The 20th Asian Games kicked off in Nagoya on September 19th when the final torchbearer lit the heart-shaped urn before the bustling stadium. However, China's involvement extended to other areas, as Chinese technology and craftsmanship were present at the Games—from sportswear to competition equipment, providing both engineering and design components.
Engineering solutions for the opening ceremony stage, the urn's design, digital content, and event execution were handled by the team from Zhejiang Dafeng Industry Co., Ltd. (Dafeng) in Zhejiang province, eastern China. Dafeng was also responsible for closing the ceremony, providing creative planning, performances, and overall management.
Xu Xian, Executive Producer and Artistic Director of Ceremonies at Dafeng's performing arts division, noted that the project took over five hundred days from contract signing to the opening ceremony. His team began work in April 2025, balancing design refinement, equipment development, obtaining cross-border permits, and adhering to Japanese regulatory requirements.
Nagoya's coastal location presented unique demands. The outdoor stage and urn systems had to comply with strict Japanese standards across several parameters simultaneously—wind and water resistance during typhoon season, as well as seismic resistance for a country with constant seismic risk.
Xu Huiwen emphasized that the most challenging task was not the work of any single piece of equipment, but the coordination of dozens of subsystems. He added that the slightest discrepancy in lighting, stage design, projection, or sound could disrupt the entire sequence.
The team distributed the work between two sites in China: engineers in Hangzhou refined the design and used digital twin technology to model wind and lighting conditions in Nagoya, while the urn itself was manufactured at an intelligent production base in Yuyao, Zhejiang province. After multiple stress tests, it was shipped overseas in August 2026.
The heart-shaped urn, intended to symbolize the beating heart and friendship, utilized an internal lighting method developed by Dafeng: a combination of mist and light simulated flame without continuous fuel burning. Compared to traditional open fire, this approach is estimated to have reduced carbon emissions by 200 tons during the Games.
Dafeng has previously worked on the Asian Games in Jakarta, the Winter Olympics in Beijing, the Asian Games in Hangzhou, and the G20 Summit in Hangzhou. Today, its technologies and services are used in over 100 countries and regions.
Beyond the competition venues, Chinese design was evident in the official uniform, supplied by the sports brand 361°. As the Games' uniform partner, the company equipped volunteers in leafy green tones, staff in indigo, and technical specialists in metallic gray and silver shades to denote each group's role. The fabric was lightweight and quick-drying, suitable for long hours standing in hot weather.
Zheng Yixin, the company's General Manager of Brand Management, stated that the event uniforms serve a function beyond giving personnel a professional appearance; they are a 'language of action, a bridge between cultures, and a link for communication.'
The company also designed uniforms for six national and regional delegations, including designs inspired by Angkor Wat for Cambodia and steppe motifs for Mongolia. Nagoya hosted its fifth consecutive Asian Games, and the total amount of clothing supplied exceeded 5.4 million units. The company expanded its presence in Indonesia and opened a store in Nagoya in April.
In the gymnasium, the team from Chinese equipment manufacturer Taishan Sports checked every detail. Staff remained on site around the clock, ready to report any equipment issues to coaches through the organizing committee to ensure athlete safety. 'Every detail must meet standard procedure. On competition day, we conduct another full check one hour before the event. This is a strict rule,' reported Wang Wei, the company's chief engineer.
In addition to gymnastics, Taishan supplied equipment and on-site support for 16 sports. The company has participated in every Asian Games since 1990 in Beijing and claims never to have recorded equipment failures or complaints.
Wang added: 'We want to be more than just participants in these events. We want to help shape the brand and set standards for sports equipment worldwide.'
