The lineup of the main creative team for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Asian Winter Games Harbin 2025 was officially announced at a press conference in Harbin on Tuesday, which also marked the start of a 30-day countdown to the Games.

The opening ceremony is scheduled for February 7 at the Harbin International Conference, Exhibition and Sports Centre and the closing ceremony for February 14 at the same venue in Harbin, Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province.

Sha Xiaolan will serve as the chief director of the ceremonies. The creative team boasts extensive experience, having previously been responsible for the opening and closing ceremonies of major international sporting events, including the Beijing 2008 Olympics and Paralympics, the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, as well as the Hangzhou Asian Games and Para Games in 2023. This distinguished team has showcased many unforgettable moments of Chinese excellence to the world, Du Wenxi, deputy director of the News, Publicity, and Media Operations Department of the Executive Committee for the Asian Winter Games, said at the press conference.

The rehearsals for the opening ceremony are underway. The event centers around the official slogan of the Games -- Dream of Winter, Love among Asia, Du said.

The 9th Asian Winter Games will see the highest participation in the event's history, with a total of 34 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) registered, according to the organizers.

As of Tuesday, a total of 1,275 athletes (755 men and 520 women) from 34 countries and regions across Asia have registered to participate in the Games. Cambodia and Saudi Arabia will be participating for the first time, indicating that the Asian Winter Games community is expanding, according to the press conference.

According to the competition schedule released by the organizers, the Chinese team will make its debut in the mixed doubles' curling round robin on the morning of February 4, ahead of the opening ceremony on February 7.

The first gold medal of the Games will be awarded on the morning of February 8 and the highly anticipated Short Track Speed Skating events will yield gold medals on February 8 and 9.

Harbin has a long-standing heritage in ice and snow sports due to its natural snowy conditions during the winter. This is the second time the city has hosted the Asian Winter Games. The first time was in 1996.