Beijing Olympics’ Opening Ceremonies a Big Hit

Drumming, dancing and technology – breathtaking in their precision – marked the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. “Amid Friday night's spectacle, athletes from 205 nations marched in and celebrated what is being touted as China's emergence as a cultural, political and economic power,” writes Peter Fimrite for the San Francisco Chronicle. “The Olympic slogan, ‘One World, One Dream,’ represents, in essence, an extended hand from this 5,000-year-old nation of 1.3 billion people to the rest of the world.” The opening ceremony reviewed China’s history and contributions and also included ample symbolism of global interconnectedness as well as links between the powerful and vulnerable: Chinese torchbearer, Yao Ming, a US basketball star, accompanied a young boy who rescued classmates during the May earthquake, while US torchbearer and track athlete Lopez Lomong was once a refugee from Africa’s long-suffering Darfur region. Photographs capture images of a global parade, an exquisite and unfolding quilt in many colors and textures. The games, held every four years, give all countries an opportunity to check their progress as global citizens – and athletes, politicians and organizers graciously greeted their competitors in this regard. – YaleGlobal