security and political rights, as well as improve their living standards. To this extent, Paralympics offers an ideal opportunity for the world to improve its awareness and understanding of people with disabilities.
The night of September 6 has fully demonstrated that China highly values the Paralympics, earnestly takes care of the disabled, and sincerely wishes to promote the humanitarian spirit.
The communications and exchanges between Chinese and foreign Paralympians during the Games will help us learn experience from the rest of the world and do better job in seeking benefits for the disabled and leading them a better life.



About Paralympic Games
On the day of the opening of the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, Dr. Ludwig Guttmann of Stoke Mandeville Hospital organized a sport competition for British World War II veteran patients with spinal cord injuries. The games were held again at the same location in 1952, and Dutch veterans took part alongside the British, making it the first international competition of its kind. These Games have been described as the precursors of the Paralympic Games. The Paralympics were subsequently officialised as a quadrennial event tied to the Olympic Games, and the first official Paralympic Games, no longer open solely to war veterans, were held in Rome in 1960. The number of athletes participating in the Summer Paralympic Games has increased from 400 athletes in Rome in 1960 to 4,032 athletes from 148 countries in Beijing in 2008.