Eight honor guards of People's Liberation Army (PLA) lift the national flag of China during the opening ceremony of the 16th Asian Games at the Haixinsha Island in Guangzhou, China, Nov. 12, 2010. [Xinhua]

The opening ceremony of the 16th Asian Games kicks off in Guangzhou, capital city of south China's Guangdong Province, on the evening of November 12.

 Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao attends the opening ceremony.

 Following are some of the key statistics related to the opening ceremony of Guangzhou Asian Games.

175,000

Haixinsha Island, known as the stage of the ceremony, covers 175,000 square kilometers. Its major construction includes five parts, including the Spectators Marshalling Area, the Spectator Seating, the Central Stage, the Fountain Area and the Eastern Support Area.

40,000

More than 40,000 shots of fireworks are used for the ceremony, covering at least five types including Fountain, Flower mines, Roman candle, Batteries and Celebration fireworks. 970 spots are set to launch fireworks.

26,916

26,916 seats are fixed on the main construction, added with 7,013 temporary ones, which means more than 30,000 spectators have got the chance to witness the sporting gala. It's the first time that an Asiad opening ceremony was moved out of the stadium.

45

45 floats in different colors participated in the Boat Parade, which starts at White Swan Bay and ends at the Haixinsha Island.

21

21 composers have composed music of 190 minutes for the ceremony.

14

Rehearsal has been carried out for 14 months. The first collective rehearsal started from September, 2010.

(Xinhua News Agency November 12, 2010)