On the night of August 8, Chengdu FISU World University Games officially closed at Chengdu Open Air Music Park.

Fireworks show at the closing ceremony on August 8. (Photo by Liu Kun from Xinhua News Agency).

During the closing ceremony, the Shu River Scroll from the Song Dynasty slowly unfolded on the screen, displaying the mountains, rivers, and towns from Chengdu, Sichuan, to Wushan County, Chongqing, and providing the audience with glimpses of the landscape of the Bashu areas over 1,000 years ago.

The gala performance at the closing ceremony consisted of three chapters — Dreams: To Vitality, Dreams: To Youth, and Dreams: To the Future — paying tribute to the athletes and volunteers with cheerful and youthful melodies.

Sichuan Opera artists performed during the closing ceremony on August 8. (Photo by Zhang Long from Xinhua News Agency)

In Chapter Three, Dreams: To the Future, the renowned ink painting, the Shu River Scroll from the Northern Song Dynasty, gradually faded as triggered by robots representing the future.

Flag and placard bearers entering the closing ceremony on August 8. (Photo by Jiang Hongjing from Xinhua News Agency)

The Shu River Scroll depicted the famous mountains, rivers, and towns on the Chuanxia Fourth Road (approximately crossing modern-day Sichuan and Chongqing) in the Song Dynasty, recording over 188 location names.

Placard bearer representing China entered the scene on August 8. (Photo by Zhang Duan from Xinhua News Agency)

One thousand years ago, Sichuan and Chongqing belonged to the same region called Bashu.

One thousand years later, at the Chengdu FISU Games, Sichuan and Chongqing deeply collaborated in and out of the sports stadiums.

In the match of women’s double in tennis, a dual received much attention: Guo Hanyu from Southwest University and Jiang Xinyu from Chengdu Sport University. They showed excellent cooperation despite being in different schools and cities.

In the Men’s 70kg Wushu Final, He Feng from China beat the Iranian opponent by 2:0 and won the championship. Intriguingly, he is both a Sanda athlete at Chongqing Wushu Sports Center and a student at Chengdu Sport University. His experiences studying and training in two cities helped him surpass himself and obtain the highest award.

In the FISU Games Village, volunteers Deng Linqiao and Dai Youqing from Chengdu are currently studying in Chongqing at Sichuan International Studies University. They both look forward to seeing Chengdu and Chongqing strengthen their bonds regarding the Chengdu FISU Games.

Moreover, Chongqing citizens are everywhere, from the sports stadium and the Chengdu FISU Games Museum to the streets and corners of Chengdu. Should auld acquaintance be forgotten, for the sake of auld lang syne…

At the end of the closing ceremony, Auld Lang Syne was played. The long-lasting friendships belong to athletes from different countries and regions and the Bashu areas with connected mountains and rivers, the same historical and cultural origins, and similar customs and communities.