Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games Begins!

Pictures courtesy of Reuters and it’s rightful photographers


“Here lies a sleeping giant (China), let it sleep, for when he wakes up, the world will tremble”
- Napoléon Bonaparte

Centuries later, on August, 8th of 2008 at 8:08pm the meaning of Napoleon’s words comes to life…

The grand opening for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games had China display its culture and achievements to the world - showcasing the four great Chinese inventions (Paper, Gunpowder, Compass and Printing press) and other milestone events in their history such as sending their first Chinese astronaut to space. The opening ceremony itself was viewed by an estimated 3 billion people! Literally, all eyes was on China. That’s why the event meant so much for them (China invested $43 billion into the games).

The Opening ceremony itself was magnificent. The Chinese kept the ceremony fairly simple, yet interesting through the ‘Chinese touch’ and the use of LED screens, dancers and aerial acrobatics - which is nothing new at the Olympic ceremonies. The major themes of the ceremony was ‘the green games‘ and their Olympic motto of ‘One world, one dream‘.

However, what really drawn my attention was their military precision on everything (after all, most of the people were from the military). Another major highlight that I truly enjoyed watching was how they lit the Olympic torch (a man running on the wall of the stadium - a very Chinese touch).



If you have missed the ceremony, here’s a little teaser of a video from Reuters:

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1 Comments

1. Tara, August 22, 2008:

   The fireworks were CGI-enhanced for the broadcast.

   And the little girl who “sang” China’s national anthem was dubbed over by a less-pretty little girl who was a better singer.

   Shameful fakery and facade. No thanks.

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