Revisiting the Beijing Olympics' opening ceremony

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Exactly a decade ago, the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics dazzled the world. Today, the unsurpassed night of glory is still a fond memory for Olympic enthusiasts and Chinese citizens. Let's revisit the stunning showcase of China's past and present.

At 8:00 p.m. on August 8, 2008, the Beijing National Stadium, better known as the Bird's Nest, was filled to the brim with 91,000 people. The number eight is associated with prosperity and luck in Chinese culture, and it was at that auspicious moment that the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summer Olympics unfolded.

The printing technique of ancient China was showcased during the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening. /VCG Photo

Directed by renowned filmmaker Zhang Yimou, the artistic performance comprised two parts. The first part "Brilliant Civilization" highlighted Chinese civilization. And the second part "Glorious Era" showcased modern China and its dream of harmony between the peoples of the world.

Featuring 15,000 performers, the ceremony lasted over four hours. Beginning with the unfurling of a giant scroll painting, it went on to present the nation's written script, an operatic stage, ritual music and the Four Great Inventions – the compass, gunpowder, papermaking and printing. Icons such as the Silk Road were also interpreted on stage, to highlight China's opening and creativity.

The final ascent to the torch featured Olympic gymnast Li Ning, who was a grand sight as he was suspended in midair.

The statue of official emblem of the 2008 Beijing Olympics at Tian'anmen Square. /VCG Photo

Attending the ceremony were more than 100 leaders from over 80 countries and regions – by far the largest contingent in Olympic history.

And over four billion people, or about two-thirds of world population at the time, watched the opening on the small screen.

A still from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. /VCG Photo‍

The ceremony was lauded by spectators and the international press as spectacular and spellbinding, and by many accounts was "the greatest ever in the history of Olympics."

Prominent US filmmaker Steven Spielberg called the show "an unforgettable spectacle" and "the grandest spectacle of the new millennium." At the end of 2008, the American Film Institute selected the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony as one of the "Eight Moments of Significance" of the year.

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