China’s rich history unveiled to the roar of fireworks

BEIJING: A thundering display of fireworks exploded over the “Bird’s Nest” stadium in the shape of a blossoming red flower as China put the full glory of its rich history on display at the Olympic opening ceremony.

Some 91,000 people, many waving Chinese flags, packed into the National Stadium on a hot and humid night for a spectacular show masterminded by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Zhang Yimou.

US President George W. Bush was among dozens heads of state attending the ceremony in Beijing Friday which included hundreds of kung fu fighters dressed in matching white, opera singers and dancers.

Fireworks forming giant footprints also exploded at 29 points representing the 29th Olympics along the axis of the city, passing through historic Tiananmen Square and leading to the stadium.

Exactly 2,008 musicians beat ancient Chinese drums called Fous in perfect timing to welcome athletes and spectators to the Games, which China hopes will showcase its development, especially over the past three decades.

Children from 56 ethnic groups walked a giant Chinese flag across the stadium before it was raised by soldiers on a flagpole, as a young girl in pigtails, singing a Hymn to My Country, silenced the crowd.

The Olympics were opened at precisely 8.08pm on the eighth day of the eighth month, a tribute to the number eight that many Chinese deem lucky as it represents prosperity.

For the next hour, the enthralled crowd watched as 15,000 musicians, acrobats and trapeze artists in lavish costumes staged a celebration of China’s history which focused on its key inventions the compass, gunpowder, paper and printing.

The centre of the stadium was transformed into a constantly unfurling electronic scroll, showing Chinese script and the typewriter. The march into the stadium of thousands of athletes from 204 nations and territories competing at the Games began. The ceremony ended with the lighting of the Olympic cauldron later in the night.