2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony

"Beijing 2008 opening ceremony" redirects here. For the Paralympics opening ceremony, see 2008 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony.

2008 Summer Olympics
opening ceremony
Part of 2008 Summer Olympics
Fireworks during the opening ceremony
Date8 August 2008; 16 years ago (2008-08-08)
Time20:00 – 00:09 CST (UTC+08:00)
VenueBeijing National Stadium
LocationBeijing, China
Coordinates39°59′30″N 116°23′26″E / 39.99167°N 116.39056°E / 39.99167; 116.39056
Filmed byBeijing Olympic Broadcasting (BOB)
FootageFull opening ceremony on the IOC YouTube channel on YouTube
Olympic rings
Part of a series on
2008 Summer Olympics

The opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics was held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest. It began at 20:00 (8:00 PM) China Standard Time (UTC+08:00), on 8 August 2008, due to the significance of the number 8, which is considered to be auspicious[1][2][3][4][5] and is furthermore associated with prosperity and confidence in Chinese culture.[6] The artistic part of the ceremony comprised two parts titled "Brilliant Civilization" and "Glorious Era" respectively.[7] The first part highlighted Chinese civilization and the second part exhibited modern China and its dream of harmony between the people of the world.[7] The stadium was full to its 91,000 capacity according to organizers.[8]

The ceremony was directed by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou, who was the chief director, and whose international reputation rests partly on work banned in China.[9] He was assisted by Chinese choreographers Zhang Jigang and Chen Weiya.[10] The director of music for the ceremony was composer Chen Qigang.[10][11][12] It was noted for its focus on ancient Chinese culture (with the Communist revolution being largely omitted[9]), and for its creativity, as well as being the first to use weather modification technology to prevent rainfall.[13][third-party source needed] The final ascent to the torch featured Olympic gymnast Li Ning, who appeared to run through air around the membrane of the stadium. Featuring 15,000 performers, the ceremony lasted over four hours (4:09, second only to Sydney 2000) and was reported to have cost over US$100 million to produce.[14]

The opening ceremony was broadly praised by the international press as spectacular, and as the best ever Olympic opening ceremony.[15] It drew rave reviews despite controversy,[16] and a worldwide TV audience variously estimated, but likely over a billion. The ceremonies were also criticised for their militarism, high cost, historical revisionism, and lack of humour.[17][9]

The opening ceremony can also be considered an important branding initiative for China.[18] In 2014, the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony and Zhang Yimou were collectively awarded a Peabody Award for the "spell-binding, unforgettable celebration of the Olympic promise."[19]

  1. ^ "Tickets Information – The official ticketing website of the BEIJING 2008 Olympic Games". Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
  2. ^ "Beijing Confirms the Opening Ceremony Time for 2008 Olympics" Archived 9 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Travel China Guide. Retrieved 2 August 2008.
  3. ^ "Photo: Opening ceremony sample ticket". Official website. 23 April 2008. Archived from the original on 28 April 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
  4. ^ "Opening Ceremony plan released". Official website. 6 August 2008. Archived from the original on 8 August 2008. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  5. ^ "Beijing 2008 As the final seconds ticked away". Omega, official timekeeper. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
  6. ^ "The Number Eight and the Chinese". Archived from the original on 27 April 2007. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  7. ^ a b "How the Opening Ceremony was born". The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. 2008. Archived from the original on 9 August 2008.
  8. ^ Bristow, Michael (9 August 2008). "Spectators awed as Games begin". BBC News. Archived from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  9. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference latimes was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b Zhang Yimou and his five creative generals Archived 28 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "How the Opening Ceremony was born". Archived from the original on 28 April 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
  12. ^ "Behind the 29th Olympic Opening Ceremony". radio86.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 January 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
  13. ^ Xinhua (9 August 2008). "Beijing disperses rain to dry Olympic night". Chinaview.cn. Archived from the original on 12 August 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2009.
  14. ^ Brand, Madeleine; Berkes, Howard (8 August 2008). "China Celebrates Opening of Summer Olympics". NPR. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  15. ^ "Press hails 'greatest ever' Olympic opening show". Agence France-Presse. 9 August 2008. Archived from the original on 12 August 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2008.
  16. ^ Ruwitch, John. "World media hails Beijing's perfect night". U.S.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference questions was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Zhiyan, Wu (8 October 2013). From Chinese brand culture to global brands : insights from aesthetics, fashion and history. Borgerson, Janet,, Schroeder, Jonathan E., 1962-. [Basingstoke]: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781137276353. OCLC 860838704.
  19. ^ "Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony and Zhang Yimou". The Peabody Awards. Retrieved 25 July 2024.