No celebration lasts forever. When the flame of the Beijing Paralympics torch is extinguished tonight, we shall bid farewell to the biggest Paralympiad to date.

Our heartfelt thanks go to the more than 4,000 athletes whose tenacity and fortitude on courts of play taught us that there are no obstacles to a true heart and soaring aspirations.

We express our gratitude to the organizers, whose commitment to an Olympiad and a Paralympiad of "equal splendor" made this an unforgettable event.

We thank the one-and-a-half million volunteers whose meticulous service and friendly smiles warmed hearts and made every aspect of the Games enjoyable.

And, of course, we are grateful to those who awarded China the invaluable opportunity to host the two Games. When China wins, so does the world.

We are especially proud that the usually underrated Paralympics found an enthusiastic audience here.

That was not just in ticket sales. The Paralympics created an otherwise unlikely sensitivity to the physically challenged, something that our mammoth national education system has not achieved. The Paralympics may have changed lives.

Many of us watching the competitions in the last few weeks were touched by the strength of will of these athletes to transcend their physical limitations. Many say the Games has prompted them to re-think their own lives. Isn't that of value?

What is even more inspiring is that many have realized that they were wrong about people with physical limitations. The outstanding performances at the Paralympics have shown us that physical limitations cannot cripple a strong will. The Paralympic Games has earned our genuine respect. Many now say they will treat people with physical limitations as equals.

Many public facilities have become wheelchair-accessible, thanks to the Paralympics. But the welfare of the disabled is not only about hardware. The biggest achievement of the Paralympics is to awaken public awareness. A concerned public outshines all of the medals we have garnered.

(China Daily 09/17/2008 page8)