A photo shows an Asian Games staff member posing with mascots on September 19, 2023, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. /IC

As excitement builds among spectators and athletes ahead of the 19th Asian Games' opening ceremony on Saturday, Hangzhou and its neighboring cities have come alive and are visibly ready to host athletes from across Asia.

Set to run until October 8, the mega multisport event is set to gather over 12,000 athletes from 45 Asian countries and regions to compete in 481 events at 56 venues spread across the cities of Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Jinhua, Shaoxing and Huzhou.

Throughout Hangzhou and other venues in Zhejiang Province, the figures of the Games' mascots Chenchen, Congcong and Lianlian can be seen cheering on the arrival of one of Asia's biggest sporting events.