I was with foreign visitors last night, having dinner and watching the dazzling opening of Beijing Olympic Games. At every corner in Clark Quay, the live telecast of 29th Olympic Games attracted crowds on a dark night. Tourists, locals and expats were cheering for the Olympic team of their own country. The sky looked threatening, but the rain didn't come. :)
The spectacular multimedia opening of Beijing Games was choreographed by acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou. It was a century-long dream that come true for the Chinese. People from all over the world saw the richness of Chinese culture - 5,000 years of history in one night! It makes me proud to be a Chinese.
My guests were fascinated by this rich culture that they have never seen, they have many questions. Chinese gymnastic legend Li Ning's display of Chinese kung-fu when he lighted the cauldron was much talkabout after I had explained the various styles of Chinese kung-fu. Neighbouring diners joined in .......
My fun-loving guests taking a plunge, tens of storeys high on a dark night! Just looking at it, I can have a heart-attack!Happy 43rd Birthday, Singapore!!!
PhotoHunt
photohunt
hi ECL! i wacthed the opening too yesterday!! amazing, right!! their hard works can really be seen in their performances. :)
ReplyDeleteI was watching the Olympics opening too last night! Very beautiful presentation:) Happy Weekend!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a beautiful and meaningful evening. In one night, you have learnt 5000 years of history lesson.
ReplyDeleteIt was indeed a proud moment for China and Chinese people all over the world.
ReplyDeleteThe opening was awesome!! I was beaming with pride with the great inventions of the Chinese displays :)
ReplyDeleteWatching the Parade tonite?
I am still mad at myself for not watching it! That is quite annoying.
ReplyDeleteI love Opening ceremony of Olympic 2008 as well!!
ReplyDeleteOh, mine is up at Rooms in my heart
ReplyDeleteIt was a well planned, magnificient ceremony, wasn't it? People here now starting to craze about number "8". LOL
ReplyDeletejean,
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely amazing! I'm so proud of them for planning and giving such a spectacular performance!!
yen,
ReplyDeleteAhhh.... you enjoy it too. Happy weekend!
oceanskies,
ReplyDeleteIn one night, my foreign friends learn 5000 years of Chinese History and they didn't have enough of it. This morning, I brought them to buy books on Chinese history and culture!
They and some other tourists at Clark Quay were lucky to hear me tell the history behind most of the performances. :)
my bug life,
ReplyDeleteMany of the Chinese amidst the audience watching the Beijing Olympic opening were in high spirits and cheering and clapping after each performance! A proud moment for all Chinese!
napaboaniya,
ReplyDeleteI was bursting with pride! hehe.... Going to watch it again as my brother recorded it.
Have to watch the parade tonight as having a National Day party for my foreign friends at home. :) Then hit the getai! hehe...
andie "unorbit",
ReplyDeleteAlamak! You should watch the repeat telecast or a recording of it. Not just admire it for the performances, the lessons to learn from it is useful.
trinity,
ReplyDeleteImagine all of us watching the Beijing Olympics opening at the same time.... and being awe by it! Cheers!
Doreen,
ReplyDeleteWell planned, well-co-ordinated, well-executed! :D
The 8888 is a beautiful and auspicious number. Next year is 9999!
Opps I missed it!! Nevermind I'll catch the closing :)
ReplyDeleteLadyJava,
ReplyDeleteTry to watch the opening. Can find on the net lah.
where where where..
ReplyDeleteyou make a great ambassador. :)
ReplyDeleteLadyJava,
ReplyDeletelink to the opening :
http://en.beijing2008.cn/ceremonies/headlines/openingceremony/s214513609/
Official Beijing Olympic website
http://en.beijing2008.cn/
misti,
ReplyDeletehehe... thank you.
hello eastcoastlife happy weekend...hope you can find time to visit mine too.
ReplyDeletehave a good week ahead...just droppin by to say hi to a dear friend
ReplyDeletemine is up dear eastcoastlife
ReplyDeleteIt certainly was a spectacular opening ceremony. Here's hoping it will be a great games.
ReplyDeleteIt was most spectacular indeed. What is that machine? Looks mighty scarey. Have a good weekend ECL.
ReplyDeleteHi ECL! We watched the opening ceremony too, it was so impressive! I loved it when all the performers removed the bag from their faces and waved to the crowd, so cute! The giant scroll was just amazing wasn't it? China put in a lot of effort and did a splendid job! :):):)
ReplyDeleteHi gbex and ellen,
ReplyDeletelong time no see! Happy weekend, dear!
jams,
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you are watching the games daily.... you get a chance to learn a bit more about the Chinese culture.
jmb,
ReplyDeleteThat machine is a bungy simulator. People are raised high up in that seat and then released! Like the Viking Boat but this is scarier.... the people dropped from a height of tens of storeys high. Then they swing like a pendulum. I get dizzy watching it.
mariuca,
ReplyDeleteYou learn more about the Chinese culture, huh? Such a massive country with an equally massive population, they can do great things!
The scroll was an eye opener... there are many things which I have not seen or heard about on my China trips too. My hair was standing on ends when I was watching it. Pretty amazing!
What a wonderful post, ECL.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I hope and pray that your son Jaymes will be ok. Hugs to you dear :)
Yea it was an amazing opening - we saw it all in Norway too of course - Zhang Yimou really have done a wonderful work!
ReplyDeleteHappy National Day to all of you :-)
Btw: Glad you liked my award to you - yea: it suits you well!
Julie,
ReplyDeleteThanks. I appreciate that. *hugs*
renny,
ReplyDeleteThanks for thinking of me every time, the lovely, suitable award for ECL. hehe....
You should visit China to see for yourself how impressive it is. Zhang Yimou is a great artist and magician!
I think it was the most beautiful and amawing "show" I have ever seen !!!Zhang Yimou is a genius !! it was just perfect. Many things I knew but not in this presentation of course. This opening ceremony will go into history !!!
ReplyDeleteWas watching it on my laptop yesterday on BBC website. Actually, I'll be surprised if people who're not familiar with Chinese culture will know the significance of some acts.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the BBC presentator didn't actually explain all the best very well. In one particular scene, the word '茶' was depicted and the presentor just kept mum about it. I thought that the tea (茶) trade played a significant role in the Chinese economy.
Also, tea was introduced to Great Britain from the Far East (i.e. China). The irony of it all. :P
It was such a wonderful spectacle! The atmosphere must have been wonderful. A great take on the theme.
ReplyDeletethe opening of the Olympics was really magnificent---jaw-dropping!
ReplyDeleteI thought the opening ceremonies last night was very beautiful, too!
ReplyDeletegattina,
ReplyDeleteOhhhh... so happy you enjoyed it too! You would love visiting China and learning more about its culture and history.
Zhang Yimou has quite a number of awesome productions under his name. I enjoy his work.
ck,
ReplyDeleteIt's an event filled with rich Chinese history and culture... not many people can appreciate nor understand the significance. there is much depth and meaning in the performances.
I doubt the BBC presentator knew what is the significance behind all these items.
Many foreigners in the audience who were watching it didn't understand and I had to explain and talked a little about the history.
I'm pleased to see the interest in Chinese culture stirred up by this awesome performance.
a.
ReplyDeleteWow! So many people watched the opening ceremony! It is going to be another great moment in history!
Wow luna, glad that you enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteOooo... Daisy, you watched it too! er... in your glow in the dark costume? hehe....
ReplyDeleteGreat shots for the dark theme. Taking the plunge would give me heart failure.
ReplyDeleteYou and your wonderful country have reason to be proud.. my favorite part was the drummers... but all the opening ceremonies were fantastic. Great Photos for this week's theme!
ReplyDeleteWe watched part of it replayed this morning. Incredible stuff. Have a nice weekend.
ReplyDeleteEastcoastlife, if only the Olympics have engaged you to be the English presenter, then the whole world who's watching the Opening Ceremony would better appreciate the significance behind the performance. It's really a challenge to describe 5000 years of history in one night.
ReplyDeleteAiya, I missed catching your presentation yesterday...
The opening was beautiful!! I loved it. Happy hunting!
ReplyDeleteThe opening ceremony was fascinating, very beautiful and showed much creativity and discipline. Loved it!
ReplyDeleteThe light shows were wonderful in the dark night...great choice for the theme, ECL!!
seems like the night life in your place is full of fun. =) mine is up here
ReplyDeletehttp://www.jazanotherday.com/2008/08/photohunt-dark.html
Yeah it was so nice! So good to be a Chinese right? :)
ReplyDeleteYikes, no plunge for me, please!
ReplyDeleteIt was a beautiful opening. I was pleased to see the Chinese people celebrate last night (the drummers were amazing).
ReplyDeleteI missed the first 30 minutes of the live broadcast due to lousy live telecast from our Malaysian official Olympics channel, RTM. Did I miss anything? I like the last part where Li Ning walked on air to light the fire cauldron - very cool!
ReplyDeleteyour own photo would have be excellent for this theme, I love your hair.
ReplyDeleteIt wonderful to see all the countries and their costume but it sad we need to put so much political and religion in to everything.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you think out of the box.
Mine is up now and when you get a chance stop on it and remember the coffee is always on.
See sort of watched the Opening on a silent plasma screen while working in the office!
ReplyDeleteI watched it early this morning and one of the things stunned me was the ignorance of the reporters that were covering the Olympics.They kept commenting on the order in which the countries entered the stadium.
ReplyDeleteI watched the Olympics opening ceremony last night too over here in Hong Kong! :)
ReplyDeleteso proud to be a chinese, kan??
ReplyDeleteEVERYONE thot it was impresive and totally awesome! ;-)
Wonderful post for the dark theme.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice weekend!
Oh, I absolutely loved the opening ceremonies of the Olympics!!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Weekend.
What a wonderful idea and post for this week’s theme. I stayed up until midnight watching here in So Cal and am ‘whipped’ today … but I wouldn’t have missed a minute. I participated twice today with 'moonrise' in So Cal at Sacred Ruminations and a 'dark critter collage' at Small Reflections.
ReplyDeleteHugs and blessings,
Happy 43 years of Independence...
ReplyDeleteI could NOT have taken that plunge!
It was a beautiful opening ceremony. I watched it with my mother and we were both awestruck.
ReplyDeleteYou know that we were really impressed with the opening night as well. Sounds like a great party and nice to share the event with others!!
ReplyDeleteI watched the Olympic opening from home and yes, it was worth the rush home from the office, amid the Friday evening traffic!
ReplyDeleteHappy SG Day to u!
That's happening! I miss Singapore. :P
ReplyDeleteWhile watching the opening ceremony only one word jumped to my mind - SPECTACULAR. I actually feel sorry for the next country who is to host the games. Improving on this ceremony is not going to be easy.
ReplyDeleteOne day late but I still can say Happy Birthday Singapore. My dear homeland!!
ReplyDeletesingapore 43 years old already?? middle age already hor... starting to put on some weight also hor...
ReplyDeleteHappy national day to you! :)
ReplyDeleteBeijing's opening is undoubtedly spectacular. It is by far the best so far in Olympics history I would say. So, you went to Clark Quay to watch? with all the crowd cheering? must be fun!
ReplyDeleteand happy birthday Singapore! :)