Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province, northwest China - Sept 15, 2021 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of art performance at opening ceremony of 14th National Games
2. Various of performers lining up pathway to welcome torchbearers
3. Various of torch relay in progress at opening ceremony
4. Crowd cheering
5. Various of final torchbearer Yang Qian waving
6. Crowd cheering
7. Yang lighting burning device of cauldron
8. Various of burning device on cauldron rising, lighting cauldron
9. Performers dancing
10. Flame burning on cauldron
11. Performance drawing to end with flame burning on cauldron

The cauldron was lit at the opening ceremony of the 14th National Games on Wednesday evening in Xi'an City of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony and declared the opening of the Games.

The flame was kindled by shooter Yang Qian, who claimed the first gold of the Tokyo Olympics with a victory in women's 10m air rifle in July.

The sacred flame was ignited on July 17 in Yan'an, a former revolutionary base of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Prior to the ignition, an art performance was held, featuring three parts dedicated to the themes of "Nation's Root," "Yan'an Spirit" of the CPC and "Chinese Dream."

The quadrennial National Games, dubbed as the "mini-Olympics," is the highest level of comprehensive sports event in China.

This year's sporting event, which has been China's only National Games so far held in the same year as the Olympics, runs from Sept. 15 to 27. It features a total of 54 sports and 595 events. Among them, 35 sports and 410 events are set for the elite athletes, while the remainder is for the grassroots.

More than 12,000 athletes are set to compete in the finals stage of the Games.