Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics was absolutely breathtaking.

BEIJING -- China didn’t just walk onto the world stage. It soared over it.

At last playing its long-sought role as Olympic host, China opened the Summer Games in spectacular fashion Friday with an extravaganza of fireworks and pageantry dramatizing its ascendance as a global power.

Disasters, environmental problems and human-rights disputes preceded the games, and questions abound about how they will unfold. But for an evening, at least for the 91,000 people packed into the new National Stadium, it was an interlude of fervor and magic — capped by the spellbinding sight of a skywalking, torchbearing gymnast floating around the stadium’s top rim before sending a torrent of fire upward to light the Olympic flame.

...The story presented in Friday’s pageantry sought to distill 5,000 years of Chinese history — featuring everything from the Great Wall to opera puppets to astronauts, and highlighting achievements in art, music and science. Roughly 15,000 people were in the cast and crew, all under the direction of Zhang Yimou, whose early films often ran afoul of government censors for their blunt portrayals of China’s problems.

...He produced some majestic and ethereal imagery. At the start, 2,008 drummers beat out a pulsating rhythm with their hands. Later, a huge, translucent globe emerged from the stadium floor, and acrobats floated magically around it to the accompaniment of the games’ theme song, “One World, One Dream.”

It ended sensationally, when China’s first Olympic superstar, former triple gymnastics gold medalist Li Ning, was hoisted by wires to the top of the stadium, circled the circumference as though he were spacewalking and then touched the torch to a thin pipe, setting off a spiral of flame to ignite the mammoth, scroll-shaped cauldron overlooking Beijing.

The thousands of drummers were incredible, albeit sort of scary.

The thousands of Tai Chi performers were incredible.

The precision was really remarkable.

The parade of nations took FOREVER. When the USA team entered, there was a warm welcome.

I guess the world doesn't hate us enough to boo our team.

As always with the Olympics, politics are part of the event.

Scores of world leaders were on hand, and the potential TV audience was 4 billion worldwide for what was certainly the costliest and probably the largest opening ceremony in Olympic history.

...A chanting, flag-waving crowd gave a thunderous welcome, and erupted again a few moments later when President Hu Jintao declared the games open.

President Bush and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin were among the glittering roster of notables who endured heat and humidity to watch China make this bold declaration that it had arrived. Bush, rebuked by China after he raised human-rights concerns this week, is the first U.S. president to attend an Olympics on foreign soil.

President Bush and Mrs. Bush stood as Team USA entered. From the dignitaries box, they held small American flags, smiled, and waved to our athletes as they marched by.

Spectacular.

NBC ended its coverage by dedicating the opening ceremony broadcast to Jim McKay, who died on June 7, 2008. It was a fitting tribute.

Let the games begin!
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President Bush Greets 2008 United States Summer Olympic Team in Beijing

Fencing Hall
Beijing, People's Republic of China

6:44 P.M. (Local)

THE PRESIDENT: Congratulations for representing the finest nation on the face of the Earth. (Applause.) The honorary captain and I are proud to be with you. We're here to wish you all the very best.

I first want to say thanks to the U.S. Olympic Committee, chaired by Peter Ueberroth, CEO Jim Scherr, Judge Charles Lee. I wasn't exactly sure what to say to you, except to start with, God, I love our country and I love what we stand for. (Applause.) And I love being with you.


Laura and I and a lot of our family are here to cheer you on. We're just a handful of a lot of folks who care about you a lot. There are going to be a lot of people pulling for you. We want you to win as many golds as you possibly can. (Applause.)

We appreciate all the hard work you've put in to get to this spot. It's got to be really exciting -- thinking about marching in that stadium and representing our country. So I guess all I've got to say is, go for it, give it all you've got, and may God bless you. (Applause.)

END 6:46 P.M. (Local)

USA! USA! USA!
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