The biggest sports carnival in China—the 15th National Games—is officially on.

Unlike the Olympics or the Asian Games, China's National Games isn't the most globally focused sports stage in China.

But this year is special: for the first time in history, Guangdong Province and two Special Administrative Regions—Hong Kong and Macao—are co-hosting the National Games.

And that alone makes this year's Games much bigger than just sports.

In this episode of China Xplained, let's break it down.