Celebrating the people's Games

As a boy, he would grapple with his friends by the Xilin River, and the loser's penalty was to catch a fish — often coming up empty-handed, but filled with laughter. For Mongolians like him, wrestling is more than just a sport, it's a symbol of their ethnic culture. It embodies the Mongolian spirit of bravery, unity and reverence for tradition.

In anticipation of the Games, Burenjirgal started his preparation four months in advance, focusing on weight loss and honing fundamental skills such as footwork, takedowns, defense and counterattacks.

His efforts were rewarded on July 24 in Qingyuan, where he competed in the final and emerged champion. The trip also offered him, quite literally, his first taste of Guangdong province, where he finally sampled the local delicacies he had long wanted to try, including double-layer milk pudding and char siu — flavors he found strikingly different from the grassland cuisine of his hometown.

He plans to return to the Greater Bay Area during the official competition period to further immerse himself in the region's cultural and culinary offerings.

One of the Games' most anticipated events, the men's individual cycling road race, concluded on Saturday. The riders covered a 231.8-kilometer course, crossing the customs points six times without interruption — making it the first cross-boundary race in the Games' history and the only event linking all three host regions in a single competition.

"We could feel the enthusiasm of local residents who cheered for us along the route," said bronze medalist Hu Haijie from Yunnan province. "Cycling across the bridge was breathtaking. It was a pleasure to take in the scenery along such a well-equipped course with beautiful views."