Ruan Ping (eighth from the left), counselor and consul general of the Chinese Embassy, and Xiuzhu Yang (ninth from the left), president of the Chinese Alumni Association of Greater Washington DC, attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the Friendship Cup Games of Greater Washington before the games starts on Sunday at the Montgomery County Damascus High School. Liu Chang / China Daily

Chinese communities in Washington welcomed their first Friendship Cup Games of Greater Washington at Montgomery County's Damascus High School on Sunday morning. The games were under the auspices of the Chinese Alumni Association of Greater Washington (CAAGW) and other Chinese organizations.

Sitting in the grandstands wearing a signature red CAAGW cap, Ruan Ping, counselor and consul general of the Chinese Embassy, said his mood was as beautiful as the sunny day.

"This is the first time in the Washington area that such a sporting event has been organized by Chinese communities. I feel great," Ruan said. "I hope more and more people will participate and more events will be included later."

Preparation for the games has been underway since April, and so far 200 amateurs have registered to participate, many of whom come from local Chinese organizations and Chinese language schools.

"As this year marks the 35th anniversary of China-US diplomatic relations, with many art performances having been held, I have been thinking about organizing something new to celebrate the historical moment," said Xiuzhu Yang, president of CAAGW.

"Our slogan is keeping physically fit and united as a big harmonious community," said Yang. "We all come here from across the Pacific Ocean. Life is not easy for everybody. When people are busy with work, seldom do they pay attention to health."

Yueping Fan, who just came to the US in March from Jiangsu province, China, brought her two granddaughters to watch the games, a five year old and a ten year old, who grew up here.

"I hope my granddaughters and our future generations have a colorful and active life," she said.

changliu@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 09/22/2014 page3)