Opening Ceremony

Overview

The Beijing Olympics’ opening ceremony is regarded by many as the greatest of all time. Directed by Zhang Yimou, one of the most esteemed Chinese filmmakers, the opening ceremony lasted for four hours, with a budget of over $100M, over 15,000 performers, and over 1.5 billion live viewers. It was a grand celebration and presentation of Chinese history and culture, and Yimou stated that the overarching theme of the ceremony was “to show the concept of ‘Together for a Shared Future’, to showcase the solidarity of humankind.” While not directly stated, such a message undoubtedly carries Confucian influence in its call for harmony and unity among people. Additionally, Ji Xianlin, an art consultant of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, or BOCOG, suggested to “invite” Confucious and “hope[s] the whole world can accept the concept of harmony”.

Song-Fou Performance

The ceremony opened with 2,008 drummers striking giant Fou drums while singing "Isn't it delightful to have friends coming from afar?”, a quote by Confucius from The Analects. The display itself showed remarkable coordination and order, embodying the essence of li. These Confucian elements contributed to the organizing committee’s goal of presenting Chinese society as one that is orderly and welcoming.

Four Great Inventions

One of the most notable aspects of the ceremony was how it highlighted the Four Great Inventions of China: the compass, gunpowder, papermaking, and printing. After the Song-Fou performance, a fireworks display was set off, celebrating both the Olympics and the Chinese invention of gunpowder. At the start of the Artistic section of the ceremony, which was a celebration of Chinese history and art, a short film was played showing the invention of paper, followed by a scroll painting performance. Next, the scroll was moved away to reveal 897 type blocks forming the character 和 (he), or harmony. This performance represented the invention of movable type printing, another one of China’s greatest contributions to mankind. Later, a Silk Road performance was played, with the dancer in the center holding a compass. The display showed a reverence for tradition and history, which is a Confucian principle, and it served a great purpose to show the rich culture and innovation of China, as well as to show a global audience how they are connected through their use of these mundane items.

Nature

Later in the ceremony, a Tai chi performance was staged by 2,008 dancers, displaying flowing, natural movements in the form of martial arts. These movements represented harmony with nature, an undeniably Taoist principle, as well as the Chinese government’s commitment to a Green Olympics, which I discuss in the “Messaging and Publicity” page.

Media Perceptions

Generally, the opening ceremony was well received, being viewed by many as the greatest opening ceremony of all time. However, some global media sources did not view it in a positive light, instead seeing it as a nationalistic propagandized presentation meant to promote the CCP. An article from Die Welt, a German media outlet, stated “The perfect show also demonstrated China's frantic desire for recognition and contained a lot of propaganda”. On the other hand, the UK based The Independent had this to say: “This, it was hard if not impossible to dispute, was the greatest show the world had ever seen and … you suspected that Confucius himself might have been pleased”. Additionally, People's Daily, a Chinese outlet, said "This great performance was a brilliant distillation of 5,000 years of glorious history. China will embrace the world with openness, self-confidence and warmth," mirroring the message the Chinese government and the organizing committee was trying to display. While opinions were somewhat split, it was clear that the reception was mostly positive, and it did serve to boost the world’s perception of China as a capable, open country with a rich culture and history.

Some more media opinions:

"'Friends who come from far, how happy we are to have you here,' was the message of greeting to the world, even the part of the world China has had harsh criticism from. And in a stroke it made the latest polemics about Bush's words on human rights slide away." - Corriere della Sera, Italy

"Eye-poppers gave way to jaw-droppers, stunners were followed by dazzlers, and if the absence of a big emotional catharsis was a little disappointing, the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics from Beijing still added up to one of the most visually beautiful evenings of television ever seen." - Washington Post, USA

"It started with grim paramilitary goons in blue track-suits accompanying the Olympic torch on its embarrassing tour of democratic countries. And now the Games begin with broken promises on press freedom and shipping in party members to forcibly replace ordinary Chinese hoping to see the torch relay." - Taipei Times, Taiwan