Beijing 2022 closing ceremony to evoke 2008
The closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, which will be held on Sunday, might serve as a "time machine" to recall the 2008 Summer Olympics, as the city is the only one in the world to have held both the Summer and Winter Games.
The direction team didn't want to spoil the surprise but confirmed that in the most significant part of the closing ceremony, Beijing 2008 will make a nostalgic return.
"At the moment when the Olympic flame goes out, the audience will feel that they could turn back time and travel back to 2008," said Zhang Yimou, chief director of the opening and closing ceremonies.
The moment will be presented with "modern technologies," but no further details have been released yet.
Meanwhile, athletes will play the main role in the closing ceremony, Zhang said.
Zhang Yimou
The ceremony is expected to be a merry party for athletes who have gone through hard training and fierce competition. There will be a unique "trick" when they enter the stadium, and some of the performers that appeared in the opening ceremony will return as well.
Most of the performers are students from primary and middle schools around the country.
"We lay much emphasis on 'people' in regard to the closing ceremony, and we have received help from all walks of life," Zhang said.
The stage will be mainly bathed in a red hue to spread the warmth to every corner of the world.
"The athletes will go back home the next day, so we want to give them a sense of lingering," said Sha Xiaolan, director and lighting designer of the ceremony.
The closing ceremony will be held at the National Stadium, better known as the Bird's Nest, in Beijing on Sunday.
Also, nearly 20,000 red lanterns have been installed in the spectator area.
"There will be a moment when the lantern lights blend with the blue lights in the stadium," Sha said. "We want to build a collision between the 'passion of red' and the 'romance of blue'."
An eight-minute teaser from Italy is also highly anticipated. The 2026 Winter Games will be held in Milano and Cortina. The theme of the performance will be "Duality, Together."
