2008 Jul 17 Pic of the Week: Fireworks at the Bird's Nest
by Paul Pennay
Most of today's Beijing papers feature large photos of an impressive fireworks display that lit up the Bird's Nest last night. The fireworks, more pictures of which can be found here and here (there's also a rather wobbly video available here), lit up the sky at 8.02pm in what was obviously yet another clue as to what the opening ceremony is going to involve. Earlier this week, pictures of performers taking part in the opening ceremony were also leaked online (see below), although the report is no longer able to be accessed.
However, it's likely that Zhang Yimou is less worried by the leaking of information about the ceremony, than he is by the possibility that it might rain on the big night. According to reports, based on an analysis of weather patterns in the past, there's a 41% chance of rain on August 8. As the WSJ China Journal points out, as recently announced rules covering what spectators can take into Olympic venues included a ban on umbrellas, it might be worth taking a poncho.
The Opening Ceremony - A peek behind the curtain
The 3.5-hour ceremony will be split into 4 separate sections:
- The beginning of the ceremony (the games are declared open)
- The artistic show (will last about 50 minutes)
– The entrance of athletes into the stadium
– And the lighting of the flame (around 11-11.30pm)
Zhang Yimou gave a speech at the liang hui political meeting back in March and revealed a few details of the 50 min artistic section of which he’s in charge:
- It'll focus on the themes of "who we are" and "we’re one family"
- It'll be simple enough that foreigners and young people can understand it
- The formula for the ceremony is: surprises + popular shows + smiling faces + red
- Fortunately he’s admitted it’s impossible to fit 5,000 years of history in to a 50 minute ceremony
- It's going to be better than Athens!
More info about the ceremony can be found in interviews with Zhang here and here and a report about his plan to collect 10,000 smiles can be found here.
Links and Sources
Sina.com.cn: 奥运会开幕式第二次彩排 鸟巢上空绽放礼花(图) image
NetEase: 221套方案参选奥运开幕式 各路导演特色十足
The Beijing News: 鸟巢“披红” image
You might also be interested in :
Pic of the Week: Cleaning the Cube
The Water Cube gets it's first post Olympic scrub down.
Links and Sources
The Star Daily： 奥林匹克公园要建成5A级景点Pic of the week: Meet Fu Niu Lele the robot
The Fuwa might have won some over with their antics at the beach volleyball and other Olympic events, but seriously, how can they compare to Fu Niu Lele. Lele, the official mascot of the Paralympics, has proved a hit (and broken a few hearts) at terminal 3 with a robotic version of the mascot providing directions to visitors in 12 languages! Beat that Fuwa.
Images from the Opening Ceremony
Update: NBC have also published a photo gallery of images from last Friday's Opening Ceremony.
Over at ESWN you can find some amazing images of the ceremony plus some translations of some responses from Chinese bloggers. Shanghaiist has collected some videos of the ceremony as captured by people on the street in various locations and also offer a handy compendium of news reports and initial reactions to the event from media around the world. Chinese blogger Wang Jianshuo has made some interesting observations and explanations about the finer details of the ceremony that you might have missed the first time round. Also, if you thought that really cool shot of the fireworks exploding along the central axis of Beijing was fake - you were right.
Pic of the Week: A Secure Olympics
The above photo was taken on July 16 and is part of a great 24-image gallery that was published on Boston.com earlier this week. You can view the rest of the gallery at Beijing 2008 Preparations - Three Weeks to Go
The Lighter Side of China – Olympic Dreams
As we approach the XXXth Olympiad in London, I am reminded of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the way sports have developed in China over the years.
My earliest “Chinese” sports memories are of the famed Li Ning, the gymnast who collected six medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. I remember an image of him suspended on the rings in what is known as the “Iron Cross” – muscles bulging, straight-faced, determined. As the first Olympiad in which the People’s Republic of China participated, the 1984 Summer Games marked the rise of China’s obsession with the Olympics.
