TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Taiwan bid farewell to the 12 days of the Taipei 2017 Summer Universiade with a dazzling show full of music and dance that reached a crescendo at 10 p.m Wednesday with 79 seconds of fireworks.
The celebration started with indigenous Taiwanese drum beats followed by rock music in the language of Taiwan’s Hakka minority and the rock band Chairman.
Following an hour of music, there was one minute of fireworks with the traditional entrance of the athletes behind their national flag, while the Argentine delegation actually brought in the official Taiwanese flag.
A three-minute video presented highlights from the competitions before singer Jia Jia sang “Over the Rainbow” and a punk version of the Pharrell Williams hit “Happy” together with rock bands Trash and Fire EX.
After speeches and an introduction to the host city of the Summer Universiade in 2019, Naples in Italy, the flame of the Taipei Summer Universiade was officially extinguished.
The electronic-flavored finale featured solar-powered robots to show off Taiwan’s technological and environmental prowess, DJ Mykal remixing Queen’s anthem “We Will Rock You,” and indigenous singer Samingad voicing a harvest song from the Puyuma people.
The event has been deemed a success, with 83 percent of tickets sold and the host nation winning an unprecedented 26 gold medals, listing third in the medals ranking behind only Japan and South Korea.
The event closed with 79 seconds of fireworks at 10 p.m.
