Beijing Games kicks off

By Raymond Zhou (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2008-08-09 07:19

Nature

You can interpret this number as a call for biological protection, but that would be reading too much pragmatism into it. It is about man's relations with nature, embodied in the movements of tai chi. It expounds on the philosophies from The Book of Changes, which contains an ancient system of cosmology intrinsic to Chinese cultural beliefs. The cosmology centers on the ideas of the dynamic balance of opposites.

The 2,008 performers doing tai chi in a circle that surrounds a rectangle is an epitome of the notion of "heaven is round and earth is square". And the boxing itself perfectly illustrates Lao Tzu's teaching -- "The soft and the pliable will defeat the hard and strong."

A total of 2,008 actors performer Tai Chi during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, 2008. [Agencies]

Children wave a large drawing as the black-and-white world erupts into colors during the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8, 2008. [Agencies]

The black-and-white world erupts into colors when ancient Taoism is given a modern spin as a teacher instructs her pupils on the importance of loving the natural world that feeds us.

This is a very Chinese interpretation of environmentalism, with inspiration from ancient philosophers. Cryptic epigrams are conveyed in color schemes, shapes and forms. I never knew a gala idea could be so enlightening.

Dream

This is the last number before the entrance of the athletes. It is a manifestation of the One World One Dream mantra. Literally, a globe 18m in diameter and weighing 16 tons rises in the middle of the arena. Circling around it are nine tracks, along which performers do the kind of weightless walk usually seen in outer space but here to simulate gravity.

Sarah Brightman and Liu Huan join to sing the theme song, titled “You and Me”, on top of the globe. Around it are 2,008 volunteers who present 2,008 smiling faces of little children. The faces are also projected on the overhead panel and even into the fireworks.

2,008 volunteers who present 2,008 smiling faces of little children are projected as Sarah Brightman and Liu Huansing the theme song during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony on August 8, 2008 at the National Stadium in Beijing. [Agencies]

The giant globe is a nice touch, and the simulation of weightlessness for the sake of gravity is very Taoist if you think about it – it’s about the conversion of opposites. The celebration of volunteerism and happiness of children is an apt culmination of an hour of fete and a grand beginning for the sports world’s biggest event in four years and a nation’s longing for glory.

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