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BEIJING (Reuters) - Internationally acclaimed Chinese film maker Zhang Yimou will direct the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, organisers announced on Sunday.

Multi-Oscar winning Hollywood director Steven Spielberg, who was also present at Sunday's announcement in Beijing, will be part of Zhang's team as an artistic adviser.

 

A member of China's "Fifth generation" of directors, Zhang is best known in the west for his 1991 film "Raise the Red Lantern" and his 2004 title "House of Flying Daggers", both of which were nominated for Oscars.

"I'm very honoured to become executive director of the ceremonies," Zhang, 54, said at a ceremony at the headquarters of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG).

"I thank BOCOG for trusting me with this huge task. To complete it will require the efforts of the whole team and the advisers from home and abroad."

"I make a solemn promise to the Chinese people I will complete the task beautifully and successfully."

Zhang will also be able to draw on the expertise of Australian Ric Birch, who directed the highly successful opening and closing ceremonies at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Spielberg, whose most recently released film "Munich" was based on events in the aftermath of the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics, said he was also honoured to be asked to help out.

"Our one goal is to give the world a taste of peace, friendship and understanding," he said.

"Through the visual arts ... the art of celebration of life, we are dedicated to making this the most emotional opening ceremony ever."

BOCOG president Liu Qi said the opening ceremony was a "crucial part of the Olympic Games".

"The success of a high-level Olympic Games ... depends on the quality of the opening ceremony," he said. "The 1.3 billion Chinese people are full of aspirations for the Olympic Games, and they have high expectations for the opening ceremony."

More than 400 schemes for the opening ceremony were submitted to BOCOG and elements and personnel from the best five teams have been commissioned to produce the event.

The opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics will take place on August 8, 2008.

From Yahoo News (Reuters)

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BOCOG announces creation team for Games ceremonies

Updated:2006-04-16  

  (BEIJING, April 16) -- The creation team for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is made public today to an expecting world community.

  At a ceremony in the Beijing Olympic Tower where BOCOG's new headquarters is located, and witnessed by a number of senior government officials, certificates of appointment were conferred to the key members of the team.

  Chinese director Zhang Yimou is named chief director for both the opening and closing ceremonies. Zhang Jigang, director of the Song and Dance Ensemble affiliated with the General Political Department of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, and Chen Weiya, vice director of the China National Song and Dance Ensemble, will be Zhang Yimou's deputies and chief assistants. Yu Jianping, president of Beijing Special Engineering Design Institute, will be the technical chief. Art director for the team will be Lu Jiankang, general manager of Bei'ao Culture and Sports Co.

  Equally eye-catching are world-renowned American movie director Steven Spielberg, Yves Pepin, president of French company ECA2, and Australian Richard Peter Birch, who were present at the ceremony to get their certificates of appointment as consultants in culture and art for the creation of the spectacular ceremonies. Also invited as cultural and art directors are Ji Xianlin and Tang Yijie, two eminent professors from the prestigious Peking University, Jin Shangyi, chairman of the China Artists' Association and ex-president of the Central Institute of Fine Arts, Xu Xiaozhong, honorary president of Central Academy of Drama, as well as Chinese movie director Chen Kaige.

  "The opening ceremony is a crucial part of the Olympic Games. The success of a high-level Olympic Games with distinguishing features depends on the level of the opening ceremony," Liu Qi, president of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, also known as BOCOG, said in a speech after the conferring ceremony. "The 1.3 billion Chinese people are full of aspirations for the Olympic Games, and they have very high expectations for the opening ceremony. For billions of TV viewers around the world, the opening ceremony is also the 'first impression' that the Olympic Games have to offer."

  "We expect to leave an excellent impression on the athletes and guests from all over the world and billions of TV audiences by staging a fantastic opening ceremony of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games," Liu noted in his remarks.

  "The opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing 2008 Games should not only give expression to the theme slogan, One World One Dream, and three concepts of the Games, namely Green Olympics, Hi-tech Olympics and People's Olympics, but also embody the two major subjects of civilization and harmony. In the meantime, the artists will have to take into full consideration the characteristics of such events by highlighting the Olympic spirits and the good wishes of the international community to turn the 2008 Games into a gala of peace and friendship," Liu continued.

Upon receiving their certificates of appointment, Zhang Yimou, Zhang Jigang, Chen Weiya, Yu Jianping, Spielberg and Xu Xiaozhong also spoke to the audience.

  It was announced that BOCOG would continue its selection of famed artists and specialists from China and the rest of the world to participate in the creation of the opening and closing ceremonies.

  BOCOG started public solicitation of the creative schemes for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in March 2005. A total of 409 complete works were submitted to the event organizer before the deadline. After a series of evaluations in line of the pre-announced procedures, 13 creative schemes were selected and the first round of presentation was organized.

  Based on the comments and feedbacks on these creative schemes, five teams were short-listed and asked to further develop and improve their schemes before the second round of presentation. Again, on the basis of the evaluation of the five presentations, BOCOG decided to establish a working team consisting of top-class directors and producers from the original five teams. They were commissioned to produce a national-standard creative scheme by combining the best elements and merits of the five.

BOGOC Press Release

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What happened to Ang Lee?  He was my favourite.  :sad:  I was hoping he would at least do a Chinese version of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN for Opening -- like 5,000 Chinese cowboys humping each other on the field of Bird's Nest.  :wwww:

OK, seriosuly, August 8, 2008 has definitely to be on my itinerary.  This just confirms it.  

Am on the next Great 2-Year Leap Forward Plan of my life (which means save and book the first day tix become availalbe.

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ECA2 did the Athens Paralympic Ceremonies and I think the France 98 World Cup Opening.

Ah!  I heard good things about the Athens '04 Paralympics Ceremonies, altho I never saw them.  

The '98 France World Cup O.C. idea was good -- like a blossoming garden or something, and then you had these "bugs" (aerialists) coming down from the roof of the Stade de France into the "garden."  (Think ANTZ or A BUG's LIFE.)  But the execution sort of came out flat -- at least on TV.  And maybe because it was daytime, so they could not add any dramatic, focused lighting.

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Beijing 2008 Announces Opening And Closing Ceremonies Creative Team

Posted 2:00 pm ET (GamesBids.com)

Renowned Chinese Director Zhang Yimou has been named chief director for the Beijing 2008 Opening and Closing Ceremonies and Hollywood Director Steven Spielberg will be part of Zhang’s team as an artistic adviser. The announcement was made at BOCOG’s new headquarters Sunday.

Liu Qi, President of the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee said, “the Opening Ceremony is a crucial part of the Olympic Games. The success of a high-level Olympic Games with distinguishing features depends on the level of the Opening Ceremony.

“The 1.3 billion Chinese people are full of aspirations for the Olympic Games and they have very high expectations for the Opening Ceremony. For billions of TV viewers around the world the Opening Ceremony is also the ‘first impression’ that the Olympic Games have to offer”.

Epitelous! - An article on GamesBids.com

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ECA2 did the Athens Paralympic Ceremonies and I think the France 98 World Cup Opening.

Ah!  I heard good things about the Athens '04 Paralympics Ceremonies, altho I never saw them.  

The '98 France World Cup O.C. idea was good -- like a blossoming garden or something, and then you had these "bugs" (aerialists) coming down from the roof of the Stade de France into the "garden."  (Think ANTZ or A BUG's LIFE.)  But the execution sort of came out flat -- at least on TV.  And maybe because it was daytime, so they could not add any dramatic, focused lighting.

Yeah... they are not that bad, they seemed to do a good job in Athens, especially considering they only had use of the rehearsal sites from 2 days after the Olympic Closing. Football World Cup Ceremonies are always diddly squat - never expect much from those things!

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What happened to Ang Lee?  He was my favourite.  :sad:  I was hoping he would at least do a Chinese version of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN for Opening -- like 5,000 Chinese cowboys humping each other on the field of Bird's Nest.  :wwww:

OK, seriosuly, August 8, 2008 has definitely to be on my itinerary.  This just confirms it.  

Am on the next Great 2-Year Leap Forward Plan of my life (which means save and book the first day tix become availalbe.

Ang Lee is Taiwanese.

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What happened to Ang Lee?  He was my favourite.  :sad:  I was hoping he would at least do a Chinese version of BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN for Opening -- like 5,000 Chinese cowboys humping each other on the field of Bird's Nest.  :wwww:

OK, seriosuly, August 8, 2008 has definitely to be on my itinerary.  This just confirms it.  

Am on the next Great 2-Year Leap Forward Plan of my life (which means save and book the first day tix become availalbe.

Ang Lee is Taiwanese.

uhmmm... I was being facetious.   :wink:

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A total of 409 complete works were submitted to the event organizer before the deadline.

That is an unbelievabley large number of tender submissions.  And most, if not all of those are joint bids, meaning a non-Chinese and a native partner-bidder, as required by the rules.  (So one can easily surmise that around 800+ entities the world over bothered to complete and submit Opening and Closing Ceremonies scenarios for 2008).  And what a job the BOCOG Ceremonies people have had screening, sifting, filtering through all those ideas (I mean they're just mere ideas at this point) over the past few months.  

So, it just goes to prove that there is incredible worldwide interest in the Ceremonial aspects of the Olympics.  And unlike a certain poster here, who dismisses such trappings as 'non-essential,' it further proves that probably 95% of the TV-viewing world becomes interested in the Olympics or such similar large Games/events, because of the Ceremonies.  It's bizarre how those un-interested parties continue to hang around here.   :rolleyes:

P.S. BOCOG was pretty accurate in telling me that they would announce their Ceremonial choices around March 28.  So, they were just 2 weeks behind.  That's pretty good I'd say.

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I am satisfied that the Chinese once more give proof of their good taste, legendary refinement, and ability to choose talented people for the events they organize. The choice of Mr Yves Pépin (whose company, ECA2, also took part the most beautiful winter olympics opening ceremony, Albertville 1992) couldn't have been a better one. His creativity and sense of poetry will for sure astonish the World, like Philippe Decouflé did for Albertville 92.

The choice of Steven Spielberg is more questionable though; the World is already sick of the smothering and mediocre American "trashcan-culture", which just aims at making money and threatens other countries' national and genuine culture. The cultural specificity of China is that it has managed to remain preserved from the invasion of Hollywood and its mawkish business productions, by presenting original, poetic and charming movies with this delighting Chinese touch (just like Italy, Spain or France). The situation shouldnt change, for the good of cultural indentity and culture itself.

I won't be at the opening ceremony, I'll just go to the horseback riding contest in Hong Kong, but I'll make sure to watch it. Go China, and don't forget: it's your turn to shine, your turn to rise, and it's your century!

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I am satisfied that the Chinese once more give proof of their good taste, legendary refinement, and ability to choose talented people for the events they organize. The choice of Mr Yves Pépin (whose company, ECA2, also took part the most beautiful winter olympics opening ceremony, Albertville 1992) couldn't have been a better one. His creativity and sense of poetry will for sure astonish the World, like Philippe Decouflé did for Albertville 92.

The choice of Steven Spielberg is more questionable though; the World is already sick of the smothering and mediocre American "trashcan-culture", which just aims at making money and threatens other countries' national and genuine culture. The cultural specificity of China is that it has managed to remain preserved from the invasion of Hollywood and its mawkish business productions, by presenting original, poetic and charming movies with this delighting Chinese touch (just like Italy, Spain or France). The situation shouldnt change, for the good of cultural indentity and culture itself.

I won't be at the opening ceremony, I'll just go to the horseback riding contest in Hong Kong, but I'll make sure to watch it. Go China, and don't forget: it's your turn to shine, your turn to rise, and it's your century!

Ah, Cordelia. This is what makes you one of the more entertaining posters here. Only you could turn a simple comment on the ceremonial appointees for Beijing into a condescending, elitist, anti-American, Franco-triumphalist diatribe. Simply brilliant! I almost took it seriously for a second or two.

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Thank you. But I was serious. I was just congratulating Beijing for their choice for the opening ceremony.

I'm not anti-American at all, but who can deny the so-called "democratic" superpower is overfeeding and filling us up with a mediocre mass culture, which produces nothing but stupid or overweighted people? If you need example, just consider the American food, their movies (all so mawkish and full of clichés, no soul, no emotion, just business). The only exception might be for their musical scene, which is the only part in which the Americans have shown a minimum of creativity. But even the influence of American music is strongly declining...

No need to hate someone to express the danger for other cultures that represents an invading culture, which besides being dire has no consideration for others and considers itself to be the best. Nothing more.

But was we're getting a bit off-topic here, because of Mr "Muti billions" Spielberg, I'd like to encourage China for the efforts they're currently making, and tell them we all look forward to watching what will remain as the most spectacular and remembered games of History.

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Thank you. But I was serious. I was just congratulating Beijing for their choice for the opening ceremony.

I'm not anti-American at all, but who can deny the so-called "democratic" superpower is overfeeding and filling us up with a mediocre mass culture, which produces nothing but stupid or overweighted people? If you need example, just consider the American food, their movies (all so mawkish and full of clichés, no soul, no emotion, just business). The only exception might be for their musical scene, which is the only part in which the Americans have shown a minimum of creativity. But even the influence of American music is strongly declining...

No need to hate someone to express the danger for other cultures that represents an invading culture, which besides being dire has no consideration for others and considers itself to be the best. Nothing more.

But was we're getting a bit off-topic here, because of Mr "Muti billions" Spielberg, I'd like to encourage China for the efforts they're currently making, and tell them we all look forward to watching what will remain as the most spectacular and remembered games of History.

Cordelia, u r one uppity b*tch.  You're always trying to show off that you're better than most.  No, you're not. U just happen to be born French, and maybe that's your bad karma.

Anyway, Roltel was actually totally dismissing your ludicrous comments.   But u weren't sharp enough to perceive it as such.

And u know what, re Mr. Speilberg -- What makes you think you know better than the Beijing Committee?  If he's good enough for them, then he should be good enough for you.  But compared to your French and Euro directors, whose films are probably seen or enjoyed by a few hundreds, Mr. Spielberg's and Hollywood's films are seen and enjoyed by many millions around the world, and they generate billions. But maybe that doesn't mean a thing to you.  Well, it was certainly enough for the Beijing committee to want to him as their consultant.

Besides, your little French directors ("Amalie", while it has its charms, is one of the most sickeningly mawkish films I;ve seen in a long time.  And don't get me wrong, JEAN de FLORETTE ranks among my top 10 movies of all time) know little about stadium spectacle, which is why SS was enlisted in the first place.  They aren't going to have little sentimental pieces in the Ceremonies.  Oh, and Albertville's opening was very French, to the rest of the world it was tres bizarre.  I think the reason ECA2 was selected as one of the handful companies was because of the ideas it submitted, not because of its weird Albertville production (which BTW, I sort of happened to have liked) they staged.  I happened to have been consulted by one of the 2008 bidding teams.  But see, I am not blinded by xenophobic bias as you are.  

I didn't want to turn this into another slam-fest, but your condescending comments left me no choice.  

Finally, it seems you've heard of Mr. Speilberg.  I bet he's never heard of you.  So who are you to pass judgment in a field you have no credentials for at all?  :rolleyes:

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Personally I don't like Zhang Yimou. He's just old fashioned. Yes he is a famous director in China, but I see his taste as "steorotyped Chinese style according to Hollywood eyes". If you remember the Beijing's persentation on Athens closing ceremony, showing girls in mini-dress dancing like bar girls in the club, which offended most Chinese people. It was just bad. That performance was strongly critised in China, and I'm too sad to see the Olympic Organizing Committee appointed him again in the Beijing's opening.

And you will see, according to his so-called "artistic style", all scenes in the opening ceremong will be in single colour, all red in this second, then all green in the next, then all black, then all blue, so on. At the same time people around the world in front of the TV will be bombed by his personal beloved song "Jasmine Flower", which some people in China joked that his goal is to promote this song as the new national anthem. Boring enough.

I think I have to reconsider whether I should buy the ticket of the opening or not.

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Personally I don't like Zhang Yimou. He's just old fashioned. Yes he is a famous director in China, but I see his taste as "steorotyped Chinese style according to Hollywood eyes". If you remember the Beijing's persentation on Athens closing ceremony, showing girls in mini-dress dancing like bar girls in the club, which offended most Chinese people. It was just bad. That performance was strongly critised in China, and I'm too sad to see the Olympic Organizing Committee appointed him again in the Beijing's opening.

And you will see, according to his so-called "artistic style", all scenes in the opening ceremong will be in single colour, all red in this second, then all green in the next, then all black, then all blue, so on. At the same time people around the world in front of the TV will be bombed by his personal beloved song "Jasmine Flower", which some people in China joked that his goal is to promote this song as the new national anthem. Boring enough.

I think I have to reconsider whether I should buy the ticket of the opening or not.

Yeah...but that's why they canvased the whole world for new ideas and a fresh outlook for the 2 Ceremonies.  Don't worry.  With the budget they have, with the talent they have picked and lined up -- despite some nonsense from the peanut gallery, it will be a spectacular show that will do you, the Chinese people and history proud.  

Good if you're not going, Pui; that means 1 more chance for me.   :wink:

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But compared to your French and Euro directors, whose films are probably seen or enjoyed by a few hundreds, Mr. Spielberg's and Hollywood's films are seen and enjoyed by many millions around the world, and they generate billions. But maybe that doesn't mean a thing to you.  Well, it was certainly enough for the Beijing committee to want to him as their consultant.

by a few hundreds.... well you know thats crap... european movies are seen by millions too... or should i remind you how many people live in europe? but that is not the point... quantity is a much more different thing then quality... i personaly think that Spielberg is very overrated! The only film that i enjoyed was ET and that was because of the story... oh and Memoirs of a Geisha but in this film he was the producer not the director....

i think the Beijing Committee is trying to guarantee that the OC will be a "success"... Who will say "Oh, Spielbergs work wasnt good?"... Who?

The good thing is that Spielberg is just a part of the Zhang Yimou Team...

Hopefully he

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The point here is the talent lined up by Beijing which, of course, includes their director Zhang Yimou, Australian Ric Birch (probably with his Italian partners), Steven Spielberg as a consultant (very much as Cirque de Soleil was a consultant in Atlanta), and EPA2.  

Pui has dissed Yimou; Miss Prissy Cordelia (who is starting to get on my nerves) and you have dissed Spielberg -- all of you without KNOWING what the results will be like?  

What do you know about putting together shows of this magnitude? And maybe, if I were in the mood, I should start tearing down EPA2.   :glare:

Don't get me started.

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i did not dissed Spielberg, i just said i think he is overrated... i know that beijing has the potential for a great opening ceremony... i just hope that the committee and the creative team dont spend too much energy into satisfy "everybodys taste"..

the fascination of other cultures is that they are different from ours... and it would be very (for me) disappointing if the uniqueness of the chinise culture would be sacrificed by a "popular" show...

thats my point..

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i did not dissed Spielberg, i just said i think he is overrated... i know that beijing has the potential for a great opening ceremony... i just hope that the committee and the creative team dont spend too much energy into satisfy "everybodys taste"..

the fascination of other cultures is that they are different from ours... and it would be very (for me) disappointing if the uniqueness of the chinise culture would be sacrificed by a "popular" show...

thats my point..

well, it has to be show(s) that will at their essence feature CHinese culture, but because of their western partners, obviously, will have to be 'tweaked' to non-Chinese (i.e., western) tastes.  Which is fine with me.  I wouldn't like to pay $750/1,000 to see another re-run of a Chinese opera.  I want spectacle in swift, bold strokes -- and the old Falangist agrees with me.  

Per a report on the rival board, ATR, JAS has proposed that the Beijing Ceremonies be shorter.  (I think he realizes that that ridiculous Parade of Nations will go ooooooooooonnnnnnnnnn foreverrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.  Indeed, that should be -- and I see another debate coming on here - limited to 5 or 20 athletes per nation - or something like that.)

Also, let me go on record here and surmise as to why Ric Birch was hired.  Aside from his overall Ceremonial experience, I think the main reason being so Mr. Birch can think of a cauldron-lighting scheme from scratch that will top what he dreamed of for Sydney.  Having said that, I believe the Beijing '08 lighting scheme will include the 5 elements: wind, water, earth, metal (the cauldron) and fire.  You can count on that.

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because of their western partners, obviously, will have to be adjusted to non-Chinese (i.e., western) tastes.  Which is fine with me.  I don't like paying $1,000 to see another re-run of a Chinese opera.

I hope that both the ceremonies resemble something that is distinctive to China and not some Hollywood/Disney interpretation of what they may believe China is like - when I eat a Chinese takeaway meal in the UK I'm not under any illusion that it resembles anything that is consumed in China, although I enjoy it, I know it's simply an 'anglosized' version of the original - but I don't learn anything new from the experience.  Similarly with an Olympic Opening Ceremony, it maybe visually stunning to have a Chinese circus, dancing pandas and fire-crackers but does this teach me anything new, does it stimulate any thought and will it be quickly forgotten afterwards?  

I don't have a problem with Spielberg's involvement, or anybody elses for that matter - but I hope none of this distracts from what should be a showcase of CHINESE culture. China is a culture that many of us here in the West are often ignorant of, and sometimes even quite hostile to, portraying her through our own prejudices and stereotypes won't challenge our own opinions or increase our knowledge, and it won't help China in its quest to be more understood around the world.  We would all watch such a ceremony but it would be quickly forgotten afterwards by the majority of people.

With such a long eventful history I'm sure China can find aspects of its culture and heritage that are both captivating and educational to both US television viewers and the domestic population - without the need to be 'Disneyfied'.

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because of their western partners, obviously, will have to be adjusted to non-Chinese (i.e., western) tastes.  Which is fine with me.  I don't like paying $1,000 to see another re-run of a Chinese opera.

I hope that both the ceremonies resemble something that is distinctive to China and not some Hollywood/Disney interpretation of what they may believe China is like - when I eat a Chinese takeaway meal in the UK I'm not under any illusion that it resembles anything that is consumed in China, although I enjoy it, I know it's simply an 'anglosized' version of the original - but I don't learn anything new from the experience.  Similarly with an Olympic Opening Ceremony, it maybe visually stunning to have a Chinese circus, dancing pandas and fire-crackers but does this teach me anything new, does it stimulate any thought and will it be quickly forgotten afterwards?  

I don't have a problem with Spielberg's involvement, or anybody elses for that matter - but I hope none of this distracts from what should be a showcase of CHINESE culture. China is a culture that many of us here in the West are often ignorant of, and sometimes even quite hostile to, portraying her through our own prejudices and stereotypes won't challenge our own opinions or increase our knowledge, and it won't help China in its quest to be more understood around the world.  We would all watch such a ceremony but it would be quickly forgotten afterwards by the majority of people.

With such a long eventful history I'm sure China can find aspects of its culture and heritage that are both captivating and educational to both US television viewers and the domestic population - without the need to be 'Disneyfied'.

It won't necessarily be Disney-fied (think MULAN), but it will have to fit the strictures of western TV time limits.  I mean, they can't recreate a 10-hour Chinese opera and yet have it mean something on western telecasts where it would be chopped up to fit the 3-hour broadcast window.  Ex-Mr. Olympia himself (JAS) is aware of how long an unrestrained Opening Ceremony might be, so he has spoken out.  

[Aside: I was at a free event yesterday at the Yerba Buena Gardens -- one of the many commemorating the 100th anniversary of the great San Francisco Quake of 2006 -yea!  another Centennial!!  And being the multi-cultural area that we are, they of course, included some classical Chinese dancers.  Unfortunately, while this exquisite performer was dancing, the doggone bells of St. Patrick's across the Gardens, chimed the Vespers.  And those doggone chimes went on forever, like 24 clangs, entirely ruining the first half of the Chinese dance (which supposedly was a recreation of CHinese opera also going on the night before APril 18, 1906 in SF's old Chinatown).  But I digress...

I think the 'artistic' portion might be shorter than normal, if they will let some 9,000 athletes parade in as usual.  I think they should all be shoved onto a fast moving treadmill to speed up that whole doggone portion (think FAST-FORWARD & the whole entrance of the home team alone will be so stretched out to 15 minutes).  :help:  So, if the artistic portion is shorter, that means it'll have to pack more wallop in the brief time allowed for it.  

Maybe they'll serve dimsum or high-grade opium while the Parade of Nations rolls on.    :wwww:

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