The National Flag of the People's Republic of China is raised during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games at the National Stadium in Beijing, China, March 4, 2022. (ZHANG KEREN / XINHUA)

BEIJING – President Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games on Friday night at the National Stadium in Beijing and declared the Games open. 

The opening ceremony started at 8 pm local time.  

The program is divided into 12 segments, including the parade of athletes and the lighting of the Paralympic cauldron. 

IN PICTURES: Journey of inspiration begins

Themed "Inspiration," the countdown performance had two parts – Looking back at the history of the Paralympic Games and the Inspiration of the Paralympic Spirit. 

The Beijing Winter Paralympics will run through March 13. 

The Paralympic cauldron for the Beijing 2022 Winter Games has been lit at the National Stadium. 

ALSO READ: IPC president: 2022 Paralympics a benchmark for future Games

Li Duan, Paralympic long jump and triple jump champion at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, placed the torch in the middle of a giant snowflake-shaped cauldron which later ascended to the top of the stadium, after the torch was relayed among eight Paralympic athletes inside the stadium during the Games opening ceremony. 

A choir of vision impaired singers sings a cappella during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games at the National Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2022. (ZHANG BOWEN / XINHUA)

The Paralympic flames collected in Stoke Mandeville, a village northwest of London that is recognized as the birthplace of the Paralympic Games, and eight other locations in Beijing and Zhangjiakou gathered to form the official flame for the 2022 Winter Paralympics at a ceremony held at the Temple of Heaven on Wednesday. 

Over the past three days, 565 torchbearers have participated in the torch relay in Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou competition zones.