According to Sina Sports News, after defeating Qingdao for the right to host this year's CSL opening ceremony, Guiyang began full-scale preparations for the March 10th event. Last year, Guangzhou Evergrande held an opening ceremony that was considered the most luxurious in CSL history, produced by the team responsible for the Asian Games opening and closing ceremonies, reportedly costing 50 million yuan. Under such circumstances, all eyes were on what kind of opening ceremony Guiyang would present on March 10th.
After receiving confirmation from the Football Association yesterday, Liu Hongsheng, general manager of Guizhou Renhe Football Team, told the media that they would strive to create an opening ceremony that "reflects the characteristics of the CSL and Guizhou's ethnic minority elements." Although the style of the opening ceremony was outlined, the team did not provide a clear answer regarding the program content that fans were most concerned about.
"I know everyone is very interested in the program arrangement for the opening ceremony, especially after last year's Evergrande event," said Liu Hongsheng, general manager of Guizhou Renhe Football Club. "We knew before applying that hosting after Evergrande would be challenging. However, as the team has just moved here, we need to let Guizhou football fans better experience and understand the CSL, so we decided early on to apply for hosting the opening ceremony."
"Initially, we planned to hold an opening ceremony no less impressive than Evergrande's," Liu Hongsheng said. "With strong support from the municipal government, the club also wanted to make the opening ceremony successful, so we originally intended to invite many big names from the entertainment industry. After receiving the response from the FA yesterday, I noticed some media started speculating about the stars who might appear at the opening ceremony, but we haven't reached a final decision yet."
Since the CSL opening ceremony in Guiyang is co-hosted by the club and the municipal government, Guizhou Renhe Football Team needs to negotiate with the municipal government regarding the program content. However, there is already a rough outline in place.
Deputy Minister Tang Mao of the Guiyang Municipal Publicity Department stated in an interview that the overall framework of the opening ceremony has been determined. The general requirements for the plan are "grand, solemn, economical, and enthusiastic." There will be one or two performances in the form of song and dance. The entire opening ceremony must reflect both football and CSL elements while incorporating Guizhou's unique and rich ethnic cultural characteristics.
Liu Hongsheng said, "Guizhou's ethnic minority风情and excellent natural environment rank among the top in the country. Therefore, we will focus on these two aspects during specific operations. The problem now is that our original proposal was for a 30-minute performance, but with the oath-taking ceremony and opening ceremony taking up time, only 20 minutes are left for the performance. Therefore, we need to re-discuss the entire program arrangement, and time is tight, indeed creating a lot of pressure."
Will the change in the program schedule affect the overall effect of the opening ceremony? "Everyone can rest assured," Liu Hongsheng is confident about this point and hopes to satisfy the fans.