Ethical Asian Games: Make “civility” the golden name card of Hangzhou, and make the Asian Games into a platform for Hangzhou citizens and participants from every country (region) to showcase their hospitality and civility to the world; explore innovative mechanisms for social organizations and local communities, among others, to participate in enhancing Hangzhou people’s social etiquette, and incorporate civility, inclusiveness and friendliness into the whole organization process.

The award ceremony of the International Etiquette Contest for the 19th Asian Games was held on September 4, 2021

Images of the mascots for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games can be seen everywhere in the city, and the local residents are geared up for the upcoming event. Apart from modern sports venues, ever-better air and water quality, congestion-free roads, shining apartment buildings and a more beautiful city landscape, more importantly, what the Asian Games brings to Hangzhou a is civility, the city’s inner spiritual power.

As the HAGOC has proposed, through the Asian Games, the city hopes to further promote the spirit of volunteerism, enhance social etiquette and civility, as well as the well-rounded development of local residents, and be the best host city.

To that end, the HAGOC held the International Etiquette Contest for the 19th Asian Games. Since its launch on September 27, 2020, the contest attracted nearly 20,000 participants from not only China but 35 countries (regions) around the world. Apart from the contest, a host of related events were also organized, including fashion shows, social etiquettes for special groups, exhibitions and forums.

On September 4, 2021, the top ten contestants from the categories of “manners and etiquette” and “competition services and etiquette” were announced during the awarding ceremony for the contest. On the ceremony, the thematic event titled “Embrace the Asian Games with Decorum and Morals” was also officially launched, during which a slew of related activities will be held to welcome the upcoming Asian Games.

To provide “international, distinctive, high-level and all-round” volunteer services to the Hangzhou Asian Games, the HAGOC launched a global recruitment drive for volunteers on May 22, 2021. The volunteers will be engaged in 13 areas, including competition operations, language service, spectator service and information technology at the opening and closing ceremonies and during sports competitions and Games-related activities. Among them, 45,000 will provide services in Hangzhou, while the other 7,000 will be deployed in the co-host cities of Ningbo, Wenzhou, Jinhua, Huzhou and Shaoxing.

Wu Haiyan, professor at the China Academy of Art, is the designer of uniforms for

medal bearers and flag raisers

By the end of August, 2021, a total of more than 155,000 people had registered as volunteers through online channels, including some 700 volunteers from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and from abroad. Over 8,100 people have registered as language service volunteers in Japanese, Korean, Russian, Arabic and Thai. In September and October, uniforms and music videos for volunteers will also be released.

Volunteer service is the benchmark to measure how civilized a city is, and the smiles of volunteers serve as a living name card for the city. A city’s social etiquette and civility is not determined by the number of high rises it has built, but by how many volunteers there are. Indeed, a city’s volunteers are often seen as its “army of love”.

The Asian Games is a unique stage, on which not only the athletes compete, but also the spectators show their manners. If volunteers are the guides of Hangzhou’s social etiquette and civility, every citizen is the “brand ambassador” of the Asian Games.

Three years, two years, one year ... the Hangzhou Asian Games will be a grand event closely watched by audiences all over the world. Hosting events like the Asian Games is a proven way to improve citizens’ awareness of manners and etiquette and to enhance a city’s civility in every aspect.

Under the auspices of the HAGOC, local communities and neighborhoods have already started to put in a lot of efforts in enhancing civic pride, ownership awareness, resident participation, among other aspects. The goal, ultimately, is for the Hangzhou residents to be the perfect host of the Asian Games.

Editor: Huang Yan