2022 Winter Olympics aspiration marks Beijing's New Year countdown(2)

In Yanqing, an event themed with "Joint Efforts to Welcome People from all over the World" and attended by local communities proceeded in a joyous and warm atmosphere, and featured with distinctive performances including ski dance representing vigor and passion of winter sports, traditional folk art performance of Yanqing, fashionable and dazzling "Light and Shadow" dance show, and ice ballet to show the perfect combination of power and beauty.

In Chongli, winter sports lovers and local communities actively participated in interactive projects, featuring the vision of Beijing for the Olympic Winter Games -- "Joyful Rendezvous upon Pure Ice and Snow".

At 23:30, the New Year countdown ceremony in the Bird's Nest officially began with a pleasant and joyful song of Happy New Year. Then figure skaters gave dance performance to the song of Dance on the Ice and Snow, honoring rhythms of winter sports and harmony between humans and the nature. With the logo of the Olympic Winter Games designed by Beijing appearing on the big screen, drummers beat out the music for the New Year. The widely known song "I Love You", "Snow in Saibei", which was also performed by Lin Miaoke at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, brought audiences back to a romantic ice and snow wonderland. Then a group of acrobats got the stage accompanied by the lively song Happy Beat, and won applause and cheering from audiences for their marvelous juggling and acrobatic moves, making the event a grand celebration in which excited audiences highly participate.

World-renowned pianist Lang Lang also gave an enthusiastic performance of the dynamic and appealing song of "A Tribute to the Olympic Rings", demonstrating the earnest hope of people for the success bidding of 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

Several former Winter Olympic champions expressed their New Year wishes for 2015 and blessings for Beijing's bid for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games. Seven former Winter Olympic champions and winter sports world champions came to the New Year countdown in Beijing to extend New Year's greetings to friends from home and abroad at the scene.

Amidst the jubilation of the crowd, mayor Wang Anshun of Beijing, governor Zhang Qingwei of Hebei province, Yang Yang, Ye Qiaobo (the first Chinese medallist of Winter Olympics) and tourist representatives activated together the "2015 Sonata" with the theme of "realizing the Chinese dream and striking the highest note".