When the opening ceremonies for the Guangzhou Games are held, a special Pearl River Cruise will be a big part of the kick off, as for the first time ever...it will be an island opening ceremony.

On the day of the ceremony, guests from all over the world will take the cruise starting from the White Swan Pool, head downstream and finally reach Haixinsha Island after a 9.2-kilometer journey on the water.

The ceremony will be held in Citizens Plaza on the island, which is a part of Zhujiang New Town of Guangzhou.

Holding the Opening ceremony of a large sports event on an island is innovative, and is new in the history of the Asian Games.

Chen Weiya, director of Asian Games Opening & Closing Ceremonies, said, "We won't hold the ceremony at the main stadium, but instead at the new Citizens Plaza on the Haixinsha Island. It will be a big surprise and different from all ceremonies. "