Can the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony astound the world again after 14 years?
The opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will start at the National Stadium (Bird's Nest) on Friday, February 4, at 8pm.
Beijing will be the world's first "Dual-Olympic city," with chief director Zhang Yimou and his team showcasing the "China of Today" in the opening ceremony.
As the first general director of a Double Olympics, Zhang said that "many of the highlights of the opening ceremony tonight have never been seen before," a promise that immediately raises expectations.
So, how much will the opening ceremony differ from that of the 2008 Beijing Olympics? What will be the highlights? What kind of ingenuity will be used to light the Olympic cauldron? And how much more content can be expected?
Point one: shorter time, fewer actors
Compared with the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony, which lasted approximately four hours and featured a cast of 15,000, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony has been adjusted in terms of duration and structure to account for factors such as frugality, cold weather, and epidemic prevention and control.
Zhang said the ceremony this year would not use a "huge crowd" strategy. It would involve less than 3,000 actors, ranging in age from 5 to over 70, in its cultural performances. And 95% of them are teenagers.
The performers in the opening ceremony will include people of all ages, the youngest being only 5 years old.
Point two: no stars in the warm-up session
There will be about 30 minutes of warm-up performances before the start of the ceremony.
As Zhang has previously said, the opening ceremony this time emphasizes the "people's nature."
Unlike previous warm-ups in which hosts and stars were invited to perform, the ceremony tonight will begin without hosts, stars, or professional performers, and with the participation of only ordinary people.
"Ordinary people of all ages can show themselves on this international stage. The opening ceremony takes place on the fourth day of the Chinese New Year, and I hope that these ordinary people can show the world the atmosphere of our New Year," Zhang said.
Performers perfect their moves during rehearsals for the opening ceremony last month at the Bird Nest.
Point three: the sense of technology
The Beijing Winter Olympics will be the first major cultural event held in the National Stadium, or the "Bird Nest" in winter.
In response to the vast space of the National Stadium, Zhang said that technological advances, such as artificial intelligence, machine vision, 5G, and cloud technology, will be used in the opening ceremony to achieve the effect in the venue of "fewer people but not empty."
According to the creative design staff, the ceremony will be a feast of digital technology and a step forward in Chinese digital aesthetics.
Also, it will coincide with one of 24 traditional Chinese solar terms Lichun (Start of Spring), which will be fully reflected in the program.
Point four: Zhang's mysterious 'props'
Zhang had prepared a "prop" when directing the light and fireworks show for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Qingdao Summit in 2018, but it was not used due to the small performance venue.
In 2019, the "prop" was still not used for the grand evening gala celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
But this time, the "prop" will finally see action during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Zhang revealed that the "prop" is closely linked to China's technological strength and is very simple, safe and controllable.
The Beijing Olympic Tower is lit up in colorful lights on the eve of the Opening Ceremony at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
Point five: Interact with snowflakes
To ensure that the opening and closing ceremonies run smoothly, the "Bird Nest" has undergone a thorough "intellectual" upgrade.
Zhang revealed that the Winter Olympics opening ceremony employs a sense of interaction captured in real time on a large site.
"In some venues, you can see the snowflakes interact with the actors. This is not a rehearsal or something that can be accomplished with precision synthesis technology. It requires new technology. "
Point six: an unprecedented ignition method
Li Ning's flying run to ignite the Olympic Cauldron in 2008 became a classic image in the history of the Olympic Games.
But this time, as Zhang said, "The way of lighting the fire and even the torch stand is one of the boldest designs and changes. It has not appeared in the more than 100-year history of the (modern) Olympic Games."
He revealed that he is still concerned because the method is really subversive.
"I'm grateful for the Winter Olympics Organizing Committee's strong backing, and the International Olympic Committee is also enthusiastic. This approach is unusual in general, and I hope people will enjoy it."
The person who lights the cauldron at the national stadium is also attracting a lot of attention.
According to some media reports, Chinese athletes are among the leading candidates, like the first Chinese Winter Olympic Games medal winner Ye Qiaobo, the first Chinese Winter Olympic Games gold medal winner Yang Yang, and Wang Meng, the Chinese speed skater who won three gold medals in 2010 in Vancouver.
Chinese gymnast Li Ning lights the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games at the National Stadium.
Point seven: tell the future of humanity's fate together
Zhang believes that the most significant difference between the opening ceremonies of the two Olympic Games in Beijing is that the narrative's perspective has shifted from "I" to "we."
He said the opening ceremony in 2008 focused on helping more people understand traditional Chinese culture, while the ceremony this year is about the spiritual concept shared by all humanity, depicting China's relationship with the rest of the world and how to move forward together into the future.
The site rehearsal lights of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games opening ceremony inspire people to take photos.
Whether it is the high-level positioning, the digital technology or the innovative cauldron ignition method, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics opening ceremony will tell the story of the Games, China, and the world with a devotion to the globally common sports language and sporting spirit.
The opening ceremony will be held tonight at 8pm at the National Stadium. You can watch it on TV channels like CCTV General Channel, News Channel, Sports Channel, Olympic Channel, and new media platforms like CCTV News, CCTV Video, and CCTV Sports, etc.
So, let's see you tonight!
