HANGZHOU, China, Sept 21 (Reuters) - China hopes to make a splash with the Asian Games, opening on Saturday, but nationwide excitement has been muted as the economy sputters and some locals question the cost of the sporting extravaganza. Organisers this week expressed confidence in holding a "magnificent" games, thanks to President Xi Jinping’s "important instructions" and great, broad-based efforts. "People care more about their own lives, and the Asian Games are not on the top of their list of concerns," Yan said. [1/4]A woman poses for pictures in front of statues of the three mascots of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, near the Hangzhou Asian Games Village, in Zhejiang province, China September 20, 2023. "There's a saying online: 'The Hangzhou city government, when encountering even a dog, wishes they could catch it and give it a fresh coat of paint'."

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Persons: Xi Jinping’s, Xi, Bashar al, Assad, John Yan, Yan, Jiang, It's, Mark Dreyer, Tingshu Wang, Wu Lili, Zhang, Jules Boycoff, it's, Dylan Martinez, Martin Quin Pollard, Xihao Jiang, William Mallard Organizations: Asian Games, COVID, Games, Sports, Beijing Olympics, Asian, Hangzhou, REUTERS, Pacific University, Thomson Locations: HANGZHOU, China, Hangzhou, Beijing, Zhejiang province, Zhejiang, Shanghai, U.S ., Oregon, West