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PYEONCHANG, Feb. 7-- As the rhythmic beating of a blue moon-shaped Korean drum grew faster and stronger, resounding through the newly-built athletes village of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in Gangneung, Zhao Hongbo noticed that the rhythm mirrored that of his own heartbeat. "The drumbeat sounded for the battle. Our Olympic journey has officially begun now," said the head coach of the Chinese figure skating team, who is here with another some 60 members of Chinese delegation, mainly skaters, for the flag-raising ceremony on Wednesday morning. The 40-minute ceremony began with a drum performance, followed by a welcome speech by the athletes village chief and an exchange of gifts between Gou Zhongwen, Chef de Mission of the Chinese delegation and the village chief. China has sent a 181-strong delegation, including 82 athletes, to the PyeongChang Games, the biggest of its kind since the Vancouver Games, said Gao Zhidan, deputy Chef de Mission, adding that the top priority of the athletes is to learn more from other athletes in PyeongChang. Unlike its powerhouse status in summer Olympics that was demonstrated as it topped the gold medal table at Beijing 2008, China had not won a winter Olympic title untill the Salt Lake City Games in 2002. As the host nation of next edition Winter Games in 2022, China plans to plant the seeds of winter sporting success in PyeongChang. Zhao, a four-time Olympian who paired with his now-wife Shen Xue to win China's first figure skating Olympic gold medal in Vancouver 2010, is no stranger to such ceremonies, but the 44-year-old man was still overcame with excitement as two men, dressed in traditional Korean warrior costumes, raised the red Chinese national flag into the sky. | 
