Zhang Yimou, chief director of the opening ceremony for the coming 2022 Winter Olympic Games, said though he had never expected to direct both the Summer and Winter Games, he has been preparing for Beijing 2022 all the time.

Back in 2008 during the Games in Beijing, Zhang presented one of the most iconic opening ceremonies in Olympic history.

"Of course I could never foresee it that I would one day become a 'dual Olympic director,'" Zhang said in an interview with China Media Group (CMG). "You can't make it happen either. But they say 'opportunity comes to the prepared mind.' Perhaps all of my work these years became a kind of preparation and reserve."

Zhang recalled that he was directing a program for Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in 2018 and his team made an item for that. In the end the item was not used. Zhang said maybe they could keep it for the 2022 Winter Olympics. In the following years, the item missed a series of events directed by Zhang and, in the end, it will become part of the Beijing 2022 opening ceremony.

At the Beijing Olympics 14 years ago, many were amazed by Zhang's creative fusion of traditional Chinese culture and modern art form. He revealed that for the 2022 ceremony, he will try to combine art with science to show a sense of modernity. Zhang emphasized that the technologies used at the opening ceremony must be simple, economical and controllable.

Another element of the ceremony is the word "romance." Zhang believes it's one of the best ways to reflect cultural confidence by adding romance to the opening ceremony of a major event.

"When people are living a happy, stable life, they will grow a heart of romance; when people are more confident, they will grow to be more romantic," Zhang told CMG. "I kept telling my team, if we create a matter of romance right here at this moment, we will amaze them, we will amaze the world. That's what the Chinese people want."