Centuries-Olympic dream come true!

Tonight centuries Olympic dream finally come true
The 29th Olympic Games grandly opens in Beijing

On August 2008 night, the worldwide attention-attracting opening ceremony of the 29th Beijing Olympic Games was held grandly at the National Stadium. President Hu Jintao attended the opening ceremony and announced that the ceremony opened. With more than 2,000 years of history of the Olympic movement and more than 5,000 years of splendid Chinese culture heritage making the other more beautiful, it will commonly write a new large chapter of human civilization.

State leaders, the IOC President Jacques Rogge, honorary life president Juan Antonio as well as leaders and dignitaries from around the world attend the opening ceremony, and with all the audience witnessed this exciting moment in history.

Under the darkness, the nest-modelling National Stadium is brilliant, gorgeous, magnificent and glorious. The grand stadium that can accommodate more than 90,000 is fully packed and all the audience is excitedly full of great joy. Before the formal opening ceremony, some performance teams presented the brilliant national songs and dances and rendered the scene is very warm atmosphere, which are from a number of provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities, and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region, and Taiwan.

At 19:51, in the joyful sound of music, Hu Jintao, Jiang Zemin, Jacques Rogge and so on go up the chairman podium, waving to the audience. Breaks out a long period of warm applause.

A dazzling ring illuminates the ancient sundial. In the central stadium, with many powerful beats, 2008 Fou drums, a kind of ancient Chinese percussion instrument, utter the sound of moving spirits, and the white lights on the Fou drums are flashing in turns, producing the numbers of countdwon. In the thunderous sound of the beat Fou drums, all the audience present cry loud with numbers’ transformation: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4. 3, 2, 1, in the midst of cheers, greeting the opening ceremony starting time: 8pm sharp.

2008 actors beat and sing, reciting “That friends come from afar is very pleasant”to express our welcome to the Olympic athletes and guests from around the world. Multicolorful fireworks bloom in good order along the Beijing north-south axis, showing 29 huge footprints, a symbol of the 29th Beijing Olympic Games. One burning footprints after another flies across the night sky, all the way north, and change into down-flying stars over the national stadium, and then on the ground they all gather into glittering Olympic five rings, and finally the rings are lifted up slowly by the flying fairies dancing lightweight in the air. Full of romance and unique creation, this display of the Olympic rings move and shock the audience present.

“Five-star red flag flutters in the wind, how resounding the victory songs are. Sing our dear motherland, from now on towards a prosperous and powerful one ……” In the clear voices of a girl, China’s 56 chilren all clad in their national costumes enter the stadium, surrounding the bright five-star red flag.

At 8:12 pm, all rose, and the PRC military band plays the national anthem, and the PRC national flag is hoisted slowly. The audience present sing at the top of their voices, and the sonorous national anthem reverberates in the stadium.

Dark to light and Guqin sounding, a huge scroll spread slowly, and begins the large-scale cultural and arts performance which of the theme is the beautiful Olympics. It took artists more than 3 years to meticulously prepare this performance. With a display of novel ideas, strong Chinese styles and the rich appeal of performance practices, it dedicates to the world a gorgeous and splendid blend of the Olympics and Chinese civilization.

In the midst of elegant and remote tones of Guqin, some shadows of black dance and flutter on the white paper, just like an invisible hand is painting on it, and then a Chinese ink painting is rising slowly at the central stage of the stadium. 810 dancers all clad in Confucious period costumes and carrying bamboo scrolls, a kind of one of the earliest forms of books, intone “All are brothers around the world”,“There must be my teacher among three walking people”. 897 movable types transform into the different periods of Chinese character he which means harmony or peace, showing that it envolves from various stages of calligraphy, and the winding-rising Great Wall. All the programs such as pictures and words, show meaningful connotation and artistic conception, visually presenting that the Chinese culture goes back to ancient times and the enduring charm of our ancient “four great inventions”such as printing. On the mobile stage, four puppets of Beijing Opera and 800 actors performance the triumph scene of joy with the accompaniment of Jinghu, drums and gongs. Capacious and boundless desert, the choppy and waving sea, the pioneers’ arduous trek on the land and sea “Silk Road”, beautiful Kunqu floating here afar, 5 long scrolls of Chinese paintings spreading one by one, flying celestial nymphs dancing wearing colorful clothes, 32 dragon poles rising slowly, …… operas, Silk Roads, etiquettes with music etc., they are all warmly unrestrained, and gloriously magnificent, vividly demonstrating the ancient and profound Chinese culture. The piano music is bright and cheerful; 1000 actors dance on the stage disguising themselves as stars, just like the vast Heaven River was floating in the night sky, and finally set up the star-glittering Nest, and a beautiful girl dressed in red is flying a kite across the starry night sky. The Tai Chi performace is not only vigorous with grace but also full of power and grandeur; in the center of Tai Chi, innocent and artless children are singing folk songs, and carrying colorful pencils are depicting out in the ink painting green hills, blue waters and the smiling sun, and the colorful birds spreading their wings and flying in the sky. …… All these performancing arts of simplicity and lasting appeal profoundly embody the Chinese excitement of embracing the great Olympics and the sincere pursuit of peace and harmony.

The grand music is suddenly played. In the vast and expansive universe, stars spangle and the blue earth slowly rotates, with 58 actors running and jumping on the planet. The British singer Sarah Brightman and China’s singer Liu Huan passionately sing the theme song of the Bejing Olympic Games “You and me”: You and I, heart to heart, live in the global village. For a dream, we cover a thousand li and meet in Beijing. ……” 2008 smiling faces of children around the world are showed at the stadium, and the wide-smiling faces also appear on the projection screens at the top of the stadium. The heartfelt theme song and the smiling faces of different skin colors is a lively interpretation of the Beijing Olympic Games theme“One World, One Dream”.

At 9:10 pm, the admission of athletes begins. The military band played by turns the classical music of different styles from five different continents. The Greek delegation from the birthplace of the Olympic movement first enters the stadium, and then delegations of other countries and regions follow according to the order of simplified and admitted Chinese character strokes. A total of 204 delegations of countries and regions participate in this Olympics. During the following 16 days, more than 10,000 athletes from all over the world will compete under the five-ring Olympic flag. Athletes are all full of youthful energy and in high spirits, smiling and waving to the audience from time to time. The audience present show that they are welcome to come to Beijing with warm applauses and cheers.

At 11:09 pm, the host Chinese delegation enters the stadium last. Chinese sports delegation is composed of 1099, including 639 athletes, the biggest number than any other previous Olympic delegation and also the largest delegation of athletes participation.

Yao Ming, our flag-holder and a famous basketball player, walks at the forefront of the process with Lin Hao, a primary school student of Grate Two from Yingxiu Town, Wenchuan County in Sichuan province. At the moment Wenchuan huge earthquake occurred, the 9-year-old little Lin Hao bravely faced the music, and stormed into the ruins to rescue the students, and later was rated as a juvenile hero of earthquake relief. That Chinese people facing disasters courageously demonstrates the perseverance and unyielding tenacity greatly touches all the Chinese and foreign audience. The audience burst into stormy and thunderous applause, cheering constantly. Go China resounds throughout the stadium.

In the process of admission, each athlete leaves a colorful footprint on the drawing of scroll at the centre of the stadium. Colorful footprints and the drawings of cultural performances together constitue a beautiful scene of Human Homeland.

Beijing Olympic Games Organizing Committee President Liu Qi addresses a speech on behalf of BOGOC, warmly welcoming athletes, coaches, and guests from various countries and regions of the world, and expressing our sincere thanks to the IOC, international individual sports organizations, all the builders and workers participating in the BOG organization and building, all the friends showing concern and support for the BOG. Liu Qi says that the important mission of the BOG is to promote cultural exchanges between the countries in the world. We sincerely hope that friends can have a beautiful memory of Chinese long history and culture and passionate and hospitable Chinese people.

And then IOC President Jacques Rogge addresses a speech at the opening ceremony. He thanks the BOGOC and tens of thousands of volunteers for their hardworking delecation. He says that we are in the same world, and we have the same dreams, and hopes that this Olympic Games will bring us joy, hope and pride.

At 11:36 pm, a long-expected moment arrives. State President Hu Jintao announces with a resonant voice: The 29th Beijing Olympic Games opens!

Immediately, the dazzling fireworks bloom in the night sky; the boiling melodies resounds throughout the stadium; colorful flags wave; and passionate people cheer constantly.

8 flag-holders enter the stadium carrying the Olympic flag. They are the representatives of elite athletes of different periods of our country’s sports development. Zheng Fengrong is the first athlete of our country who broke the women’s high jump world record in the history of our track and field. Mu Xiangxiong is a swimming master who broke the world record in the 100m breaststroke three times. Zhang Xielin stormed to the table tennis world champion several times. Pando (Pan Duo) is the first female athlete who stepped on the Everest. Li Lingwei won 13 badminton world champion. Yang Ling, a shooting player, set the Olympic record in 10m mobile target shooting. Xiong Ni is a diving player who collected gold and silver in four consecutive Olympic Games. Yang Yang, a short track speed skating player, realized the “zero breakthrough” for our country in the Winter Olympic Games. 80 children are dressed in national costumes and sing the Olympic theme song. The Olympic flag raises slowly, and flutters high above the stadium with the five-star red flag.

Under the five-ring flag, Chinese player Zhang Yining and Chinese referee Huang Liping respectively are on oath on behalf of all participating athletes and referees.

“We meet here, different languages, but the same smile, ……” In the beautiful song, 100 girls in white keep time of rhythms, cross their arms and wave their hands, as white peace doves are flapping and flying. Athletes and audience wave their arms together with the girls. The spectacular scene of tens of thousands of doves flying deeply expresses people’s ardent expectation for peace.

At 11:54 pm, the Olympic flame from Olympia arrives at the Bird’s Nest, and the exciting Olympic flame-lit ceremony is about to begin. All the spectators wave colorful flashlights, like millions of stars flickering brightly. In the past more than four months, the Olympic torch travels across five continents and vast land of our country, and first on the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest. More than 20,000 Chinese and foreign torchers participate in the torch relay, all the way igniting passions and all the way transmitting dreams.

8 torchholders lift the torch high, continuing the final relay at the stadium. Xu Haifeng is China’s ever firdt Olympic gold medalist in the history of Olympics. Gao Min is China’s first Olympic springboard diving gold medal winner. Li Xiaoshuang is the first winner of Olympic individual all-round gymnastics gold medal. Zhang Xugang is only one player who won two Olympic gold medals in the history of weightlifting. Zhang Jun is the first winner of Olympic badminton mixed doubles gold medal in China’s Olympic history. Chen Zhong is China’s ever first over-67kg taekwondo Olympic champion. These well-known athletes, who once created many magnificiences lift the torch high and jog in the stadium, who are warmly welcome by all the spectators present.

At 0:00 am on the day of 9th, Sun Jinfang, the seventh torchholder, who was former captain of the Chinese women’s volleyball team and made her great contributions to winning the “three consecutive championships” holds the torch to come to a high platform in the stadium. There she lights the torch in the hand of Li Ning, a famous gymnastist, who is waiting there. And then Li flies in the sky with the torch in his hand, running strongly on a Chinese scroll which is spread slowly at the same time above the stadium, and on it appears the video of globle torch passing of Beijing Olympic flame.

At 0:04 am, Li Ning running in the air comes to the torchtower lights the fuse. The great torch at once bursts forth a huge raging flame, making all the stadium brilliant and sparkling.

The holy flame is kindled and all are boiling. Magnificent fireworkd rise high into the air, forming the rainbow over the stadium. Unrestrained music and warm deafening cheers make the exciting atmosphere present to the peak. Meanwhile, more than 40,000 fireworks burn at the same time, making all Beijing brilliant and splendid with a blaze of colour.

Happy sounds of singing and strong dances emerge a grand event with a bustling night. This is a memorable moment 1.3 billion Chinese people will never forget, and another glorious moment of the modern Olympic movement. After seven years of meticulous preparations, China dedicates to the world the grand celebration of sharing friendship and peace.

Tonight, Beijing does not sleep! Tonight, the world celebrates together!