The opening ceremony of the 2018 World Fencing Championships was held in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province, on July 22.
Featuring a combination of highly recognizable oriental music and sports elements, the show conveyed the beauty and poetry of sport.
Dances were performed by the Wuxi Song and Dance Troupe. A theatrical representation, Tai Hu Mei (the Beauty of Taihu Lake), was staged to music with a LED screen showing views of Wuxi.
The championships, which run until July 27, will see roughly 1,370 of the world's top fencers from 108 countries and regions competing in 12 individual and team events in epee, foil, and sabre.