The lion dancers brought the crowd to its feet, taking advantage of virtual reality technology that made the performance even more spectacular, before the racing dragon boats drew "oohs" and "aahs" from spectators who, aided by augmented reality technology, felt as if the boats were being paddled into the crowd.

During the jubilant performances, iconic landmarks, such as Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour, the Ruins of St. Paul's in Macao and the Canton Tower in Guangzhou, took shape as 3D background projections, showcasing unique attractions of the Greater Bay Area's past and present.

Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Party chief of Guangdong province, delivered a speech in which he extended his warm welcome to all participants.

"The National Games being held together by Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao will write a new chapter of the integrated development of the Greater Bay Area. We will play a generous host to present a streamlined, safe and splendid sporting extravaganza," he said.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and Macao Chief Executive Sam Hou-fai both pledged to build on the games' momentum to further facilitate sports, cultural and economic collaborations across the Greater Bay Area.

"This 15th edition not only represents an innovation of the National Games, but also accelerates Hong Kong's integration into the overall development of the country," Lee said in his speech.

Sam said the games "will help build a brighter future of the GBA as yet another example of the significance of the 'one country, two systems' policy".

As a symbolic milestone of the games, the men's road cycling race charted a 230-kilometer route linking Zhuhai, a co-host city in Guangdong, with Hong Kong and Macao on Saturday, marking the first ever cross-boundary sporting event held in the Greater Bay Area.

For the exciting finale, three renowned athletes — Hong Kong's Olympic champion fencer Cheung Ka-long, Guangdong's star sprinter Su Bingtian and Macao martial artist Li Yi — completed the final leg of the torch relay before together igniting a flame ring as the games' main cauldron.

Lu Wanqing and Wang Jing contributed to this story.

sunxiaochen@chinadaily.com.cn