Olympicks: Do You Want to Plan the 2022 Opening Ceremony?

OlymPicks is an ongoing blog series whereby we highlight news, gossip, and developments in the buildup to Beijing's 2022 Winter Olympics.

Organizers of the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics may have put quintessentially Chinese traditions like acupuncture and cupping on the menu, but they are looking beyond China’s borders to fulfill key tasks. Specifically, by putting out the call for proposals about what types of eye-popping spectacle should be used to dazzle viewers at the opening ceremony. One official told state media, in phrasing that hopefully wasn’t meant to sound too condescending, “even non-Chinese nationals or organizations is welcome to participate” in proposals for the opening ceremony, “while any interested individual, legal person, institution” can also make submissions.

That official went on to say: ”We are looking for creative proposals that could fully embody the vision of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games and the Olympic spirit, fully demonstrate the inheritance and development of the splendid Chinese culture, and fully reflect China's achievements in the new era.”

Think you've got what it takes to pull it off? You can submit your proposal for the ceremony here. However, the successful applicants will certainly have a tough act to follow. After all, Olympic opening ceremonies are massively orchestrated spectacles, and China’s 2008 rendition is often cited as a prime example. At the time, The Guardian described it as major to-do that not only impressed viewers but single-handedly “outdid all of its predecessors in numbers, color, noise, and expense, demonstrating to the world that the new China intends to make its presence felt.” Those of us that recall the 14,000 dancers who performed intricately choreographed moves to music all overseen by famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou,and the onslaught of fireworks that blanketed heavens, will agree that there were no shortage pleasures for the senses at that memorable ceremony.

Only time will tell if the 2022 opening ceremony will live up to, or perhaps even exceed all that razzle-dazzle from 2008, though extensive reports about the re-usage of already built venues and other cost-cutting measures indicate that these upcoming Games will be more modest in scope.

That being said, the Beijing 2022 presentation during the closing ceremony for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, with its abundance of glowing neon light and inspiring collage of photos of sports fans from around the world, are an indication that China still intends to wow the pants off us.

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Photos: Xinhua, theipinionsjournal.com