Meng Guanliang from Zhejiang's Shaoxing city, China's first Olympic canoeing champion, lights the flame during the opening ceremony of the 13th National Students Sports Games in Hangzhou on Sept 3. [Photo by Liang Zhen/zjol.com.cn]

The 13th National Student Sports Games of the People's Republic of China kicked off with a fantastic opening ceremony in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province on Sept 3.

Sponsored by the Ministry of Education, the General Administration of Sport of China and the Communist Youth League Center, this year's Student Sports Games for the first time brings together college and middle school students. This is the largest sports event Zhejiang has ever hosted.

The opening ceremony was made up of three parts, namely speeches, cultural performances and a lighting ceremony. More than 1,000 students from 12 schools in Zhejiang put on seven performances, including singing and dancing and a mass basketball dribbling performance.

The opening show embodied Zhejiang's distinctive culture and the students' strong performances inspired the audience in the stadium.