Many Guangzhou residents sighed in relief as the Asian Games ended yesterday, hoping life would return to normal after coping with months of massive construction efforts and strict security measures.
The 16th Asian Games came to an official close after 16 days of events where 9,704 athletes competed for 476 gold medals. China dominated the medals tally by netting a record 199 gold medals.
The sentimental closing ceremony held on Haixinsha Island in the Pearl River featured a spectacular firework show and an opera-style performance with selected songs from different parts of Asia.
The baton of the Asian Games was passed to Inchon of South Korea and pop star Rain performed in a short segment to signal the countdown to the 2014 Asian Games.
After a total investment of more than 122.6 billion yuan (HK$142.7 billion), Guangzhou shouldered the responsibility of hosting the largest sporting event on the mainland since the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games.
The southern metropolis projected a brand new image to its visitors after it was freshly scrubbed and spruced up.
Security remained tight last night to prevent a reoccurrence of the chaos at the opening ceremony, where tens of thousands of eager onlookers broke into cordoned-off areas to watch fireworks. Many residents began travelling on Friday night to secure the best location for the closing ceremony's fireworks.