The 15th National Games kicked off on Sunday with a dazzling official opening ceremony at the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center in Guangzhou.

Cohosted by Hong Kong, Macao and Guangdong, the nation's quadrennial sporting extravaganza comprise of 34 sports competitions and 23 mass participation events. A total of 14,252 athletes are participating in this year's games, drawing over 3,000 journalists.

China Daily's Andy Chong took these photos.