The 29th Olympic Games were declared open by President Hu Jintao in a dazzling spectacle, showcasing both the richness of Chinese culture, and the elaborate lengths the host has gone through to stage the planet's biggest sporting extravaganza on 08.08.08 at precisely 8.00 pm. Almost S$60 billion - treble the budget of the 2004 Athens Olympics - has been pumped into the Beijing Games.
A record 204 nations and territories, and 10,500 athletes would be competing over the next 16 days. Packed into the new "Bird's Nest" National Stadium were some 91,000 spectators enthralled by the 3-and-a-half hours of multimedia feast choreographed by acclaimed Chinese filmmaker, Zhang Yimou.
China's evolution from the Xia Dynasty to the present day was told in a magical visual show featuring taiji exponents, Chinese opera singers and 56 children representing the 56 Chinese ethnic groups.
It was a spectacular show incorporating everything from acrobats to Chinese calligraphy to terracotta soldiers - and almost every aspect of China's 5,000-year history.
However, the closing ceremony paled in comparison. Let us look forward to 2012 when London hosts the next Olympics.
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