Dancers perform at the closing ceremony for the Eighth National Para Games of China in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, Oct 19, 2011. [Photo/Asianewsphoto]

HANGZHOU, China - As the Eighth National Para Games of China lowered its curtain in the Dragon Sport Center Indoor Stadium on Wednesday evening, hopes for next year's London Paralympics sparkled into blazes.

The Hangzhou Games was a warm-up for China's disabled athletes who have targeted on the 2012 Paralympics in London, while 65 world records were surpassed and 347 national records were broken.

As to 3.11 million disabled people in Zhejiang province, staging the Games marked stable improvement of quality of their lives: 71.9 percent of local disabled had reached the social well-off level last year, 14.5 percent higher than the national average level.

"Sport is a way for the disabled to participate in common social lives like the others. As the London Paralympics around the corner, the National Para Gamesalso provided a platform for our para athletes to show their strength and dignity," said Feng Jianzhong, deputy director of the General Administration of Sport of China.

The nine-day Games was a national gala for the disabled. In addition to the performers in the opening and closing ceremony, numerous disabled volunteers, reporters, and audience joined together to cheer for their own Games.

"It's the biggest one of its kind as a record of more than 5,000 athletes attended the Games. Among all the 18 sports, darts, chess and table tennis for the blind were newly added," said Zhao Sujing, deputy director of China Disabled Person's Federation (CDPF) sports department.

"Now it's time for China to give lessons to the others," said Dato' Zainal Abu Zarin, the President of Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) referring to his suggestions for future development of para sports in China.

Singers perform at the closing ceremony for the Eighth National Para Games of China in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, Oct 19, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 90-minute closing ceremony performance "Accompanied by Peer" highlighted the unstoppable momentum of the para athletes with three chanters, namely Meeting in Jiangnan, Competing for Excelence and Embracing Love.

The whole performance hit the climax when 45 local wheelchair performers danced the "dream on the wheelchair". Basketball, racing, fencing, the performers rolled their acrobatic wheels to imitate the stirring competition scenes.

The flame of the main cauldron was extinguished in an unusual way: with the flame burning on the virtual cauldron on the screen, a helicopter circled over the fire to gain the kindling. As a real model helicopter throwing the kindling to the middle of 100 "phoenix" actors in the epilogue, the sparkle of the Games' flamed up into the sky.

Qumu Shiha, vice-governor of Sichuan province where the Ninth National Para Games will be held, received the flag from Wang Xinxian, the President of Chinese Paralympic Committee. Wang then declared the Games close.

China's National Para Games was inaugurated in 1984 in Anhui province. Since the third version in 1992, it was regulated to be held every four years.