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